Mother-Son Nerve Transplant Performed by New Jersey Medical Team

“We are extremely pleased with the success of previous nerve transplants, and anticipate further advancements in medical technology that will continue to help reverse life-altering paralysis caused by accidents, strokes and other medical tragedies.” Dr. Andrew Elkwood

Rare Living-Donor Nerve Transplant Performed to Reverse Paralysis of 19-Year-Old’s Arm

SHREWSBURY, NJ – June 7, 2004 – In a rare living-donor nerve transplant procedure that took place over the weekend at Monmouth Medical Center, a 19-year-old male received donor nerves from his mother to reverse the paralysis of his left arm. The surgery was performed by a team of medical professionals led by Dr. Andrew Elkwood, M.D. of the Plastic Surgery Center in Shrewsbury, NJ.

The nerve transplant is a complex procedure that utilizes advanced technology in order to reverse many life-altering paralyzes. This weekend’s surgery was performed on 19-year-old Bill Gibson’s arm, which was left paralyzed from a car accident in October 2003. As part of the procedure, the medical team surgically removed nerves from his mother’s legs and simultaneously transplanted them into Bill’s arm. The procedure also required the doctors to take nerves from Bill’s own legs and transplant them into his arm.

“The use of living donors is a recent development in the emerging field of nerve transplants,” said Dr. Andrew Elkwood. “We are extremely pleased with the success of previous nerve transplants and anticipate further advancements in medical technology that will continue to help reverse life-altering paralysis caused by accidents, strokes, and other medical tragedies.”

Dr. Elkwood and his team performed a father-daughter living-donor nerve transplant last month to reverse the paralysis of a 19-year-old female college student’s arm sustained in a car accident in 2003. In addition, Dr. Elkwood made use of cadaverous nerves when he performed the first nerve transplant ever to take place on the East Coast in March 2003 on a patient who was shot in the arm and leg. The patient has since regained near-complete functionality of his once-paralyzed arm and leg. Dr. Elkwood and his medical team used the same procedure in January 2004 to restore the functionality of another patient’s arm paralyzed in a motocross accident six months prior to the surgery.

About Dr. Elkwood

Dr. Andrew Elkwood, M.D., is a plastic and reconstructive surgeon who performs unique operations involving nerve rebuilding and complex advanced reconstruction. Dr. Elkwood and his team are among the few doctors in the country to perform operations such as brachial plexus reconstruction, facial reanimation, nerve transplantation, and nerve grafting to preserve erectile function after prostate cancer. Dr. Elkwood is certified by the American Board of Surgery and the American Board of Plastic Surgery in General Surgery and Plastic Surgery. He is also a Fellow of the American College of Surgery (FACS) and a Fellow of the American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery. Dr. Elkwood practices at The Plastic Surgery Center, with offices in NJ and Manhattan.

For further information, please visit the Plastic Surgery Center’s website at www.looknatural.com.