Surgeons Use Rib to Create New Jaw

A team of surgeons has successfully reconstructed the jaw of a six-year old boy, using a piece of his rib. The four-inch piece of rib taken from the boy's body was reshaped to look like the piece missing from the boy's jaw. The rib piece was grafted in place and secured with several titanium pins. The jaws were not wired together, allowing the boy to speak and eat normally within a week.

Now, 10 years later, the grafted rib has transformed into a mandible. The boy's face is symmetrical and his chin remains in the center of his face. Also, his body has made a new rib at the site where a portion was removed. The team of surgeons who performed the work were from the Center for Corrective Jaw Surgery (Bala Cynwyd, PA, USA).

Without early treatment, Joey's jaw would not have grown properly and his chin would have been on the side of his face, said Dr. Mansoor Madani, head of the surgical team and director of the Center. Amazingly, his rib grew at the exact rate as his jaw on the opposite side and he also developed a normal functioning jaw joint.