Dan Gavriliu (April 26, 1915 in Brăila — November 4, 2012) was a Romanian surgeon who performed the first total surgical replacement of the human esophagus, using sections of stomach to bypass damaged or deformed tissue.
Gavriliu first performed the operation on April 20, 1951; it was the first successful replacement of a human organ. After describing his procedure in the scientific literature, however, Gavriliu did not write extensively about his research, as he could not afford to pay the publication fees.
Honors
Gavriliu was made a Knight-Cavalier of the Italian Republic and an emeritus member of the International Society of Surgery in 1983. In 1985 he was inducted into the Académie Nationale de Médecine.
References
- Tarcoveanu, Eugen; Vasilescu, Alin; Dorobat, Dumitru; Romanec, Cristian (2013). "Dan Gavriliu (1915–2012), the Patriarch of Romanian Surgery, Dies at 97". World Journal of Surgery. 37 (5): 1174–1175. doi:10.1007/s00268-013-1994-9. PMID 23479101.
- Heimlich falsely claims he invented surgical procedure - Romanian replaced esophagus years before, from The Cincinnati Enquirer, by Robert Anglen; published March 16, 2003; retrieved April 27, 2012.
- Gavrilu's operation at Who Named It?, by Ole Daniel Enersen; retrieved April 27, 2012
- Dan Gavriliu and Leonida Georgescu: Esofagoplastie directã cu material gastric (anastomozã eso.gastricã). Rivista Stiintelor Medicale, June 1951, 3: 33-36.
- History of Esophageal Replacements at TEF/VATER International, by Greg Burke; retrieved April 27, 2012.
- "Prof. Dr. Doc. Dan Gavriliu la 95 ani", by Gh. Dinu, originally published in Chirurgia (2010) 105: 435-436, no. 3
- Biography of Gavriliu at Who Named It?, by Ole Daniel Enersen; retrieved April 27, 2012.