Cancer of the head and neck is most commonly caused by squamous cell carcinoma, basal cell carcinoma or melanoma. In some cases is infiltrates into the ear, temporal bone, facial nerve and sinuses.

Having a surgeon who is very skilled in navigating the temporal bone and facial nerve is very important for preservation of function when it is necessary to remove cancer from these areas. Oftentimes cancers of the skin in and around the ear can invade the ear canal, mastoid/temporal bone, parotid gland and facial nerve. Cancers of the nasal sinuses and oropharynx can also invade into the deep sinuses, temporal lobe and neck. Eventually, these cancers can spread into the lymph nodes and metastasize into other parts of the body.

Dr. Cristobal is skilled in performing the surgical procedures below depending on the location of the cancer:

  • Auriculectomy - removal of the outside portion of the ear.

  • Lateral temporal bone resection - removal of the mastoid/petrous bone, ear canal and components of the middle and inner ears.

  • Parotidectomy - removal of the parotid gland, oftentimes sparing the facial nerve.

  • Facial nerve resection - removal of parts of the facial nerve affected by cancer, either superficially (lateral to the geniculate ganglion) or deep (brainstem root entry zone).

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Vistafix

Often times when a patient must have an auriculectomy (removal of outer ear) performed to remove the cancer, they can be left with disfigurement. In this case, Dr. Cristobal uses the Cochlear Vistafix implant system to provide patients with a very realistic prosthesis.

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Procedure:

  1. The Vistafix implants are inserted into the bone. 

  2. After an osseointegration period of typically 3-6 months, the surgeon will attach the abutments to the implants.

  3. After the abutments are placed, the anaplastologist will make impressions of the site, and craft the prosthetic.  In auricular cases, the anaplastologist will take care to create symmetry with the opposite side.

  4. Final adjustments are made during the prosthetic fitting.

The anaplastologists at Medical Art Prosthetics provide the highest level of quality in creating the prosthesis by blending art with science.

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