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| Jean-Francois (Photo by John Carroll--July 10, 2012) |
On the way to clinic this morning I spotted this man sitting on a porch.
He is 26 years old and told me that this mass appeared four years ago and has slowly grown. It is not painful.
I examined him and the mass is rock hard and immobile. He had no other masses in his neck (no lymphadenopathy) and appeared healthy.
Over the last 15 years Haitian Hearts has brought a fair number of cases like this back to the States for surgical removal. My guess is that this man has an ameloblastoma.
Ameloblastomas are usually benign and are found in the lower jaw. They originate form dental cells.
And these tumors respond very well to surgery.
However, it takes a skilled maxillofacial surgeon and team to safely remove this tumor because the airway is so close by and the anatomy is complex.
If anyone has any connections to a medical center and surgeon that may accept this young man for surgery, please let me know.
John A. Carroll, MD
haitianhearts@gmail.com
www.haitianhearts.org
John,
ReplyDeleteDr. Stacy Harris Furlow saw a patient in Haiti with a similar case. She was able to get a visiting maxillofacial surgeon at Medishare to do the surgery very successfully. I believe he is an exceptional maxillofacial surgeon in California, originally from Haiti, who visits Medishare frequently. You might check with them to see if they will have anyone in country who could do it before going to the more difficult lengths to get him to the US.
Thank you, Lori.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I agree with Lori that an in country solution would be most ideal, I was able to facilitate bringing a woman to the US for this same surgery in 2010. It was done by a team of surgeons at Vanderbilt Medical Center in Nashville, TN. She has had a successful outcome. You can contact me at khsmith24@gmail.com if you'd like further information.
ReplyDeleteDear John , I am an attending OMFS at the University of Miami and have been to Haiti twice since the quake . I also brought a lady with a very large mandibular tumor back to the states and successfully operated on her when I was in private practice in Daytona Beach, FL .
ReplyDeleteI would love to help bring this young man over here but it has become quite difficult to bring patients over from Haiti , please contact me on my cellular phone ! I would also welcome the oppurtunity to come to Haiti and operate on this young man if the facilities exist at this time.
386 366 4463 Regards , Vishy
Vishtasb Broumand DMD MD
Asst professor of Clinical OMFS
Vishy,
ReplyDeleteI will call you.
CAT scan is done.
Thank you.
John
John,
ReplyDeleteIt looks like you may be making some progress on this case for which I am glad! If you don't find the facilities at Medishare in PAP adequate, you might also check with Crudem.org about the possibility of doing the surgery at Sacre Coeur in Milot. (I'm not sure whether Sacre Coeir or Medishare is better equipped, but I those are the 2 most established surgical facilities I'm aware of in country.) If those won't work and the US becomes difficult (immigration has been tough on these medical cases lately), you might try setting it up at a hospital in the DR. Best of luck!
Lori Boyko
Thank you all above.
ReplyDeleteWe are getting close.
Will keep you posted.
john
ReplyDeleteDear John, please send me your contact info again. I am in a better position to help nowadays.
Regards, Vishy
Vishtasb Broumand DMD, MD
Assistant Professor of Clinical Surgery
University of Miami Miller School of Medicine
Division of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
9380 SW 150th Street, Suite 170
Miami, FL 33176
305.256.5270 Telephone
386.366.4463 Cell
http://surgery.med.miami.edu
http://uhealthsystem.com/doctors/profile/133455