REconstructive Surgery
Restoring form and function after treatment. These are the primary goals of reconstructive head & neck surgery.
Microvascular Surgery
Microvascular or “free-flap” surgery constitutes the bulk and passion of Dr. Kain’s extensive training in Head & Neck surgery. This discipline involves transplantation of sections of tissue (skin, fat, muscle, fascia, and bone) by preserving and transferring the supplying artery and veins with the units of tissue. These transferred vessels are then reconnected to blood vessels in the neck under a microscope to give the tissue immediate and continuous supply during healing.
These procedures are used to reconstruct anatomic areas affected by cancers, prior radiation damage (osteoradionecrosis or ORN), benign tumors/growths, trauma/ injury, burns, or congenital deformities.
Transplantation can occur from donor sites from a person’s own body including the wrist, thigh, leg, abdomen, flank, back, or shoulder. These can be used to reconstruct areas of the scalp/cranium, jaws, face, mouth, tongue, lips, throat, voice box, esophagus, neck, and even spinal column.
Facial reanimation
Facial nerve injuries can come as the result of prior surgery, traumatic injuries (falls, motor-vehicle accidents), Bell’s palsy, tumors or viral infections. In many cases, there are reconstructive options that can improve a person’s form and function. This can include a range of things from application of specific botox injections to muscle-transferring surgeries to create a new functioning smile. We see and evaluate patients with facial paralysis or weakness to discuss any available options for improvement.