A Lviv-American team of surgeons for the first time in Ukraine applied a unique method to close the palate defect in an 18-year-old young man.
The patient had undergone 11 unsuccessful operations, which only worsened his condition. He suffered from depression due to the pathology that made eating and communication difficult for him. After consultation with American surgeons, it was decided to use transplantation of his own tissues.
For this, a radial forearm flap was used, which had not been applied in Ukraine before. Maxillofacial surgeon Roman Ohonovsky explained: “The free tissue transfer method is suitable for closing large defects, like that of our patient”.
The operation lasted 7 hours and was successful. Vascular surgeon Yulia Khomin noted: “The first 3 days were critical, but the tissues are functioning in the new location”. The patient will be able to eat properly and his speech will improve.