Américo Marques

Abdominoplasty with two fusiform plications

Two-fusiform plications are recommended for contouring the abdomen to produce a slimmer waistline in abdominoplasty, rather than the classical median xiphoid-pubic fusiform plication. This procedure was accomplished in 11 patients. After the dermoadipose flap was undermined, two fusiform shapes were marked at the transition of the sheaths of the rectus abdominis muscles with the external obliques. The slimmer waistline produced intraoperatively was maintained during the late postoperative period (mean 20 months), without loss of the natural contour between the rectus muscles. Maintenance of the natural contours of the abdominal muscles is of fundamental importance to reduce the embarrassment of a postabdominoplasty flat abdomen.

H-Shaped, double-contour plication in abdominoplasty.

Abstract. H-shaped, double-contour plication, by reducing the longitudinal and transverse abdominal diameters, improves the waistline and reinforces the entire anterior abdominal wall, with better accommodation of the cutaneous flap. The decrease in the longitudinal diameter allows lowering and fixation of the cutaneous flap without tension.

A retrospective study of the use of bovine pericardium, dura mater, and polypropylene mesh as reinforcement materials in abdominal and thoracic wall reconstruction

Abstract This retrospective study reviews the postoperative history of 64 patients who underwent a total of 74 surgical procedures for the resection of malignant tumors and reconstruction of the abdominal and/or thoracic walls. All resections involved extensive loss of the supporting tissues of these walls. Bovine pericardium was used as the reinforcement material in 33 procedures, allogeneic dura meter in 26, and polypropylene mesh (Marlex ® ) in 15. Postoperative complications occurred in 31 of the 74 procedures. In the bovine pericardium group, 13 (39%) of 33 cases had complications; in the dura mater group, 12 (46%) of 26 had complications; and in the polypropylene mesh group, 6 (40%) of 15 had complications. In many of the procedures in which complications occurred, however, there were preexisting risk factors. Excluding procedures complicated by previous risk, the rates of postoperative complications were as follows: 20% (210) with bovine pericardium, 54% (713) with dura mater, and 14% (17) with polypropylene mesh.

Total en bloc reconstruction of the alar cartilage using autogenous ear cartilage

A new technique is described for increasing the nasal tip by using an en bloc autogenous ear cartilage graft in such a manner as to create, in essence, a replacement of the entire ipsilateral alar cartilage.