Cambodian girl Sovanna Kak, who is estimated to be 15, has undergone surgery in Brisbane to remove a tumour on her jaw bone (seen in her x-ray inset).
By Courtney Trenwith
Brisbane Times, Australia
March 31, 2011
A Cambodian teenager flown to Brisbane to save her jaw that was being eaten away by a tumour is recovering well, her doctor said.
Sovanna Kak had suffered the painful growth for several years before complaining to a doctor in her rural town a few months ago.
Surgery to remove the tumour, which was destroying the right side of her face, was too complicated to be performed in the developing country.
A local dentist sought help from the Australian and New Zealand Association of Oral and Maxillofacial surgeons who, with Rotary Oceanic Medical Aid for Children and Wesley Hospital, brought Sovanna to Australia.
The tumour was removed during surgery on Tuesday and a metal plate was inserted to replace the missing bone.
Oral and maxillofacial surgeon John Arvier said Sovanna was recovering well and could be discharged from hospital at the end of the week.
‘‘Sovanna has made a rapid initial recovery,’’ he said. ‘‘She is able to drink reasonably freely and was shown her post-operative x-rays.’’
Hours before the surgery, Dr Arvier told brisbanetimes.com.au the tumour had caused so much damage Sovanna risked breaking her jaw if she so much as bumped into someone.
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"It's made an awful mess of the jaw from the corner of the jaw to just below the joint in front of the ear," he said.
"It's quite sore, she can talk all right and still eat fairly well but ... it's steadily chomping away at her.
"It's eaten away the inside of the jaw, pushing the jaw out, almost to the point where it's eaten the whole jaw bone."
He said while the three-hour surgery was relatively straight forward, it would have a large impact on Sovanna's life and health.
Sovanna’s mother and the Cambodian doctor are also in Brisbane, as well as a Cambodian student doctor who will learn the procedure with the hope of performing it in the developing country.
Dr Arvier said the tumour was not uncommon, including in Australia, but rarely progressed to such a debilitating point as Sovanna's condition had.
Brisbane Times, Australia
March 31, 2011
A Cambodian teenager flown to Brisbane to save her jaw that was being eaten away by a tumour is recovering well, her doctor said.
Sovanna Kak had suffered the painful growth for several years before complaining to a doctor in her rural town a few months ago.
Surgery to remove the tumour, which was destroying the right side of her face, was too complicated to be performed in the developing country.
A local dentist sought help from the Australian and New Zealand Association of Oral and Maxillofacial surgeons who, with Rotary Oceanic Medical Aid for Children and Wesley Hospital, brought Sovanna to Australia.
The tumour was removed during surgery on Tuesday and a metal plate was inserted to replace the missing bone.
Oral and maxillofacial surgeon John Arvier said Sovanna was recovering well and could be discharged from hospital at the end of the week.
‘‘Sovanna has made a rapid initial recovery,’’ he said. ‘‘She is able to drink reasonably freely and was shown her post-operative x-rays.’’
Hours before the surgery, Dr Arvier told brisbanetimes.com.au the tumour had caused so much damage Sovanna risked breaking her jaw if she so much as bumped into someone.
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"It's made an awful mess of the jaw from the corner of the jaw to just below the joint in front of the ear," he said.
"It's quite sore, she can talk all right and still eat fairly well but ... it's steadily chomping away at her.
"It's eaten away the inside of the jaw, pushing the jaw out, almost to the point where it's eaten the whole jaw bone."
He said while the three-hour surgery was relatively straight forward, it would have a large impact on Sovanna's life and health.
Sovanna’s mother and the Cambodian doctor are also in Brisbane, as well as a Cambodian student doctor who will learn the procedure with the hope of performing it in the developing country.
Dr Arvier said the tumour was not uncommon, including in Australia, but rarely progressed to such a debilitating point as Sovanna's condition had.
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