Otolaryngology--head and neck surgery : official journal of American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery
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Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg · Dec 1999
Secondary intention healing of exposed scalp and forehead bone after Mohs surgery.
For Mohs surgical wounds that show exposed bone (ie, bone denuded of periosteum), healing by secondary intention may be preferable to surgical reconstruction. To determine the appropriateness of secondary intention healing, we reviewed surgical outcome in 205 patients with Mohs wounds of the scalp and forehead that had healed by secondary intention. Of these patients, 38 had Mohs wounds showing exposed bone. ⋯ The mean time for wounds with intact periosteum to epithelialize was 7 weeks; the mean time for bare bone to epithelialize was 13 weeks. All wounds healed without infection or tissue breakdown. We conclude that secondary intention healing of scalp and forehead wounds showing exposed bone is a safe and effective method of wound management after Mohs surgery.