Italian Neurosurgeon Talks Of Head Transplant By 2017 Kidney transplants have become routine, and heart transplants are increasing in prevalence with huge success rates. But, there's a whole new school of thought coming our way, and some of it sounds incredible.
By Kareem Chehayeb •
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Kidney transplants have become routine, and heart transplants are increasing in prevalence with huge success rates. But, there's a whole new school of thought coming our way, and some of it sounds incredible, if not impossible. Valery Spiridonov, a 30 year-old Russian man who suffers from Werdnig-Hoffman Disease, has been in touch with Italian neurosurgeon Dr. Sergio Canavero, who hopes to perform the first head transplant by 2017. Spiridonov believes that this transplant, albeit a risky one, is his only hope to escape the rare neuromuscular disease. According to various news reports, it looks like the surgical operation will require a team of 100 and cost an estimated US$15 million. The risks appear endless, and many other medical workers believe that it will also take a while before Dr. Canavero, who is also Director of the Turin Advanced Neuromodulation Group, can perform the surgery he claims has a 90% chance of success.
