• Journal of the Korean Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons
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• v.47 no.6
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• pp.427-431
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• 2021

Objectives: The aim of this study was to describe a simple, convenient, and reliable new technique using local full-thickness skin graft (FTSG) for skin coverage of a donor-site defect of the radial forearm free flap (RFFF). Patients and Methods: Between April 2016 and April 2021, five patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma underwent mass resection combined with RFFF reconstruction. After RFFF harvesting, donor-site defects were restored by proportional local FTSG. Results: The donor-site defects ranged in size from 24 to 41.25 cm², with a mean of 33.05 cm². Good or acceptable esthetic outcomes were obtained in all five patients. There was no dehiscence, skin necrosis, wound infection, or severe scarring at the graft site through the end of the postoperative follow-up period, and no patient had any specific functional complaint. Conclusion: The proportional local FTSG showed promising results for skin coverage of the donor-site defect of the RFFF. This technique could decrease the need for skin grafts from other sites.

• Archives of Craniofacial Surgery
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.13-18
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• 2010

Purpose: Nasal defect can be caused by excision of tumor, trauma, inflammation from foreign body reaction. Nose is located in the middle of face and protruded, reconstruction should be done in harmony with size, shape, color, and textures. We report various methods of nasal reconstruction using local flaps. Methods: From March 1998 to July 2008, 36 patients were operated to reconstruct the nasal defects. Causes of the nasal defects were tumor (18 cases), trauma (11 cases), inflammation from foreign body reaction (5 cases) and congenital malformation (2 cases). The sites of the defects were ala (22 cases), nasal tip (8 cases) and dorsum (6 cases). The thickness of the defects was skin only (5 cases), dermis and cartilagenous layer (7 cases) and full-thickness (24 cases). According to the sites and thickness of the defects, various local flaps were used. Most of alar defects were covered by nasolabial flaps or bilobed flaps and the majority of dorsal and tip defects were covered by paramedian forehead flaps. Small defects below $0.25 cm^2$ were covered with composite graft or full-thickness skin graft. Results: The follow-up period was 14 months. Partial flap necrosis was observed in a case, and one case of infection was reported, it was improved by wound revision and antibiotics. Nasal reconstruction with various local flaps could provide satisfactory results in terms of color and texture match. Conclusion: The important factors of nasal reconstruction are the shape of reconstructed nose, color, and texture. Nasolabial flap is appropriate method for alar or columellar reconstruction and nasolabial island flap is suitable for tip defect. The defect located lateral wall could be reconstructed with bilobed flap for natural color and texture. Skin graft should be considered when the defect could not afford to be covered by adjacent local flap. And entire nasal defect or large defect could be reconstructed by paramedian forehead flap.

• Archives of Plastic Surgery
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• v.34 no.5
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• pp.587-592
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• 2007

Purpose: In case of postburn flexion contracture of the fingers, skin graft, geometrical relaxation techniques, local flap, and free flap have been used. Among these procedures, full-thickness skin grafts from the inguinal area are widely used to reconstruct a postburn flexion contracture in the fingers. But there are many esthetic and functional problems in this procedure. Especially, hyperpigmentation of the skin-grafted fingers poses a troublesome problem, particularly in the patients who have dark colored skin. To solve the problem, we have used pulp graft which was harvested from the lateral aspect of great toe. In the present study, we report pulp graft, with which we have obtained a good result in the treatment of postburn flexion contracture of the fingers. Methods: Between September of 2004 and August of 2006, great toe pulp graft was performed to 20 sites of 15 patients. After release of the postburn flexion contracture using Z-plasty, the composite tissue (pulp) harvested from the lateral aspect of great toe was grafted on the raw surface. Moisture dressing with ointment and foam dressing material was performed. Stratum corneum of the graft got stripped off in two to four weeks after pulp graft. The color of the pulp graft was slightly reddish, then it became similar to the adjacent tissue. Results: There was complete take in all the patients who were treated with pulp graft. Great toe pulp graft provided similar color and texture to the adjacent skin, high rate of graft take, and left only a minimal scar at donor site. Conclusion: Thick keratin layer and inelastic nature of the pulp make this type of the graft much easier and simpler, and ensure a better take. Pulp graft is useful method for the reconstruction of the postburn flexion contracture in fingers.

• Archives of Plastic Surgery
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• v.33 no.5
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• pp.541-545
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• 2006

Purpose: There are many methods for the reconstruction of the facial defect after an excision of a skin cancer; such as skin graft, local flap, free flap, etc... Skin graft has its' limitations; it could remain in different color with in regards of the recipient to donor, with an unfavorable scar. Free flap can lead to big donor site morbidity with long operation time and uncontrolled scar as a disadvantage factor. Compared to the prior, local flap offers several merits; sufficient blood supply, good tissue quality and short operation time. We revised 'V-Y-S flap' for the facial defect, which proved to have favorable outcomes. Methods: Total 7 V-Y-S flaps were performed to patients with skin cancers(six squamous cell carcinoma and one basal cell carcinoma). Two of these flaps were combined with composite grafts, one with full thickness skin graft. Six patients were female and one male. The average diameter of defects after excision was 2.3 cm. The follow-up period was 18 months maximally. Results: We treated seven facial skin cancers with 'V-Y-S flap'. There were no flap necrosis, cancer recurrence and scar contracture as a result. Furthermore, this method also offers a favorable central scar line that is parallel to the nasolabial fold and the nasojugal groove, especially in the nasolabial area and superomedial side of the cheek. With this method, we could cover a maximum diameter of 4cm facial defect. Conclusion: In conclusion, it is suggested that V-Y-S flap is a useful method to cover facial defects after the excision of a skin cancer.

• Archives of Craniofacial Surgery
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.107-110
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• 2013

Background: Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is the most common skin cancer. About 74% cases of basal cell cancer occur on the head and neck. Basal cell carcinoma on the face may have a higher degree of subclinical spread than tumors arising elsewhere. And incompletely excised BCCs become more aggressive when they recur. So the surgical removal and reconstruction of BCC located on the face are important to make perfect curing and cosmetic results. Methods: A retrospective study was done with 128 patients (137 cancers) who were treated with BCC on the face since 1987 to 2011. General data of these cases such as the primary site of cancer, age and sex of the patients, operative methods, and recurrence rate were reviewed. Results: The ratio of men to women was 1:1.4. And 86.9% of the patients with BCC were older than the age of 50 years with the mean age of 65.8 years. The distribution of facial basal cell carcinoma was on the nose, eyelids, cheek, and nasolabial fold. Surgical methods for treatment were local flap, full thickness skin graft, primary closure, and split thickness skin graft. Specifically, local flap consists of V-Y advancement flap, cheek advancement flap, limberg flap, forehead flap, nasolabial flap, rotation flap, transposition flap, bilobed flap, and island flap. Six cases recurred and all of them were treated with reoperation. Conclusion: The authors reviewed facial basal cell carcinoma cases in our hospital. This study might be helpful to choose appropriate operation method to manage BCC on face in Korea.

• Archives of Plastic Surgery
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.451-457
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• 2011

Purpose: As a central feature of the face, the nose has considerable significance in appearance and expression. Reconstruction of full thickness defects of the nasal ala has always been a challenge because of the 3-dimensional structure. For reconstruction of post burn defects of ala, skin graft, local or pedicled flap and composite graft are optionally available. We have reconstructed the ala defects using adiposocutaneous graft and observed the outcome. Methods: From March 2003 to December 2010, 19 cases in 11 patients with scar contracture and defect on ala portion were performed operation using adiposocutaneous graft. As a donor site, we used the inguinal crease and posterior auricular area and the donor site was primarily closed. We made incision through the superior rim of ala and released fully. A graft is applied to recipient site with larger size than recipient volume. Results: The mean age of the patient was 38.6 years (16~51), males are seven patients and females are four patients. The operation was performed bilaterally in 5 patients and unilaterally in 6 patients. Composite grafts were harvested from inguinal area in 13 cases and posterior auricular area in 6 cases. In one case, we did 4 times of operation to get enough volume. All the grafts were well taken. The mean size of the graft was 3.63 $cm^2$. Conclusion: For reconstruction of post burn defects of ala, it's not easy to use local flap or pedicled flap because of hardness and fibrosis of surrounding tissue. So, we choose adiposocutaneous graft for ala deformity reconstruction, got satisfactory outcome in color matching and texture.

• Archives of Craniofacial Surgery
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.85-92
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• 2021

Background: Patients with secondary deformities associated with unilateral cleft lip and nose might also suffer from nostril stenosis due to a lack of tissue volume in the nostril on the cleft side. Here, we used full-thickness skin grafts (FTSGs) to reduce nostril stenosis and various methods for skin volume augmentation. We compared the changes in the symmetry of both nostrils before and after surgery. Methods: From February 2016 to January 2020, 34 patients underwent secondary cheiloplasty and open rhinoplasty for secondary deformities of the unilateral cleft lip and nose with nostril stenosis. FTSG was used on the nostril floor, nasal columella, and alar inner lining. The measured nasal profile included the nostril surface, nostril circumference, width of the nostril floor, and distance from the alar-facial groove to the nasal tip. The "overlap area," which was defined as the largest overlapping area when the image of the cleft nostril was flipped to the left and right and overlaid on the image of the normal side nostril, was also calculated. The degree of symmetry was evaluated by dividing the value of the cleft side by that of the normal side of each measured profile and expressed as "ratios." Results: The results of all profile ratios, except for the nostril floor width, became significantly close to 1, which represents full symmetry. The overlap area ratio improved from 62.7% to 77.3%, meaning that the length and width of the nostril as well as the overall shape became similar (p< 0.05). Conclusion: When performing cleft rhinoplasty with nostril stenosis, FTSG is useful to achieve symmetry in the nostril size and shape. Skin grafting is simpler to perform than the other types of local flap, and the results are generally satisfactory.

• Archives of Plastic Surgery
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• v.35 no.3
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• pp.261-266
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• 2008

Purpose: The incidence of skin cancer is increasing throughout the world including Asian countries such as Korea. Still there are only limited reports of the clinical features of skin cancer in Korea, especially in the fields of plastic surgery. This study is to demonstrate the recent clinical trends of skin cancer and the treatment of skin cancer in Korea by analyzing a single institution's experience. Methods: During a 11-year period, 370 patients visited our department for the excision of skin cancer. Data of the patients such as histopathologic diagnosis, primary site of the tumor, age and sex of the patient, operative methods were reviewed retrospectively. Results: We had 370 patients, 215 men and 155 women. The ages ranged from 10 to 95 years with a mean of 58.8 years. A total of 143 patients were diagnosed as basal cell carcinoma, while 100 were malignant melanoma, 80 were squamous cell carcinoma, 17 were dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans, and 30 were other miscellaneous skin cancers. Local flaps were the most frequently used reconstructive method after wide excision of the cancer, which was followed by primary closure, split-thickness skin graft, free flap and full-thickness skin graft. Conclusion: There was a gradual increase in the incidence of skin cancer after the year 2000. Basal cell carcinoma had the highest incidence which frequently involved the sun-exposed regions in the old ages. Malignant melanoma showed a relatively high incidence compared with other previous studies in Korea. The extremities were the most frequent location for malignant melanoma. Clinical features of other various skin cancers were also reported in this study. The reconstructive method highly depends on the primary site of the cancer, while local flaps were the mostly used operative technique.

• Archives of Plastic Surgery
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• v.43 no.1
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• pp.26-31
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• 2016

Background The global prevalence of myelomeningocele has been reported to be 0.8-1 per 1,000 live births. Early closure of the defect is considered to be the standard of care. Various surgical methods have been reported, such as primary skin closure, local skin flaps, musculocutaneous flaps, and skin grafts. The aim of this study was to describe the clinical characteristics of myelomeningocele defects and present the surgical outcomes of recent cases of myelomeningocele at our institution. Methods Patients who underwent surgical closure of myelomeningocele at our institution from January 2004 to December 2013 were included in this study. A retrospective chart review of their medical records was performed, and comorbidities, defect size, location, surgical procedures, complications, and the final results were analyzed. Results A total of 14 patients underwent surgical closure for myelomeningocele defects. Twelve cases were closed with direct skin repair, while two cases required local skin flaps to cover the skin defects. Three cases of infection occurred, requiring incision and either drainage or removal of allogenic materials. One case of partial flap necrosis occurred, requiring secondary revision using a rotational flap and a full-thickness skin graft. Despite these complications, all wounds eventually healed completely. Conclusions Most myelomeningocele defects can be managed by direct skin repair alone. In cases of large defects, in which direct repair is not possible, local flaps may be used to cover the defect. Complications such as wound dehiscence and partial flap necrosis occurred in this study; however, all such complications were successfully managed with simple ancillary procedures.

• Archives of Plastic Surgery
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• v.33 no.6
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• pp.784-788
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• 2006

Purpose: For the reconstruction of the ankle joint as well as the soft tissue defect in the distal lower leg, a free flap or a local flap has been used, and because of the condition of patients, if a complex microvascular surgery under general anesthesia could not be performed, it could be reconstructed by using the distally based lateral supramalleolar fascio-cutaneous island flap using the perforating branch of the peroneal artery in the ankle area. Methods: The study subjects were 4 male patients between 53 years and 73 years of age. 2 cases were tissue defect in the medial malleolus area due to systemic diseases such as gouty arthritis accompanied traffic accident, diabetes mellitus foot, atherosclerotic obliterans, etc., 1 case was the defect in the pretibia area, and 1 case was the defect underneath the lateral malleolus, which was reconstructed by the distally based lateral supramalleolar fascio-cutaneous island flap. The donor area was the skin harvested from the groin, and the full thickness skin graft was performed. The size of the flap varied from $4{\times}3cm$ to $9{\times}6cm$. As the flap border, the medial side was to the tibialis anterior tendon, the lateral side was to the fibula crest, and the proximal area was less than the fibula size. Results: The consequence is that, in total 4 cases, the congestion in the flap began from 12 hours after the surgery, and the progression of congestion was ceased on the 5th day after the surgery, and finally epidermal bulla and sloughing, partial necrosis was developed. After the end of necrosis, the defect area was reconstructed successfully by the second full thickness skin graft. Conclusions: Although the distally based lateral supramalleolar fascio-cutaneous island flap has the shortcoming of requiring the second skin graft, it has the advantages that it does not require a long complex microsurgery, the flap itself is thin, it is similar to the color of the skin in the recipient area, and it does not leave a big scar in the donor area. Therefore, it is thought that for the cases who could not undergo a long complex surgery due to systemic diseases or the cases of patients whose condition of the recipient area is not suitable for microsurgery, the lateral supramalleolar fascio-cutaneous island flap is very useful for the reconstruction of the distal lower leg and the ankle joint area.