Burn Management: The Role of Tissue Expansion

Selective Scalp Nerve Block: A Useful Technique With Tissue Expansion in Postburn Pediatric Alopecia

BACKGROUND

Scalp defects can be reconstructed either with skin graft, local flaps, free flaps, or tissue expansion. Tissue expanders have been proved to be fruitful in the pediatric population. Scalp expansion has proved to be useful in the reconstruction of posttraumatic and postburn alopecic defects. Selective nerve block can be added for attenuation of sympathetic stimulation and decrease surgical stress in cranial surgeries. In this study, a comparison was done between using selective nerve block and without selective nerve block in both stages of tissue expansion procedure.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

This study included 32 different children who underwent tissue expansions in the management of postburn alopecia. Pediatric patients presented with postburn alopecia of the scalp with mature scar were included in this work.

RESULTS

Postoperative analgesics were less in children who had received scalp block, whereas it was shorter in patients who did not receive any scalp block. Meperidine consumption was much more less in patients who received selective scalp nerve block. Pain score was markedly decreased in children who had received selective scalp nerve block in the immediate postoperative period. Children who received scalp block showed marked attenuation in the surgical stress responses with minimal changes in heart rate and mean arterial blood pressure after skin incision.

CONCLUSIONS

Scalp nerve block is considered an excellent choice for postoperative pain control with less need for opioid analgesia.

A novel approach to soft-tissue repair: reoverexpanded flaps

Postburn sequelae or excisional defect reconstruction after significant burn injury or resection of giant hairy nevus continues to be a significant challenge for the reconstructive surgeon. Unfortunately, the quality and quantity of available tissue for the repair of extensive defects is often limited. The techniques of tissue expansion have been used for many years to expand normal skin adjacent to the defect for the reconstruction of even wider defects in various parts of the body with its numerous advantages.Nine patients in whom reoverexpanded neighboring skin flaps were used to improve the capacity of wider soft-tissue defect coverage for postburn scar revision or excisional defect of giant hairy nevus in the various parts of the body is reported here.

Management of difficult pediatric facial burns: reconstruction of burn-related lower eyelid ectropion and perioral contractures

Despite significant burn treatment advances, modern multidisciplinary care, and improved survival after burns, facial burn scars remain clinically challenging. Achieving a successful reconstruction requires a comprehensive approach, entailing many advanced techniques with an emphasis on preserving function and balancing intricate aesthetic requirements. Pediatric facial burns present the same reconstructive challenges seen in adults, with additional developmental and psychologic concerns. In this paper, we describe the basic principals of facial burn care in the pediatric burn population, with a specific focus on lower-eyelid burn ectropion and oral commissure burn scar contracture leading to microstomia. Several cases are demonstrated.

Endoscopic versus Open Tissue-Expander Placement: Is Less Invasive Better?

BACKGROUND

Skin tissue expansion provides an excellent option for reconstruction of large cutaneous defects. Unfortunately, the complication rate with tissue-expander reconstruction is very high. One potential alternative to reduce these complications and improve recovery time is to place the tissue expanders endoscopically. The authors hypothesize that endoscopic placement of tissue expanders will reduce the complication rate, operative time, and time to full expansion.

METHODS

Sixty-nine patients have undergone 81 surgical procedures for placement of 202 tissue expanders over the past 8 years at the University of Michigan Health System. The charts for all patients were reviewed retrospectively and the data analyzed to evaluate outcomes following open and endoscopic tissue-expander placement.

RESULTS

Fifty-one patients underwent open placement of 127 tissue expanders for reconstruction, whereas 18 patients underwent endoscopic placement of 75 expanders. The average operative time for placement of each expander was significantly reduced in the endoscopic group (34.0 minutes) compared with the open group (49.2 minutes) (p < 0.0001). The major complication rate per tissue expander was also reduced in the endoscopically placed expander group (2.7 percent) compared with the open group (22.0 percent) (p = 0.0000056). Time to full expansion and length of hospital stay were also significantly reduced in the endoscopic group (p < 0.05 and p < 0.005, respectively).

CONCLUSIONS

Endoscopic tissue-expander placement significantly reduced operative time for placement of each expander, major complication rate, time to full expansion, and length of hospital stay for this reconstructive technique. The authors conclude that endoscopic placement of tissue expanders is a safe and effective method for tissue-expander reconstructions of large, difficult wounds.

Tissue expansion in burn sequelae repair

Burns may cause emotional, aesthetic and functional sequelae. Extended or hypertrophic scars are usually difficult to repair using local tissues, and the use of skin grafts may cause further injuries to the donor sites. The use of tissue expanders may offer a better option in the treatment of burn sequelae. This is a report on our experience using tissue expanders in 54 cases (23 patients) of burn sequelae located in different anatomical areas. Fourteen of the patients were female and nine male ranging in age between 5 and 48. The expanders were placed in the subgaleal, submuscular, subfascial or subcutaneous planes. Skin expansion was completed in 50 cases (92.5%). The injured area was removed by advancement flaps in 44 cases and by transposition flaps in 6 of them. Primary expansion was performed in 42 cases and reexpansion in 12. The rate of complications was 24.07%, of which 30.8% were considered to be absolute and 69.2% relative. Tissue expansion is an excellent option for burn sequelae treatment because it provides skin of similar local characteristics and does not damage the donor site. The procedure can be repeated in the event of major sequelae (reexpansion).

Tissue expansion in pediatric patients

Tissue expansion has become a well-recognized technique for reconstructing a wide variety of skin and soft tissue defects. Its application in the pediatric population has allowed the plastic surgeon to achieve functional and aesthetic goals that were previously unobtainable. This technique can be applied to a variety of reconstructive problems, including the management of giant congenital nevi and the secondary reconstruction of extensive burn scars. This article reviews the use of tissue expansion in the pediatric population, with particular emphasis on indications, operative technique, and regional considerations. The authors also address concerns that have been expressed about the complications associated with this technique.

Pediatric tissue expansion: indications and complications

Tissue expansion has become a major reconstructive modality in the past 30 years. Its application in the pediatric population has allowed the plastic surgeon to achieve functional and esthetic goals that were previously unobtainable. Tissue expansion is a major treatment modality in the management of giant congenital nevi and secondary reconstruction of extensive burn scars, allowing sensate tissue of similar color, texture, and thickness to be used to resurface the affected areas. One must be prepared for complications when using tissue expanders, however, because complications are inherent in the process of expanding skin utilizing repeated filling of implanted foreign bodies. Complication rates increase when serial expansion of the same tissues is performed repeatedly or if expanders are placed in the lower extremities. Outcomes are dependent on thorough planning, meticulous technique, close follow-up, and patient compliance. Tissue expansion has revolutionized plastic surgery in the last 30 years. This technique can be applied to a considerable breadth of reconstructive problems in the pediatric population. Tissue expansion has permitted the plastic surgeon to achieve the goals of reconstruction with tissue of similar color, texture, and thickness, with minimal donor site morbidity. Preservation of sensation in a durable flap has allowed the surgeon to achieve acceptable functional as well as esthetic goals simultaneously.

Reconstruction of Complex Scalp Defects

OBJECTIVE

To demonstrate the use of multiple, large, local flaps in the reconstruction of large scalp defects.

METHODS

A retrospective review of 4 cases in which the "banana peel" method of scalp reconstruction, originally described by Orticochea, was used as a method for closure of moderately large to extensive scalp defects.

RESULTS

In all 4 cases, closure of the scalp defects was accomplished. Major morbidity included hair-bearing skin in the forehead in 1 patient, an inconsequential small flap dehiscence requiring closure in the same patient, and a partial loss of a small skin graft to a donor site defect in 1 patient.

CONCLUSIONS

While other techniques may be optimal for the management of most scalp defects, such as 1- to 2-flap rotation-advancement flaps in small to moderate-size defects and microvascular free tissue transfer and secondary tissue expansion for larger defects, we conclude that the multiple-flap reconstruction method as described by Orticochea may be useful in a small subset of patients. The latter includes older, severely debilitated patients who would be optimally treated with microvascular tissue transfer but cannot tolerate lengthy general anesthesia and young patients who will not accept a significant area of alopecia that might exist with other techniques, such as secondary intention, skin grafts, or free flaps.

Applications of endoscopic surgery in pediatric patients

Although the advent of endoscopic technology is expanding the fields of reconstructive and aesthetic surgery in adults, there have been few reports of the use of this technology in the pediatric population. Because of their minimally invasive nature, yet wide range of exposure, endoscopic techniques have much appeal for this age group. Here we present our experience with endoscopic pediatric plastic surgery. From February of 1995 to August of 1997, 104 patients underwent 139 procedures utilizing 5- and 10-mm endoscopes. There were 58 male and 46 female patients. The mean age at surgery was 5.6 years (range, 3 weeks to 19 years). The most common type of procedures performed were insertion of tissue expanders (n = 34), excision of benign head and neck masses (n = 27), torticollis release (n = 20), excision of vascular lesions (n = 13), and miscellaneous procedures, (n = 10). There were 26 complications in 139 procedures (19 percent). Seventeen (65 percent) were in the tissue expander group. The rest were scattered among the groups with other diagnoses. Although there did not appear to be a specific type of complication associated with endoscopy, 77 percent occurred in the first 2 months of our study. This suggests a relatively steep technical learning curve. These results demonstrate that endoscopic techniques are eminently applicable in the pediatric population, providing the benefits of small and remote incisional wounds, with complication rates that are comparable with those of conventional open surgical treatment.

The use of tissue expansion in children with burns of the head and neck

The outcome of 25 children who underwent reconstruction of the head and neck with tissue expanders is described. Fourteen boys and 11 girls with a mean age of 6.2 years (range 3-11 years) had 36 tissue expanders inserted. Five of the expanders extruded and five children suffered other expander-related complications. The best aesthetic results were achieved in the scalp and the poorest results occurred where expanded neck skin was transposed into the face. Tissue expansion is a useful method for reconstruction of the head and neck in burned children. However patients require careful selection in order to achieve optimal results. Meticulous attention to detail is required to reduce the incidence of complications.

Cranio-maxillo-facial tissue expansion, experimentally based or clinically empiric? A review of the literature

The literature over 10 years covering tissue expansion in cranio-maxillo-facial surgery is reviewed. Since 1981, an evolving set of indications for application of the soft-tissue expansion technique has been published. However, it seems to be based much more on clinical experience (empiricism) than on the results of thorough experimental research. The direction of future research should be aimed at effects on bone, cartilage and mucosa at a microscopical level, and at the influence on growth and development of cranio-maxillo-facial structures.