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Is anyone experiencing osteoradionecrosis (ORN)?

Head & Neck Cancer | Last Active: Sep 16 6:20am | Replies (37)

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Profile picture for William Olsen, Volunteer Mentor @hrhwilliam

Hello @m0h1pp I am trying to understand what you are facing. Are you having a second reconstruction due to failure or perhaps poor initial surgery? And "filling" with free flap I don't understand as well. Typically the bone is replaced with bone and attached quality free flap which is meticulously connected to the blood supply to keep it all alive and healing. This entire procedure is highly technical and normally done at only a handful of centers in North America, Europe, and Asia although I understand some local surgeons try to give it a go as it were. I hope that isn't the case for you. Do you have some background?

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Replies to "Hello @m0h1pp I am trying to understand what you are facing. Are you having a second..."

I had a right segment of the lateral mandible removed due to stage 4a cancer. The left fibula was used to reconstruct the mandible and a free flap placed. I underwent 30 rounds of radiation. Four years later, a second superficial cancer was found on the floor of the mouth near the back of the tongue. I had a partial glossectomy and resurfacing of the floor of my mouth with blood vessels and and free flap from my left arm. within several weeks, it became obvious that osteoradionecracy had been stimulated, which resulted in one plate's screws coming out through my cheek and my lower jaw dropping a bit and moving to the right. I insisted on a PEG tube so I could take in enough calories, then agitated to get corrective measures done. Physicians checked to assure no cancer had recurred. The is being planned, hopefully for this fall. It is at a cancer center.