RECONSTRUCTIVE
CRANIOFACIAL
Skull Reconstruction
What is it?
Whether due to a development abnormality, cancer, congenital defect, infection, or another cause, plastic surgeons perform reconstructive surgery to restore both form and function.
Craniofacial procedures often involve a team-approach and Dr. Toranto works with other surgeons and doctors from a wide variety of specialties. Some of the surgeries performed include:
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Facial reconstruction
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Jaw reconstruction
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Skull reconstruction
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Neonatal mandibular distraction
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Cleft lip and palate surgery
Often preparing for these surgeries involves coordinating care across specialties and Dr. Toranto and his staff can help with this process.
Craniofacial surgery focuses on reconstructing the skin, muscle, and bones of the face and jaw. With the use of pre-surgical imaging and planning, the surgery is often fully planned and “performed” even before going to the operating room. This allows for shorter operative times and more reliable surgeries. Here’s a video of an actual patient showing the pre-surgical plan for the reconstruction of a jaw:
Facial & Jaw Reconstruction
Neurosurgeons will sometimes need to remove a piece of the skull due to trauma, brain cancer, or a stroke. Often this same bone can be replaced, but there are times when it cannot and then the area needs to be reconstructed. Dr. Toranto works with the neurosurgery team to design and implement a reconstructive strategy tailored to each patient’s needs.
Pierre Robin Sequence (PRS) is a congenital abnormality that includes, among other findings, a small jaw, which results in difficulty breathing. This is often detected at birth, but given the improvement in ultrasound, is now sometimes identified in utero. The problem with breathing often requires surgical intervention and one of those treatments is called “neonatal mandibular distraction” (MDO). Here is a video that explains PRS and MDO:
Neonatal Distraction
educational videos
Please contact us to learn more about these procedures and schedule your consultation today.