Hüseyin Borman

Effectiveness of human amnion preserved long-term in glycerol as a temporary biological dressing

Human amnion as a temporary biological wound dressing has remained a beneficial and cost-effective means of treating burns in developing countries. The aim of this study was to determine whether human amnion that has undergone long-term preservation in glycerol is an effective biological dressing compared to fresh amnion and glycerol-preserved human skin. Samples of human amnion and skin were preserved in sterile containers of 85% glycerol at 4 degrees C for over a year. Dorsal full-thickness or split-thickness skin wounds were produced in rats. The defects were divided into four areas, each of which was covered with preserved amnion, fresh amnion, preserved skin, or left uncovered as a control. The materials on the wounds were evaluated macroscopically and microscopically after 2, 4, 7, 10 and 14 days. The primary take or adherence of the grafts on full-thickness wounds was evaluated at 4 and 7 days, and material performance was scored based on several macroscopic and microscopic criteria. The bacteria levels reducing effect of the materials were examined by quantitative bacteriology in heavily infected full-thickness scald burn wounds of rats. Qualitative cultures confirmed that the storage conditions the materials were subjected to for over a year were aseptic and that the amnion and skin had maintained their characteristic properties. All materials were found effective on partial-thickness rat wounds as a cover under which re-epithelialization was completed by 7 days. The preserved skin performed better than either preserved or fresh amnion on full-thickness wounds but the performance of preserved amnion was comparable to that of fresh amnion. Glycerol-preserved amnion was found to be as effective as fresh amnion or skin in terms of decreasing bacterial levels in infected rat burn wounds. Amnion stored in glycerol is reliable and effective for a long period of time. Amnion banking could provide an unlimited quantity of biologic dressing for burn treatment at low cost, a factor that is particularly important in developing countries.

Evaluation of soft-tissue morphology of the face in 1,050 young adults.

Anthropometry of the face has always been an interesting subject for artists and plastic surgeons. Since ancient times, many rules have been proposed for the ideal face. The authors measured directly vertical and horizontal proportions of the face and inclinations of the soft-tissue facial profile in 1050 young Turkish adults. Differences between the facial measurements of subjects from seven different geographic regions were analyzed. Some of the measurements were compared further with the measurements of other populations in the literature, and the validity of the neoclassical canons were tested. The special head height measure was shorter than the special face height in the majority of our study group (women/men: equal height, 13%/15%; longer special head height, 28%/30%; shorter special head height, 59%/55%). Faces with three equally high-profile sections were not seen in women or in men. When the forehead height was compared with the nose height, equality was present in a small percentage of the population (women/men: equal height, 17%/18%; longer forehead, 41%/ 42%; shorter forehead, 42%/40%). The nose height was equal to the lower face height in a minority of the population (women/men: equal height, 10%/11%; longer nose, 9%/11%; shorter nose (81%/78%). The forehead height was shorter than the lower face height in the majority of the population (women/ men: equal height, 8%/9%; longer forehead, 12%/13%; shorter forehead, 79%/78%). The intercanthal distance was shorter than the nose width in the majority of the population (women/men: equal width, 20%/19%; wider intercanthal distance, 35%/37%; narrower intercanthal width, 65%/68%). The population was distributed evenly in regard to the variations of the orbital proportion canon (women/men: equal intercanthal width and eye fissure length, 31%/36%; wider intercanthal distance, 34%/27%; narrower intercanthal width, 35%/37%). The mouth width was greater than 1.5 times the nose width in the majority of the population (women/men: equal width, 6%/5%; wider mouth, 53%/54%; narrower mouth, 41%/41%). The nose width was narrower than one quarter of the face width in the majority of the population (women/men: equal width, 4%/3%; wider nose, 30%/39%; narrower nose, 66%/58%). The nose inclination was equal to the ear inclination in a very small fraction of subjects (women/ men: equal inclination, 3%/3%; greater nose inclination, 88%/87%; less nose inclination, 9%/9%). To sketch an outline of the average facial profile in the population studied, a convex facial profile is revealed, with the forehead and the chin retrodisplaced minimally with respect to the midface. The neoclassical canons were found to be invalid for the majority of the population in this study, and different proportional analytic results were obtained.

The gluteal fasciocutaneous rotation-advancement flap with V-Y closure in the management of sacral pressure sores.

&NA; The sacral region is one of the most frequent sites of pressure sore development, and local flaps in the gluteal region are usually preferred when surgical closure is needed. The authors used the gluteal fasciocutaneous rotation‐advancement flap with V‐Y closure to manage sacral pressure sores in 15 patients. The design was a combination of the classic rotation and V‐Y advancement flap patterns. When the wound was closed, the tension at the distal end of the rotation flap was relieved by flap advancement and the combined rotation‐advancement action was supported laterally with V‐Y closure. A wide skin pedicle was preserved at the inferomedial part of the flap. This pedicle augmented the blood supply to the flap skin and kept the surgical incision small, thus helping to reduce the risk of fecal contamination and associated wound‐healing problems. This flap can also be converted to any design of fasciocutaneous or musculocutaneous V‐Y advancement flap, should such a change be required. The largest defects that were closed with a unilateral rotationadvancement flap and bilateral rotation‐advancement flaps were 12 and 18 cm in diameter, respectively. In 1.5 to 35 months of follow‐up, none of the patients developed wound dehiscence or flap necrosis requiring repeated surgery. This technique is simple, can be performed quickly, has minimal associated morbidity, and yields a good outcome. (Plast. Reconstr. Surg. 109: 2325, 2002.)

Simplified and versatile use of gluteal perforator flaps for pressure sores.

As a first choice for treating pressure sores, we present our experiences with gluteal perforator flaps and a simplified surgical technique. Twenty-three gluteal perforator flaps were used in 20 patients (13 males, 7 females; aged, 8–68 years) with pressure sores. The pressure sores were sacral in 16 patients, ischial in 2, and trochanteric in 2 patients. During follow-up, recurrence in the same region did not occur. Our simplified operative technique includes finding a suitable perforator with a Doppler probe (it does not matter from which mother artery), outlining the flap, dissecting the perforator with just enough length, and transposing the flap to the defect. The gluteal region has numerous perforators, and there is no need to depend on strict anatomic landmarks to detect perforator vessels or to sacrifice main arteries, as has been the case when raising gluteal perforator flaps.

An effective antioxidant drug on prevention of the necrosis of zone of stasis: N-acetylcysteine

The zone of stasis, the encircling area of the zone of coagulation, is a critical area which determines the depth and width of the necrosis in burns. Many agents were proposed to salvage the zone of stasis. Due to the known preventive and therapeutic effects of N-acetylcysteine on hepatotoxicity, nephrotoxicity, pulmonary injury, and multiple organ failure in humans, the effect of N-acetylcysteine on saving the zone of stasis was investigated in this experimental study. The effects of N-acetylcysteine administration via oral or intraperitoneal route was compared in a rat comb-burn model. The extent of burn wounds was evaluated by photography and planimetry in the groups. Additionally, skin samples were obtained to analyze malondialdehyde levels to see the antioxidant effect of N-acetylcysteine. In control group (no treatment), the burn areas went to near total necrosis. In intraperitoneal and oral treatment groups, skin survival occurred in the interspace area of the comb. There was no difference between the groups in terms of MDA concentrations. In conclusion, this study showed us the possible saving effect of N-acetylcysteine on the zone of stasis. N-acetylcysteine may be used in the cases of severe burns, not only for its effects on wound healing but also the systemic effects of the drug.

Pedicled Deep Inferior Epigastric Perforator Flap for Lower Abdominal Defects and Genital Reconstructive Surgery

The pedicled deep inferior epigastric perforator (DIEP) flap can be used successfully to reconstruct the lower abdominal, inguinal, and genital regions. This muscle-sparing technique offers many advantages, such as minimal donor-site morbidity, a wide arch of rotation, and more versatile flap design, and provides for easier reconstruction than free flaps. Four pedicled DIEP flap cases are described in this article. The flaps were used to reconstruct lower abdominal defects and groin defects and to perform a penile reconstruction. To the best of our knowledge, ours is the first report in the English literature to describe the use of a pedicled DIEP flap for penile reconstruction. The donor sites were closed directly, and morbidity in all cases was minimal.

Fingertip reconstruction using two variations of direct-flow homodigital neurovascular island flaps.

&NA; The fingertip is an extremely intricate area of digital sensibility that plays an important role in fine perception and hand function. Thus, sensate fingertip reconstruction is essential to the recovery of most hand functions. The authors used two methods of direct‐flow homodigital neurovascular island flap coverage to reconstruct distal finger amputations—namely, the triangularadvancement flap technique and the step‐advancement flap method. The authors present their experience with these two variations of direct‐flow homodigital neurovascular island flaps and their use in reconstructing 18 fingertips and 7 proximal amputation stumps. They did not observe flap failure, and they achieved stable, well‐vascularized, appropriate‐thickness skin coverage with good sensory properties in all patients. However, they found that the triangular‐advancement flap technique was easier to plan and perform than the step‐advancement method. Borman H, Maral T, Tancer M. Fingertip reconstruction using two variations of direct‐flow homodigital neurovascular island flaps. Ann Plast Surg 2000;45:24‐30

Necrotizing Fasciitis of the Chest Wall With a Retropharyngeal Abscess : Case Report and Literature Review

We herein report a case of a diabetic 49-year-old woman with anterior chest wall necrotizing fasciitis that caused a retropharyngeal abscess and discuss the literature surrounding necrotizing soft tissue infections of the chest wall. The patient was treated with serial wound debridements, antibiotic therapy, and percutaneous drainage and serial irrigation of the retropharyngeal abscess with a silicone catheter. The resulting defect was grafted with a split thickness skin graft.

Skin flap survival after superficial and deep partial-thickness burn injury.

Whether a flap can be raised successfully in a body region that has been subjected to burn injury remains an issue. The aim of this study was to investigate the survival of skin flaps that were elevated after superficial and deep partial-thickness burn injury in a rat model. Sixty-five rats were divided into five groups: Group 1 (N = 15) was the control group, group 2 (N = 10) included rats with superficial partial-thickness burns that had flaps elevated on day 0, group 3 (N = 15) was comprised up of rats with superficial partial-thickness burns that had flaps elevated on day 4, group 4 (N = 10) included rats with deep partial-thickness burns that had flaps elevated on day 0, and group 5 (N = 15) was comprised of rats with deep partial-thickness burns that had flaps elevated on day 4. Caudally based dorsal flaps consisting of skin and panniculus carnosus were elevated in all groups, and the amount of surviving tissue on each flap was quantified. The surviving areas of flaps elevated on postburn days 0 and 4 in superficial partial-thickness burn zones (groups 2 and 3) were larger than those of flaps that were elevated on postburn days 0 and 4 in deep partial-thickness burn zones (groups 4 and 5). The surviving portions of flaps that were elevated on day 4 in superficial partial-thickness burn zones (group 3) were similar to the surviving areas of flaps in the control group (group 1), and were larger than those of all other groups (groups 2, 4, and 5). In this rat model, flaps were elevated in superficial dermal burn zones with successful outcomes. However, raising flaps in deep dermal burn zones was not a reliable method.

CHONDROID SYRINGOMA AT THE FINGERTIP : AN UNUSUAL LOCALIZATION

Abstract A case of chondroid syringoma of the ring finger-tip is presented. This is a rare tumor that occurred in a very unusual site. It has no distinctive properties clinically and the preoperative diagnosis almost always is that of a sebaceous or epidermal cyst. Although it is a benign tumor, malignant forms have also been reported reminding us how important it is to treat even the most benign appearing lesions properly. As it is a rare tumor and the usual location is the head and neck region, an accurate preoperative diagnosis was difficult in this case. Considering that the malignant form of this tumor has been reported predominantly in the extremities, this tumor must be kept in mind among masses occurring in the fingertip.