Tumors, record intervention in Milan. He weighed one kilo and four hundred grams the tumor mass, an ameloblastoma, removed from the face of Angeloa 38-year-old man, by the team of Professor Alessandro Baj, head of the Maxillofacial Surgery Unit of the Galeazzi-Sant’Ambrogio hospital in Milan (San Donato Group), who reconstructed his jaw using a portion of patient’s fibula bone.
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Tumors, record intervention in Milan
Ameloblastoma – a benign non-metastatic jaw bone neoplasm but very aggressive locally and which originates from cells responsible for the production of dental enamel – had significantly compromised Angelo’s life as he struggled to swallow, eat and breathe. In a single operation that lasted 8 hours, Baj and his team removed the tumor mass and the jaw through a double access from the mouth and neck, while in parallel they proceeded with the explantation of the fibula – with the peroneal artery and the veins – which was modeled in order to reproduce, also thanks to the aid of fixation means, the exact curvature of the jaw. It is therefore an autologous transplant, of a tissue which is then revascularized with microvascular techniques, which therefore allow the transplanted tissue to be immediately supplied with blood.
THE REACTIONS
“The success rate is very high, however it is possible to have a recurrence, therefore the post-operative follow-up – says Baj – will be 5 years, exactly as happens for some malignant tumors”. Later Angelo will undergo a new operation which involves implanting the teeth, restoring the functionality of the lip and mouth, since the tumor had also affected the muscles of the face, as well as improving the appearance of the scar on the neck and the removal of excess skin.