Annals of plastic surgery
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Annals of plastic surgery · Aug 2014
Comparative StudyLaser-assisted indocyanine green dye angiography accurately predicts the split-thickness graft timing of integra artificial dermis.
The use of an artificial dermal substitute such as Integra-a bilaminate combination of thin silicone and cross-linked bovine tendon collagen and chondroitin-6-sulfate-has become a popular method to address large surface area wounds or smaller, complex wounds devoid of a vascular bed. The incorporation of Integra depends on a vascular wound bed or periphery and can take 4 weeks or longer to occur. If the Integra has not fully incorporated at the time of placement of the split-thickness graft, complete graft loss may result. The availability of a minimally invasive method to assess the incorporation of Integra would be of great value. ⋯ Indocyanine green dye angiography may provide valuable information as to graft integrity and split-thickness skin graft timing at late time points. Range of LDI seems to be insufficient for split-thickness graft timing or late time point accuracy. Future exploration of ICG angiography potential will involve tracking Integra graft delay in porcine models.
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Annals of plastic surgery · Aug 2014
Case ReportsIs it necrotizing fasciitis or necrotizing cellulitis after varicella zoster infection? Two case reports.
Necrotizing fasciitis and necrotizing cellulitis are serious cutaneous complications in varicella patients. Differentiation of necrotizing cellulitis from necrotizing fasciitis can initially be challenging because of indistinct clinical course at the onset of infection and the lack of definitive diagnostic criteria. This paper reports 2 children with necrotizing cellulitis that developed after varicella infection to draw the attention of health care providers to necrotizing cellulitis that showed slower clinical course than necrotizing fasciitis and recovered with conservative treatment approaches without aggressive surgical intervention.
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Annals of plastic surgery · Jul 2014
Thrombin and topical local anesthetic for postoperative pain management.
Local anesthetic is often used for perioperative pain control. Thrombin serves as a carrying medium for sustained release of antibiotics, chemotherapy, and growth factors. We tested the hypothesis that local anesthetic pain relief can be prolonged with the adjunct use of thrombin. ⋯ Therapeutic level 2.
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Annals of plastic surgery · Jul 2014
Experience of using cultured epithelial autografts for the extensive burn wounds in eight patients.
In Japan, the cultured epithelial autografts "JACE" was accepted as a health insurance adaptation from January 1, 2009. We examined the extensive burn wounds in 8 patients by using a combination of autograft and JACE. After debridement, we managed the wound bed preparation by using artificial dermis. The wound bed was covered with fine tissue 2 weeks after we implanted artificial dermis and trafermin was used every day. Meshed 6:1 split-thickness autografts were placed onto the recipient wound bed under the JACE. The epidermalization was nearly complete within 3 to 4 weeks. ⋯ JACE is one of the cultured epithelial autografts. Although we managed the wound bed preparation by using artificial dermis instead of cryopreserved cadaver allograft, we were able to recognize a good result from grafting JACE on meshed 6:1 split-thickness autografts. The study group observed a significant difference in operation times compared with the control group. However, this treatment contributed to reducing the area of the donor site.
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Annals of plastic surgery · May 2014
Fascia-only anterolateral thigh flap for extremity reconstruction.
The ability to use the anterolateral thigh (ALT) flap as a vascularized fascial flap, without skin or muscle, was first documented by Koshima et al in 1989. The authors mention the possibility of using the fascia alone for dural reconstruction. Despite its description more than 20 years ago, little literature exists on the application of the ALT flap as a vascularized fascial flap. In our experience, the ALT flap can be used as a fascia-only flap for thin, pliable coverage in extremity reconstruction. ⋯ The fascia-only ALT flap provides reliable, thin, and pliable coverage with improved contour and color over muscle and fasciocutaneous flaps. The fascia-only ALT is another excellent option for reconstructive surgery of the extremities.