Prediction of postoperative seroma after latissimus dorsi breast reconstruction.

Background: The latissimus dorsi flap has become a first-line option in reconstruction of the breast cancer patient. Donor-site seroma is a commonly described postoperative complication of the latissimus dorsi flap.

Methods: A retrospective chart review from 1998 to 2003 of all patients undergoing latissimus dorsi breast reconstruction was performed (n = 50).

A long-term retrospective outcome assessment of facial growth, secondary surgical need, and maxillary lateral incisor status in a surgical-orthodontic protocol for complete clefts.

In 1965, the cleft palate team at Children's Memorial Hospital embarked on a new surgical-orthodontic protocol in the habilitation of newborn complete cleft lip and palate cases. It brought the orthodontic effort into focus at birth and in planned sequence to correspond with the surgical procedures of lip closure, maxillary alveolar stabilization by means of an autogenous graft of the authors' design, and complete palate closure, all within the first year of life. The purpose of this investigation is threefold: first, to review the authors' previous publications and assess growth, secondary surgical need, and lateral incisor status of teeth adjacent to the cleft in a series of patients who have all followed a precise, early surgical/orthodontic protocol; second, to compare these cases with other collaborative studies wherein this protocol was not used; and third, to report on an additional 82 cases with regard to secondary surgical need and the status of teeth adjacent to the cleft.