Reconstructive Surgery
Restoring form and function after cancer surgery, trauma and complex tissue loss.
Reconstructive plastic surgery brings together detailed anatomical planning, tissue transfer and microsurgical techniques to solve defects involving skin, soft tissue, muscle, bone or specialised structures.
Much of this work is performed collaboratively with other specialist surgeons as part of a broader treatment plan.
Reconstruction is problem solving
There is rarely a single operation that defines reconstructive surgery. The problem may be coverage of an exposed structure, restoration of missing volume, separation of anatomical spaces, reconstruction after cancer excision, or transfer of functioning tissue.
The plan begins with the defect: what is missing, what needs to function, what tissues are available and how reconstruction fits into the patient's wider treatment.
Microsurgical reconstruction
Microsurgery allows tissue to be transferred from one part of the body to another together with its own blood supply. The artery and vein supplying that tissue are divided and reconnected to vessels at the reconstructive site under magnification.
This makes it possible to bring healthy, well-vascularised tissue into complex defects while selecting donor tissue according to what needs to be replaced.
My reconstructive training has had a particular emphasis on complex microvascular and oncological reconstruction.
Areas of reconstruction
Head & Neck Reconstruction
Reconstruction after major head and neck cancer surgery may need to restore lining, external cover, volume, structural support and functional anatomy within the same operation.
Explore Head & Neck →Facial Skin Cancer
Reconstruction after facial skin-cancer excision aims to restore form and function while respecting the natural contours and aesthetic units of the face. Treatment is tailored to the site and size of the defect, the tissues involved and the individual patient.
Explore Facial Skin Cancer →Breast Reconstruction
Autologous and implant-based reconstruction following mastectomy, planned according to cancer treatment, anatomy, previous surgery and individual priorities.
Explore Breast Reconstruction →Trunk, Pelvic & Perineal Reconstruction
Complex defects following cancer resection may require durable soft-tissue reconstruction to fill dead space, protect structures and support healing.
Explore Trunk & Pelvis →Complex Microsurgical Reconstruction
Free-tissue transfer can be applied throughout the body when local tissues are insufficient or a defect requires specialised vascularised tissue.
Explore Microsurgery →Upper and Lower Limb
Reconstruction of the upper and lower limbs may be required after trauma, cancer surgery, infection or complex wounds. Treatment ranges from local tissue reconstruction to microsurgical free-tissue transfer, with the aim of restoring durable coverage, function and contour.
Explore Upper and Lower Limb →Reconstruction as part of cancer treatment
In oncological surgery, reconstruction is not an isolated event after the cancer operation. It is part of the overall treatment strategy.
The plan may need to account for the extent of resection, radiotherapy, previous operations, wound-healing risk, rehabilitation and further treatment.
A collaborative specialty
Complex reconstruction is usually multidisciplinary. Close planning between the reconstructive surgeon and the treating specialty allows resection, reconstruction, postoperative care and rehabilitation to be considered as one pathway.