Syrian Arab News Agency S A N A
Damascus, SANA- A medical team at al-Assad University Hospital in Damascus has managed to reconstruct an entire hemifacial atrophy using computer-assisted surgery in a young man aged 19.
The case is the first of its kind in Syria and perhaps in the region, where all stages of work have been completed, passing through design, manufacturing and surgical application, and the surgery took five hours, according to Dr. Khalil Yousef, Researcher in the field of computer-assisted reconstruction of maxillofacial injuries.
Dr. Khalil noted that hemifacial atrophy is a rare disorder characterized by gradual deterioration of the skin, soft tissues, and bones at the site of the injury. It appears at birth and is usually treated after the development of atrophy through reconstructive and cosmetic surgeries.
He added that the treatment was done here using computer-assisted maxillofacial surgery.
The team initially used the latest diagnostic methods through 3D radiography, 3D scanning, and 3D intraoral scanning, to the so-called virtual patient, which was used to design the implants for the patient by taking advantage of the healthy side to reconstruct the areas of injury are in the frontal, zygomatic and mandibular bones, Khalil says.
The implants intended for the patient were printed from titanium, and they were treated and then clinically installed on the atrophied areas through invisible plastic surgical scars.
The patient was followed up for three months clinically and radiologically, and the results showed a complete recovery without any complications.
Dr. Khalil adds that the patient was referred to follow-up treatment at the level of soft tissues, rhinoplasty and orthodontics to reach a complete treatment for the case.
Manar Salameh/ Ruaa al-Jazaeri
