World's first face transplant patient Isabelle Dinoire dies
September 07, 2016  10:31
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A French woman who underwent the world's first partial face transplant has died in hospital aged 49 after a long illness.

Isabelle Dinoire, who lost her mouth and nose after a dog bite, made medical history in 2005 when she was given a partial face transplant using tissue from a brain-dead woman in a 15-hour operation at Amiens Picardie hospital.

Dinoire died in April, Le Figaro revealed, which was confirmed by doctors in Amiens who said they had not previously announced her death to protect her family's privacy.

Doctors did not reveal the exact cause of death. Le Figaro reported that Dinoire's body had rejected the transplant last year "and she had lost part of the use of her lips".

The drugs that she had to take to prevent her body from rejecting the transplant left her vulnerable to cancer and two cancers had developed, the paper said.
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