A Comparative Study of Autologous and Acellular Dermal Matrix Static Cheek Slings in Corrective Surgery for Facial Palsy.

Background: Facial palsy causes devastating disability due to loss of facial function as well as social and psychological impairment. Cheek slings are a secondary technique that provide static support to the midface. This study aimed to describe our technique and compare a traditional sling material (tensor fascia lata) with a porcine-derived acellular dermal matrix alternative (Strattice).

Calf Perforator Flaps: A Freestyle Solution for Oral Cavity Reconstruction.

Background: Reconstruction of oral cavity defects requires a thin, pliable flap for optimal functional results. Traditional flap choices are imperfect: the anterolateral thigh flap is excessively thick, whereas the radial forearm flap has a poor donor site. The authors therefore favor calf perforator flaps such as the medial sural artery perforator flap to provide thin tissue with an acceptable donor site.

Free sural artery perforator flap: An occasional gift in oral cavity reconstruction.

Background: The medial sural artery perforator (MSAP) flap is becoming a popular strategy for reconstructing intraoral defects. We present a case in which no MSAPs were present, however, a perforator-based calf flap was successfully raised on the sural artery and used for tongue reconstruction. A corresponding anatomic study was undertaken to establish if this finding was reproducible.

A single pre-operative antibiotic dose is as effective as continued antibiotic prophylaxis in implant-based breast reconstruction: A matched cohort study.

Purpose: Infections following implant-based breast reconstruction can lead to devastating consequences. There is currently no consensus on the need for post-operative antibiotics in preventing immediate infection. This study compared two different methods of infection prevention in this group of patients.

Reimbursement for reconstruction by tissue transfer-a European comparison.

Background: Case payment mechanisms have become the principal means of remunerating hospitals in most developed countries. Our purpose was to analyse the reimbursement for different types of tissue transfer in five European countries.

Methods: We looked at common surgical options for pedicled and free flaps.

Cutaneous lasers and skin camouflage make-up: a useful alternative intervention for periorbital hairy congenital melanocytic naevus.

Periorbital congenital melanocytic naevi can be very disfiguring and difficult to treat effectively. Although surgical excision and reconstruction is the most widely accepted treatment strategy, we describe a case in which cutaneous lasers treatment followed by the application of cosmetic skin camouflage make-up provided an alternative solution delivering a good cosmetic improvement.

Skin cancers of the hand: a series of 541 malignancies.

Background: Skin cancers of the hand are uncommon and poorly documented. The objective of this study was to review a large cohort of patients with hand skin malignancies to determine tumor characteristics, management techniques, and outcomes.

Methods: A retrospective review of consecutive patients with surgically excised primary cutaneous hand malignancies at the John Radcliffe Hospital between 1993 and 2010 was performed.

Oblique ulnar styloid osteotomy--a treatment for ulnar styloid impaction syndrome.

Purpose: We report a series of 5 patients (mean age, 41 y) presenting with ulnar styloid impingement syndrome (USIS) and treated by an oblique ulnar styloid osteotomy. The purpose of the study was to determine whether the osteotomy is an effective method for treating USIS.

Methods: The diagnosis of USIS was made based on a history of ulnar-sided wrist pain supported by clinical and radiological findings.

Bilateral avascular necrosis of the trapezoid.

We present a 5-year follow-up of a patient with bilateral necrosis of the trapezoid that improved clinically and radiographically with nonoperative treatment.

Matrix metalloproteinase inhibition reduces contraction by dupuytren fibroblasts.

Purpose: Dupuytren's disease is a common fibroproliferative condition of the hand characterized by fibrotic lesions (nodules and cords), leading to disability through progressive digital contracture. Although the etiology of the disease is poorly understood, recent evidence suggests that abnormal matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) activity may play a role in cell-mediated collagen contraction and tissue scarring. The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy of ilomastat, a broad-spectrum MMP inhibitor, in an in vitro model of Dupuytren fibroblast-mediated contraction.

Retrospective study of the association between hypertrophic burn scarring and bacterial colonization.

Although the association between hypertrophic burn scarring and infection is well described, an association with colonization has not been established. This retrospective study sought to determine whether a significant association between hypertrophic scarring and bacterial colonization exists. Details from the case notes of all patients seen in our institution's burns unit over a two-year period were recorded and the incidence of hypertrophic scarring and burn bacterial colonization was noted.