Plastic Surgeons: Bionic Woman Could Be Reality

During a conference held in Baltimore, the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) announced that technology similar to that shown on the popular NBC Series “The Bionic Woman” is very possible.

Andrew Lee, the ASPS panel moderator said that the nerve regeneration used to re-connect severed limbs mechanized prosthetics is a technique that is being perfected everyday.

"Peripheral nerves control the body's motor and sensory functions and injuries can be devastating, significantly impacting a patient's ability to perform normal activities," he said. “"We are restoring patients' movement through reconstructive plastic surgery that allows nerves and muscles to merge with, power, and move prosthetic devices. The bionic person is no longer just a Hollywood concept." Reconstructive surgery experts feel that the surgeries will give amputees a better way of interacting with prosthetics that have higher capabilities.

A new nerve transfer technique is being explored in order to make it happen. Nerve fibers are taken from muscles close by and transferred to the damaged muscle. The nerve branches from the damaged muscle and the healthy muscle connect and grow new branches in order to compensate. The damaged muscles regain function from the borrowed nerve fibers within a matter of months. Normally the nerve regenerative process takes much longer and requires luck. Paul Cederna, an ASPS member and lecturer, compared the old process versus the new discoveries.

"Before, we had to wait for the nerve to slowly regenerate and hope the

muscle was still healthy and had some functionality once the nerve reconnected to it. While plastic surgeons have been talking about this type of nerve transfer for some time, it wasn't until recently that we've successfully performed these operations."

Improvement in peripheral nerve treatment procedures was also discussed. Those are treatments typically used to also restore symmetry to patients who suffer from facial paralysis. Patients with facial paralysis are now treated with Botox around the normal muscles, allowing the damaged muscles to strengthen. Peripheral nerve treatment is also used on migraine headache sufferers and diabetics because the treatments handle pain management. Diabetics often have stiffened tissue around their feet just as migraine sufferers have around nerves in their head. Plastic surgeons relieve pressure around those areas using new treatments, giving the nerves space.