Collaboration between medical specialties benefits patients

Nov 19 2007

Opportunities for interdisciplinary cooperation between facial plastic surgeons and ophthalmologists have never been more important or promising, according to an editorial in the November/December issue of Archives of Facial Plastic Surgery, a theme issue on orbital and ophthalmic plastic surgery.

The December issue of the journal Archives of Ophthalmology is a paired theme issue on the same topic, highlighting the value of multidisciplinary collaboration, writes Robert A. Goldberg, M.D., of the Jules Stein Eye Institute, UCLA School of Medicine, Los Angeles.

“Great advancements (not to mention great collegial friendships) can be made when the ideas of our two proud specialties of ophthalmology and otolaryngology–head & neck surgery commingle in our thought processes, grooved (some would say ‘rutted') by the long steeping of our separate training, and allow us to arrive at fresh approaches to the clinical problems that overlap our specialties' boundaries,” Dr. Goldberg writes.

Working together, these specialties have developed treatments and surgical techniques that are less invasive, he continues. Papers published in this issue of Archives of Facial Plastic Surgery find that:

• Patients with cancer in their nasal cavities can be treated with a combination of chemoradiation and surgery that spares their eyes, and most patients retain visual function.
• A new technique allows surgeons access to the side wall of the eye socket from top to bottom while preserving the muscles and tendons that support the eyelid.
• An injectable solution provides a new, safe, simple, technique to increase orbital volume in patients with eye prosthesis.

“Multidisciplinary collaboration between specialties, in my experience, provides enormous opportunities to advance our knowledge individually and as a discipline,” Dr. Goldberg concludes. “The excellent contributions to both Archives journals in these joint theme issues proves my point.”

http://archfaci.ama-assn.org/