OBJECTIVE Auricular defects are challenging to reconstruct with native tissue. We describe operative techniques and complication management for patients undergoing osseointegrated implants for auriculectomy defects and microtia. SETTING Tertiary referral center. PATIENTS All patients at Duke University Medical Center with auricular defects treated with osseointegrated implants for prostheti...

We noted enlargement of the internal auditory canal in several of our patients with posterior fossa malformations, hemangiomas, arterial anomalies, cardiac defects, eye abnormalities, and sternal or supraumbilical defects (PHACES) association and hence evaluated children with PHACES for the presence of an enlarged internal auditory canal and potential associated findings, including infantile he...

BACKGROUND Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBO) promotes osseous healing, however the mechanism by which this occurs has not been elucidated. HBO may promote angiogenesis, which is vital for bone healing. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is one of the key factors that stimulates angiogenesis. OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was to investigate whether HBO altered VEGF expression duri...

The membranous bones of the mammalian skull vault arise from discrete condensations of neural crest- and mesodermally-derived cells. Recently, a number of homeodomain transcription factors have been identified as critical regulators of this process. Here, we show that the homeoprotein engrailed 1 (EN1) is expressed during embryonic and perinatal craniofacial bone development, where it localizes...

The aim was to investigate the local osteogenic effect of fluvastatin incorporated into a biodegradable gelatin-hydrogel (GH) scaffold. The GH scaffolds were prepared through crosslinking by ultraviolet irradiation followed by freeze-drying. Two circular defects were surgically created on fifteen-week-old male rats calvaria. All defects of each rat were randomly filled with two of three treatme...

BACKGROUND Calvarial hemangiomas are one of the rarest neoplasms affecting the skull, predominantly occurring in parietal and frontal bones. CASE DESCRIPTION We report a parietal hemangioma in a middle-aged female which presented as a painless swelling that was progressively increasing in size and was treated surgically. CONCLUSION Although rare, calvarial hemangioma should be a part of the...