Plastic Surgery

Introduction: Being able to counter immune-mediated rejection has for decades been the single largest obstacle for the progress of vascular composite allotransplantation (VCA). The human immune system performs the key role of differentiating the ‘self’ from the ‘non-self’. This, although is quintessential to eliminate or resist infections, also resists the acceptance of an allograft which it promptly recognises as ‘non-self’. Materials and Methods: Pre-operative evaluation of the recipient evaluation included immunological assessment in the form of panel reactive antibodies (PRA), human leucocyte antigen (HLA) typing, donor-specific antibody detection assays (DSA) and complement-dependent cytotoxicity assays (CDC). Induction immunosuppression was by thymoglobulin and the maintenance by the standard triple-drug therapy. Results: Both the recipients were managed by the standard triple drug therapy and have had only minor episodes of rejections thus far which have been managed appropri...

Introduction This is the first case of supracondylar level transplant from the Indian subcontinent, performed for a bilateral below elbow amputee. It has a completely different set of challenges for the transplant team, with a relatively shorter ischemia time window.The technical considerations for the same have been discussed in detail in this article. Materials and Methods The patient was a 19-year-old female who lost her both upper limbs at proximal forearm level due to severe crush injury following a road traffic accident. Insufficient bone length on either side necessitated a supracondylar level transplant. The preoperative workup included detailed clinical evaluation, biochemical, and psychological evaluation.The donor was a young brain-dead, male patient from a hospital, 30 minutes away. The donor and recipient preparations in this case were unique. The recipient’s own elbow flexors and extensors were used while the elbow joint was from the donor. The specific challenges we f...

Introduction Vascularized composite allotransplantation (VCA) has added another step to the reconstructive ladder, leading to a paradigm shift in the approach toward management of cases of upper limb amputations. In this article, we discuss in detail the technical aspects of proximal forearm level transplantation, as well as the immediate posttransplant monitoring and immunosuppression protocols. Materials and Methods A 24-year-old male victim of an electric injury presented with a bilateral proximal forearm level amputation. After the mandatory preoperative psychiatric and immunological evaluation, the patient underwent a proximal forearm level double upper extremity transplantation. He was then put on a stringent immunosuppression and physical rehabilitative regime. Discussion Conceptually, the proximal forearm level transplantation is significantly different from distal forearm level transplant. This transplant “reestablishes” the “donor extremity length,” maintains the normal fu...

A clinical criteria devised by Wells and co-workers to diagnose deep vein thrombosis namely “Wells Criteria” has been tested in our study. This criteria has been tested in various health care settings in New Zealand and has helped to reduce the dependence on radiological investigations. AIM OF THE STUDY: 1. To test the effectiveness of Wells criteria for diagnosing deep vein thrombosis. 2. To find the associated co-morbidities causing deep vein thrombosis. METHODS: In our study the Wells criteria was tested using venous doppler ultrasound to confirm any case of deep vein thrombosis as suspected by Wells criteria. Time duration of the study was from September 2012 to November 2013. The study group included 50 cases of deep vein thrombosis as diagnosed by Wells criteria. Along with this the associated co morbid conditions in each case was also documented. RESULTS: Fifty cases of suspected deep vein thrombosis as per Wells Criteria admitted to Coimbatore Medical College Hospital were s...

Introduction This is the first case of supracondylar level transplant from the Indian subcontinent, performed for a bilateral below elbow amputee. It has a completely different set of challenges for the transplant team, with a relatively shorter ischemia time window.The technical considerations for the same have been discussed in detail in this article. Materials and Methods The patient was a 19-year-old female who lost her both upper limbs at proximal forearm level due to severe crush injury following a road traffic accident. Insufficient bone length on either side necessitated a supracondylar level transplant. The preoperative workup included detailed clinical evaluation, biochemical, and psychological evaluation.The donor was a young brain-dead, male patient from a hospital, 30 minutes away. The donor and recipient preparations in this case were unique. The recipient’s own elbow flexors and extensors were used while the elbow joint was from the donor. The specific challenges we f...

Introduction Vascularized composite allotransplantation (VCA) has added another step to the reconstructive ladder, leading to a paradigm shift in the approach toward management of cases of upper limb amputations. In this article, we discuss in detail the technical aspects of proximal forearm level transplantation, as well as the immediate posttransplant monitoring and immunosuppression protocols. Materials and Methods A 24-year-old male victim of an electric injury presented with a bilateral proximal forearm level amputation. After the mandatory preoperative psychiatric and immunological evaluation, the patient underwent a proximal forearm level double upper extremity transplantation. He was then put on a stringent immunosuppression and physical rehabilitative regime. Discussion Conceptually, the proximal forearm level transplantation is significantly different from distal forearm level transplant. This transplant “reestablishes” the “donor extremity length,” maintains the normal fu...

Abstract: Congenital lower lip pits are a rare developmental malformation of the lower lip. Clinically they present as bilateral depressions in the vermilion zone of the lower lip. It is important to be aware of this disorder because lower lip pits have also been reported in a variety of other congenital disorders and are associated with other malformations. Ten cases of this entity are presented. Nine of the 10 patients are members of two related families. The clinical and pathologic picture as well as some of the genetic and therapeutic aspects of this peculiar condition are discussed.

Introduction: This article deals with two patients who underwent bilateral hand transplantation following amputation of both upper limbs at the distal third of the foream. Materials and Methods: The first patient had a history of loss of hands in a train accident , with possiblity of a run over element during the injury. The second patient lost his both hands in a mine blast. The preoperative work up included detailed clinical and psychological evaluation. The donor retrieval was similar in both the cases and the donors were housed in our own instittution. The donor preparation, recipient preparation and the transplant procedure was similar except for the need of primary tendon transfers in the left hand of the first patient. Results: The first patient needed a free flap transfer to cover compromised skin flap on the left hand on the second day. The second hand transplant was uneventful. Both the recipients are now back to their normal daily routines. Conclusions: Hand transplantation is a potentially life altering procedure, but to optimise the results, it is imperative that there is a meticulous planning and diligent execution with utmost importance to the detail coupled with a synchronised team effort.

Crush injuries of foot with loss of extensor tendons and overlying soft tissue are challenging to reconstruct. Multiple methods of tendon reconstruction have been proposed in the past. The graft materials commonly used are free Palmaris longus, plantaris, extensor digitorum longus (EDL) from uninjured foot and fascia lata. In such injuries, soft tissue cover is also commonly required. [1,2] Need for foot tendon reconstruction is uncommon. Foot on the other hand has served as a source of both free and vascularised tendon grafts. [3]

palate was carried out. This resulted in a Class IIa defect according to classification of maxillectomy defects by Brown et al. [3] [Figure 1]. The defect size was 3 cm × 4 cm. The objective of reconstruction was to get an oro-antral separation and to provide a base for the dental prosthesis. The defect was reconstructed with a free radial forearm adiposo-fascial flap harvested from the left forearm. Adiposo-fascial flap harvesting involves few technical modifications from the conventional radial forearm fasciocutaneous free flap harvesting. The flap was marked on the forearm skin. The margin of the flap was marked with a hypodermic needle dipped in methylene blue, the tip of the needle needed to reach the subcutaneous layer [Figure 2]. A lazy "S" incision was placed extending from a point 2 cm proximal to the wrist crease to a point 2 cm distal to the ante-cubital fossa. The skin flap was elevated in the subcutaneous plane to leave the layer of adipose tissue on the fascia [Figure 3]. The fascia with fat, incised along the dye markings, was harvested based on

ABSTRACTMost surgical patients end up with a scar and most of these would want at least some improvement in the appearance of the scar. Using sound techniques for wound closure surgeons can, to a certain extent, prevent suboptimal scars. This article reviews the principles of prevention and treatment of suboptimal scars. Surgical techniques of scar revision, i.e., Z plasty, W plasty, and geometrical broken line closure are described. Post-operative care and other adjuvant therapies of scars are described. A short description of dermabrasion and lasers for management of scars is given. It is hoped that this review helps the surgeon to formulate a comprehensive plan for management of scars of these patients.

Background: Gynaecomastia is usually treated with liposuction or liposuction with excision of the glandular tissue. The type of surgery chosen depends on the grade of the condition. Objective: Because gynaecomastia is treated primarily as a cosmetic procedure, we aimed at reducing the invasiveness of the surgery. Materials and Methods: The technique complies with all recommended protocols for different grades of gynaecomastia. It uses liposuction, gland excision, or both, leaving only minimal post-operative scars. The use of cross-chest liposuction through incisions on the edge of the areola helps to get rid of all the fat under the areola without an additional scar as in the conventional method. Results: This is a short series of 20 patients, all with bilateral gynaecomastia (i.e., 40 breasts), belonging to Simon's Stage 1 and 2, studied over a period of 2 years. The average period of follow-up was 15 months. Post-operative complications were reported in only two cases, with none showing long-term complications or issues specifically due to the procedure. Conclusions : Cross-chest liposuction for gynaecomastia is a simple yet effective surgical tool in bilateral gynaecomastia treatment to decrease the post-operative scars. The use of techniques like incision line drain placement and post-drain removal suturing of wounds aid in decreasing the scar.

ABSTRACTAdequate drainage of venous blood is the most critical part of successful free tissue transfer. We report a case of anterolateral thigh flap used for covering open communited tibial fracture. The flap was salvaged with short term augmentation of venous drainage with external shunt. The drainage was continued for six days. It was confirmed that there is no more congestion after blocking the catheter and then the drainage was discontinued on seventh day. The flap was successfully salvaged. This method has potential applications in multiple situations for successful salvage of free tissue transfer.

We write this letter to present a novel technique for closure of soft tissue defects of Axillary Hidradenitis Suppurativa excision by 'Sure Closure-Skin Stretching System'. To the best of our knowledge, this technique has never been reported anywhere in the literature for post excisional soft tissue defects of Axillary Hidradenitis Suppurativa.

Bilateral maxillectomy defects, if not adequately reconstructed, can result in grave esthetic and functional problems. The purpose of this study was to investigate the outcome of reconstruction of such defects. This is a retrospective case series. The defects were analyzed for their components and the flaps used for reconstruction. Outcomes for flap loss and functional indices, including oral diet, speech, and dental rehabilitation, also were evaluated. Ten consecutive patients who underwent bilateral maxillectomy reconstruction received 14 flaps. Six patients had malignancies of the maxilla, and 4 patients had nonmalignant indications. Ten bony free flaps were used. Four soft tissue flaps were used. The fibula free flap was the most common flap used. Three patients had total flap loss. Seven patients were alive and available for functional evaluation. Of these, 4 were taking an oral diet with altered consistency and 2 were on a regular diet. Speech was intelligible in all patients....

Background The purpose of this study is to evaluate the outcome of orbital floor reconstruction with free flaps after maxillectomy. Methods This was a retrospective analysis of 34 consecutive patients who underwent maxillectomy with orbital floor removal for malignancies, reconstructed with free flaps. A cross-sectional survey to assess the functional and esthetic outcome was done in 28 patients who were alive and disease-free, with a minimum of 6 months of follow-up. Results Twenty-six patients had bony reconstruction, and eight had soft tissue reconstruction. Free fibula flap was the commonest flap used (n = 14). Visual acuity was normal in 86%. Eye movements were normal in 92%. Abnormal globe position resulted in nine patients. Esthetic satisfaction was good in 19 patients (68%). Though there was no statistically significant difference in outcome of visual acuity, eye movement, and patient esthetic satisfaction between patients with bony and soft tissue reconstruction, more patie...