For Saint Peter’s Pediatric Craniofacial and Neurosurgical Team, It’s About Changing Young Lives

Haga clic aquí para leer esta historia en español

NEW BRUNSWICK – The doctors, surgeons, nurses and other highly trained professionals who comprise the team at the Craniofacial and Neurosurgical Center at The Children’s Hospital at Saint Peter’s University Hospital had 114 new visits last year – and that’s in addition to all the patients who are already under their care.

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE FREE TAPINTO.NET NEWSLETTER

The majority of these patients are babies and toddlers who were born with congenital conditions such as cleft lip or cleft palate.

So treating a teenager who grew up in The Philippines and went to the hospital for surgery for a cleft palate will always stand out for Dr. Naveen Ahuja, a plastic surgeon.

The patient’s life was filled with difficulty and frustration because each bite of food or sip of drink could seep into the nose. And the condition affected the patient’s speech, too.

“The teen was able to articulate the changes in life much more coherently than a 6-month-old or a 3-month-old,” Dr. Ahuja said. “So, that was really gratifying because the teen was in speech therapy. He was improving his speech. He wasn’t having all the embarrassment of having things come out of his nose when the teen ate in public.

DOWNLOAD THE FREE TAPINTO APP FOR MORE LOCAL NEWS. AVAILABLE IN THE APPLE STORE AND THE GOOGLE PLAY STORE .

“The patient was able to clearly articulate so much appreciation, and that felt really good,” he added.

Changing lives for children from birth to 18 is at the essence of the work being done at the Craniofacial and Neurosurgical Center, which is accredited by the American Cleft Lip and Palate Association.

Under the direction of Dr. Michael Lucas, a pediatrician and the medical director of the Craniofacial and Neurosurgical Center at The Children’s Hospital at Saint Peter’s University Hospital, an interdisciplinary team that could include maxillofacial prosthetists, geneticists, speech-language pathologists, ophthalmologists, social workers and audiologists not only treats patients with cleft lip and cleft palate, but also abnormalities of the skull (craniosynostosis) and ears (microtia).

The team also treats children who have suffered facial or skull-related injuries stemming from auto accidents and other trauma.

Cleft lip and cleft palate patients, who come to Saint Peter’s from as far away as Mexico and South America, typically face a minimum of four or five surgeries from birth to 17 or 18 years old.

The Craniofacial and Neurosurgical Center team often utilizes the skills of surgeons such as Dr. Ahuja to restore physical functionality because cleft lip and cleft palate can affect a newborn’s ability to breast-feed and drink from a bottle. Other craniofacial conditions can affect a child’s hearing or dental development.

Dr. Lucas said, however, that doctors concentrating on restoring functionality to these patients’ lives cannot underestimate the psychological effects that these surgeries can have on older patients, such as teenagers.

“I think we’re better at recognizing that now than maybe we were in the past, about understanding how looking different can make you feel different,” he said. “And I think that’s a significant issue for our children. For example, if you’re born with a cleft lip, you have an opening at your lip and that may go all the way through the bottom of your nostrils.

“Even as infants, people, friends and family members automatically notice that,” he added. “Even the parents themselves feel different. They feel like they’ve done something wrong and there’s an immense psychological burden.”

Thanks to advances in ultrasound technology, many craniofacial conditions can be detected while the mother is still carrying the child. Dr. Lucas said the team at Saint Peter’s will often meet with the parents before the child is born and discuss treatment options.

Although some parents are eager to schedule surgery for their newborns, there are many other issues to be addressed first. Can the child utilize a special bottle or be fed via a tube because he or she might not be able to suck or swallow? Does the child face the potential for breathing difficulties? What will the medical plan be if the child is born with anomalies in other parts of his or her body?

Pulling the Saint Peter’s multidisciplinary team together is Luz Quezada-Mejia, the craniofacial program coordinator. She plays a huge role in keeping the, say, audiologist connected with the pediatrician connected with the otolaryngologist.

Quezada-Mejia, who is fluent in English and Spanish, also plays a key role in making the families of these children feel comfortable at Saint Peter’s. She’s often the family's first point of contact with the Craniofacial and Neurosurgical Center team.

“The first time we meet them prenatally, there’s a sense of relief when they meet us,” Quezada-Mejia said. “They’re relieved they’ve found a place where they’re going to find the answers. In the beginning, they’re seeking answers. ‘Why is this happening? What are we going to do? What happens after the baby is born?’

“So, it’s just such a sense of relief when they come, and they see there’s a team of people working together toward the benefit of the child and then making them feel comfortable speaking their own language,” she added.

For more local news, visit TAPinto.net