"I` Am Forever Grateful To Surgeon" Says Man Who Survived Skull-Scalp Swap

A Cancer patient given the world’s first skull and scalp transplant told yesterday how he would be “forever grateful” to surgeons.

James Boysen, 55, was missing the whole of the crown of his head after treatment for a rare form of the disease. But doctors performed a 15-hour operation, in which he was also given a new kidney and pancreas to replace previous organ transplants. More than 50 medics were involved. According to TheSun

The software developer, of Austin, Texas, US, said after the procedure in nearby Houston: “I’m amazed at how great I feel.

I think they found the right guy at the right time. When I had my pancreas done, that was experimental too.

“I couldn’t get the transplant surgery needed for the organs without fixing my scalp, but I couldn’t fix my scalp because of the failure of the organs, so I was between a rock and a hard place”.

“This has been a long journey. I am so grateful to all the doctors who performed my transplants.

“I’m forever grateful that I have another chance to get back to doing the things I love and be with the people I love.”

James was diagnosed with leiomyosarcoma,  cancer of the scalp muscle, in 2006. It was treated with chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

However, his scalp and skull were destroyed, with a 10in x 10in hole leaving brain vulnerable.

Normally a combination of skin grafts and metal plates or 3D-printing to reconstruct his skull would have been medics’ preferred choice.

But that was ruled out because he was already on immune suppressing drugs because the pancreas and kidney he received in an earlier transplant were failing.

Dr Jesse Selber said: “When I first met Jim, I made the connection between him needing a new kidney and pancreas and the ongoing anti-rejection medication to support them, and receiving a full scalp and skull transplant at the same time that would be protected by those same medications.

“This was a truly unique clinical situation that created the opportunity to perform this complex transplant.”

Fellow surgeon Dr Michael Klebuc told how intricate the surgery was and said: “Imagine connecting blood vessels 1/16in wide under a microscope with tiny stitches about half the diameter of a human hair being done with tools that one would use to make a fine Swiss watch.”