Dr. Le Thua Trung Hau, deputy director of the Plastic-Reconstructive and Hand Surgery Dept., Hue Central Hospital said that the situation of N. was very serious. When receiving information from Quang Ngai, we determined to give N. a normal face.
Doctors operating for N.
At the beginning of October 2017, the staff of Hue Central Hospital admitted N. to run tests, X-ray and held consultation. The defects of N. were complicated which involved with many other departments. However, with modern equipment, musculoskeletal experts and neurosurgeons from the US and Belgium, they decided to carry on with the surgery.
8:30 am, October 18, the operation for N. was performed by: Dr. Le Thua Trung Hau and the staff of Plastic-Reconstructive and Hand Surgery Dept., Neurosurgery Dept., Anesthesiology Dept., especially with the help of Professors from Stanford University (US) in cutting cranial bones, lacrimal bones and maxilla bone, removing frontal and nasal bones, then bringing 2 orbital fossa back to their normal position. Finally, surgeons used splints to stabilize cranial and maxilla bones. The operation ended at 16:30 on the same day.
After operation, N. has a normal and pretty face.
According to Dr. Hau, this was a difficult and complex case because they had to rearrange the bones in order to bring 2 orbital fossae more than 3cm closer for a normal face of N. Therefore, every procedure needs to be carried out carefully. If the skull or the orbit were 1mm askew, there would be severe complication of the eyes and brain. Fortunately, with the smooth cooperation between departments, the operation for N. was unexpectedly successful. After 3 days of operations, as the intubation was removed, N. could drink milk or could eat soup. Five days after operation, N. could eat rice and ask for discharge continuously.
On the afternoon of October 30, we had the follow-up for N. at Hue Central Hospital. The frontal and facial scars were not visible. Her condition was good enough to be discharged. Mr. Đ. V. Kh, father of the patient, soldier in Ly Son district (Quang Nam) said: “Years ago, it was hard for the family when looking at my daughter’s face. We looked for treatment in Hanoi, HCMC but the cost was unaffordable. Unexpectedly, she had a normal face thanks to the staff of Hue Central Hospital. It feels like a dream to all of us.” Through media, Mr. Kh. and his family would like to send their sincere gratitude to the staff of Hue Central Hospital for taking care of their daughter, giving her a fresh start in her life.
Image of normal orbit after surgery and stabilizing with splints
According to leaders of Hue Central Hospital, this is the first time thatthe staff of Hue Central Hospital has performed operation for orbital hypertelorism successfully. Especially, the prognosis for N. is stable; however, we scheduled the follow-up in the first stage or recovery. The cost of this procedure is covered by Health Insurance and Hue Central Hospital, and facilities from the organization ReSurge International – US.
Through this operation, the staff of Hue Central Hospital can actively deploy new technique in fixing skull and face as well as in pediatric neurosurgery better. In the upcoming time, Hue Central Hospital will implement operations for patients with orbital hypertelorism or complicated orbital defects that needed to look for treatment abroad before.
Story and photos: Minh Văn