RECONSTRUCTIVE SURGERY
Microsurgery
Whether treating trauma victims and cancer patients, microsurgery is an intricate procedure but one which can greatly improve quality of life. Surgeons typically take bone, muscle and skin from one part of the body to fill a defect in another area. The blood vessels from this "flap" are reattached with microsurgery and the transplanted tissue lives on in its new location to restore appearance and function.
Microsurgery is sometimes used to treat head and neck cancer patients. Sometimes a person who has cancer in their jaw needs to have all or part of their jaw removed. Microsurgery allows surgeons to move muscle and bone from the leg or back to recreate the jaw and restore normal appearance and function.
Mastectomy patients can also benefit from microsurgery through breast reconstruction using tissue from the belly or back to reconstruct a breast.
For trauma patients, microsurgery techniques enable surgeons to move soft tissue to cover fractured bones and large, open wounds, which helps to prevent infection and save limbs.
The outcomes from microsurgery vary from patient to patient and several surgeries could become necessary. Also, reconstruction procedures may be affected by radiation therapy after cancer resection.