(Press-News.org) Contact information: Connie Hughes
Connie.Hughes@wolterskluwer.com
646-674-6348
Wolters Kluwer Health
Innovative technique creates large skin flaps for full-face resurfacing
Chinese surgeons develop 'monoblock' flaps to reconstruct severe facial defects, reports the journal of craniofacial surgery
Philadelphia, Pa. (February 4, 2014) - Patients with massive burns causing complete loss of the facial skin pose a difficult challenge for reconstructive surgeons. Now a group of surgeons in China have developed an innovative technique for creating a one-piece skin flap large enough to perform full-face resurfacing, reports The Journal of Craniofacial Surgery, published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health.
Dr. QingFeng Li and colleagues of Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine describe their approach to creating "monoblock" flaps for use in extensive face skin resurfacing. In their successful experience with five severely disfigured patients, the full-face tissue flap "provides universally matched skin and near-normal facial contour."
New Technique Grows One-Piece Skin Flaps for Full-Face Resurfacing
Complete destruction of the facial skin and underlying (subcutaneous) tissues presents "the most challenging dilemma" in facial reconstructive surgery. Multiple skin flaps and grafts are needed to provide complete coverage, creating a "patchwork" appearance. Standard skin grafts are also too bulky to provide good reconstruction of the delicate features and expressive movement of the normal facial skin.
To meet these challenges, Dr. Li and colleagues have developed a new technique for creating a single, large skin flap appropriate for use in full-face resurfacing. Their approach starts with "prefabrication" of a flap of the patient's own skin, harvested from another part of the body. The skin flap, along with its carefully preserved blood supply, is allowed to grow for some weeks in a "pocket" created under the patient's skin of the patient's upper chest.
Tissue expanders—balloon-like devices gradually filled with saline solution—are used to enlarge the skin flap over time. While skin expansion is a standard technique for creation of skin flaps, Dr. Li and his team used an "overexpansion" approach to create very large flaps of relatively thin skin—ideal for use in the facial area. In some cases, when the skin flap was growing too thin, stem cells derived from the patients' own bone marrow were used as an aid to tissue expansion.
Using this technique, Dr. Li and colleagues were able to create very large skin flaps—up to 30 × 30 cm—for use in full-face resurfacing. In the new article, they describe their use of their prefabrication/overexpansion technique in five patients with complete loss of the facial skin, caused by flame or chemical burns. All patients had previously undergone facial reconstruction, but were left with severe deformity and limited facial movement.
The "monoblock" allowed the surgeons to perform complete facial resurfacing using a single flap of the patient's own skin. The large flap size avoided problems with a "patchwork" appearance, while the thin flap width was well-suited for reconstruction of the facial features.
Multiple surgeries were needed to refine the results and to manage complications. However, all five patients eventually achieved a more normal appearance and better functioning—including improved emotional expression.
The researchers emphasize that their patients with massive facial burns, while severely disfigured, differ from those with deeper tissue destruction who are candidates for face transplantation. Patients being considered for face transplantation have destruction not only of the skin and subcutaneous tissues, but also of the underlying facial muscles and organs of the head and neck.
Dr. Li and coauthors believe their technique, although complex, provides a valuable new approach to reconstruction for patients with complete destruction of the facial skin. They conclude, "It is a reliable and an excellent reconstructive option for massive facial skin defects."
###
About The Journal of Craniofacial Surgery
The Journal of Craniofacial Surgery serves as a forum of communication for all those involved in craniofacial and maxillofacial surgery. Coverage ranges from practical aspects of craniofacial surgery to the basic science that underlies surgical practice. Affiliates include 14 major specialty societies around the world, including the American Association of Pediatric Plastic Surgeons, the American Academy of Pediatrics Section of Pediatric Plastic Surgery, the American Society of Craniofacial Surgeons, the American Society of Maxillofacial Surgeons, the Argentine Society of Plastic Surgery Section of Pediatric Plastic Surgery, the Asian Pacific Craniofacial Association, the Association of Military Plastic Surgeons of the U.S., the Brazilian Society of Craniofacial Surgeons, the European Society of Craniofacial Surgery, the International Society of Craniofacial Surgery, the Japanese Society of Craniofacial Surgery, the Korean Society of Craniofacial Surgery, the Thai Cleft and Craniofacial Association, and the World Craniofacial Foundation.
About Wolters Kluwer Health
Wolters Kluwer Health is a leading global provider of information, business intelligence and point-of-care solutions for the healthcare industry. Serving more than 150 countries and territories worldwide, Wolters Kluwer Health's customers include professionals, institutions and students in medicine, nursing, allied health and pharmacy. Major brands include Health Language®, Lexicomp®, Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Medicom®, Medknow, Ovid®, Pharmacy OneSource®, ProVation® Medical and UpToDate®.
Wolters Kluwer Health is part of Wolters Kluwer, a market-leading global information services company. Wolters Kluwer had 2012 annual revenues of €3.6 billion ($4.6 billion), employs approximately 19,000 people worldwide, and maintains operations in over 40 countries across Europe, North America, Asia Pacific, and Latin America. Follow our official Twitter handle: @WKHealth.
Innovative technique creates large skin flaps for full-face resurfacing
Chinese surgeons develop 'monoblock' flaps to reconstruct severe facial defects, reports the journal of craniofacial surgery
2014-02-05
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
Research results show new way for cholesterol treatment
2014-02-05
PUBLIC RELEASE DATE: 5-Feb-2014
[
| E-mail
]
var addthis_pub="eurekalert"; var addthis_options = "favorites, delicious, digg, facebook, twitter, google, newsvine, reddit, slashdot, stumbleupon, buzz, more"
Share
Contact: Simon Glerup
sg@biokemi.au.dk
45-51-22-17-27
Aarhus University
Research results show new way for cholesterol treatment
A basic research project from Aarhus University now sheds new light on the pharmaceutical industry's new hope in the field of cholesterol treatment; the results show that there is apparently another and just as effective ...
Inner workings of a cellular nanomotor revealed
2014-02-05
Our cells produce thousands of proteins but more than one-third of these proteins can fulfill their function only after migrating to the outside of the cell. While it is known that protein migration occurs ...
Sociable receptors: In pairs, in groups or in a crowd
2014-02-05
This news release is available in German.
When cells migrate in the body, for instance, ...
Penn study reveals genetics impact risk of early menopause among some female smokers
2014-02-05
PHILADELPHA - New research is lighting up yet another ...
Fewer than half of women attend recommended doctors visits after childbirth
2014-02-05
Medical associations widely recommend that women visit their obstetricians and primary care doctors shortly after giving ...
Brain development -- the pivotal role of the stem cell environment
2014-02-05
This news release is available in German.
Higher mammals, such as humans, ...
Forest emissions, wildfires explain why ancient Earth was so hot
2014-02-05
PUBLIC RELEASE DATE: 5-Feb-2014
[
| E-mail
]
var addthis_pub="eurekalert"; var addthis_options = "favorites, delicious, digg, facebook, twitter, google, newsvine, reddit, slashdot, stumbleupon, buzz, more"
Share
Contact: Kevin Dennehy
kevin.dennehy@yale.edu
203-436-4842
Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies
Forest emissions, wildfires explain why ancient Earth was so hot
The release of volatile organic compounds from forests and smoke from wildfires 3 million years ago had a far greater impact on global warming than ancient atmospheric levels ...
Electronically controlled drugs could minimize side effects
2014-02-05
Potential side effects of many of today's therapeutic drugs can be downright frightening — just listen carefully to a drug commercial on TV. These effects often occur when a drug is active throughout ...
Approach helps identify new biofuel sources that don't require farmland
2014-02-05
While the debate over using crops for fuel continues, scientists are now reporting a new, fast approach to develop biofuel in a way that doesn't require removing valuable farmland from ...
Mounting evidence links lead's toxic effects to criminal behavior
2014-02-05
When crime rates drop, politicians like to give themselves pats on the back for being "tough on crime." But a new theory explaining why violence has declined across the country since the 1990s ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
Less intensive works best for agricultural soil
Arctic rivers project receives “national champion” designation from frontiers foundation
Computational biology paves the way for new ALS tests
Study offers new hope for babies born with opioid withdrawal syndrome
UT, Volkswagen Group of America celebrate research partnership
New Medicare program could dramatically improve affordability for cancer drugs – if patients enroll
Are ‘zombie’ skin cells harmful or helpful? The answer may be in their shapes
University of Cincinnati Cancer Center presents research at AACR 2025
Head and neck, breast, lung and survivorship studies headline Dana-Farber research at AACR Annual Meeting 2025
AACR: Researchers share promising results from MD Anderson clinical trials
New research explains why our waistlines expand in middle age
Advancements in muon detection: Taishan Antineutrino Observatory's innovative top veto tracker
Chips off the old block
Microvascular decompression combined with nerve combing for atypical trigeminal neuralgia
Cutting the complexity from digital carpentry
Lung immune cell type “quietly” controls inflammation in COVID-19
Fiscal impact of expanded Medicare coverage for GLP-1 receptor agonists to treat obesity
State and sociodemographic trends in US cigarette smoking with future projections
Young adults drive historic decline in smoking
NFCR congratulates Dr. Robert C. Bast, Jr. on receiving the AACR-Daniel D. Von Hoff Award for Outstanding Contributions to Education and Training in Cancer Research
Chimpanzee stem cells offer new insights into early embryonic development
This injected protein-like polymer helps tissues heal after a heart attack
FlexTech inaugural issue launches, pioneering interdisciplinary innovation in flexible technology
In Down syndrome mice, 40Hz light and sound improve cognition, neurogenesis, connectivity
Methyl eugenol: potential to inhibit oxidative stress, address related diseases, and its toxicological effects
A vascularized multilayer chip reveals shear stress-induced angiogenesis in diverse fluid conditions
AI helps unravel a cause of Alzheimer's disease and identify a therapeutic candidate
Coalition of Autism Scientists critiques US Department of Health and Human Services Autism Research Initiative
Structure dictates effectiveness, safety in nanomedicine
Mission accomplished for the “T2T” Hong Kong Bauhinia Genome Project
[Press-News.org] Innovative technique creates large skin flaps for full-face resurfacingChinese surgeons develop 'monoblock' flaps to reconstruct severe facial defects, reports the journal of craniofacial surgery