Microsurgery
What is microsurgery?
Who is a good candidate?
Preparing for micorsurgery
Recovery
What is microsurgery?
Microsurgery is changing the lives of trauma
victims and cancer patients, and is a cornerstone
of Penn’s Reconstructive Surgery Program.
Though you won’t ask for microsurgery
like you could ask for a nose job, the intricate
procedure may someday improve your quality of
life.
During this complex procedure, surgeons 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
and the transplanted tissue lives on in its
new location.
Microsurgery can be used all over the body.
Penn’s surgeons work with patients to
find safe and creative ways for microsurgery
to restore appearance and function.
Who is a good candidate?
Cancer patients and trauma victims are seeing
the greatest benefits from microsurgery.
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. One breast
reconstruction option calls for using tissue
from the belly or back to reconstruct a breast.
Finally, microsurgery can dramatically improve
the quality of life for trauma patients. After
an accident, surgeons can use microsurgery techniques
to move soft tissue to cover fractured bones
and large, open wounds. The process can prevent
infection and save limbs.
Preparing for microsurgery
Before surgery, talk to your doctor about steps
you can take to help speed recovery. Follow
your doctor’s orders, and remember to
follow a healthy diet.
Because the effects of trauma and cancer are
unique, the results of microsurgery are not
uniform. Prepare yourself emotionally that several
surgeries could be necessary and that your appearance
may be different even after the surgeries. Also,
radiation therapy may be needed after cancer
resection, and the effects of radiation can
alter your reconstruction.
Recovery
If you need microsurgery, you can expect to
stay in the hospital for at least five days
for monitoring and to have some swelling and
discomfort for two to three weeks afterwards.
Carefully following your doctor’s postoperative
orders will help speed your recovery.
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