Application possibilities of artificial intelligence in facial vascularized composite allotransplantation-a narrative review.

Journal: Frontiers in surgery
Published Date:

Abstract

Facial vascularized composite allotransplantation (FVCA) is an emerging field of reconstructive surgery that represents a dogmatic shift in the surgical treatment of patients with severe facial disfigurements. While conventional reconstructive strategies were previously considered the goldstandard for patients with devastating facial trauma, FVCA has demonstrated promising short- and long-term outcomes. Yet, there remain several obstacles that complicate the integration of FVCA procedures into the standard workflow for facial trauma patients. Artificial intelligence (AI) has been shown to provide targeted and resource-effective solutions for persisting clinical challenges in various specialties. However, there is a paucity of studies elucidating the combination of FVCA and AI to overcome such hurdles. Here, we delineate the application possibilities of AI in the field of FVCA and discuss the use of AI technology for FVCA outcome simulation, diagnosis and prediction of rejection episodes, and malignancy screening. This line of research may serve as a fundament for future studies linking these two revolutionary biotechnologies.

Authors

  • Leonard Knoedler
    Department of Plastic, Hand- and Reconstructive Surgery, University Hospital Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany.
  • Samuel Knoedler
    Division of Plastic Surgery, Department of Surgery, Yale New Haven Hospital, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States.
  • Omar Allam
    Division of Plastic Surgery, Department of Surgery, Yale New Haven Hospital, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States.
  • Katya Remy
    Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, University Hospital Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany.
  • Maximilian Miragall
    Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, University Hospital Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany.
  • Ali-Farid Safi
    Craniologicum, Center for Cranio-Maxillo-Facial Surgery, Bern, Switzerland.
  • Michael Alfertshofer
    Division of Hand, Plastic and Aesthetic Surgery, Ludwig-Maximilians University Munich, Munich, Germany.
  • Bohdan Pomahac
    Division of Plastic Surgery, Department of Surgery, Yale New Haven Hospital, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States.
  • Martin Kauke-Navarro
    Division of Plastic Surgery, Department of Surgery, Yale New Haven Hospital, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States.

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