NJ Medical Team Performs Rare Nerve Graft Procedure to Repair Phrenic Nerve & Paralyzed Diaphragm

SHREWSBURY, NJ – November 19, 2007 – The Institute for Advanced Reconstruction at The Plastic Surgery Center today announced that a New Jersey medical team led by Dr. Matthew Kaufman performed a rare nerve graft procedure on Friday to repair a patient’s phrenic nerve and paralyzed diaphragm. The surgery took place at Saint Peter’s University Hospital on a 53-year-old man who was injured during cardiac surgery last year.

The nerve graft is a complex procedure where doctors transfer nerves from one part of the patient’s body to another to treat life-altering injuries caused by accidents, strokes, and other medical tragedies. Friday’s surgery was performed to improve the patient’s breathing, which became significantly impaired when cardiac surgery paralyzed one side of his diaphragm, leaving him severely debilitated and unable to work.

Dr. Kaufman is part of the medical team at the Plastic Surgery Center, which is comprised of a group of surgeons who are highly skilled in nerve transplantation and advanced reconstruction. They perform a number of unique operations to help patients suffering from life-altering medical conditions who are often unaware that a treatment is available. Some of these conditions that the Plastic Surgery Center treats include:

• Paralysis resulting from accidents and strokes
• Diabetic Neuropathy
• Paralyzed diaphragm/ventilator-based breathing
• Facial Reanimation

About The Plastic Surgery Center

Located in Shrewsbury, New Jersey, The Plastic Surgery Center’s team of doctors has more than 50 years of combined experience performing facial, skin, and body cosmetic surgery. They offer cutting-edge cosmetic and reconstructive procedures and have developed a number of innovative surgical techniques offered at a few other facilities in the world. The Plastic Surgery Center doctors are committed to excellence in providing exceptional, personalized care in a friendly, comfortable setting using the most advanced equipment available. For further information, please visit the Plastic Surgery Center’s website at www.looknatural.com.

About Dr. Matthew Kaufman

Dr. Matthew Kaufman is a board-certified Plastic Surgeon and a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons (FACS). He has the rather rare distinction of also achieving board certification in Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, which gives him the added expertise necessary to deal with complex cosmetic and reconstructive problems of the head, face, and neck. Dr. Kaufman has special interests in reconstructive surgery for cranial nerve disorders, skin and head & neck cancer, and vascular malformations. He practices at the Plastic Surgery Center in Shrewsbury, NJ, and is a Cancer Reconstruction and Microsurgery Consultant for the Head and Neck Oncology Group of Central New Jersey-based at Saint Peter’s University Hospital in New Brunswick.