全球首例頭部移植手術將於明年下半年正式進行

A doctor is now preparing to prepare the very first ever whole head transplant. No, DT hasn't turned into a science fiction publication — this is the latest in scientific advancement.

現在，一名醫生正在準備世界上第一例頭部移植手術。當然，我們正在討論的不是一部科幻小說，而是最新的科技成果。

It's a plan that Italian neurosurgeon Sergio Canavero has been concocting for years, first introducing the notion to the public in 2013. The two-part procedure is composed of HEAVEN (head anastomosis venture) and Gemini (the subsequent spinal cord fusion).

意大利神經科醫生塞爾吉奧·卡納維洛已經對“換頭術”研究多年。他在2013年首次向公衆提出這一概念。這一手術流程分爲兩個部分：第一部分是頭部吻合(HEAVEN)，第二部分是脊髓融合(Gemini)。

Valery Spiridonov, a 31-year-old Russian program manager suffering from the rare muscular atrophy disorder Werdnig-Hoffman disease, has already signed on to become the first patient.

據悉，31歲的俄羅斯項目經理瓦萊裏·史比裏道諾夫，患有罕見的肌肉萎縮症韋德尼希·霍夫曼病，目前已經簽字，將成爲首位換頭手術者。

So how will it work?

那麼手術怎麼進行呢？

According to Canavero, there will be two surgical teams working at the same time. One will focus on Spiridonov, the living patient, while the other will focus on a donor's body. The donor will be brain-dead and selected based on height, build, and immunotype. Both patients will be anesthetized and hooked up to breathing machines and electrodes to keep tabs on brain and heart activity. Then, Spiridonov will have his head nearly frozen — temporarily brain-dead himself.

根據卡納維洛所述，這次手術將由兩個手術團隊同時工作。一方負責活病人史比裏道諾夫，另一方則負責捐獻者的身體。捐獻者要求腦死亡，並需根據身高、體格以及免疫分型進行選擇。兩名患者都將被麻醉，並連上呼吸機和電極，以檢測大腦和心臟活動。接着，史比裏道諾夫的頭部將會被冷卻--經歷短暫的腦死亡。

At this point, attending physicians will drain the blood from his brain, and flush it with a surgery solution. Tubes will be looped around major arteries and veins to stop blood flow, and then later removed to allow for circulation once the new body is attached.

在這個時候，主治醫師從他的大腦中抽取血液，並用手術溶液清洗頭部。主動脈和靜脈將會被管道繫住，以讓血液停止流動。一旦新的頭部移植過來，管道將被解除，以便讓血液流通。

Then, the most important part of all — cutting both spinal cords. This will be done with a $200,000 diamond nanoblade, which comes from the University of Texas. Once Spiridonov's head is no longer attached to his body, he'll have to have a new body within one hour. From there, the spinal cord segments will be fused in yet another novel procedure, and all severed muscles and skin will be sewn back together as well.

然後就是手術過程中最重要的部分--切斷兩名患者的脊髓。這一過程將藉助德克薩斯大學的金剛石納米刀片。一旦史比裏道諾夫的頭部不再屬於他自己的身體，那麼在一小時之內就必須換上新的頭部。所有主動脈和靜脈將被重新連接。隨後就進入脊髓融合流程。所有切斷的肌肉和皮膚也將一併縫合好。

If all goes according to plan, Spiridonov could be up and walking three to six months after surgery.

如果一切按計劃進行，術後三到六個月，史比裏道諾夫就可以離牀行走了。

Needless to say, skeptics abound for the procedure, but the patient says that he's willing to risk death to escape his current condition. The procedure is currently slated to take place late next year.

當然不必說，懷疑者比比皆是，但患者自己卻表示，他願意冒着生命危險來擺脫他目前的狀況。這一手術現在預計將於明年下半年進行。