210210-N-DA693-1142 SAN DIEGO (Feb. 10, 2021) Lt. Cmdr.

210210-N-DA693-1142
SAN DIEGO (Feb. 10, 2021) Lt. Cmdr. Justin Carl, a resident assigned to Naval Medical Center San Diego’s (NMCSD) Dental Department’s Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery team, hydrates a processed, human nerve allograft during an immediate jaw replacement procedure in one of the hospital’s operating rooms Feb. 10. The allograft is intended for the surgical repair of peripheral nerve discontinuities to support regeneration across a larger nerve defect. The allograft is a three-dimensional scaffold, used to bridge a nerve gap, and is meant to remodel into a patient’s own tissue without donor nerves, reducing possible comorbidities. NMCSD’s mission is to prepare service members to deploy in support of operational forces, deliver high quality healthcare services and shape the future of military medicine through education, training and research. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Jake Greenberg)