Practice News

Nerve Decompression Surgery is an innovative, minimally invasive procedure performed to relieve the symptoms of neuropathy and reduce the risk of amputation – a common side effect associated with Diabetes.  It is an outpatient procedure that involves three small incisions, lasts approximately an hour and a half and is accepted by most insurance companies. Most patients are back to basic activities in two to three weeks. In addition to the surgery providing immediate relief to the patient, postoperative discomfort is minimal, and results are long-lasting, almost never requiring a second procedure.  In 75% of properly selected patients there will be a significant increase in sensation, and decrease in pain.  

“The success of this procedure and its ability to improve a patient’s quality of life are truly remarkable – especially given the conventional belief that there isn’t an existing treatment for neuropathy.  As medical research and technological advancements further improve the field of diabetic neuropathy, ideally patients will undergo surgery before developing complications such as pain, ulcerations, and amputations.” – Dr. Michael Rose, MD

About the procedure

Decompression surgery has been performed for more than 15 years to relieve pressure on the peripheral nerves as they pass through three different passageways or tunnels on their way to each extremity.  By releasing the swollen, damaged nerve, doctors allow room for the nerve to “breathe” and remove compression.  In addition to restoring sensation and reducing pain, the surgery also reduces the future occurrence of ulcers or amputations to nearly zero. Dr. Michael Rose, MD is among a select group of surgeons to perform the procedure.

Who is a candidate for surgery?

• Have neuropathy
• Have good enough circulation to allow for surgery
• Are in good enough health to undergo the surgery
• Have been examined for a “Tinel Sign,” which indicates to the doctor that the nerve will respond to surgery

Surgery Success

The success of this procedure and its ability to improve a patient’s quality of life are truly remarkable.  While the procedure is most often used to treat neuropathy from diabetes, it will also relieve the symptoms of neuropathy from many other causes such as alcoholism, lead poisoning and chemotherapy. Ideally patients will undergo surgery before developing complications such as pain, ulcerations and amputations.

How to avoid neuropathy:

Blood glucose testing → participate in physical activities → choosing the right foods 

The best way to prevent neuropathy is to keep blood glucose levels as close to the normal range as possible.  Maintaining safe blood glucose levels protects nerves throughout the body. 

For more information, please visit www.advancedreconstruction.com or call The Plastic Surgery Center at (866) 263.9123.

SHREWSBURY, NJ – March 17, 2010 – The Plastic Surgery Center today announced that Dr. Andrew Elkwood, together with Dr. Saad A. Saad, were selected by the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund (PCRF) to lead a medical mission to East Jerusalem to provide highly specialized surgical care to underprivileged Palestinian children. Dr. Elkwood, selected for his unique expertise in advanced reconstruction, and Dr. Saad, a highly skilled pediatric surgeon, will also provide training to local doctors and nurses.

The medical mission will begin on March 27^th and take place at Makassed Hospital on the Mount of Olives in East Jerusalem. Over the last few years, the PCRF has brought several injured or ailing Palestinian children to the U.S. for Dr. Elkwood and Dr. Saad to treat. This marks the doctors’ first mission to the Middle East.

“I am honored to be making this trip, and am pleased to be able to provide highly specialized care to children in need,” said Dr. Elkwood, a board certified plastic surgeon who specializes in unique operations involving nerve transplantation and complex reconstruction. Dr. Elkwood practices at the Plastic Surgery Center and serves as Chief of the Division of Plastic Surgery at Monmouth Medical Center. Dr. Saad is a board certified pediatric surgeon at Monmouth Medical Center and Chairman of Pediatric Surgery at Jersey Shore Medical Center.

The Plastic Surgery Center in Shrewsbury, NJ is comprised of surgeons who perform a number of unique operations to help patients suffering from life-altering medical conditions often unaware a treatment is available. Some include: 

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

For information, please visit www.advancedreconstruction.com.

The Palestine Children’s Relief Fund (PCRF) is a non-political, non-profit organization established in 1991 by concerned people in the U.S. to address the medical and humanitarian crisis facing Palestinian youths in the Middle East. The P.C.R.F. helps locate free medical care for children from the Middle East who are unable to get the necessary treatment in their homeland. For information, visit www.pcrf.net.

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