page 8 - Ocean Medical Center
page 8 - Ocean Medical Center
page 8 - Ocean Medical Center
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Jersey shore university <strong>Medical</strong> <strong>Center</strong><br />
Motorcycle Enthusiast Back on His Bike<br />
After Facial Reconstruction<br />
Toms River resident Tom Macchia woke up on a Friday<br />
morning in 2007 intending to go for a leisurely motorcycle<br />
ride, as he had done many times before. But that Friday<br />
morning ended much differently from all the others.<br />
During his ride, Tom, 46, was slowing down as he<br />
approached a red light when a car made an illegal turn. Tom<br />
hit the side of the car at 30 mph. After being thrown to the<br />
pavement, Tom was rushed to the Regional Trauma <strong>Center</strong> at<br />
Jersey Shore University <strong>Medical</strong> <strong>Center</strong>.<br />
“His face was significantly distorted. It was much flatter and<br />
wider than normal,” says Manolis Manolakakis, DMD, a board<br />
certified oral surgeon who treated Tom after the trauma team’s initial<br />
examination. “It was quite apparent that Tom sustained fractures of<br />
essentially all his facial bones except for his forehead bone.”<br />
After undergoing CT scans to get a more exact idea of the<br />
extent of his injuries, Tom was taken to the operating room to get<br />
his bleeding under control and temporarily stabilize his facial<br />
fractures. The surgical team wired his jaw together, which offered<br />
some temporary relief for him until it was time for his formal<br />
facial reconstruction.<br />
Five days after the accident, Tom went back to the operating<br />
room for the reconstruction. “The surgical plan for the facial<br />
reconstruction was for me and Kayvon Haghighi, M.D., DDS,<br />
to repair from the bottom up and from outside in,” explains<br />
Dr. Manolakakis. “Tom’s entire face was reconstructed using<br />
his dental occlusion as a guide.”<br />
The lower and upper jaws were reconstructed with titanium<br />
plates and screws to put Tom’s teeth back into proper position.<br />
This served as the foundation to align and reconstruct the<br />
remainder of his face, including his cheekbones, eye sockets,<br />
and nose. The procedure took eight hours.<br />
Miraculously, Tom was discharged from Jersey Shore three<br />
days after surgery and has fully recovered. “I cannot say enough<br />
about what Dr. Manolakakis and the team from Jersey Shore did<br />
to get me back home to my family,” Tom says. “When I tell the<br />
story to friends and family, it is hard for them to believe because<br />
of how well my face has healed from the reconstruction.”<br />
Tom still enjoys riding his 2005 Chopper motorcycle throughout<br />
Toms River and is thankful that he can enjoy the ride. •<br />
— Rob Cavanaugh<br />
Tom Macchia is on the road again after a motorcycle accident fractured<br />
nearly every bone in his face. His surgeons did such expert work that<br />
friends and family have trouble believing the accident happened at all!<br />
about the doctor<br />
Manolis G. Manolakakis, DMD<br />
Board certified in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery<br />
Shrewsbury | 732-542-0755<br />
All Ears? Don’t Miss Our FREE Hearing Screenings!<br />
Celebrate Noise Awareness Day with a FREE hearing screening! Come to Jersey Shore University <strong>Medical</strong><br />
<strong>Center</strong> on April 26 for the screening and more information on how to reduce noise and protect your<br />
ears. See <strong>page</strong> 23 for more details.<br />
17<br />
Meridian HealthViews March/April 2010
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