The head of the person will try to transplant in 2 years

Shot from the film "The Testament of Professor Dowell"

Italian doctor Sergio Canavero in the International Journal of Neurosurgery published an article “The“ Gemini ”spinal cord fusion protocol: Reloaded” (pdf) which describes the procedure of cephalosomatic anastomosis (CSA). This surgical operation consists of transplanting a human head onto the donor's body under hypothermic conditions. Dr. Kanavero says that in this way it is possible to radically prolong the life of a person who is in the terminal stage of the disease. It can become a reality in two years.

In an interview with NewScientist, Dr. Kanavero spoke about the technique of the operation. Both bodies - the recipient and the donor - are cooled to a low temperature in order to prolong their separate existence without blood circulation. The tissue around the neck is dissected and the large blood vessels of the recipient's head and the donor's body are connected with special tubes before the spinal cord of both is cut by the surgeon.

After the head of the recipient is transplanted to the body of the donor and both ends of the spinal cord are connected. Fixation occurs due to the delivery of polyethylene glycol to the junction, the chemical effect of which on the substance of the spinal cord can be compared in the way spaghetti stick together during cooking. After which the surgeon restores blood circulation, sews the muscles and immerses the body in a coma for three or four weeks in order to prevent any movement. To stimulate the spinal cord, special electrodes are implanted into it at this time.
')
After getting out of the coma, the patient's head will be able to move, will gain sensitivity and will be able to speak in the same voice. According to Dr. Kanavero, after such an operation, a course of psychotherapy is required, which should take about one year. Volunteers who want to provide their bodies for transplantation, already have.

Skepticism about the operation and on its most difficult moment — the connection of the spinal cord with the help of polyethylene glycol — is very high among Dr. Kanavero's colleagues. Although the regenerative effect of polyethylene glycol on the cells of the spinal cord of animals is confirmed, there is no evidence that the same will happen in the case of human tissues. However, Dr. Kanavero has a backup option: he plans to use injections of either stem cells or special nerve cells from the nasal cavity. Interestingly, the regenerative effect of the latter was indeed noted by doctors in the real clinical case. A patient paralyzed by stabbing his back with a knife was microinjected into laboratory-grown cells above and below the spinal cord injury area. As a result, after three months, the man had sensitivity in the hip area, and after six months he was able to take his first steps with the help of bars.