Reconstructive Surgery to Reshape Abnormal Body Structures

Reconstructive surgery is an effective procedure to reshape abnormal body structures. These abnormal structures can result from any of several reasons – trauma, congenital defects, disease, developmental abnormalities, tumors and infection. The surgery can enable one to carry out daily activities with more ease and regain one’s confidence and self-esteem.

Different Kinds of Reconstructive Surgery

Here are some of the kinds of reconstructive surgery that your plastic surgeon may perform:

Ear reconstruction surgery – Ear reconstruction for microtia can be performed to correct the following conditions:

• Non-existence or anotia of the complete ear
• A fairly small ear with identifiable structures and a little external ear canal
• No external ear, external ear canal or eardrum even though a little sized peanut vestige structure is present
• A ear that is not whole and with a closed off or stenotic ear canal which is responsible for conductive hearing loss

The procedure can also help to restore some level of hearing.

Distraction Osteogenesis (Mandibular Distraction) – This procedure is performed to correct the condition of a very small jaw. In this procedure, the physician would make incisions on both sides of the jaw bone. He would then introduce a jaw distraction device and stabilize it using pins fitted in the bones. In the days after surgery, the device would be slowly adjusted to separate bones and soft tissue till the target projection is reached. The space thus created gets filled with newly developing bone. After the bone has hardened and healed, the distractor is taken out.

Breast Reconstructive Surgery – A great way of doing this is with the DIEP (Deep Inferior Epigastric Perforator) flap reconstruction method. In this technique, the patient’s own fat and tissue from the abdomen is taken and used to develop new breast mass following a mastectomy. The advantages of the procedure are:

• It resembles a tummy tuck because the fat for the procedure is being extracted from the tummy
• Minimal downtime
• No foreign materials have to be injected into the body
• Procedure is of a short duration
• Less pain
• The newly created breast appears realistic

Cleft Lip and Palate Correction – The cleft lip and palate deformities involve the top lip and the roof of the mouth. Nasal Alveolar Molding (NAM) is a suitable corrective procedure for these congenital defects. The procedure has many benefits including:

• More accurate results that look natural
• Cleft palate is corrected by getting the edges closer to each other, and by correcting the position of the infant’s alveolar ridges, and making the anatomic alignment normal

Other types of reconstructive surgery that are commonly performed to reshape abnormal body structures are surgery for brachial plexus injury, surgery for obstructive sleep apnea, craniosynostosis, and orthognathic surgery. To ensure success from the surgery and avoid a second surgery, it is essential to find the right plastic surgeon to perform the job for you.