Pakistani boy undergoes successful facial reconstruction in Chennai

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[highlight]A Pakistani boy who underwent successful facial reconstructive surgery in Chennai and his father.[/highlight]

CHENNAI: For Arshad and Raziya from Pakistan, it was difficult to digest when their son was born with a severe cleft (a gap in the soft tissue, bone, or both) on his face. People, even relatives, began to shun the child on seeing his deformed face. Luckily for the couple, help came from India, when a senior surgeon at a private hospital in Chennai performed a complex facial reconstructive surgery on the 18- month-old boy and ensured that he would live a normal life. The child, Noman Ali, was born with a severe face defect called bilateral Tessier's facial cleft which began in his mouth and extended all the way to his nose and eye sockets, affecting his vision as well. He did not have a left eye since his birth. His right eye was damaged since it did not have any eyelids and was exposed for the past 18 months. Doctor S M Balaji of Balaji Dental and Craniofacial Hospital, who performed the surgery, said, "The baby could not eat properly, see or talk due to his cleft. The condition is caused due to the absence of a gene and also the lack of proper protein supply that helps in tissue and bone formation in the face."
Children born with such deformity suffer immense difficulties in developing weight, speech, breathing, speaking and also undergo psychological trauma because of their appearance, he added. Noman was referred to India two weeks ago through a senior Pakistani surgeon Dr Asif Arian, who is the President of Asia Pacific Dental Federation.


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Pakistani boy undergoes successful facial reconstruction in Chennai - The Times of India