Following a US legislative resolution Wednesday urging US support for Taiwan's participation in the World Health Organization (WHO), the international spotlight will fall on a hospital in Linkou today when it performs a highly complex facial surgery on a teenager from Mauritius.
The teenager, who suffers from Pfeiffer syndrome -- an inherited disorder causing craniofacial, dental and soft-tissue abnormalities -- will receive craniofacial and jaw surgery from specialists at Linkou Chang Gung Memorial Hospital.
"This country's expertise in medicine will be displayed to the international community with this `treatment without borders' while it prepares to enter the World Health Organization," said Chen Yu- ruey (陳昱瑞), superintendent of the hospital and a world-renowned specialist in craniofacial surgery.
Kevin Chan-kam, the 16-year-old patient, can only ingest liquid and very soft food because of the critical malocclusion -- the failure of the jaw to close correctly -- caused by his condition.
"I look forward to eating my first steak after the operation," he said during a press conference yesterday.
Chen said maxillofacial surgery would be the main part of the procedure. The patient's palate will be pulled forward and his jaw pressed inwards by 3cm.
But the surgery will be much more comprehensive than most corrections, making the operation particularly difficult, said professor Huang Chiung-shing (黃炯興), director of the hospital's faculty of dentistry.
Craniofacial surgery will also be conducted to alter Chan-kam's appearance.
"One of his ribs will be trimmed and about 12cm used to add to the flat cheekbones and other underdeveloped facial structures," Chen said.
The symptoms of Pfeiffer syndrome -- feeding, vision and brain development difficulties, as well as disfigurement -- are attributed to the premature closing of skull sutures, or fibers, which leads to the underdevelopment of bones.
Chan-kam's condition includes a regressed mid-face, a common feature of the syndrome, and the malocclusion caused by his underdeveloped upper palate.
"He has almost no occlusion [closure]. Only the molar of his lower jaw meets the upper teeth," said Chen.
Chan-kam's jaw, however, protrudes, making him unable to consume solid food or pronounce consonants such as "s" and "f."
His oral cavity is also smaller than those of people without the condition, causing breathing problems and snoring.
He has had three major operations in South Africa, including one to release his brain sutures to allow the full development of his brain. He is an academically outstanding high school student, the doctors said.
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