SHREWSBURY, NJ – February 25, 2010 – The Plastic Surgery Center today announced the successful results of a rare nerve transfer performed for the first known time on a stroke patient to reverse paralysis.  Following the procedure, which was led by Dr. Andrew Elkwood, M.D., 47-year old Vincent Filipini is now able to lift, move and bend his once paralyzed arm.  Mr. Filipini continues to show improvement in his mobility.

Dr. Elkwood commented, “We are extremely pleased with Vinny’s surgery outcome.  In addition to improving his quality of life, his results portend significant implications for individuals worldwide that suffer paralysis from a stroke.  Given his successful results, we believe there is a great deal more we can do going forward to restore further function of paralysis caused by strokes.”

During the procedure, which took place on December 18, 2007, at Monmouth Medical Center, Dr. Elkwood and a team of doctors took nerves from Mr. Filipini’s legs and attached them to his paralyzed arm to restore functionality.  The medical team created a nerve tunnel across Mr. Filipini’s chest to reach his bad arm, in order to run a so-called “extension cord” through his body and bypass the part of his brain not working as a result of his stroke.  Dr. Elkwood expected it would take months of recovery and therapy to determine the results, as the nerves grow approximately one inch per month.

About The Plastic Surgery Center

Dr. Andrew Elkwood is part of the medical team at the Plastic Surgery Center, located in Shrewsbury, New Jersey, and comprised of a group of surgeons highly skilled in nerve transplantation and advanced reconstruction. They perform a number of unique operations to help patients suffering from life-altering medical conditions who are often unaware a treatment is available. Some of these conditions include: 

• Paralysis resulting from accidents and strokes
• Diabetic neuropathy
• Paralyzed diaphragm/ventilator-based breathing
• Facial reanimation
• Nerve decompression for migraine headaches

For further information, please visit www.advancedreconstruction.com.

SHREWSBURY, N.J. – February 08, 2010 – The Plastic Surgery Center today announced that an innovative nerve graft transplant performed by Dr. Andrew Elkwood has proven to be successful in treating and preventing posterior pressure ulcers – one of the leading causes of mortality among paraplegics. 49-year old Tory Cavalieri, who underwent the procedure last January, has regained sensation in his posterior and is free of acute pressure sores, which had left him bedridden for years.

“We are absolutely thrilled with Tory’s results and the incredible implications for the wheelchair-bound community at large,” said Dr. Elkwood.  “The success of this procedure can prove to be life-changing for tens of thousands of people worldwide whose lives are subjugated by acute posterior sores.”  

The nerve graft, which was performed by Dr. Elkwood in January 2009, was intended to restore sensation to the posterior of Mr. Cavalieri, who suffered from acute pressure sores.  As part of the two-hour procedure, Dr. Elkwood and his team removed 12 inches of functioning sural nerve from Mr. Cavalieri’s leg and attached a nerve from his rib area to the sciatic nerve in his leg.  Mr. Cavalieri, of Morganville, N.J., had become paralyzed after breaking his spinal cord in a motorcycle accident on Labor Day weekend 2004.  He was previously a competitive Motorcross racer for more than 12 years, and a former NASCAR-licensed, late-model stock car driver.

About The Plastic Surgery Center

Dr. Elkwood is part of the medical team at the Plastic Surgery Center, which is located in Shrewsbury, New Jersey, and comprised of a group of surgeons who are highly skilled in nerve transplantation and advanced reconstruction. They perform a number of unique operations to help patients suffering from life-altering medical conditions who are often unaware that a treatment is available. Some of these conditions that the Plastic Surgery Center treats include:

•  Paralysis resulting from accidents and strokes
• Diabetic neuropathy
• Paralyzed diaphragm/ventilator-based breathing
• Facial reanimation
• Nerve decompression for migraine headaches

 For further information, please visit www.advancedreconstruction.com.

SHREWSBURY, N.J. – JANUARY 28, 2010 – The Plastic Surgery Center today announced that in a highly rare procedure for spinal cord injuries, a New Jersey medical team led by Dr. Matthew Kaufman enabled a 51-year-old man to breathe on his own – without a ventilator – for the first time since becoming paralyzed.

The multi-process procedure, which was performed on Edward Silcox of Langhorne, PA, was completed on Friday, January 22 at Somerset Medical Center.  At that time, Dr. Kaufman activated a diaphragm pacemaker, which allowed Mr. Silcox to immediately breathe on his own.  The procedure is also intended to improve Mr. Silcox’s speech, his ability to eat and will lower infection rates in his lungs.

“We are thrilled with Edward’s successful outcome, and the significant opportunity it represents for the thousands of people who suffer spinal cord injuries every year,” said Dr. Kaufman, who is currently the only surgeon in New Jersey to perform this procedure.  “In addition to improved quality of life, eliminating the ventilator significantly reduces the risk of lung infection, which is a leading cause of death in spinal cord injuries.”

Friday’s procedure followed an initial surgery on December 29, also at Somerset Medical Center, where Dr. Kaufman and his team performed a microsurgical decompression of the phrenic nerve and implanted the pacemaker.  Through rehabilitation, Mr. Silcox will continuously be weaned off the respirator in order to replace his dependency on the ventilator. Mr. Silcox was paralyzed from the neck down as a result of a motorcycle accident in 2008. 

Dr. Kaufman is a part of the medical team at the Institute for Advanced Reconstruction at the Plastic Surgery Center, which is comprised of a group of surgeons who are highly skilled in nerve transplantation and advanced reconstruction. They perform a number of unique operations to help patients suffering from life-altering medical conditions who are often told there are no treatment options available. Some of these conditions that the Plastic Surgery Center treats include:

1.  Paralysis resulting from accidents and strokes
2. Diabetic neuropathy
3. Paralyzed diaphragm/ventilator-based breathing
4. Facial reanimation
5. Nerve decompression for migraine headaches

About The Plastic Surgery Center

Located in Shrewsbury, New Jersey, The Plastic Surgery Center’s team of doctors has more than 50 years of combined experience performing facial, skin, and body cosmetic surgery. They offer cutting edge cosmetic and reconstructive procedures and have developed a number of innovative surgical techniques offered at few other facilities in the world. The Plastic Surgery Center doctors are committed to excellence providing exceptional, personalized care in a friendly, comfortable setting using the most advanced equipment available. For further information, please visit the Plastic Surgery Center’s website at www.looknatural.com.

Links: www.advancedreconstruction.com

SHREWSBURY, N.J. – December 22, 2009 – The Plastic Surgery Center today announced that immediately following a rare phrenic nerve surgery to repair his paralyzed diaphragm, a 47-year-old man has reported significantly improved breathing and feels “15 years younger.”  The surgery marked the second known case of successful phrenic nerve decompression, both of which were performed by a New Jersey medical team led by Dr. Matthew Kaufman of the Plastic Surgery Center in Shrewsbury, New Jersey.

 In a complex procedure, Dr. Kaufman and his team performed a microsurgical decompression of the phrenic nerve in order to restore diaphragm function.  Five years prior, the patient, Richard Thompson, Jr. from Atlanta, Georgia, inexplicably began suffering from a paralyzed diaphragm muscle.  As a result, he experienced daily headaches from nighttime breathing difficulties and constant shortness of breath, limiting his ability to exercise, while also impacting his normal daily activities.

“We are extremely pleased with the successful outcome of this procedure, as it significantly improved Mr. Thompson’s quality of life,” said Dr. Kaufman. “Further, this procedure could have profound implications for helping a wide range of patients suffering from breathing problems caused by spinal cord injury, heart surgery, pulmonary disease, and possibly even cases where the cause of paralysis is not clearly defined.”

Dr. Kaufman is a part of the medical team at the Institute for Advanced Reconstruction at the Plastic Surgery Center, which is comprised of a group of surgeons who are highly skilled in nerve transplantation and advanced reconstruction. They perform a number of unique operations to help patients suffering from life-altering medical conditions who are often told there are no treatment options available. Some of these conditions that the Plastic Surgery Center treats include:

1. Paralysis resulting from accidents and strokes
2. Diabetic neuropathy
3. Paralyzed diaphragm/ventilator-based breathing
4. Facial reanimation
5. Nerve decompression for migraine headaches

About The Plastic Surgery Center

Located in Shrewsbury, New Jersey, The Plastic Surgery Center’s team of doctors has more than 50 years of combined experience performing facial, skin, and body cosmetic surgery. They offer cutting edge cosmetic and reconstructive procedures and have developed a number of innovative surgical techniques offered at few other facilities in the world. The Plastic Surgery Center doctors are committed to excellence providing exceptional, personalized care in a friendly, comfortable setting using the most advanced equipment available. For further information, please visit the Plastic Surgery Center’s website at www.looknatural.com.

About Dr. Kaufman

Dr. Matthew Kaufman is a board certified Plastic Surgeon and a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons (FACS). He has the rather rare distinction of also achieving board certification in Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, which gives him the added expertise necessary to deal with complex cosmetic and reconstructive problems of the head, face and neck. Dr. Kaufman has special interests in reconstructive surgery for cranial nerve disorders, skin and head & neck cancer and vascular malformations. He practices at the Plastic Surgery Center in Shrewsbury, New Jersey, and is a Cancer Reconstruction and Microsurgery Consultant for the Head and Neck Oncology Group of Central New Jersey based at Saint Peter’s University Hospital in New Brunswick. Dr. Kaufman is on the advisory board for FM World Charities http://www.fmworldcharities.org, a not-for-profit organization devoted to promoting public health and improving the quality of life in underserved communities throughout the world.

SHREWSBURY, N.J. – October 20, 2009 – The Plastic Surgery Center today announced that a 57-year-old Plainfield man reports he is free of constant headache pain after undergoing a new cutting edge nerve procedure to permanently eliminate pain caused by migraines. The procedure was performed by plastic and reconstructive surgeon Dr. Matthew Kaufman, of the Plastic Surgery Center in New Jersey on August 4, 2009.

 The surgery was performed on Mr. Edgar Freire, a constant migraine sufferer, who was not obtaining pain relief from medication.  As part of the procedure, Dr. Kaufman released muscle tissue around Mr. Freire’s supraorbital nerve (upper eyelid area) to relieve the tension causing his severe migraine pain. The surgery, called “nerve decompression,” is a minimally invasive, outpatient procedure and took approximately one hour.

 “I was very pleased to hear of Edgar’s results,” said Dr. Kaufman. “As migraine headaches are often difficult to treat with medication, we are encouraged by the success of nerve decompression surgery around the peripheral trigger sites of these headaches. In fact, as recent studies have shown (as published in the Journal of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery), the surgery has proven effective in eliminating the pain in patients suffering from chronic moderate to severe migraine headaches.”

Dr. Kaufman is part of the medical team at the Plastic Surgery Center, which is comprised of a group of surgeons who are highly skilled in nerve transplantation and advanced reconstruction. They perform a number of unique operations to help patients suffering from life-altering medical conditions who are often unaware that a treatment is available.  Some of these conditions that the Plastic Surgery Center treats include:

•  Paralysis resulting from accidents and strokes
• Diabetic Neuropathy
• Paralyzed diaphragm/ventilator-based breathing
• Facial Reanimation

 About The Plastic Surgery Center

Located in Shrewsbury, New Jersey, The Plastic Surgery Center’s team of doctors has more than 50 years of combined experience performing facial, skin, and body cosmetic surgery. They offer cutting edge cosmetic and reconstructive procedures and have developed a number of innovative surgical techniques offered at few other facilities in the world. The Plastic Surgery Center doctors are committed to excellence providing exceptional, personalized care in a friendly, comfortable setting using the most advanced equipment available. For further information, please visit the Plastic Surgery Center’s website at www.looknatural.com.