THREE OTHER AMAZING OPS TRANSFORMING THE FACE OF MEDICINE

A HOST of similarly cuttingedge operations is set to stun viewers in the eagerly anticipated second series of Surgeons: At The Edge Of Life.

In the first episode, we see a 10in polyester stent – or tube – being implanted into the stomach of 71-year-old grandmother Maggie Jennings.

The synthetic tube replaces a large section of Maggie’s aorta, the major artery that transports blood from the heart to the rest of the body.

It is a dramatic fight against the clock for cardiac surgeon Jorge Mascaro: an aneurysm – often likened to a blowout in a car tyre – has left the vital vessel weakened, and it could rupture at any moment. The stent is a live saver, but one in ten patients don’t make it out of surgery alive.

The drama continues in episode two when we meet former police officer Loretta Milligan, who has a rare genetic condition that affects just 50 people worldwide.

Tumefactive fibro-inflammatory disease has caused a collection of tennis-ball-sized growths to amass in the left side of her face. The immense lumps obstruct her nasal passage and her mouth, fusing it shut and putting her at increased risk of sudden, fatal stroke. All treatments have so far failed, leaving full facial reconstruction as the 50-year-old’s last chance.

In a UK first, consultant maxillofacial surgeon Tim Martin and his team at Birmingham’s Queen Elizabeth Hospital use the latest 3D printing technology to design Loretta’s new face, before crafting it out of bone taken from her hip. The all-day procedure takes a bloodcurdling turn for the worse when surgeons discover a lethal ruptured blood vessel.

We also watch neurosurgeon Alex Paluzzi trying to root out an aggressive tumour wrapped around 64-year-old Norah’s brain stem.

The cancer is entwined within the nerves that connect the body and the brain, making it almost impossible for Dr Paluzzi to safely remove it.

The pressure mounts in theatre as one technique fails to reach the growth, and Norah’s ability to speak or breathe is at risk.

Meanwhile, families wait with bated breath, wondering: ‘Will the operation cause more harm than good?’