Precision surgery—balancing risk and impact in maxillofacial surgery

BY DR ARIEL HIRSCHHORN

About the author:

Dr Ariel Hirschhorn is an attending surgeon in the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, Israel — ranked #8 on Newsweek’s list of the World’s Best Hospitals. At Sheba, genomic insights are integrated with advanced digital surgical planning tools to deliver highly individualized, patient-specific treatment strategies. These include molecularly guided therapies, 3D-printed anatomical models, and virtual simulations — enabling organ-preserving approaches in complex cranio-maxillofacial surgical challenges. As part of a multidisciplinary team, Dr Hirschhorn is involved in driving clinical innovation in this evolving field.

He earned his DMD from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and completed his residency in oral and maxillofacial surgery at Sheba, followed by an AO CMF fellowship at the University Hospital Basel, Switzerland. Dr Hirschhorn is an AO CMF faculty member and has previously served as an adjunct representative on the AO CMF Community Development Commission for the European and Southern African region. He is currently the AO CMF Fellowship Program coordinator at Sheba.

Dr Hirschhorn's clinical and translational research focuses on immunomodulatory strategies to enhance bone regeneration in craniofacial reconstruction.

References and further reading:

Hirschhorn A, Grynberg S, Campino GA, Dobriyan A, Patel V, Greenberg G, Yacobi R, Barshack I, Yahalom R, Toren A, Vered M. Histopathologic and Molecular Insights Following the Management of Ameloblastomas via Targeted Therapies - Pathological and Clinical Perspectives. Head Neck Pathol. 2024 Dec 2;18(1):129. doi: 10.1007/s12105-024-01734-2. PMID: 39621130; PMCID: PMC11612134.
Grynberg S, Vered M, Shapira-Frommer R, Asher N, Ben-Betzalel G, Stoff R, Steinberg Y, Amariglio N, Greenberg G, Barshack I, Toren A, Yahalom R, Schachter J, Rechavi G, Hirschhorn A, Abebe Campino G. Neoadjuvant BRAF-targeted therapy for ameloblastoma of the mandible: an organ preservation approach. J Natl Cancer Inst. 2024 Apr 5;116(4):539-546. doi: 10.1093/jnci/djad232. Erratum in: J Natl Cancer Inst. 2024 Apr 5;116(4):631. doi: 10.1093/jnci/djad264. PMID: 37966914.
Hirschhorn A, Campino GA, Vered M, Greenberg G, Yacobi R, Yahalom R, Barshack I, Toren A, Amariglio N, Rechavi G. Upfront rational therapy in BRAF V600E mutated pediatric ameloblastoma promotes ad integrum mandibular regeneration. J Tissue Eng Regen Med. 2021 Dec;15(12):1155-1161. doi: 10.1002/term.3254. Epub 2021 Oct 9. PMID: 34599642.