Does surgical sequencing influence the accuracy of maxillary positioning in bimaxillary cleft orthognathic surgery?

Purpose: To evaluate whether the sequence of osteotomies influences the accuracy of maxillary positioning in patients with cleft palate ± cleft lip undergoing bimaxillary orthognathic surgery (OGS).

Methods: This was a prospective study of patients with Veau 2-4 clefts who underwent bimaxillary OGS at tertiary-care children's hospital over a 3-year period. The primary predictor variable was the sequence of osteotomies (maxilla-first versus mandible-first).

Analyzing Linguistic Disparities in Telehealth Care Outcomes at a Multidisciplinary Craniofacial Center.

Objective: To examine linguistic disparities between English- and Spanish-speaking patients in access to care, satisfaction, and telehealth appointment attendance.

Design: Retrospective study recording demographics for non-attendance analysis and conducting phone surveys assessing satisfaction with telehealth.

Setting: Data was collected between March and December 2020 at the UCSF Craniofacial Center (CFC), a multidisciplinary pediatric clinic.

Racial and Socioeconomic Disparities in Prompt Craniosynostosis Workup and Treatment.

The purpose of this study was to identify racial and socioeconomic disparities in craniosynostosis evaluation and treatment, from referral to surgery. Patients diagnosed with craniosynostosis between 2012 and 2020 at a single center were identified. Chart review was used to collect demographic variables, age at referral to craniofacial care, age at diagnosis, age at surgery, and surgical technique (open versus limited incision).

Gender-Affirming Facial Feminization Surgery at a Public, Safety-Net Hospital: A Single-Center Early Experience.

Background: Facial feminization surgery (FFS) remains inaccessible to many transgender patients. Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital (ZSFG) was among the first public, safety-net hospitals to perform FFS. The purpose of this study is to examine the postoperative outcomes of patients who underwent FFS at ZSFG and describe barriers to providing FFS in a public hospital setting.

Foreign Body Reaction Following Use of a Novel Bone Graft Substitute in Pediatric Cranioplasty.

Pediatric cranioplasty is indicated to repair skull defects with a wide variety of etiologies. The choice of graft material used to fill the defect is of paramount importance to the long-term success of this procedure. A variety of synthetic products have been commercially developed to avoid donor site morbidity.

Superior Long-term Appearance of Strip Craniectomy Compared with Cranial Vault Reconstruction in Metopic Craniosynostosis.

Background: Strip craniectomy with orthotic helmet therapy (SCOT) is an increasingly supported treatment for metopic craniosynostosis, although the long-term efficacy of deformity correction remains poorly defined. We compared the longterm outcomes of SCOT versus open cranial vault reconstruction (OCVR).

Methods: Patients who underwent OCVR or SCOT for isolated metopic synostosis with at least 3 years of follow-up were identified at our institution.

Disparities in Timing of Alveolar Bone Grafting and Dental Reconstruction in Patients With Clefts.

This study sought to identify disparities in the timing of alveolar bone grafting (ABG) surgery and the replacement strategy for missing maxillary lateral incisors for patients with clefts. A retrospective record review identified patients who underwent ABG. Multivariable regression analyzed the independent contribution of each variable.

Advocating for a New Residency Application Process: A Student Perspective.

Objective: The COVID-19 pandemic provided an opportunity for surgical residency programs to rethink their methods of evaluating and recruiting candidates. However, the past year has not been seamless, with a soaring number of applications, reports of programs and applicants having difficulty evaluating each other, and an increasingly uneven distribution of interviews among applicants. Consequently, many have called for national changes to the residency application process to address these longstanding concerns.

Smoking Is an Independent Risk Factor for 90-Day Readmission and Reoperation Following Posterior Cervical Decompression and Fusion.

Background: Posterior cervical decompression and fusion (PCF) is a common procedure used to treat various cervical spine pathologies, but the 90-d outcomes following PCF surgery continue to be incompletely defined.

Objective: To identify risk factors associated with 90-d readmission and reoperation following PCF surgery.

Methods: Adults undergoing PCF from 2012 to 2020 were identified.

Long-term Speech Outcomes of Cleft Palate Repair in Robin Sequence versus Isolated Cleft Palate.

Unlabelled: Whether treatment of cleft palate (CP) associated with Robin sequence (RS) should attain outcomes similar to those of isolated cleft palate (ICP) remains unknown. This study compares treatment and outcomes in both conditions and delineates predictors of long-term outcome.

Methods: This retrospective case series of consecutive syndromic and isolated RS- and ICP-patients (1990-2016) includes indications and outcomes of straight-line repair with intravelar veloplasty (SLIV) or Furlow repair depending on cleft and airway characteristics.

Facial Feminization Surgery: Key CT Findings for Preoperative Planning and Postoperative Evaluation.

Facial feminization surgery is an increasingly performed component of gender affirmation surgery for transgender women. Preoperative facial CT is performed to plan the adjustment of the patient's masculine characteristics to feminine and to plan operative navigation around specific readily identifiable anatomic structures. In the upper face, surgery is performed to reduce the prominence of the brow and increase the nasofrontal angle; the radiology report should indicate the frontal sinus and supraorbital foramen anatomy.

Facial Feminization Surgery: Key CT Findings for Preoperative Planning and Postoperative Evaluation.

Facial feminization surgery (FFS) is an increasingly performed component of gender affirmation surgery for transgender women. Preoperative facial CT is performed to plan the adjustment of the patient's masculine characteristics to feminine, and to plan operative navigation around specific readily identifiable anatomic structures. In the upper face, surgery is performed to reduce the prominence of the brow and increase the nasofrontal angle; the radiology report should indicate the frontal sinus and supraorbital foramen anatomy.

Transitioning Multidisciplinary Craniofacial Care to Telehealth during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Single Center Experience.

Craniofacial clinics are composed of multidisciplinary teams of providers to deliver coordinated and comprehensive patient care. The coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has disrupted this model, as social distancing guidelines have precluded in-person patient appointments and forced clinics to reconsider their method of care delivery. The University of California, San Francisco, Craniofacial Center has continued to serve patients during this acute period, adopting a hybrid model in which the vast majority of patients are seen through telehealth and a limited number of patients are evaluated in-person.

Complications following posterior cervical decompression and fusion: a review of incidence, risk factors, and prevention strategies.

Posterior cervical decompression and fusion (PCF) is a common surgical technique used to treat various cervical spine pathologies. However, there are various complications associated with PCF that can negatively impact patient outcome. We performed a comprehensive literature review to identify the most common complications following PCF using PubMed, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, and Google Scholar.

Preoperative Narcotic Use, Impaired Ambulation Status, and Increased Intraoperative Blood Loss Are Independent Risk Factors for Complications Following Posterior Cervical Laminectomy and Fusion Surgery.

Objective: This retrospective cohort study seeks to identify risk factors associated with complications following posterior cervical laminectomy and fusion (PCLF) surgery.

Methods: Adults undergoing PCLF from 2012 through 2018 at a single center were identified. Demographic and radiographic data, surgical characteristics, and complication rates were compared.

StaPLs: versatile genetically encoded modules for engineering drug-inducible proteins.

Robust approaches for chemogenetic control of protein function would have many biological applications. We developed stabilizable polypeptide linkages (StaPLs) based on hepatitis C virus protease. StaPLs undergo autoproteolysis to cleave proteins by default, whereas protease inhibitors prevent cleavage and preserve protein function.

Fluorescent indicators for simultaneous reporting of all four cell cycle phases.

A robust method for simultaneous visualization of all four cell cycle phases in living cells is highly desirable. We developed an intensiometric reporter of the transition from S to G2 phase and engineered a far-red fluorescent protein, mMaroon1, to visualize chromatin condensation in mitosis. We combined these new reporters with the previously described Fucci system to create Fucci4, a set of four orthogonal fluorescent indicators that together resolve all cell cycle phases.