Increasing Popularity of Tattoo-Only Nipple-Areolar Complex Reconstruction: A 15-Year Retrospective Study.

Background: Nipple-areolar complex (NAC) reconstruction can be broadly categorized into surgical reconstruction, tattooing, or both. NAC tattooing has shown continued advances recently, resulting in increased discussion of tattoo-only methods within the literature.

Objective: This study aims to quantify recent trends in choice of NAC reconstruction and explore driving factors.

Smooth vs Textured Expanders: Patient Factors and Anatomic Plane Are Greater Factors in Determining First-Stage Breast Reconstruction Outcomes.

Background: Textured implants and expanders are associated with an increased risk of breast implant-associated anaplastic large cell lymphoma (BIA-ALCL). As a result, plastic surgeons are utilizing smooth expanders, but many perceive these produce undesirable outcomes including infection, seroma, and lateral displacement.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to compare clinical outcomes of smooth and textured expanders.

Where Have All the Rhinoplasties Gone? A Call to Action for Academic Plastic Surgeons to Focus on Increasing Rhinoplasty Procedures Before It Is Too Late.

Background: The armamentarium of a plastic surgeon is vast, consisting of an array of surgical procedures from head to toe. Unfortunately, plastic surgeons have been losing portions of their operative domain to other surgical subspecialties for years. The number of subspecialties invading our niche is bothersome, but more concerning is the fact that losing the reins of these core procedures results in less surgical exposure and competency for plastic surgery residents.

Exploring Delay to Follow-Up in a Rural Multidisciplinary Cleft Clinic.

Background: Oral clefts require longitudinal multidisciplinary care with follow-up visits at regular intervals throughout a patient's childhood, and delayed care can be detrimental. Although loss to follow-up is commonly studied, this metric does not account for patients that do return to care, but months or years later than recommended. The aim of this study was to explore and determine risk factors for delay to follow-up (DTFU) in a cleft clinic at a rural academic center.

Applying the 2005 Caprini Score to Plastic Surgery Patients: A Quality Improvement Project.

Background: The Caprini score is a validated scale that calculates a patient's 30-day venous thromboembolism (VTE) risk based on their comorbidities. The American Society of Plastic Surgeons published VTE prophylaxis recommendations in 2011 based on the Caprini score, but these recommendations are vague and up to physician interpretation. The purpose of this study is to evaluate postoperative outcomes after the application of strict guidelines using the Caprini score with specific VTE chemoprophylaxis benchmarks on plastic surgery patients.

Geisinger MyCode detects BRCA2 mutation prior to abdominal panniculectomy allowing for DIEP flap breast reconstruction.

This case report presents a 38-year-old female who was scheduled for abdominal panniculectomy and tested positive for BRCA2 mutation through Geisinger MyCode. She canceled her panniculectomy and elected to proceed with bilateral mastectomies, utilizing her abdominal tissue for deep inferior epigastric perforator flap reconstruction.

Use of soleus muscle flaps for coverage of distal third tibial defects.

The authors reviewed the outcome of 12 patients who underwent soleus flap reconstruction of distal third lower extremity defects. Nine of the 12 patients achieved a healed, stable wound; however, several flaps and multiple additional procedures were often required. One of the 12 patients experienced soleus flap loss and two of the patients required below-knee amputations.