BACKGROUND Reconstruction of scalp and calvarial defects after tumor ablation frequently requires prosthetic cranioplasty and cutaneous coverage. Furthermore, patients often have advanced disease and receive perioperative radiotherapy. We evaluated the complications of scalp reconstruction with a free latissimus dorsi muscle flap in this setting. METHODS The complications and the oncologic an...

BACKGROUND A Shuxuetong injection is traditionally used in Chinese medicine to treat "blood stasis and stagnation" (yu xue yu zhi). We investigated the effect of such injection on the survival of random skin flaps. METHODS McFarlane flaps were established in 60 rats divided into two groups. Postoperative celiac injections were given to both groups for 7 days. Shuxuetong was injected into the ...

PURPOSE To investigate the effect of Botulinum toxin A (BoNTA) on skin flap viability in healthy, tobacco-exposed and diabetic rats. METHODS Ninety male Wistar rats (250-300g) were randomly divided into six groups: control+saline (C1), control+BoNTA (C2), tobacco-exposed+saline (T1), tobacco-exposed+BoNTA (T2) diabetes+saline (D1) and diabetes+BoNTA (D2). A dorsal cutaneous flap (3×10cm) was ...

INTRODUCTION Xeroderma pigmentosa (XP) is a hereditary disease characterized by deficient repair of DNA damage that occurred on exposure of the skin to ultraviolet irradiation. The affected children have a propensity to develop multiple skin cancers mainly in the face and eventually die before the age of 20. HYPOTHESIS Allograft replacement of facial skin by a healthy skin from normal person ...

BACKGROUND Necrosis of skin flaps is considered as an important complication in reconstructive surgery. We conducted an experimental study to investigate the efficacy of low-molecular weight heparin, clopidogrel and their combination to improve the flap survival. METHODS Forty male, adult Sprague-Dawlay rats were divided randomly into 4 groups. Standard rectangular, distally based dorsal rand...

OBJECTIVE To assess the time-dependent treatment effects of extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) in a standard rodent ischemic epigastric flap model. BACKGROUND ESWT has been shown to accelerate tissue repair in acute and chronic wounds and improve graft survival, but the mechanism remains incompletely understood. METHODS Shock waves at 0.1 mJ/mm and 5 impulses/s (total 300 impulses) we...

IMPORTANCE Appropriate coverage of defects that expose tendon, joints, and/or neurovascular structures is necessary to preserve optimal hand function. Local, random-pattern flaps and skin grafts may be inadequate because of the hand's finite skin reservoir or the presence of a poorly vascularized and mobile wound bed. Described herein is a novel method of dorsal hand reconstruction. OBSERVATI...

Plock JA, Rafatmehr N, Sinovcic D, Schnider J, Sakai H, Tsuchida E, Banic A, Erni D. Hemoglobin vesicles improve wound healing and tissue survival in critically ischemic skin in mice. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol 297: H905–H910, 2009. First published July 2, 2009; doi:10.1152/ajpheart.00430.2009.—Local hypoxia, as due to trauma, surgery, or arterial occlusive disease, may severely jeopardize...