What? Where? Who?

What:
Bilateral Temporalis Muscle Transplant,
aka T-Flap surgery. Both sides.
Dr. Mehta's words :
“ The incision will start in the hair, right above the temple, and come down to the earlobe, on both sides.
There will also be an incision in the nasolabial fold (lip cheek crease) on both sides.
The chewing muscle at the temple on each side,is stretched and attatched to the muscles at the corner of the mouth. We always OVERCORRECT quite a bit – that means that the corner of the mouth will look very pulled up on each side. This is normal and will relax over time.
The t-flap will act as a sling, holding and supporting the muscles of the face upward. In 2 or 3 weeks, you will start pyhsical therapy, to learn to use the tranferred muscle, and create a moving smile by clenching your teeth.”
Where:
The Thornton Hospital
La Jolla,
CA
Who:
Dr. Ritvik P. Mehta, M.D.
Otolaryngology
Head & Neck Surgery,
University of California, San Diego (U.C.S.D.)
9350 Campus Point Dr.
La Jolla, CA (619) 543-5910