For 20 years, Ruti Amrousi (59), a resident of Safed, suffered from a benign yet aggressive growth in her jaw. A complex surgery that lasted about 12 hours, with a multidisciplinary team of more than 30 doctors and nurses, at the Baruch Padeh Medical Center in Poriya, near T’veria, removed the tumor from Amrousi’s mouth and a complex reconstruction of the jawbone was performed using part of the tibia (shinbone), which was repurposed.
Normally, the treatment for a case like Amrousi’s is to monitor and to remove the growth’s environment every few years. But last year the patient began to suffer from great pain, as the tumor was becoming infected very frequently and caused multiple skin infections (fistulas).
“I had terrible pain, my face swelled up, I suffered from severe pain similar to toothache as a result of the tumor, the pain could not be tolerated,” she recalled.
Dr. Imad Abu Naj, head of the Department of Oral and maxillofacial surgery, explained that “it is rare to perform an excision for this type of tumor, but because of the repeated infections and the harsh pains Ruti was suffering, we decided to remove the tumor.”
A multi-disciplinary team of more than 30 doctors and nurses from the Padeh-Poriya Medical Center – the departments of oral and maxillofacial surgery, anesthesia, intensive care, and plastics – performed the surgery that lasted more than 12 hours.
Dr. Amin Abu Jabal, a specialist in micro-plastic surgery, explained that “what’s special about this operation is the use of the shinbone. After we cut the tumor, there was an gap in the jawbone. While the surgery was proceeding, we performed a complex reconstruction in which we took part of the shinbone with the blood vessels and shaped it to fit the gap that had been created, and then connect it under a microscope with the blood vessels that nourish it.”
Some two weeks after the surgery, Ruti feels much better, and on Sunday she was released from the hospital.
“I feel much better, the improvement is very significant,” she said. “I was so afraid I’d have a facial distortion. Now I’m calm…”
Dr. Imad Abu Na’aj concluded: “We have established a regional professional center in this field, and several more operations are planned for the coming weeks.”