Reconstructive Procedures
Craniofacial Surgery
What is it about?
It is a subspecialty relating to a new plastic surgery that deals with the reconstruction of craniofacial anomalies of congenital, trauma, infectious and tumoral origins.
Who are eligible?
Craniofacial surgery is indicated for children with congenital malformations because of 1) the lack of the union of the facial structures such as: lip and palate cleft, facial fissure, hemifacial microsomia in which one side of the face does not develop completely, Goldenhar syndrome and Treacher Collins 2) because of a premature fusion of the skulls bones (craniosynostosis) as in the Apert syndrome, Crouzon disease, which deals with an abnormal growth of the skull and brain; just like any patient who has undergone a craniofacial trauma and has acute fractures of the face, deformities by old fractures or defects related to tumors.
Craniofacial surgery also deals with movement of facial bone, which is to be considered as esthetics, like in the LeFort surgery, although it is an Orthognathic surgery; it is in the field of craniofacial surgery.
Recuperation time
Recuperation will depend of the established treatment. When the treatment is only for soft tissue, the recuperation is faster. In the case of bone movement, the recuperation may take a few weeks and in some cases fijacion oral may be necessary. In the cases where the bone distribution, method to make the bone grow, the patient will have to use distractors for a couples of months.
Example
