Prominent ears and their correction: a forty-year experience.

The technique described in this article correcting the protruding ear deformity has evolved over 40 years. The original procedures and our subsequent modifications are described, including 20-year followup results. The possible pitfalls in carrying out this procedure and how to avoid them are also described.

The use of particulate hydroxyapatite and plaster of Paris in aesthetic and reconstructive surgery.

The authors describe their early investigative results of using a mixture of hydroxyapatite (HA) and plaster of Paris (PP) in skull and frontal sinus defects in a large series of cats. Histologically, bone was found to form and infiltrate the HA-PP implant over a period of months, with gradual resorption of the plaster in 6-8 weeks. Clinically, the HA-PP combination has been used in 24 patients over the past seven years for various skull, zygomatic, and mandibular defects.

The effect of povidone-iodine solutions used as surgical preparations on the bacterial flora of the skin.

One hundred fifty hospitalized patients undergoing elective surgery were enrolled in an open study designed to assess the bactericidal and clinical efficacy of a preoperative skin preparation procedure--application of 7.5% povidone-iodine surgical scrub followed by 10% povidone-iodine antiseptic solution. Of 99 patients with bacterial colonization of the skin prior to surgery, 84 patients (85%) had no detectable levels of bacteria at completion of surgery; bacterial flora persisted after surgery in the remaining 15 patients (15%).

The inferior dermal-pyramidal type breast reduction: long-term evaluation.

The evolution of the technique of breast reduction using an inferior dermal pyramidal flap is discussed, including the changes we have found to enhance this procedure. The recommended use of a wide-based pyramidal breast parenchyma with a dermal pedicle nipple-areola flap is based on our 12-year study of 1,001 breast reductions in 519 patients ranging in age from 13 to 73 years; 37 of the patients underwent a unilateral breast reduction. The weight of tissue excised ranged from 207 g to 3,350 g from each breast.