Doctors transplant bone in patient’s jaw in country’s first

The medical team that conducted the operation

Doctors at the capital’s Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College and Hospital have successfully built almost the entire jawbone of an autistic youth with a bone from his leg in the first such operation in the country.

During jawbone transplants only partial bones are installed, but at Shaheed Suhrawardy Hospital almost 95% of the bone in the jaw was transplanted, making it a rare feat for any part of the world, doctors claimed.

The youth named Md Harun is now recovering at the hospital in good health and awaiting dental implants or installation of artificial teeth on his new jawbone. He can now eat soft and juicy food.

Assistant Professor Dr Nitish Krishna Das led the surgery team during the highly critical operation on Harun’s jaw.

The process was complicated by a number of factors including Harun’s mental instability that discouraged doctors from carrying out the operation for a number of times despite a tumour in his mouth spreading.

The bone for the transplant was taken from a leg without any blood vein. The bone was cut into four pieces to fit into Harun’s jaw. After transplanting the bone pieces, doctors not only had to connect these to nearby nerves but also to blood vessels with new vessels.

Harun showed signs of autism three months after his birth. Later, he also developed a tumour in his jaw. After, his parents admitted him to the Shaheed Suhrawardy hospital doctors dared not operate on him fearing low cooperation from him due to his autism.

His father repeatedly pushed physicians to carry out the operation as the tumour kept spreading. Harun’s father finally had assure doctors that they need not fear as the Almighty God would decide whether the autistic boy would survive the operation or not.

Encouraged by his words doctors completed the daring operation.