Facial Soft Tissue and Bone Reconstruction in Complex Facial Gun Shot Wounds

Maxillofacial trauma patients with gunshot/shotgun wounds to face, have many special needs in regards to their reconstruction. Not only must the lost soft tissue be replaced, but oftentimes patients can have a loss of the underlying bone from the injury.

We offer a variety of reconstructive options that include use of local or regional tissues (flaps); as well as free tissue transfers that involve microsurgical techniques. Some flap options for reconstruction include regional pectoralis major muscle and the overlying muscle, free fibula bone with or without overlying skin (leg bone used for mandible and midface reconstruction), free radial forearm flap with iliac bone graft, free anterolateral thigh flap and free gracilis muscle flap.

Because these traumatic cases can be complex, often the injuries must be treated in a multi-stepped approach that requires several procedures.