Surgical Care

Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery

Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Services

At ChristianaCare, we are committed to helping you regain your confidence and sense of self after cancer, traumatic injury or a congenital condition. Our skilled plastic surgeons offer a wide range of advanced surgical options to restore your form, function and overall well-being.

Our Services:

  •  Breast Reconstruction: Whether you’ve undergone a mastectomy or lumpectomy, our team can help you rebuild your breasts using various techniques, including implants and tissue transfer, at the Center for Breast Reconstruction.
  •  Reconstructive Plastic Surgery: We specialize in repairing tissue after cancer treatment, trauma, burns or congenital conditions. Our procedures can help improve your appearance, function and quality of life.

If you or a loved one needs reconstructive surgery , trust the expert team at ChristianaCare. Read more about our surgical options below or call our office at 302-623-3605 to request a consultation.

Our Approach

  • Personalized Care: We believe in a patient-centered approach, tailoring our treatments to your unique needs and goals.
  • Multidisciplinary Collaboration: Our surgeons work closely with other specialists (such as oncologists, radiation therapists and physical therapists) to provide comprehensive care.
  • Advanced Techniques: We use the latest surgical techniques and technologies to achieve optimal results.

Breast Reconstruction

Delaware's First Dedicated Center for Reconstruction

If you're considering breast reconstruction following surgery or removal, our expert team is here to support you. At ChristianaCare, we offer a range of personalized breast reconstruction options to help restore both your body and confidence. Contact us to schedule a consultation and take the next step in recovery. 

Head and Neck Reconstructive Surgery

Head and neck reconstruction surgery is a subspecialty of plastic surgery at ChristianaCare that focuses on the repair and reconstruction of tissues in the head and neck region. Head and neck reconstructive surgery can be used to address many conditions, including birth defects, trauma, infections and after cancer treatment.

Reconstructive surgery can be a life-changing procedure for people with head and neck conditions. It can help to improve their appearance, function, and quality of life. 

Some of the most common types of head and neck conditions that can be treated with reconstructive surgery include:

  • Cancer: Repair or replace tissue that has been removed during treatment of head and neck cancers, like oral cancer, laryngeal cancer and thyroid cancer. This can include repairing facial defects, reconstructing the nasal cavity, or restoring the ability to speak or swallow.
  • Birth defects: Correct birth defects such as cleft lip and palate, craniosynostosis (a condition in which the skull bones fuse too early) and microtia (a condition in which the outer ear is underdeveloped).
  • Injuries: Repair injuries caused by accidents, burns, or trauma. This can include repairing facial fractures, reconstructing the jaw, or restoring the ability to close the eyelids. Learn more about other options for wound care.
  • Infections: Repair damage caused by infections such as osteomyelitis (bone infection) or cellulitis (soft tissue infection).

Our surgeons use a variety of procedures to repair and reconstruct tissues in the head and neck region, depending on the individual's condition and specific goals of the surgery. Some of the most common procedures include:

  • Skin grafts: Cover areas of the head and neck where skin has been lost or damaged.
  • Flap grafts: Flap grafts are more complex than skin grafts and involve transferring a piece of skin from another part of the body to the head and neck region.
  • Bone grafts: Used to repair or replace damaged bone in the head and neck region.
  • Implant placement: Replace missing or damaged tissues such as the ear, nose, and jaw.

Trauma Reconstructive Surgery

When serious injuries affect the face, body, or limbs, ChristianaCare’s trauma reconstructive surgery team is here to help you heal and rebuild.

We specialize in repairing complex damage caused by vehicle accidents, falls, burns or other traumatic events. From restoring function to improving appearance, we use advanced techniques to support your recovery and help you return to daily life with confidence.

Trauma reconstructive surgery can be used to treat a variety of injuries, including burns, crash injuries, fractures, lacerations, loss of limbs or skin, nerve damage or soft tissue injuries.

Examples of patients we can help include:

  • Those who have suffered a severe burn that need skin grafts to cover the damaged area of skin.
  • Patients who lost a limb in an accident may need surgery to reconstruct the limb or to fit a prosthetic limb.
  • Facial fracture that may need surgery to repair the fracture and restore the appearance of the face.
  • A nerve injury that requires surgery to repair the nerve or to reroute the nerve to another area of the body.

Trauma reconstructive surgeons at ChristianaCare use a variety of techniques to repair and reconstruct damaged tissues. Some of the most common techniques include:

  • Skin grafts: Used to cover areas of skin that have been lost or damaged.
  • Flap grafts: Flap grafts are more complex than skin grafts and involve transferring a piece of skin from another part of the body to the area that needs to be repaired.
  • Bone grafts: Repair or replace damaged bone.
  • Implant placement: Replace missing or damaged tissues, such as the ear, nose, and jaw.

Meet The Team

Dr. Stephanie Caterson brings her extensive microsurgery experience and passion for breast reconstruction to ChristianaCare, where she developed the Center for Breast Reconstruction to be able to offer breast reconstruction to our community based on the individual goals and needs of each patient. 

Offering innovative surgical techniques at the time of breast cancer diagnosis helps the patient look and feel restored when treatment is over. Dr. Caterson specializes in microsurgical flap reconstruction using skin, fat, blood vessels, and sometimes muscle from other parts of the body to reconstruct one or both breasts lost in cancer treatment. These advanced flap techniques are offered to our patients along with numerous other implant-based procedures. To date, Dr. Caterson has performed breast reconstruction on thousands of patients, with more than 1,500 of those being microsurgical flap procedures.

Stephanie Caterson

Dr. Dorothy Bird joined the Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery team, expanding the microsurgical flap reconstruction program here at ChristianaCare. With the primary goal of restoring aesthetics, form, and function, Dr. Bird offers individualized reconstructive surgical treatment regimens to patients with cancer, traumatic injuries, and congenital conditions. These innovative, life-changing procedures help the patients return to their lives feeling whole again.

Dr. Bird is an expert microsurgeon who offers not only state-of-the-art breast reconstruction, but also head and neck reconstruction, limb/orthopedic reconstruction, complex wound reconstruction (traumatic or chronic), and lymphatic reconstruction.

Dr. Dorothy Bird

Irfan Rhemtulla M.D. is the newest surgeon to the reconstructive plastic surgery team, who has dedicated training in microvascular surgery. He specializes in reconstruction of the entire body after life-altering events such as cancer and trauma. Dr. Rhemtulla’s interests lie in extremity reconstruction, limb salvage, breast cancer reconstruction, sarcoma reconstruction and trunk reconstruction.

As a member of many professional societies, including the American Society of Plastic Surgeons and the American Society for Reconstructive Microsurgery, Dr. Rhemtulla has also published over 20 peer-reviewed articles and has had his work selected to be presented at several national and international conferences.

Irfan Rhemtulla M.D, M.S.

Our team of compassionate advanced practice clinicians understands the profound impact that a new cancer diagnosis or life-changing trauma can have not only on the patient, but also their loved ones. 

Kerry Gregory, PA-C, is a highly accomplished physician assistant with 17 years of well-rounded experience, including management of breast cancer and breast reconstruction patients. She is also trained in state-of-the art professional nipple and areola 3-D tattooing techniques. 

John Przybylski Jr., PA-C, joins the team with over nine years of concentrated operating experience and surgical care. He has received many academic awards and is an adjunct teaching faculty member at Drexel University. 

Lisa Van Horn, PA-C, comes to us with extensive experience in the fields of dermatology and plastic surgery, having previously practiced in both inpatient and outpatient settings. This along with her graduate training in clinical counseling gives her a unique perspective when working with each patient.

Kristen Alesia, PA-C, is a compassionate board-certified advanced practice clinician. She provides care to patients and their families who are dealing with treatment and recovery from breast surgery and other general surgical procedures.

The ChristianaCare Reconstructive Surgery Advanced Practice Clinicials team

Contact Us

If you or a loved one needs reconstructive surgery after cancer treatment, trauma, or another medical condition, trust the expert team at ChristianaCare. Call our office at 302-623-3605 to learn more or request a consultation.

We give you the personalized attention you deserve.