Last January 27, on the Naples ring road, a young nurse on duty at the city's 118 emergency service was involved in a serious road accident. The woman arrived at the Cardarelli Hospital Emergency Room in dramatic conditions, having suffered a severe facial trauma that had removed many muscle and bone tissues, as well as large portions of skin.
A first operation was performed by the trauma center team, led by Patrizio Festa, to clean the tissues and ensure initial wound cleaning. However, in the following days, the patient was transferred to the plastic surgery department where the team led by Roberto D'Alessio, together with the Maxillofacial surgeons coordinated by Maurizio Gargiulo, studied the case, preparing for a highly complex operation.
Roberto D'Alessio, director of the Cardarelli Plastic Surgery UOC says: "The operation involved the reconstruction of muscle and bone tissues of almost the entire left portion of the face, in order to restore shape to that area of the left face that had been removed by the trauma. A team of surgeons led by Dr. Razzano and Dr. Petroccione worked around the operating table for over 13 hours in an extremely collaborative manner together with maxillofacial surgeon colleagues, completing a microsurgery operation that allowed the reconstruction of muscles, bones and facial skin. It was an extremely complex and atypical operation both for the severity of the trauma and for the type of operation performed".
In the coming months, the patient will have to follow a long rehabilitation process that will be crucial for regaining the best functionality of the facial muscles.
The Cardarelli Plastic Surgery Department plays a fundamental role both in the management of patients who have suffered serious trauma or burns, and in the reconstruction of tissues following oncological interventions. Each year, the department carries out more than 1000 operations of high complexity, working in teams with colleagues from other surgical units.