The traumatic wound from the house scuffle
The Department of Plastic Surgery, Aesthetics and Reconstruction, University Medical Center Hospital - Vietnam National University, Hanoi, Linh Dam facility received patient H.V. V (45 years old, residing in Yen Phong, Bac Ninh) in an emergency situation with a large open wound, missing almost the entire soft part of the upper lip.
According to medical records, after a tense scuffle at home, Mr. V was attacked by his cousin. Notably, the opponent used teeth to bite off a large part of the victim's upper lip. In the chaos, the severed lip fragment could not be found for microsurgery.
About 10 years ago, Mr. V was stabbed in the abdomen by a relative and had to undergo major surgery to survive.
Returning the face to the patient
MSc. Dr. Nguyen Ngoc Tuan, Department of Plastic Surgery and Reconstruction, said that the patient was admitted to the hospital with complex injuries.
The patient has a red lip defect about 3cm wide, accompanied by a partial white lip defect about 3x1cm. This is a severe form of injury, not only causing facial deformities but also directly affecting the function of closing the mouth, pronunciation and chewing if not properly regenerated," said Dr. Tuan.
According to doctors, wounds caused by human bite are classified as "dirty" lesions, with a very high risk of infection, equivalent to wounds caused by animal bite.
To restore the patient, doctors decided to use Abbe plastering technique - a method of taking tissue from the opposite lip to regenerate the lost lip and restore the lip ring muscle.
After surgery, the lip shape was re-established relatively balanced, helping to significantly improve the function as well as the aesthetics of the face.
One of the major advantages of this technique is that it can almost completely regenerate the anatomical structure of the lips, from red lips, white lips, mucous membranes to lip ring muscles. Thanks to that, patients not only restore lip shape but also maintain the ability to close their mouths, pronounce and eat.
“However, this is a two-time surgery. After transferring the shaft, the shaft stem still has to be kept connected to the lip for about 2-3 weeks to form a new feeding circulation. After that, the patient will continue to have the stem cut and adjusted to make the lip more harmonious. Not only physical pain, the patient also has to face prolonged psychological pressure due to facial deformity, difficulty communicating and inconvenient living,” said Dr. Tuan.
During this time, the patient's daily life encountered many difficulties because the two lips were still attached. After surgery, the patient was almost unable to open his mouth in the early stages.
Currently, the patient has to be fed through a tube. Only then can they eat with a small spoon or pump food through the gaps between their teeth.
