Italian surgeons successfully reconstructed a patient’s face using his leg bone after removing a three-pound tumor from his jaw, the New York Post reports.
Surgeon Alessandro Baj performed the procedure on the patient, identified only as 38-year-old Angelo, at the Galeazzi-Sant’Ambrogio hospital in Milan, the outlet reported Friday. The procedure allegedly involved removing a benign tumor that had grown so large it began to impede the patient’s ability to breathe and eat. The tumor was reportedly identified over two decades ago, but surgeons only recently decided to remove it when it swelled up to an unmanageable size, according to the NY Post.
Surgeons reconstruct man’s face with leg bone after 3-pound tumor removal https://t.co/JPOyjf7Xzd pic.twitter.com/6hPSamgOse
— New York Post (@nypost) July 7, 2023
“It is a demanding and complex operation, also given the considerable size of the mass, but it presents a low possibility of complications, especially in young patients, as was the case here.” Baj said, the Mirror reported. (RELATED: Popular Soda Sweetener Aspartame Could Cause Cancer, World Health Organization Reportedly Set To Declare)
Due to the size, location and nature of the tumor, the surgeons had to remove part of Angelo’s jaw and reconstruct it by performing maxillofacial surgery, a surgery to fix deformities in the jaw, according to the NY Post.
Surgeons first performed a trial surgery after taking a CT scan of the patient’s jaw and using a 3D printer to replicate his jawbone and the tumor, the outlet reported. Then they removed a part of his fibula bone and carved out a slice of it to fit the exact curvature of his jaw, according to the NY Post.
Doctors will continue to monitor the patient for complications post-surgery. If cleared, surgeons will perform follow-up procedures to replace teeth removed during the surgery and rebuild the muscles in his mouth and jaw. Cosmetic surgeons will work away at the residual tissue from the tumor, according to the NY Post.