Without the surgery, Nona (a 48-year-old Georgian patient) would have had to live her life unable to do ordinary things, such as speaking or chewing normally. Even just kissing her daughter would have been difficult, her face would have been marked by the brutality of a tumor that was eating away at her jaw. Her quality of life, as will happen in the future for many patients in her condition, was saved by the surgical team of the Complex Operating Unit of Maxillofacial Surgery of the Aou Luigi Vanvitelli of Naples, directed by Professor Gianpaolo Tartaro.
For the first time in Italy, the second in all of Europe, a surgical team has restored – thanks to an innovative device and the use of artificial intelligence – full functionality to the temporomandibular joint after a highly destructive operation. The minimally invasive technique allowed the patient to have no visible scars on her face and to recover in record time. In the operating room, in addition to Professor Tartaro, the team composed of Professor Mario Santagada, the anesthetist Serena Merolillo and the specialists Roberta Maiulo, Domato Setola and Martina Amodio.
“The innovative scope of this intervention – explains Tartaro – is in the possibilities of a complete functional recovery guaranteed by the prosthesis that is going to be implanted, created thanks to the collaboration of a team of engineers and exploiting the potential of artificial intelligence, based on the characteristics of the patient's face acquired through a CT scan”. In Nona's case, in addition to the left portion of the removed jaw, the reconstructed joint is the one that connects the jaw to the skull and that allows her to chew, speak and smile.
The goal was to faithfully reproduce the natural movement of the jaw, overcoming the limitations of traditional techniques that, while partially reconstructing the area, are unable to restore full functionality. The result exceeded even the rosiest expectations. Thanks to digital planning, carried out in close collaboration with biomedical engineers, and the use of surgical templates to guide the bone cut, the surgeons were able to intervene precisely, using a minimally invasive approach similar to a facelift. This also allowed them to preserve the nerves and blood vessels, thus promoting a rapid and complication-free recovery.
“A concrete example,” commented General Manager Ferdinando Russo, “of how continuous commitment to research and development of new technologies can improve the quality of life of those who find themselves facing complex situations. Providing patients with cutting-edge healthcare services is essential to improving the quality of life, reducing recovery times and offering increasingly effective and safe treatments.” Nona was discharged and was able to return to her normal life. She dreams of receiving a visit from her daughter in Italy soon so she can hug her again.
Article published on March 18, 2025 - 20pm
