The Journal of craniofacial surgery
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Some of the most problematic craniofacial injuries in pediatric plastic surgery are large calvarial defects in children who have passed the age of maximal dural osteogenic potential and yet are too young to yield split calvarial grafts. Porous polyethylene (Medpor; Porex) is an alloplastic material that can be customized to precisely match a cranial defect. We present a clinical series that demonstrates successful use of porous polyethylene cranioplasties in large pediatric cranial defects. ⋯ For pediatric large-scale calvarial defects, custom-made porous polyethylene implants can be safely used for cranioplasty. Tissue expansion and acellular dermal matrix were useful tools to help augment the soft tissues of the scalp before cranioplasty to prevent complications of implant extrusion and wound breakdown.
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Comparative Study
Controversies in the management of neonatal micrognathia: to distract or not to distract, that is the question.
Symptomatic micrognathia, as seen in syndromic and isolated presentations of the Robin sequence (RS), can pose immediate an ongoing threats to the well-being of neonates. Upper airway obstruction can manifest as acute respiratory insufficiency requiring postpartum intubation and mechanical ventilation or as a mild irregularity in the oropharyngeal airflow that can be managed by positioning the newborn in a prone or decubitus position. Clinically significant micrognathia is often accompanied by some degree of feeding difficulty, obstructive sleep apnea, and gastroesophageal reflux disease, all of which should be evaluated by a multidisciplinary team of specialists before a definitive treatment plan is formulated. ⋯ Rather than serve as a panacea, however, the practice of neonatal mandibular distraction for infants with upper airway obstruction has probably given rise to more questions than it has answered. The debate over its most appropriate indication in the micrognathia patient is quite current. In this article, we consider some of the controversies surrounding the use of distraction compared with other techniques in the management of the neonatal airway.
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Fourteen face transplants have been performed worldwide since the procedure was successfully introduced in 2005. Vascularized composite tissue allotransplantation may now be considered a viable option for the repair of complex craniofacial defects, for which the results of autologus reconstruction remain suboptimal. ⋯ In this article, we review the current practice and areas of controversy in facial vascularized composite tissue allotransplantation with particular respect to the unique immunobiology of this procedure. We also describe promising recent advances in immunotherapy and tolerance induction strategies that may soon reach clinical application.
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Myiasis is a parasitic infestation of vital tissue of humans or other mammals by dipterous larvae. Human myiasis is a rare clinic condition but more frequently seen in tropical and subtropical areas, in patients who have poor hygiene, have bad housing conditions, are with mental retardation, or have advanced age. We report a case of myiasis in a malignant wound (squamous cell carcinoma) in the head and neck region because a few literature reports were seen in this localization. The patient's treatment was antisepsis, larval removal, and general care preventions, whereas standard treatment options or guidelines are not available.
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Even endotracheal intubation could be considered safe in operations under general anesthesia; rarely, it could cause recurrent laryngeal nerve paralysis as a complication. As mentioned in the literature, as a possible reason for this, anterior branches of the recurrent laryngeal nerve in the larynx could suffer from compression between the posteromedial part of the thyroid cartilage and the cuff of the tube. In the literature, unilateral vocal cord paralysis due to endotracheal intubation occurs more frequently in comparison to bilateral vocal cord paralysis. ⋯ A patient who experienced bilateral vocal cord paralysis in the early postoperative period after undergoing an endotracheal intubation process for general anesthesia and primary partial lip resection and supraomohyoid neck dissection due to lower lip carcinoma is presented in our article. Although vocal cord paralysis occurring after head and neck surgery is first thought as a complication of the surgery, endotracheal intubation should be considered as a possible cause of this paralysis. In relation with this patient, causes, clinical symptoms, and treatment procedures of vocal cord paralysis due to endotracheal intubation are discussed under guidance of the literature.