Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery

The mission of the Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery is to provide the highest standards of patient care, to offer optimal educational programs, and to advance knowledge in the specialty with clinical and basic science research. Derived from the Greek word plastikos, meaning "to mold or give form", plastic surgery is the specialty of medicine dedicated to restoring and reshaping the body. It is not limited to one organ system but repairs and improves health problems that affect the total patient. Thus, the plastic surgeons in the Division have subspecialty expertise in maxillofacial surgery, cosmetic surgery, surgery of congenital deformity, hand surgery, reconstructive breast surgery, and care of the difficult wound. In order to meet its mission, the Division seeks to:

• Provide state-of-the-art clinical services to patients with plastic surgery problems in an effective and sympathetic manner. Multidisciplinary collaboration and conferences are offered for the evaluation and treatment of complex clinical problems.
• Offer professional training programs for plastic surgery residents and others, including medical students, rotating residents, practicing plastic surgeons, nurses, and other professionals.
• Conduct research programs at both the basic science and clinical levels on a variety of plastic surgery-related subjects that will lead to enhanced patient care.
• Maintain affiliations with participating hospitals such as the Hines VA Hospital which are mutually beneficial and conducive to enhanced patient, care, education, and research.

Plastic Surgery Services

The Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery provides consultation and treatment for adults and children for problems that fall into two broad categories: reconstructive and cosmetic. The American Medical Association defines the two categories as follows:

Plastic Surgery Procedures

Specific procedures commonly performed by plastic surgeons at Loyola University include, but are not limited to the following.

• Treatment of skin diseases, cancer, trauma
  Malignant and benign lesions of the skin (basal or squamous cell cancers)
  Melanoma
  Malignant and benign lesions of the soft tissue (sarcoma, lipoma)
  Birthmarks and tatoos
  Reconstructive flaps and grafts
  Scar revisions
   
• Complex wound and burn treatment
  Acute burn management (thermal, chemical, electrical)
  Reconstructive burn treatment
  Difficult wound care (infections, bites, foreign bodies, chronic open wounds)
  End-stage hidradenitis suppurativa
   
• Cosmetic surgery
  Facelift (brow-lift, neck-lift)
  Blepharoplasty (eyelid surgery)
  Cosmetic rhinoplasty
  Cosmetic otoplasty
  Liposuction
  Collagen injections
  Abdominoplasty
  Breast augmentation
   
• Surgery of the breast
  Post mastectomy breast reconstruction:  immediate and delayed
  Breast reduction
  Congenital and developmental breast deformities
  Gynecomastia
   
• Treatment of facial deformity, disease, trauma
  Facial fractures (mandible, zygoma, orbits, nose)
  Tumors of the lips, mouth, tongue, salivary glands
  Congenital tumors and vascular malformations
  Wound and laceration treatment
  Nasal deformity
  Ear deformity
   
• Surgery of the Hand
  Hand and forearm wounds
  Tendon injuries and lacerations
  Nerve injuries
  Fractures of the hand
  Vascular injuries of the hand
  Carpal tunnel syndrome
  Dupuytren's contracture
  Trigger finger
  Congenital abnormalities (extra digits, webbed fingers, etc)
  Tumors of the bone and soft tissue
   
• Surgery of the trunk and extremities
  Chest and abdominal wall reconstruction
  Perineal reconstruction
  Lower extremity coverage
  Flaps, grafts, free tissue transfer, expanders
   
• Pediatric Plastic Surgery / Cleft Palate & Craniofacial Team
  Cleft lip repair
  Cleft palate repair
  Craniosynostosis
  Birthmarks and nevi
  Hemangiomas, lymphangiomas
  Congenital tumors and cysts (thyroglossal, branchial cleft)
  Congenital deformities of the ear, nose, trunk
   

Plastic Surgery Education

The Division of Plastic Surgery is committed to high quality education in an environment that considers the multiple dimensions of a first-rate educational experience: academic, clinical, ethical, moral, and personal growth. Events over the last decade have changed the specialty of plastic surgery and these changes have created the need for new approaches to maintaining the competence of practicing plastic surgeons and educating future plastic surgeons. Some of the changes affecting the specialty include:

• recent advances that have broadened the scope of the specialty
• increasing knowledge that fosters ever greater sub-specialization within the specialty
• new technology with lasers and endoscopic techniques
• rapid advances in research leading to tissue engineering and molecular transplantation
• technologic advances in digital imaging, teleconferencing, and virtual reality training units

Responsive to these changes, the Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery is continuously making modifications and expansions in the curriculum. Some major thrusts include the teaching of new skills such as:

• physiology and safety of emerging surgical technologies
• use of digital photography and computer technology
• basic science lectures on tissue engineering and gene therapy
• teaching of guidelines for ethical behavior

Major Research

Areas of investigation and studies currently underway within the Division of Plastic Surgery include:

• the biology of aging skin
• wound healing agents
• anatomic landmarks in augmentation mammaplasty
• speech patterns after cleft palate repair