USA: Plastic surgery for patients with birth defects

An innocent Irish boy without a lower jaw had surgery in a New York hospital to get a more normal face.

(Photo: Ibnlive.com) Teenager Alan Doherty, 17, is 1 in 2 people with ear-face syndrome that makes patients unable to breathe without support, inedible and unable to speak.

Alan Doherty ate through a tube into his stomach and contacted others by sending a voice message through a keyboard, attached to a computer. Alan Doherty likes to play football, swim and do not like being stared at, but he is used to looking like that.

Alan Doherty spent the first time in two surgeries at the Mount Sinai Medical Center. Doctors plan to create a doherty rib bone shaped like a horseshoe to form the lower jaw in the second surgery that will take place later this year.

During yesterday's surgery, the doctors transferred the bone to Doherty's back muscles, where it developed nerve and other soft tissue before being put on the face.

According to plastic surgeon Elliott Rose, the first goal is to open the mouth for Doherty and then flip the inner part to give Doherty a shape like a lip ring. Doherty hopes he will have a perfect chin. However, Doherty appraisers only have about 30% chance to learn to speak and eat with their new mouth.

Charities are raising money for this surgery, its cost is up to more than $ 100,000.

State budget