Abstract
Since the beginning of the effective immunosuppressive therapy in the second half of the twentieth century, transplantation medicine has been developing rapidly. For a relatively long time, however, donor transplantation has been reserved for cases that saved lives, such as failure of vital organs.
The reason was the need to balance the benefit of the operation against the undesirable effects of the accompanying immunosuppressive therapy, which threatened the patient by its side effects that included emergence of serious opportunistic infections, malignant tumors, and metabolic diseases, Although reconstructive transplantation was performed earlier, in 1998 after the first successful transplantation of the arm as a composite unit, the issue started to be discussed among professionals and the lay public. An ethical issue arises as to whether the risk of immunosuppressive therapy is balanced by the benefit of improving the quality of life.
It is very difficult to decide whether or when to use it, as well as whether the decision should be in the hands of doctors or patients. The fact is, however, that reconstructive transplants became a standard therapy, they are performed in various countries around the world and from different indications.
Reconstructive transplantation is performed very rarely. Although a number of articles and several monographs have been published in foreign literature, only a few doctors are familiar with the issue.
The new monograph therefore presents a comprehensive, and complete description of reconstructive transplantation. The monograph contains 31 chapters and is divided into two parts.
The first, general part briefly discusses the general issues of transplant medicine as well as the legal, ethical and also social and psychological aspects of these procedures. There are also chapters about transplantations in childhood and perspectives for the future.
In the second, specialized section, the authors present chapters that cover all the reconstructive transplantations performed so far. The chapters on the hand and face transplantation are of the greatest interest.
The presented monograph is intended for all doctors and other professionals engaged in transplantation medicine. We believe that even specialists from other disciplines will find parts that will be of interest and benefit to them.
And last but not least, the publication is intended for students of medicine or other health care disciplines who can find a source of more detailed information in the field of reconstructive surgery and may become an inspiration for the whole of their professional life.