Hyderabad: A complex jaw reconstruction surgery performed at KIMS Sunshine Hospitals has transformed the life of a 5-year-old boy, P Yaswanth from Siddipet, who had been unable to open his mouth properly since infancy.
Initially, parents believed the problem would resolve on its own with age.
At the hospital, the child was diagnosed with a medical condition in which the jaw joint becomes fused, severely restricting mouth opening and jaw movement. Doctors found that fusion near the jaw joint had stopped the growth of the right side of the mandible, leading to facial asymmetry and impaired jaw function.
Dr Nishanth Sadhanala, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeon and his team performed 'Ankylosis Release with Costochondral Graft Reconstruction' that lasted for five hours. The fused jaw bones were separated, improving the child's mouth opening from barely 1 to 2 millimetres to 34 millimetres.
Since the jaw growth center had also been damaged, surgeons reconstructed the joint using rib cartilage grafts, which will continue to grow naturally with the child and help maintain normal facial shape and jaw development in the future.