OBJECTIVE To compare the platysma flap with submental flap in terms of tumor and flap characteristics, operative properties and the functional outcomes. METHODS A total of 65 patients presented with tumors of head and neck and underwent curative tumor resection with different neck dissections at the Department of Oromaxillofacial-Head and Neck Surgery, School of Stomatology of China Medical U...

INTRODUCTION This study aims to evaluate the outcome and safety of the deep inferior epigastric perforator (DIEP) flap for breast reconstruction in a group of Southeast Asian women treated in our unit and to identify risk factors for breast reconstruction using the DIEP flap in this population. MATERIALS AND METHODS This is a prospective study on 50 consecutive DIEP flap breast reconstruction...

BACKGROUND Free muscle flaps are a mainstay for reconstruction of distal third leg wounds and for large lower extremity wounds with exposed bone. However a major problem is the significant postoperative flap swelling, which may take months to resolve. We studied the efficacy and safety of immediate application of a vacuum assisted closure (VAC) dressing after a free muscle flap to the lower ext...

The dimensions of local flaps are often limited by the vascular supply to the distal aspect of the flap. Distal flap necrosis occurs if the vascular supply is inadequate. The purpose of this study was to investigate the use of iontophoretic delivery of nitric oxide (NO) donors to a local skin flap model to improve the survival area of the flap. Thirty-two male Sprague-Dawley rats (300 g) were d...

The synthesis of leukotrienes in human blood neutrophils chiefly relies on the activity of two enzymes, phospholipase A2 and 5-lipoxygenase (5-LO). In turn, the activation of the 5-LO requires the participation of a recently characterized membrane-bound protein, the 5-LO-activating protein (FLAP). In this study, we have investigated conditions under which FLAP expression in neutrophils may be m...

BACKGROUND Clinical experience suggests that granulation tissue may be inhibited by coverage with a musculocutaneous flap. We hypothesized that coverage of an open wound with a musculocutaneous flap would result in regression and apoptosis of the wound's granulation tissue. METHODS In the first experiment, 32 rats underwent excisional wounding; 16 underwent musculocutaneous flap coverage of t...

PURPOSE To describe stromal changes after a femtosecond laser laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis (LASIK) flap was created but not separated. DESIGN Case report. METHODS As part of a randomized paired-eye study comparing LASIK flap creation by a femtosecond laser to a mechanical microkeratome, a femtosecond laser flap was successfully created on one eye of one patient, but the flap was no...

In recent developments in the repair of large surgical defects where simple flap rotation may have been previously employed, myocutaneous flaps are being used because of functional advantages and to decrease the number of reconstructive procedures. The authors have employed myocutaneous flaps in 40 cases from January 1980 until April 1985 at Presbyterian Medical Center in Chonju. The primary di...

In 1952, Bjork created an inferior based tracheal flap through 2nd, 3rd and 4th tracheal ring which was later fixed to skin to secure the lumen of a tracheotomy tube. [1] Following this Bjork flap, many studies came which cited various complications or drawbacks for this flap. However, various studies have also reported no added risk and absence of complications associated with this. A recent g...

Okazaki fragments are initiated by short RNA/DNA primers, which are displaced into flap intermediates for processing. Flap endonuclease 1 (FEN1) and Dna2 are responsible for flap cleavage. Replication protein A (RPA)-bound flaps inhibit cleavage by FEN1 but stimulate Dna2, requiring that Dna2 cleaves prior to FEN1. Upon cleavage, Dna2 leaves a short flap, which is then cut by FEN1 forming a nic...