Head and Neck Surgery in Iran

2.The procedure for Head and Neck Surgery

The exact procedure for different types of Head and Neck could have some varieties. However, a Head and Neck surgery mainly starts with applying anesthesia. Then, the surgeon makes an incision at the site of treatment. Afterwards, the affected part must be fixed or removed. The affected tissue could be a tumor, lymph nodes, or blood clots inside veins. At last, the surgeon stiches the incisions together and seals them up.

4.Follow-up for Head and Neck Surgery

The rest of your head or neck recovery will be at home. To ease the process, Floramedtour will provide you with 2 years of follow-up services. These services include giving your update information on head and neck recovery, answering your questions, and getting your recovery process under observation. Meanwhile, it is necessary the you follow the below general instructions:

• Get rest whenever you feel tired
• Start doing gentle activities from the first week
• You can normally get back to your work after 4 weeks
• Do not drink alcohol during the whole period of your recovery
• Smoking is not allowed for a minimum of 2 weeks following the surgery
• Consume enough fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and fish during your recovery
• Drink 8-12 glasses of non-caffeinated fluid per day to keep your body hydrated
• Avoid straining your neck for 4 to 6 weeks after a neck surgery

How much does Head and Neck cost in Iran?

In choosing a medical destination, cost of surgery can be an important factor. The cost of Head and Neck is various across the world. The price also depends on the exact type of surgery. As an example, a tumor rescission surgery can cost up to $150,000 or more in US and up to £40,936 in UK. The average tumor resection cost is $52,083 around the world. Iran offers a far competitive price of $2000 with great treatment services. Iran is a place to get cheaper cost at better qualities. Floramedtour offers Head and Neck surgery packages, including all necessary services, with a price starting from $2000. The following provides a general comparison for several types of head and neck surgery prices in Iran and around the world:

Types of Head and Neck Surgery

There are several procedure types that come under the title head and neck surgery. The main types of surgical procedures for Head and Neck include:

Laryngeal and tracheal surgery

Laryngotracheal reconstruction surgery widens your windpipe (trachea) to help you breathe easier. The procedure involves inserting a small piece of cartilage into the narrowed section of the trachea to make it wider and open the way of air.

Endoscopic neck surgery

Endoscopic neck surgery is an advanced minimally invasive alternative to traditional neck surgery that involves a shorter recovery and less pain.

Free flap surgery

A Free flap surgery transfers of a patient’s own tissue from a one site to another site for treatment reasons. The receiver site is the site of a defect that needs treatment.

Skull base Surgery

Skull base surgery aims to provide exposure to the skull base in order to treat the area. This can help the surgeon remove both noncancerous and cancerous abnormalities at the base of the skull. The followings are the main types of skull surgery:

• Anterior skull base surgery
• Posterior skull base
• Middle skull base surgery
• Endoscopic Skull base surgery

Facial Paralysis surgery (facial reanimation surgery)

Facial reanimation is a surgical procedure to correct facial paralysis, which is caused by the nerve cells in the face. The paralysis may be either congenital or be caused due to a trauma or disease. Compared with Botox, Facial reanimation can provide more effective and long-lasting results.

Total laryngectomy

Total laryngectomy removes the whole larynx. If needed, the surgeon might also take out your pharynx. The Larynx is part of your respiratory system located inside the middle of your neck. And pharynx is tube that starts from behind your nose and ends at the top of esophagus.

Pharyngolaryngectomy

The procedure to remove both the larynx (voice box) and the pharynx is called Pharyngolaryngectomy.

Uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (UPPP)

Uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (UPPP) is surgery to open the upper airways by taking out extra tissue in the throat. It may be done alone to treat snoring or in combination with other procedures to treat moderate obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).

Dohlman’s procedure

The standard endoscopic technique, known as Dohlman’s procedure, uses electrocautery or lasers to divide the wall between the pouch and the oesophagus. This procedure is an effective alternative to external diverticulectomy in the treatment of pharyngeal pouch. This technique is also bloodless and comes with a quicker recovery.

Various neck flaps

Neck flaps surgery refers to replacing small areas of soft tissue by using nearby healthy tissue, called a flap. Since flaps usually have their own blood supply they heal quickly. The flaps may be taken from different body parts such as scalp, cheek, forehead, neck, or chest.

Voice restoration procedures

Surgical procedures for voice restoration help patients who are unable to effectively use esophageal speech. Depending on the patient, these may involve phonomicrosurgery (treating vocal cords), laryngoplasty; laryngeal injections; and surgical laryngeal reinnervation. The procedures can help improve voice production and therefore can lead into a better oral communication.

Thyroplasty

Thyroplasty refers to a procedure where the position of the vocal cord is altered to improve the patient’s voice and ability to cough. This surgery starts by an incision in the neck and making small hole in the voice box. Then, the surgeon places an implant to move the vocal cord into the proper position.

Tracheostomy

A tracheostomy procedure involves opening the front of the neck so a tube can be inserted into the windpipe (trachea) to help you breathe. The air can pass through this tube into the longs to help you breathe easier. If needed, the tube can be combined with an oxygen supply and a breathing machine called a ventilator. This procedure can help patients with respiratory problems due to airway obstruction, obstructive sleep apnea, or injuries in mouth, neck and larynx.

Ranula excision

A procedure to treat Plunging ranulas is called ranula excision surgery. Plunging ranulas is caused when one of the salivary glands gets injured or diseased. In this case, the saliva can no longer reach the mouth and therefore leaks out of the injured gland and forms a fluid cyst called a ranula in there. Here, a Ranual excision can remove the cyst and improve the surrounding tissue.

Thyroidectomy

Thyroidectomy surgery takes out all or part of your thyroid gland. Thyroid is a butterfly-shaped gland located in the front of the neck. This gland is responsible for secretion of hormones that regulate your metabolism level. A problematic thyroid gland can cause irregularities in your metabolism and here a thyroidectomy can offer the solution.

Submandibular gland excision

The removal (excision) of a submandibular gland is a common surgical procedure to remove one or both of the salivary glands under the jaw (mandible).

Superficial parotidectomy

The parotid gland are salivary glands located on each side of the face next to your ears. A superficial parotidectomy Surgery removes a tumor in the superficial lobe of the parotid gland. However, a total parotidectomy is also another surgical option to remove a tumor in the deep lobe — or in both the deep and superficial lobes.

Neck Cyst Removal Surgery

As the name suggests, a Neck Cyst Removal Surgery removes cysts in the neck. The surgery starts by making an incision in the neck and then taking the cyst out. If needed, some additional inactions can be made to remove the deep tract.

External carotid artery ligation

External carotid artery ligation, aka ECA ligation, is rare surgery to treat bleeding of the External carotid artery. The external carotid artery is a major artery that supplies blood to the head and neck. ECA ligation involves treatment of conditions such as post-operative bleeding of the artery and hemorrhage due to facial traumas.

Neck Lymph Node Biopsy

A Neck lymph node biopsy is performed to remove all or part of the swollen lymph node. Before the surgery, your doctor will have an examination of the lymph nodes in your neck. Lymph nodes are part of your immune system that help fighting off infection.  These nodes may get swollen due to infection, cancer, or even insect bite. This is usually done if there is a lymph node that can be felt on exam. There are generally three types of neck lymph node biopsy which are:

• Needle Biopsy
• Open Biopsy
• Sentinel Biopsy

Laryngofissure

Laryngofissure a surgery to open the larynx by a median incision through the thyroid cartilage. The incision forms of a wide window through which the surgeon can remove tumors and cancers of the larynx.

Excision of pharyngeal pouch

This procedure aims to remove Diverticula, which are small, bulging pouches that can form along your pharynx. The surgery starts with an incision in the neck to remove the pouches. Then, the wall of the esophagus is treated to prevent further bulging.

Laser-assisted uvulopalatoplasty (LAUP)

LAUP is a common surgical procedure to stop snoring and to treat obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). The use of laser leads into more precision and therefore a better treatment.

Aryepiglottoplasty

This surgical procedure removes airway obstruction by dividing the aryepiglottic folds.  It starts by making incisions along the short aryepiglottic folds close to the base of epiglottis, without excision of any supraglottic tissue. This procedure is an effective way of treating upper airway obstruction in children.

Craniotomy

A craniotomy is a surgical procedure on the skull that removes a bone flap to expose the brain. This procedure is only used to treat serious conditions such as tumors, blood clots, removal of foreign bodies such as bullets, or traumatic brain injury (TBI). This is the most common surgical approach to treat and remove tumors from the brain.

Neck Dissection

Neck dissection is a surgical operation to remove lymph nodes and surrounding tissues that are affected by cancer. These lymph nodes in the neck are called cervical lymph nodes. The nodes can be affected by infection from bacteria or viruses and sometimes by cancer. In these cases, a neck dissection can be an effective treatment option.

Which Head and Neck Surgery is for me?

To choose the best type of Head and Neck surgery you need to consider several factors such as your purpose, problem, and physical and mental status. The below table can help you get a general idea of how to find the best surgery type for you (for more information you can get a consultation for free)

Non-surgical options to Head and Neck surgeries

The following list involves the main non-surgical options for Head and Neck Surgery:

3D conformal radiation therapy

3D conformal radiation therapy is a cancer treatment that directs radiation beams to conform the shape of the tumor. In the past, radiation beams could also hit healthy tissue and cells. However, this 3D therapy adds more precision to the tumor therapy by considering the exact volume of the tumor.

Stereotactic radiosurgery

Stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) is a non-surgical radiation therapy used to treat abnormalities and small tumors in the brain and spine. This technology sends a single, highly concentrated dose of ionizing radiation to a precise target area.

Brachytherapy

Brachytherapy is a type of radiation therapy used to treat cancer. The treatment works by placing radioactive sources inside the patient to kill cancer cells and shrink tumors. This helps your doctor use a higher dose of radiation at more precision to avoid delivering radiation to some surrounding tissue. This is good non-surgical option to treat tumors in both head and neck.

Intensity Modulated radiotherapy therapy

As an advanced technology, Intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) directs precise radiations to treat both cancerous and noncancerous tumors. IMRT technology can manipulate photon and proton beams of radiation to conform to the shape of a tumor.

Proton therapy of brain tumor

Proton therapy is another novel technique that can treat tumors by delivering high doses of radiation to the target area with accuracy. During the treatment, the cancerous cells are eliminated cancerous cells, while the surrounding healthy tissue remains intact.

Why to undergo a Head and Neck?

Since brain is a very sensitive organ, only under certain conditions can you opt for a Head and Neck surgery. The main medical reasons for a Head and Neck surgery include:

• Treating tumors and cancers
• Getting rid of non-cancerous tumors
• Removing blood clots from veils and vessels
• Aneurysms (abnormal bulging or ballooning in the wall of a blood vessel)
• Epilepsy (repeated seizures)
• Parkinson’s disease
• Infections in lymph nodes
• Chiari malformation (the brain tissue extended into the spinal canal)

Preparing for Head and Neck Surgery

To have a successful Head and Neck surgery with minimal risks, it is important to prepare yourself for the procedure. Please follow the below general instructions before undergoing a Head and Neck surgery:

• Perform daily exercise for 20 to 30 minutes
• Get a good and healthy diet full of mineral for a month before surgery
• Stop smoking for a month before surgery
• Avoid drinking for 48 hours before the surgery
• Do not take aspirin nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) for 2 weeks prior to your surgery
• Don’t miss any dialysis sessions
• You should take some necessary tests (Blood tests and Chest x-ray) prior to your procedure
• For head surgeries, you may require MRI or CT scan. You should also shave your head the day before having a surgery on your skull.
• For more specific instructions, you can have a consultation with our specialists