Among the field of plastic surgeons, those trained in microsurgery account for a relatively small percentage. This technique, which employs powerful magnification in the intricate repair of blood vessels and nerves, provides solutions that save lives or improve quality of life.
Petros Konofaos, MD, PhD, brings this valuable skillset to UTMB. As a new faculty member in the Division of Plastic Surgery, he enhances UTMB’s ability to care for pediatric and adult patients with these advanced surgical needs.
He has extensive training in an array of surgical subspecialties both in the U.S. and in his native Greece, and has established his practice on peripheral nerve microsurgery, reconstructive microsurgery, craniofacial surgery, and facial aesthetic surgery.
Dr. Konofaos says peripheral nerve reconstruction is effective in treating brachial plexus injuries, facial paralysis, migraines, pain, and other acute injuries, like lacerations of nerves or compression neuropathies. For those experiencing chronic pain or migraines, these surgeries may be an alternative to a lifetime on medication.
“Pain surgery is evolving,” he says. “And there is more and more awareness by the population of the treatments for it. Instead of going all your life on pain medication, there is possibly a surgery that can solve the problem.”
For individuals with facial paralysis, opportunities for treatment have always been limited. But depending on factors like the length of time since paralysis happened and other comorbidities, Dr. Konofaos can restore the symmetry in a person’s face, and in some cases, restore movement.
His craniofacial surgery experience includes treatment of syndromic and non-syndromic craniosynostosis and other craniofacial syndromes. Moreover, his skillset includes the use of distraction osteogenesis for the treatment of congenital and traumatic deformities of the craniofacial skeleton, midface, and mandible. He is also skilled at cleft lip and palate surgery.
Dr. Konofaos is currently in the process of establishing a dedicated clinic for pediatric craniofacial surgery, working alongside Dr. Aaron Mohanty, Director of Pediatric Neurosurgery, at the Pediatric Neurosurgery Clinic at Bay Colony.
Although he recognizes that the patient population for these procedures is currently small, he knows that raising awareness of UTMB’s ability to provide these complex services is key to building a patient base.
“This is something that has not been provided for a lot of years here,” he says, noting that he hopes building awareness among pediatric providers will help generate more referrals to grow his practice.
Cosmetic surgery makes up another part of his practice, and he welcomes more rhinoplasty, facelift, and other facial procedures.
 | Petros Konofaos, MD, PhD, sees patients at the UTMB Health Plastic Surgery Clinics in Galveston and League City. Learn more about plastic surgery services at UTMB. |