A 75-year-old chronic tobacco user, diagnosed with Stage IV head and neck cancer, recently underwent a complex single-stage jaw implant reconstructive surgery at MGM Healthcare.
The patient had visited the hospital with complaints of not being able to open his mouth, chew food and chronic jaw pain. He also complained of escalating pain on the right side of his face.
Senior consultant and head of the Institute of ENT at the hospital Sanjeev Mohanty said he suffered from Stage IV jaw bone cancer and metastasis of lymph nodes. Surgeons counselled the patient and removed the right half of his jaw bone and the affected portion of the left side along with the affected lymph nodes in the neck.
The surgeons then used an MRI-compatible pre-fabricated titanium construction plate with condylar prosthesis implant of appropriate size and reconstructed the jaw. Senior consultant maxillofacial and dental surgeon Abhilash Ayalur Bhaskaran and his team performed the procedure.
Dr. Mohanty said the surgery had to be done in one sitting to prevent the patient from contracting COVID-19 infection during hospital visits.
“The case was quite complex as it not only involved surgery but also reconstruction of the facial symmetry post-procedure, so that the patient does not face any mental trauma based on his facial appearance post-operatively. The patient was counselled and educated about the procedure so that he could be prepared for it and the follow-up,” he said.
The patient was discharged on the tenth day after surgery. His ability to swallow and breathing functions are intact in addition to facial symmetry. Doctors said he was eating normally after a long period of deprivation.
