Sir:FigureWe report two cases involving tissue loss of varying magnitudes on the face that were replanted successfully. Replantation is the ideal method of reconstructing amputated small facial parts. However, the small-caliber vessels in this region make such replantation challenging. The 6-year-old boy in our series, who had avulsion of the entire nose with nasal cartilages, part of the cheek, and the upper lip, is the recipient of the largest successful composite facial replantation thus far published. In the first case, a 6-year-old boy was injured in a road traffic accident and suffered avulsion of the entire midface, including the nose, with nasal cartilages, upper lips, and part of the cheek, with palatal disruption (Fig. 1). Warm ischemia time was 9.5 hours. The amputated part (Fig. 2) was grossly contaminated. This was cleansed thoroughly and the angular vessels were identified.Fig. 1: Case 1. Preoperative photograph shows loss of the entire nose with nasal cartilages, upper lip, and part of the cheek.Fig. 2: Case 1. The amputated part.The palate was repaired first. The angular vessels were identified, and the amputated part was replaced anatomically. The angular and supratrochlear veins were first anastomosed end-to-end with 11-0 Ethilon (Ethicon, Inc., Somerville, N.J.) followed by the angular artery. Dextran 40 infusion was administered postoperatively. The child was ventilated overnight. By the tenth day, he was back on a normal diet. The entire replant survived. His 6-month follow-up was uneventful (Fig. 3). He has no problems with regard to speech, breathing, or deglutition.Fig. 3: Case 1. The patient is shown at 6-month follow-up.In the second case, a 35-year old man suffered a nose amputation in an assault, and had an ischemia time of 18 hours. The right angular vessels were revascularized and dextran 40 was infused. The patient had epidermal loss over the nasal dorsum in the postoperative period, which epithelialized with conservative measures. There are several reports of successful replantation of the scalp, and fewer reports for small part composite replantation of the face.1–7 The problems peculiar to this area are the small caliber of the facial vessels, venous congestion, and a paucity of reports in the literature to guide the approach. Several authors have suggested tips for circumventing these problems. Newer techniques involve artery-to-vein anastomosis for improved venous return and consequent survivability.1,3,4 We used several points in our surgical plan that facilitated an uneventful and successful postoperative result. The venous anastomosis was planned intentionally first to reduce troublesome bleeding that would have ensued with an initial arterial anastomosis. This would have obscured the surgical field and added significant difficulty to working in this region. An additional vein reduced venous congestion. We report two successful cases of composite facial replantation (Table 1). End-to-end anastomosis of small-caliber vessels was achieved, with a smooth postoperative course. The cosmetic and functional recovery was excellent. The young boy who had successful replantation of his nose, upper lip, and most of the cheek represents the largest successful replantation attempt reported in the medical literature.Table 1: Comparative Analysis of the Patients Who Had Composite Facial ReplantationsNo amount of reconstruction can compare with the functional and cosmetic outcome of a composite facial replantation. Thus, it is worthwhile to attempt a replantation in every case of small facial parts amputation, irrespective of the ischemia time. The survival rates are likely to be high, because the muscle mass is less, with greater vascularity on the face. R. Jayakumar, M.S., M.Ch.Plast.Surg. Jewel Raj Zachariah, M.S., M.Ch.Plast.Surg. M. Senthilkumar, M.S., M.Ch.Plast.Surg. A. J. Guild, M.B.B.S. Asha Cyriac, M.S., M.Ch.Plast.Surg. Girija Nair, M.S., M.Ch.Plast.Surg. Department of Plastic Surgery, Specialists'Hospital, Kaloor, Ernakulam, Kerala PATIENT CONSENT Parents or guardians provided written consent for use of the patient's images. DISCLOSURE None of the authors have any financial interests in the cases presented. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The authors thank Dr. Nisheed Joseph and Dr. J. Shina, who were the anesthetists, and Dr. George K. Joseph, the maxillofacial surgeon involved in performing the cases.