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Minimally Invasive Surgery in Orthognatic Surgery

What is Minimally Invasive Surgery?

What is minimally invasive surgery?

Minimally invasive surgery is the set of techniques and procedures related to surgery, anaesthesia and aftercare treatment that help reduce pain, inflammation, blood loss and complications for the patient during and after surgery.

The Maxillofacial Institute is a pioneer in techniques for minimally invasive orthognathic surgery, developed specifically for reducing surgery time, achieving greater precision and reducing post-surgery trauma. You can see the techniques designed and published by Dr. Federico Hernández Alfaro in numerous national and international journals specialised in maxillofacial surgery.

The principles of minimally invasive surgery at the Maxillofacial Institute

  • 3D planning, innovation and precision: the surgical guidelines obtained through the virtual planning of the surgery allow the surgeon’s operating time to be reduced significantly. The Maxillofacial Institute was one of the first centres in Spain to incorporate 3D planning into orthognathic surgery and, with more than 1000 interventions already carried out using this technology, it is the most highly experienced at European level.
  • Controlled hypotension and monitoring of the depth of anaesthesia: the meticulous control of blood pressure by the team of anaesthetists at the Maxillofacial Institute reduces blood loss during orthognathic surgery. Moreover, for all orthognathic surgery patients, the anaesthetists at the Maxillofacial Institute use a BIS monitor, a device that allows the waves associated with deep anaesthesia to be monitored during surgery, thereby achieving an excellent adjustment between surgery time and anaesthesia time. Thanks to the application of these techniques during orthognathic surgery, a blood transfusion has never been required.
  • Reduced surgical incisions: Dr. Federico Hernández Alfaro has designed a protocol for reduced incisions that allows surgery to be carried out with minimal alteration of tissue, and which also helps avoid bleeding and postoperative pain. Moreover, we have introduced the use of the piezoelectric scalpel for orthognathic surgery, which allows to maximize accuracy in the osteotomies while minimizing the risk of damage to neighbouring soft tissues.
The Five Principles Of Minimally Invasive Surgery At The Maxillofacial Institute
  • One of his techniques with the greatest impact in the world of maxillofacial surgery is the “Twist Technique”, published in the Journal of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery, which allows the maxilla to be acted on through a minimal incision, approximately 2cm, and in an average time of 45 minutes. This technique is applied in procedures such as SARPE (Surgically Assisted Rapid Palatal Expansion) and orthognathic surgery.
  • Short surgery time: bimaxillary orthognathic surgery carried out at the Maxillofacial Institute is completed in an average of 90 minutes, while orthognathic monomaxillary surgery takes around 40 minutes in average. The reduced surgery time for this type of procedure is only achieved through the excellent training and experience of the medical team. The Maxillofacial Institute has been performing an average of five orthognathic surgical operations a week since 1994.
  • Postoperative care: the Maxillofacial Institute introduced the use of hilotherapy masks into Spain, aimed at reducing postoperative inflammation and haematoma in the orthognathic patient. Moreover, the Institute’s team is formed of therapists who provide lymphatic massages to patients following surgery, to help speed up the recovery process.