Head and NEck Surgery
Head and Neck surgery is a subspeciality of surgery that deals with the treatment of cancers of the head and neck region. It is multidisciplinary, in that many different surgical and medical specialities are involved (eg oncologists, ENT surgeons, oral surgeons), along with members of the allied health sciences (eg. Dieticians, speech language therapists etc).
Plastic surgeons have a major role to play in the management of these complex problems. They are often involved in the resection (removal) of these cancers, and are always involved with the reconstruction of the resulting defect.
Additionally, these patients will often live for a lengthy period of time following their cancer treatment, and Plastic surgeons are important in providing ongoing reconstructive surgery to improve their quality of life.
Example 1: This man has recurrent cancer involving his cheek, chin, and jaw. This has been widely excised and reconstructed using a large flap of skin and muscle tissue from his back (latissimus dorsi free flap), using microsurgical techniques.
Example 2: This man has a tumour involving most of his lower jaw. This has been excised, and reconstructed using bone from his pelvis (DCIA free flap), reshaped into a mandible and rebuilt using microsurgical techniques.
