‘My surgeon saved my smile with hologram technology’

Susannah Morgan was “freaked out” when she learned an operation to remove a benign tumor in her neck could leave her with a crooked smile.

The 45-year-old was advised to have it removed if it turned out to be cancerous but was warned the surgery would also leave a dent in his neck and possible paralysis.

Desperate to avoid permanent disfigurement, he researched alternatives and discovered a new technique using holograms that could save his smile.

Last month the mother, from Edinburgh, became the first person in Scotland to undergo the early operation.

She was initially told that, in order to remove the pleomorphic adenoma, surgeons would have to cut out her largest salivary gland, which included the facial nerve.

But the new hologram technique allows surgeons to pinpoint the exact location of the facial nerve, making it less likely to rupture.

It also allows surgeons to open the salivary gland instead of removing it.

Susanna paid for a high-tech MRI scan in London, which produced a hologram.

It was then used by Iain Nixon, the surgeon who performed the operation, last month in Livingston, West Lothian.

“Iain saved my smile, I’m so grateful,” Susanna told BBC Scotland News.

“I feel on top of the world, I’m on a high and it’s giving me a real buzz.”

Susanna’s smile was crooked when she woke up from surgery – but medics said it was temporary because facial nerves had to be moved to reach the tumour.

She said, “When I saw my smile straight after the surgery, I cried to think that it could have been permanent if Ian hadn’t used this important technique. doesn’t.”

“He had to lift the facial nerve to get to the tumor, which is like a piece of spaghetti, and because he had to handle it with a human, they say it hurt him so he was temporarily weak. should be done.”

He said that if it had been accidentally cut during the operation, he would have been permanently paralyzed on the face.

The new hologram technique reduced the risk of accidents for the surgeon.

Susanna first went to the doctor in late November 2022 after finding a lump under her ear.

However, the trainee doctor thought it was just salivary stones and told him to eat sour sweets to keep the salivary juices flowing.

“It’s such a rare thing that I’ve found that a lot of GPs don’t know about it and I had bloods and they were all fine so it was dismissed.

“I didn’t think much of it because I just thought it was a little swelling and I didn’t think it was a tumor.”

But then it started growing and she could see it growing out of her neck until it reached 3.5 cm (1 inch) so she returned to the doctor a year later.

“I was really shocked when I was told it was a tumour. I was relieved to hear it was benign but he told me it could turn into cancer if I didn’t get it out.”

“Some people choose not to have surgery because it’s really scary to do surgery on your facial nerve because there’s so much risk involved.”

Susannah’s surgeon, Mr Nixon, said that people have six major salivary glands and Susannah had the largest tumor under her ear.

“This is a breakthrough technology and is allowing a more minimally invasive approach to surgery for tumors that can be quite benign and suggests the possibility of surgery with a lower side-effect profile.

“With a traditional operation you lift the skin up and you have to be careful not to damage the nerve because you know it has to be close.

“But if you know where it is before you start, you can be more confident and more targeted.

“That’s the benefit of this groundbreaking technology and it makes it even safer.”

She added that the operation saved her smile and prevented a dent in her neck.

“It’s very interesting and I think it will become standard procedure in the future.”