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.

For Immediate Release

TOP TEN PROBLEMS PATIENTS WITH DISABILITIES DO NOT NEED TO TOLERATE

World-Renowned Medical Team Uses Innovative Surgeries to Treat Conditions for which Paralyzed Patients Are Often Told “Nothing Can Be Done”

SHREWSBURY, NJ – April 15, 2009 – While many conditions associated with paralysis are typically considered untreatable, the Plastic Surgery Center, a New Jersey-based medical practice specializing in innovative nerve reconstruction, today announced several problems that can be mitigated or eliminated through rare nerve transplants or other surgeries.

“Many times paralyzed people are told that nothing can be done for their condition or related complications, and they must learn to live with immobility and pain,” explains Dr. Andrew Elkwood, a world-renowned plastic and reconstructive surgeon. “However, the Plastic Surgery Center utilizes nerve-related surgeries and other procedures that enable paralysis patients to live full, active lives.”

The Plastic Surgery Center’s top ten problems paralyzed patients do not need to tolerate:

1. Paralysis from a stroke. The Plastic Surgery Center has restored functionality of stroke patients through procedures including, “cross chest brachial plexus neurotization.”

2. Impaired breathing from spinal cord injuries. Phrenic nerve surgery may restore movement of the lungs and diaphragm impaired by spinal cord injuries. The Plastic Surgery Center’s Dr. Matthew Kaufman, who performs phrenic nerve transplants, has seen signs of success in helping improve a patient’s breathing.

3. Life-altering pressure sores. Taking nerves from a patient’s paralyzed leg and grafting from the rib to the sciatic nerve, the Plastic Surgery Center team may relieve and prevent life-altering paraplegic pressure sores.

4. Lifetime reliance on feeding tubes to swallow. To restore sensation and movement needed to eat and swallow – often a side effect of stroke patients and acute paraplegia – the Plastic Surgery Center team transfers nerves from within the neck to the throat to stop reliance on feeding tubes for survival.

5. Neuropathy pain and risk of limb amputation. Dr. Michael Rose of The Plastic Surgery Center performs a minimally invasive surgical procedure known as triple nerve decompression, which may mitigate pain, restore sensation, and possibly reduce risk of amputation.

6. Arm paralysis as a result of injury or medical problems. The most minimally invasive long-term solution may be to transplant nerves from the patient’s ankle to the damaged nerves to restore the arm’s functionality.

7. Foot drop. Foot drop may be treated by transferring nerves from the leg to the peroneal nerve area – the nerve that communicates to the muscles to lift the foot.

8. Partial facial paralysis. Sensation and movement may be restored in patients suffering from partial facial paralysis by transplanting nerves from the functioning side of the face.

9. Lifelong rehabilitation as the only option for paraplegics. Surgical options coupled with rehabilitation may yield even greater results than rehabilitation alone.

10. Dependence on splint. To eliminate patients’ dependence on splints to function, the Plastic Surgery Center uses several different techniques that may strengthen muscles and/or replace permanent use of a splint.

The medical team at the Plastic Surgery Center 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.

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Berns Communications Group, LLC
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212.994.4660

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NEW JERSEY SURGEON PERFORMS INNOVATIVE PROCEDURE TO ALLEVIATE DIABETES SYMPTOMS

67 Year-Old Monmouth County Woman Receives Surgery to Relieve Pain and Restore Sensation in Leg

SHREWSBURY, NJ – April 29, 2004 – An innovative procedure to relieve the symptoms of neuropathy, a painful condition commonly associated with diabetes, was performed today at 7:30 a.m.  Dr. Michael Rose, M.D., of the Plastic Surgery Center in Shrewsbury, NJ, performed the rare surgery called triple nerve decompression surgery at CentraState Medical Center in Freehold, NJ.

Triple nerve decompression surgery is performed to re-establish nerve function throughout an arm or leg, in order to mitigate pain, restore feeling, and reduce the risk of amputation – commonly a result of diabetes.  It is an outpatient procedure that involves three small incisions and lasts approximately an hour and a half.  The surgery provides immediate results including reduced pain and return of sensation. The procedure has an approximate 90 percent success rate in reducing pain and increasing sensation in properly selected patients and is covered by most insurance companies.  Today’s procedure was performed on Marilyn Hecht, a patient with diabetes who suffered from pain and tingling sensations in her legs and feet.  Preliminary tests had demonstrated that without surgical treatment, she was at an elevated risk for ulceration and amputation of her feet.

“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,” said Dr. Michael Rose.  “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. A Lee Dellon, professor of plastic surgery and neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, developed triple nerve decompression surgery approximately 18 years ago and recently began teaching the technique to medical professionals around the country.  Dr. Rose trained under Dr. Dellon, and is one of 15 plastic surgeons in the country trained to perform the procedure.  While the procedure is most often used to treat neuropathy from diabetes, it will relieve the symptoms of neuropathy from many other causes such as alcoholism, lead poisoning and chemotherapy.

Diabetes is the most common cause of neuropathy, eventually affecting approximately 60 percent of the 18 million diabetics in the U.S.  Neuropathy is a nerve disorder resulting from a heightened blood-sugar level, which among other things causes nerves to swell.  The swelling pinches the nerves in known “tunnels” that the nerves pass through, and results in weakness, numbness and pain in the hands and feet.  As a result of the numbness, the patient is left unaware of blisters, cuts and abrasions on the skin, particularly on the feet.  Therefore, the wounds worsen as they remain uncared for, become infected, and often lead to amputation. On average, nearly 100,000 amputations are performed on diabetics per year.

About Dr. Rose

Based in Shrewsbury, NJ, Dr. Michael Rose is a Board-Certified plastic and reconstructive surgeon, with a special interest in peripheral nerves.  As part of the team at the Plastic Surgery Center, Dr. Rose and his partners are among the few doctors in the country to perform unique operations such as brachial plexus reconstruction, facial reanimation, nerve transplantation, and nerve grafting to preserve erectile function after prostate cancer.  Dr. Rose has presented at national and international meetings and is a published author on the safety of cosmetic surgery, among other research papers and book chapters.

About CentraState Medical Center

CentraState Medical Center is a non-profit, 263-bed acute care hospital offering a wide range of minimally invasive procedures. It is a member of the Robert Wood Johnson Health Network and a clinical research affiliate of The Cancer Institute of New Jersey.

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