Italian neuroscientist, Dr. Sergio Canavero of the Turin Advanced Neuromodulation Group (TANG) believes that it will be possible to perform a human head transplant in two years time. The revolutionary procedure, he says, could save the lives of patients with metastatic cancer or muscle-wasting disorders, like muscular dystrophy.

Dr. Canavero had first proposed the idea of human head transplantation in July 2013, but then noted that there were challenges, such as properly reconnecting the severed spinal cord and preventing the immune system from rejecting the head.

Now, his recently published editorial in the journal Surgical Neurology International says that these challenges can be overcome and recent animal studies also confirm the feasibility of human head transplants.

According to Dr. Canavero's explanation of the surgical process for transplanting a human head, doctors would first remove the head of the donor with an "ultra-sharp blade" to reduce the risk of damage to the spinal cord. The head of the recipient and the body of the donor would then be put in "hypothermia mode" for about 45 minutes to reverse any neurological damage resulting from the lack of oxygen.

Doctors would then attach the head of the recipient to the body of the donor by fusing the end of the spinal cord in the body with that of the head, followed by suturing the muscles and blood supply.

After completion of the surgery, the recipient would be kept in an induced coma for 3-4 weeks to prevent any movement of the neck and allow the nerve connections to fuse. Upon awakening from the coma, the recipient would be able to move the body, talk in the same voice as before and begin walking within a year of the surgery.

A number of researchers are skeptical about the proposal, claiming that it is too far-fetched to work and also raised ethical concerns. But Dr. Canavero hopes his proposal at the American Academy of Neurological and Orthopedic Surgeons' 39th Annual Conference to be held in June this year in Annapolis, MD, will attract the world's support for the first human head transplantation ever.