Subtotal Nasal Reconstruction: Military-civilian Collaboration in Care of an Afghan-American Woman’s Plight

Military plastic surgeons perform reconstructive surgeries for various congenital, oncologic, and traumatic craniofacial injuries or deformities. Recently, our Walter Reed National Military Medical Center Plastic Surgery team was tasked to care for a woman who bravely sought a new and better life in the United States after she suffered amputation of her nose and bilateral ears while in her home country of Afghanistan. A military-civilian team collaborated throughout her reconstructive planning, treatment, and postoperative course to create both an aesthetically acceptable and functional subtotal nasal reconstruction. This case report details the patient’s unique journey, her reconstructive course, and highlights her reintegration into a new life and society.