MAXILLARY TUMORS
As with other malignant diseases, patients suffering from maxillary (upper jaw) cancer often arrive too late for having a surgical intervention. The cancer has spread locally into the surrounding tissue and cannot be removed.
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If radical cure is possible it will most often be done by a total maxillectomy (complete removal of the upper jaw), a somewhat disfiguring procedure. I have tried to offer secondary plastic surgery to limit the deformity, but most patients are not interested in further surgery. Still I haven’t figured out if this is due to lack of financial resources or simply a stoic acceptance of the end result.
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Left maxillary tumor |
Left maxillary tumor |
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Prepared for surgery |
Skin incision |
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Skin flap developped and hold to the side |
Seperating maxillary bone with hammar and cisel |
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Cutting naso-frontal bone with cisel |
Maxillary bone with tumor is freed |
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Maxillary bone with tumor removed |
Maxillary bone with tumor removed |
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Large defect after removal of tumor |
Skin suture in progress |
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Skin suture almost completed |
After surgery - Left eye spared - Vision normal |
