Annales De Chirurgie Plastique Esthetique最新文献

Introduction: The DIEP (deep inferior epigastric perforator) flap is the "gold standard" for breast reconstruction after cancer, giving better benefits on the quality of life. The most common complication is the venous congestion, because of the dominance of superficial venous outflow while the flap is drained by the deep epigastric vein. Pregnancy, by its physiological and vascular modifications, can reduce the risk of the venous congestion. Few studies explored the impact of pregnancy on the DIEP vascularization.

Material and methods: We studied the preoperative CT-scans of 104 patients who benefited reconstruction surgery by DIEP from January 2011 until March 2022. The patients were separated into 5 groups according to number of pregnancies. For each CT-scan, a concomitant vein of deep epigastric artery diameter/SIEV diameter ratio was performed on each side, to assess the relation between pregnancy and the reduction of venous complications.

Results: The results showed an increase of this ratio with the number of pregnancies. Patients with no pregnancy (G0) have the highest complication rate, with 41.7% of venous congestion case. On the other hand, in the group of four pregnancies or more (G4), the complication rate was significantly lower, at 10%, and none venous congestion was observed. These results suggest the beneficial effects of pregnancy on vascularization and especially on venous drainage in the DIEP flap.

Conclusion: This study highlights the benefit effect of the number of pregnancies on the DIEP vascularization, especially for the reduction of the venous congestion risk. The ratio DIEV/SIEV may be a useful help to predict the risk of venous complications in nullparous patients. These results open to new studies to deepen the understanding of the physiological effects of the pregnancy on the breast reconstruction surgery.

Autologous breast reconstruction, especially using the deep inferior epigastric artery perforator (DIEP) flap, is increasingly seen as a reliable, safe, and long-term alternative to implant-based reconstruction. Despite the recognized advantages of the DIEP flap for breast reconstruction, successful realization demands excellent anatomical knowledge, a thorough understanding of autologous breast reconstruction concepts and advanced microsurgical skills. Given that the porcine model is widely employed in microsurgical training, our study aims to assess this model using validated outcomes, with the objective of evaluating the enhancement in a surgeon's learning curve following training with this model. Forty DIEP flaps were harvested on 20 swines by a single surgeon in "Pius Branzeu Center" (Timisoara, RO) and "Drazan Institute" (University of veterinary of Brno, CZ) laboratories for microsurgical training in 6months (January 2015-June 2015). Then we analyzed data from 40 DIEP flaps harvested by the same surgeon on first 20 consecutive patients undergoing DIEP flap breast reconstruction. Perforator dissection time, surgeon-determined dissection difficulty score (DDS) and venous congestion rate were collected for each flap in porcine model and in patients, then compared and analyzed. The mean of DDS score analysis in first and second swines group dissection resulted as statistically significant (P-value 0.0001), while it was not statistically significant between those analyzed in the second group of swines dissected and patients (P-value 0.8037). Reduction in perforator dissection time between the two swines' groups and in venous congestion rates from the first swines groups to the second to the human group resulted statistically significant too (P-value respectively 0.0001 and 0.0079). The porcine model has been used for a long time together with other animal models for microsurgical training. Our study confirms and objective by validated scores that it is a valid and reliable model, comparable to the human one and which mimics the dissection of human perforating vessels.

Introduction: Persistent postburn flexion contractions of the digits present challenging deformities. The surgical goal is to lengthen the linear scar band on the flexion surface of a finger through local tissue rearrangement using different z-plasty techniques. This study aimed to analyse the length gain and compare outcomes between 5-flap z-plasty and double serial z-plasty techniques for correcting digital flexion contracture.

Patients & method: This retrospective study was conducted from November 2022 to January 2024 on patients who presented with digital flexion contractures caused by volar linear scar contracture and who needed surgical intervention. All patients who underwent correction via the 5-flap z-plasty or double z-plasty technique were categorized into two groups.

Results: A total of 12 patients were included in this study. All patients successfully achieved complete release of their digital contracture in both groups. While there was a significant increase in the length of the contracture band and extensor lag angle postoperatively in both groups, the mean increase in band length for patients treated with five-flap Z-plasty was significantly greater than that for patients treated with double z-plasty (63.667±13.125% vs. 41.333±12.1764%, respectively).

Conclusion: The 5-flap Z-plasty technique could be a more favourable alternative to the frequently used double z-plasty method due to its ability to achieve a superior rate of elongation in the contracture band and restore finger function when treating linear digital flexion contractures.

Penile and scrotal lymphedema is characterized by an abnormal retention of fluid in the subcutaneous tissue of the penis and scrotum, due to a deficiency in lymphatic drainage, causing edema, pain, dysuria and sexual dysfunction. The present report describes a patient with a giant penile and scrotal lymphedema after syphilitic infection, treated by excision of all the compromised skin and subcutaneous cellular tissue, with primary reconstruction with partial skin autograft and flap rotation. Literature review showed good functional results (erections and ejaculation) with the use of techniques that resected the skin and subcutaneous tissue and reconstructed the penis using skin grafts. This report can help in the differential diagnosis of lymphedema in the external genitalia and presents an aesthetical and functional reconstructive approach, showing the versatility and applicability of the graft and the fasciocutaneous flap of the thigh in this topography.

Fournier's gangrene is a potentially life-threatening infectious disease involving the perineum and genitals. Aggressive surgical and medical management is often required, leaving the patient with large integumentary defects. The multiplicity of reconstructive options reported highlights the lack of consensus on the best covering option. Functional and aesthetic considerations are in play, and the literature is scarce on male black patients. We report here two cases of dark-skinned patients presenting with scrotal and penile integumentary defects that were respectively reconstructed with a superficial circumflex iliac artery propeller perforator flap and a split-thickness meshed skin graft and discuss the available literature on the topic.