|
|
|
||
| Credentials | News Media | Contact Us | ||
|
|
The Rib Bone That Transformed Into
To A Jaw Bone:
Philadelphia, PA – Six-year-old Joey Kwiatkowski had no hope of ever
being able to chew food or bite a sandwich. Worst of all, his chin and face were
growing sideways. He was born with
the left half of his jaw missing. In
early 1990, a team of surgeons headed by Dr. Mansoor Madani, director of the
Center for Corrective Jaw Surgery, removed a four-inch piece of Joey’s rib and
reshaped it to look exactly like the missing part of his jaw.
The rib was then grafted in place and secured with several titanium pins.
Joey’s jaws were never wired together, hence allowing him to be able to
open his mouth, speak normally and even eat within a week.
Now, at age 16 his grafted rib transformed into a mandible.
He can eat anything he wants. His
face is symmetrical and his chin remains in the center of his face.
“Without early treatment, Joey’s jaw would have not grown properly
and his chin would have been on the side of his face,” according to Dr.
Mansoor Madani, an Associate Professor of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at
Temple University in Philadelphia. “Most
interesting is that the site where a portion of the rib was removed has re-grown
a new rib. His body has made a new
rib!” adds Dr. Madani. There are not many people like Joey born with missing parts of their
jawbone but according to the American Association of Oral And Maxillofacial
Surgeons, over 10 million people suffer from jaw deformities.
Some patients have gummy smiles, overbites and under bites or have jaws
that are too small or too large for their face.
“Thanks to the major advances and great follow up of patients, we have
been able to change many people’s lives by putting an end to the tremendous
burden of pain and jaw wiring,” says Dr. Madani.
The Center For Corrective Jaw Surgery now uses plates and screws that melt
in the body without any residue or side effects. “We use a highly sophisticated plastic plate and
pins to hold the separated bones together.
The greatest advantages are that it dissolve by itself and will not block
the view of an x-ray” says Dr. Madani, one of the pioneering surgeons in this
field. The jaw surgery procedures are generally performed in the operating room
and require general anesthesia. For
more information and additional patient case stories, please check the Center
For Corrective Jaw Surgery’s website at www.jawsurgery.com. ### |
