31.   To operate on the maxillary sinuses, which rest beneath the eyes and above the teeth, surgeons had to make incisions in the gumline.

32.   Today, surgeons have the equivalent of a global positioning system in the operating room.

33.   Until recently, few surgeons had the expertise to straddle both areas, which often left patients adrift.

34.   Without resorting to a long, risky procedure, surgeons have no way of telling whether they are connecting motor nerves or sensory nerves.

35.   With the procedure, surgeons would have to make only a fist-size incision between the ribs below the left breast.

36.   It took longer because surgeons had to reconstruct blood vessels for the transplant.

37.   Surgeons Tuesday had to first remove adhesions, or scar tissue, from the previous operations before tackling the appendix.

38.   Surgeons had to cut a hole in his skull to remove the blood clot.

39.   The surgeons had to join the bones, clamping them together with metal plates and screws.

40.   The surgeons had to move organs around in the chest to fit the heart into the chest cavity, he said.