Surgeons at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta performed a unique reconstruction procedure to help a toddler with a leg deformity walk on his own.
Four things to know:
1. The toddler, Joe Divine Kelleh, was born with a deformed right foot due to a congenital disorder known as amniotic band syndrome.
2. Michael Schmitz, MD, chief of orthopedics at Children's, and Joseph Williams, MD, chief of plastic surgery, worked together on Joe's case.
"After several in-depth discussions and much collaboration, we decided that the best definitive treatment would probably mean we would need to amputate [Joe's] foot," Dr. Schmitz said in a press release emailed to Becker's.
3. After amputating Joe's foot, the surgeons used a plastic surgery technique that entails placing skin tissue under the skin to achieve volume and thickness. The technique is often used in breast reconstruction surgery.
4. Dr. Schmitz said Joe is recovering well from the surgery, which occurred about six weeks ago. He has since received a prosthetic to help him stand and walk.