Milton B. Armstrong

Pediatric breast deformity

Congenital breast anomalies represent a relatively common set of disorders encountered by pediatric plastic surgeons with a spectrum of severity that ranges widely from the relatively benign polythelia to the very complex disorders such as Polands syndrome and tuberous breast deformities. While the former can be treated in a single surgical setting with minimal morbidity, the more complicated disorders often require a staged reconstructive algorithm. Some disorders also require a multidisciplinary management for both workup and management. Although rarely a source of functional morbidity, these physical deformities are often a significant source of psychological stress for the adolescent male or female who feels alienated from their peers. The purpose of this article is to review the most common congenital breast disorders including the diagnosis, workup, and management especially the timing of surgical intervention as guided by normal developmental milestones.

Reconstruction after extirpation of sacral malignancies.

Defects after extirpation of either sacral or rectal tumors often present a reconstructive challenge to plastics surgeons. Because of their relative infrequency, management guidelines, in the authors’ opinion, have been overlooked. They think that successful, comprehensive treatment lends itself to an integrated team approach. They review their experience with immediate reconstruction after total sacrectomy for sacral malignancies performed between 1996 and 2001. Medical records were reviewed retrospectively for the surgical procedure, postoperative complications, and eventual outcome. A total of 9 patients underwent sacrectomy with a gluteus maximus flap for reconstruction. Six patients had a simultaneous omental flap for complete obliteration of the surgical defect. The authors’ experience suggests that this combination of techniques is a reliable approach for reconstruction of these extensive surgical defects.

Osteomyelitis of the Craniofacial Skeleton

Skull-based osteomyelitis, which is a true bony infection, originates from a chronic, inadequately treated infection. Because of the complex craniofacial skeletal anatomy and associated aesthetic concerns, osteomyelitis of the craniofacial skeleton must be uniquely managed and is more difficult to treat than osteomyelitis of other bones of the body. It is thought that osteomyelitis is decreasing in prevalence due to broad-spectrum antibiotic treatment; however, it still remains a challenging clinical entity in developing countries and lower socioeconomic areas.

Pediatric Hand Burns: Thermal, Electrical, Chemical

Young children often use their hands for exploration of their surroundings, and this often leads to the hand being the primary site of injury. Because of this and many associated factors, burns of the pediatric hands are relatively common, with thermal injuries being the most frequent. Electrical and chemical etiologies contribute a minor portion of the burn injuries in the pediatric population. Some key differences should be considered in the management of hand burns in a pediatric patient versus an adult. In general, minor superficial burns will heal satisfactorily only with topical care. Deeper partial-thickness and full-thickness burns, however, require surgical interventions. Special care should always be taken in the management of electrical and chemical burns because the pathophysiology of these injuries are unique. Treatment of pediatric hand burns should also involve close and thorough follow-up to assess not only for healing and restoration of function of the injury but also for psychologic and emotional trauma.

Hand abnormalities associated with craniofacial syndromes.

One in approximately every 626 newborns has a congenital anomaly of the upper limb. Frequently, patients with craniofacial syndromes may have associated hand anomalies. In this article, we try to answer why certain craniofacial syndromes have associated hand anomalies through an examination of the common factors in development and maldevelopment of these two very complex structures. In general, we conclude that the common factors responsible for patients with craniofacial syndromes that have associated hand anomalies are the common time course of development of these two structures and certain mutations of genes controlling limb and craniofacial development. This article attempts to elucidate the sequence and crucial factors responsible for proper limb growth, as we understand it today. The most common craniofacial syndromes that include craniosynostosis and upper extremity anomalies are presented. These are Aperts, Saethre-Chotzen, Pfeiffers, and Carpenters syndromes. As we discuss each of these syndromes, basic principles regarding the surgical correction of the associated hand anomalies are described. We hope that this overview serves to give the pediatrician and the craniofacial specialist general guidelines for what to look for and expect in the hands and upper extremities of children under their care.

Replantation in the pediatric hand.

Replantation in the pediatric hand is not an uncommon procedure, and it is 1 of the most common microsurgical operations in children. Microsurgeons should be aware of the indications and technical issues involving pediatric patients because there are differences compared to adult patients. In general, pediatric patients can be approached in a liberal and aggressive manner, but they tend to be more technically challenging. This review attempts to describe the various considerations in dealing with these patients to provide a framework for surgical management. Based on a survey of the literature, replantation has been a successful procedure in the pediatric population and has become a mainstay of treatment because it provides a better functional and aesthetic outcome.

Controversies in the diagnosis and treatment of pediatric brachial plexus injuries.

Brachial plexus injuries have a steady occurrence in the pediatric population from a variety of sources. The various approaches taken to diagnosing and treating this injury have long been fraught with controversy. This has been compounded with advances in medical technology and surgical techniques. Our paper attempts to give a short discussion of the epidemiology of brachial plexus injuries and delineate the specific controversies that exist in diagnosis and treatment.

Tendon injuries in the pediatric hand.

Injuries to the flexor and extensor tendons in the hand are common and require cautious evaluation and treatment or repair. Flexor tendon injuries are often associated with neurovascular injury and thus must be considered in the differential workup. Extensor injuries may involve intra-articular damage, which must also be identified. The diagnosis and management of common flexor and extensor tendon injuries of the hand are described.

Vascular anomalies of the upper extremity in children.

Vascular malformations in the pediatric upper extremity remain a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge. Recent knowledge about diagnosis and treatment is provided including specific markers, imaging techniques, and management.

Improved esthetic results with fine-tip Dermabond application technique.

Tissue glues and adhesives have achieved increasing popularity as alternatives to small wound closure. When applying these substances, it is often difficult to avoid contact with the surrounding skin and foreign objects such as surgical gloves. A technique for the application of Dermabond is described in this report. Twenty wounds less than 10 cm in length were reapproximated using a fine-tip tuberculin syringe applicator. The wounds were evaluated immediately after the application, and 2, 4, and 6 weeks after surgery. Use of the tuberculin fine-tip technique allowed reapproximation of the wound edges with no clinical evidence of surrounding tissue damage. There were no apparent decreases in wound strength or associated discoloration or fuzziness onto the skin. Esthetic results were considered good to excellent by patients. Dermabond can be accurately applied with a tuberculin syringe, avoiding the surrounding tissue damage and foreign object adhesion reported in the literature.