Patient reported outcome measures in microtia surgery.

Background: Autologous ear reconstruction for microtia is a complex, multi-stage procedure. The success of the procedure is dependant on how the patient perceives the outcomes of surgery and their overall experience. Patient reported measures are therefore crucial to developing the technique and improving the patient journey.

The Proportion of Women Who Have a Breast 4 Years after Breast Cancer Surgery: A Population-Based Cohort Study.

Background: There are numerous pathways in breast cancer treatment, many of which enable women to retain a breast after treatment. We evaluated the proportion of women who have a breast, either through conserving surgery (BCS) or reconstruction, at 4-years after diagnosis, and how this varied by patient group.

Methods And Findings: We identified women with breast cancer who underwent initial BCS or mastectomy in English National Health Service (NHS) hospitals between January 2008 and December 2009 using the Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) database.

Donor-Site Hernia Repair in Abdominal Flap Breast Reconstruction: A Population-Based Cohort Study of 7929 Patients.

Background: The authors investigated hernia repair rates following pedicled transverse rectus abdominis myocutaneous (TRAM), free TRAM, and deep inferior epigastric perforator (DIEP) flap breast reconstruction in English National Health Service hospitals.

Methods: Women diagnosed with breast cancer who underwent pedicled TRAM, free TRAM, or DIEP flap breast reconstruction procedures in English National Health Service hospitals between April of 2006 and March of 2012 were identified using the Hospital Episode Statistics database. Women who underwent mastectomy without reconstruction acted as controls, and hernia repair rates were calculated for all four groups.

Findings of computed tomography in stage IIB and IIC melanoma: a six-year retrospective study in the South-East of Scotland.

Introduction: Patient prognosis in malignant melanoma is directly related to clinical stage, and accurate staging is key to appropriate management. Revised BAD/BAPS (British Association of Dermatologists/British association of Plastic Surgeons) 2010 guidelines for the management of cutaneous melanoma recommend that Computed Tomography (CT) is no longer indicated for AJCC (American Joint Cancer Committee) IIB and IIC disease (Breslow thickness 2.01 - 4 mm with ulceration or >4 mm), unless the patient is symptomatic.