Surgical reconstruction of the external nose: Alar rotational and hinged flap techniques for facial cleft Tessier 0-1 with lipoma on dorsal nasal region - A case report

INTRODUCTION AND IMPORTANCE

Tessier Craniofacial Clefts Numbers 0 and 1 represent unique facial deformities, with Number 0 involving midline structure hypoplasia and Number 1 exhibiting features like a notched soft triangle and affected alar dome. These anomalies can extend near the midline, leading to complications like telecanthus, necessitating innovative surgical strategies for reconstruction.

CASE PRESENTATION

A five-month-old girl presented with Tessier 0 and 1 clefts and a dorsal nasal lipoma, challenging traditional repair methods due to structural limitations. This case required a comprehensive approach, including aesthetic excision of the lipoma and reconstruction of both the internal and external aspects of the nose.

CLINICAL DISCUSSION

The patient underwent successful nasal reconstruction using a transpositional alar flap with a pedicle from the angular artery and a hinge flap for the inner lining. The procedure involved cranial dissection through the flap incision for lipoma excision. This case highlights the complexity of nasal reconstruction in the presence of facial clefts and demonstrates the effectiveness of the alar transpositional flap as a viable technique for achieving aesthetically pleasing outcomes.

CONCLUSION

The case underscores the necessity for precise surgical planning and execution to address both cosmetic and functional aspects of nasal defects in facial cleft patients.

Honey dressing for penile skin avulsion caused by traditional circumcision: a case report

OBJECTIVE

Penile skin avulsion is a rare complication of circumcision but commonly encountered as the result of traditional practice. We aimed to present the use of honey dressing and the benefit of its wound healing properties for management of such a complex wound.

CASE

A 24-year-old male patient with penile bleeding presented to the emergency department after undergoing traditional circumcision. Complete degloving of the penis with active bleeding and foul odour, along with heavy contamination of chewed betel leaves and powdered amoxicillin was found. Honey (Madu Nusantara, PT. Madu Nusantara, Indonesia) was used as dressing after copious irrigation using saline and povidone-iodine with bleeding control.

RESULTS

Honey dressing was shown to be effective for secondary wound healing of such a complicated and contaminated wound-in this case due to its antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, immunostimulatory and autolytic debridement properties. A complete re-epithelialisation of the wound was achieved without progression to the hard-to-heal state by day 43. Suboptimal sexual function and aesthetic result due to wound contracture were observed as surgical reconstruction via split-thickness skin graft was refused due to cost.

CONCLUSION

In this case report, honey dressing was shown to be effective for wound healing, even in a penile avulsion with complete skin loss and heavy contamination. In rural settings, where penile avulsion due to traditional circumcision is common, honey should be considered as one of the dressing choices.

Cleft lip and palate surgery during COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia: a 36-month experience at the Bandung Cleft Lip and Palate Center

BACKGROUND

In Indonesia, the prevalence of cleft lip and palate increased from 0.08% to 0.12% between 2013 and 2018. Children with cleft deformities typically undergo staged surgery. However, the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has had negative impacts on the healthcare sector, including the suspension of elective procedures; this has raised concerns about the safety of performing surgery and the functional consequences of delaying treatment, the latter of which is associated with poor prognosis. The purpose of this study was to report the characteristics of clefts treated by the Bandung Cleft Lip and Palate Center team during the pandemic period.

METHODS

This brief comparative study based on a chart review was conducted at the Bandung Cleft Lip and Palate Center. We statistically evaluated data from all patients treated between September 2018 and August 2021. Frequency analysis was performed to analyze the average number of each procedure by age before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

RESULTS

Data from 18-month periods before (n = 460) and during (n = 423) the pandemic were compared. Cheiloplasty procedures were examined (pre-pandemic, n = 230; pandemic, n = 248); before the pandemic, 86.1% were performed according to the treatment protocol (patient < 1 year old), and this proportion non-significantly dropped to 80.6% during the pandemic (p = 0.904). Palatoplasty procedures were also compared (pre-pandemic, n = 160; pandemic, n = 139); the treatment protocol (patient 0.5-2 years old) was followed for 65.5% of procedures before the pandemic and 75.5% during the pandemic (p = 0.509). Additionally, 70 (mean age, 7.94 years) revision and other procedures were performed before the pandemic and 36 (mean age, 8.52 years) during the pandemic.

CONCLUSION

The cleft procedures performed at the Bandung Cleft Lip and Palate Center did not significantly change during the COVID-19 pandemic.