Woman regains voice after rare larynx transplant

A woman who has been unable to speak for more than a decade has regained her voice after undergoing a rare voicebox transplant.

Brenda Jensen, lost the ability to speak following surgery 11 years ago. Her voice box was damaged after she repeatedly ripped out a breathing tube whilst sedated.

Since then she has been unable to smell or taste food and can only breathe with the help of a tracheotomy tube. An electronic hand held device that produces an artificial robot-like voice was her only way of speaking to others.

An international team of surgeons - which included Professor Martin Birchall from University College London - performed the complex surgery at the University of California Davis Medical Centre, US. More than two dozen surgeons, doctors, nurses and technicians were involved overall.

The 18-hour operation, which took place over a two days in October 2010, is only the second of its kind in the world.

The 52 year-old-woman spoke her first words just 13 days after the operation. She is now able to speak easily.

Ms Jensen said: "This operation has restored my life. I feel so blessed to have been given this opportunity. It is a miracle. I’m talking, talking, talking, which just amazes my family and friends."

The surgeons removed and replaced Ms. Jensen's larynx (voicebox), thyroid gland and trachea (windpipe) with that from a donor who died in an accident. Surgeons had to work simultaneously on each side of the patient to reconnect the organ and various nerves, veins and arteries.

The new voice sounded hoarse after the operation, but has improved significantly since the transplant. Although the donor organ came from an accident victim, Ms. Jensen’s voice is her own and not that of the donor, the surgeons said.

Ms Jensen is now able to smell and taste food and is in the process of relearning to swallow. She hopes to soon be able to eat and drink normally again.

"We are absolutely delighted with the results of this extraordinary case," said Professor Gregory Farwell, at UC Davis Medical Centre and lead surgeon for the transplant. "The larynx is an incredibly complex organ, with intricate nerves and muscles functioning to provide voice and allow breathing.

"Our success required that we assemble an exceptional, multi-disciplinary team, use the most recent advances in surgical and rehabilitation techniques, and find a patient who would relish the daunting challenges of undergoing the transplant and the work necessary to use her new voicebox."

Dr John Williams, Head of Clinical Activities at the Wellcome Trust, which has supported Professor Birchall's research in the past said: "This is a truly extraordinary achievement and a genuine breakthrough.

"Professor Birchall and colleagues have clearly transformed the life of their patient and their work offers much hope both for patients in need of similar procedures and indeed for research into transplantation and regenerative medicine in general."

This article was published on Fri 21 January 2011