Using microsurgery, which uses a microscope to suture tiny vessels together, Dr. Ambani completed the first free flap case at Henry Ford Allegiance Health. The patient had a prior mastectomy for breast cancer on one side and chose to undergo a preventative mastectomy on the other. The breast reconstruction was done at the same time as the preventative mastectomy by general surgeon Shawn Obi, DO. Tissue from the patient’s lower abdominal area was transplanted to the chest on both sides.
Dr. Ambani also performed the first “super-microsurgery” case at Henry Ford Allegiance Health—a lymphaticovenous anastomoses. “Around the world, microsurgeons consider this ‘super-microsurgery,’ because tiny lymphatic channels are hooked up to nearby veins using sutures that are thinner than a hair,” said Dr. Ambani. Prior to surgery, the patient had to wear compression garments around the clock due to lymphedema in her arm. Now, she no longer wears any compression and has more freedom of movement.
As another “first,” Dr. Ambani performed the first complex flap reconstruction of a chronic pressure sore in a paraplegic patient, working alongside orthopedic surgeon Timothy Ekpo, DO, who removed the underlying infected femoral bone. The patient’s chronic draining wound is healed, and he has returned to his daily activities.