Microvascular Techniques
The microvascular field relates to a group of surgical skills, used to return your face and neck to as close to normal as possible:
- Free muscle transfer — Your surgeon harvests a section of muscle, often from the back, or abdomen. Valuable for structural and functional areas, or to help seal off the central nervous system and promote healing.
- Free bone transfer — A procedure needing particular care, as precise alignment and skin coverage are required. Bone can be taken from a variety of places, depending on need, your fibula can be a good source.
- Free skin & fat transfer — A prime consideration for tissue selection will be vascularity, in essence, how well the local systems match. Your forearm, or thigh are often ideal for head and neck reconstruction.
- Free flap (or tissue) transfer — Free flap transfer is the common description for many forms of microvascular surgery. Neither are aspects always separate, multiple types of tissue can be transferred at the same time and often are.
Whilst our maxillofacial consultants carry out complex surgery, free flap transfer can be used to repair a small wound. This could be following removal of a facial lesion, or areas affected by skin cancer.
The same level of expertise applies to all microvascular surgery in our London clinic and to any tissue transplant.
Surgical Procedure
Preparation for microvascular surgery typically involves a comprehensive consultation, along with any necessary tests and assessments. This may include imaging techniques such as MRI or CT scans, cardiac investigations, tumour mapping, or biopsies.
The primary focus is on patient care and safety, ensuring a clear understanding of the individual case and creating a detailed treatment plan.
While some forms of microvascular surgery can be performed under local anaesthesia, most procedures require general anaesthesia and are carried out in a hospital setting due to the complexity and specialised equipment involved.
Your surgery will be thoroughly discussed with you, providing all the information you need, including pre-operative instructions, what to expect the night before and on the day of the procedure, as well as anticipated outcomes and recovery times.
The surgery will be performed by an experienced maxillofacial consultant who you will be familiar with. Our highly trained support staff will ensure your comfort, and the hospital facilities we use are among the finest in the UK.
A Supportive Approach
Family members are welcome to be involved in consultations or be present during treatment at the hospital. Our staff will always be available to provide support or assist with any practical matters you may need.
Recovery times will vary depending on the complexity of the surgery. You may recover relatively quickly, or require sedation for a while. Throughout your recovery, the level of care will remain high. We will ensure that any necessary rehabilitative treatment, follow-up appointments, medication, or wound care is properly organised and thoroughly discussed with you.
Microvascular surgery offers exceptional treatment possibilities, and we approach each case with a consultative, supportive mindset. Please don’t hesitate to get in touch if we can assist in any way.
