• Archives of Plastic Surgery
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• v.43 no.6
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• pp.570-574
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• 2016

Background Fractional $CO_2$ laser is an effective treatment for scars, but most patients complain about sharp burning pain, even after the application of lidocaine ointment. This study analyzed the impact of a vibrating device to nonpharmacologically reduce the acute pain of laser treatment, in accordance with the gate control theory of pain management. Methods This is a prospective study performed from May 2013 through March 2014. Fifty-three patients (mean age, 26.7 years; range, 16-44 years) who had donated livers for liver transplantation were treated with a fractional $CO_2$ laser (10,600 nm; model $eCO_2$, Lutronic Corp) for their abdomen scars. Laser treatment was applied 4 months after surgery. A commercially available, locally applied vibrating device (model UM-30M, Unix Electronics Co. Ltd.) was used, in an on-and-off pattern, together with the $CO_2$ laser. A visual analogue scale (VAS; 0, no pain; 10, most severe pain) of pain sensation was assessed and statistically analyzed using a paired t-test. Results The average VAS score for pain with the vibrating device was 4.60 and the average VAS score without the vibrating device was 6.11. The average difference between scores was 1.51 (P=0.001). Conclusions A locally applied vibrating device was demonstrated to be effective in reducing pain when treating with a fractional $CO_2$ laser. Vibration treatment could be helpful when treating scars with fractional $CO_2$ laser in pain-sensitive patients, particularly children.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.44 no.4 s.140
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• pp.355-360
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• 2006

Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL), due to Leishmania major, is endemic in different parts of Iran and has long been recognized in most provinces of Iran. This study was conducted to determine the prevalence of childhood leishmaniasis in 3 areas at the southeast of Kashan, A descriptive study was carried out on all children referred to central laboratories during a 3-year period. Initial information including age, sex, sites of ulcer on the body, number of lesions, address, and the place of the disease was obtained. The study gathered 117 children, and the results showed a prevalence of 7.2% in patients with lesions among the population and 4.2% of people displayed lesion and scar. The ages of subjects were from 6 to 15 years (average 9.75 years). The boy: girl ratio was 1.2. All of our patients lived in an endemic area. The face was affected in 47.0% of cases. The encountered forms of leishmaniasis are as follows: papulonodular 27.4%, ulcer 60.7%, sporotrichoid 6%, impetiginous 2.5%, and erysipeloid 3.4%. Treatment with intramuscular meglumine antimoniate 20-30 mg/kg/day was done for 93 patients. Meglumine antimoniate treatment was tolerated with no side effects. All leishmaniasis lesions healed within an average period of 2-14 months. Hyperpigmented scars were formed in 25.6% of the patients, atrophic scars in 4.3%, and hypopigmented scars were in 3.4%, respectively The findings of this study indicate increased prevalence of CL in the villages at the area of Kashan and Aran-Bidgol. The clinical finding patterns belonged to different endemic strains of L. major in Isfahan, which indicates the possible transmission of infection from Isfahan to this area.

• Archives of Plastic Surgery
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• v.42 no.6
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• pp.729-734
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• 2015

Background Insufficient satisfaction outcome literature exists to assist consultations for scar revision surgery; such outcomes should reflect the patient's perspective. The aim of this study was to prospectively investigate scar revision patient satisfaction outcomes, according to specified patient-selection criteria. Methods Patients (250) were randomly selected for telephone contacting regarding scar revisions undertaken between 2007-2011. Visual analogue scores were obtained for scars pre- and post-revision surgery. Surgery selection criteria were; 'presence' of sufficient time for scar maturation prior to revision, technical issues during or wound complications from the initial procedure that contributed to poor scarring, and 'absence' of site-specific or patient factors that negatively influence outcomes. Patient demographics, scar pathogenesis (elective vs. trauma), underlying issue (functional/symptomatic vs. cosmetic) and revision surgery details were also collected with the added use of a real-time, hospital database. Results Telephone contacting was achieved for 211 patients (214 scar revisions). Satisfaction outcomes were '2% worse, 16% no change, and 82% better'; a distribution maintained between body sites and despite whether surgery was functional/symptomatic vs. cosmetic. Better outcomes were reported by patients who sustained traumatic scars vs. those who sustained scars by elective procedures (91.80% vs. 77.78%, P=0.016) and by females vs. males (85.52% vs. 75.36%, P<0.05), particularly in the elective group where males (36.17%) were more likely to report no change or worse outcomes versus females (16.04%) (P<0.01). Conclusions Successful scar revision outcomes may be achieved using careful patient selection. This study provides useful information for referring general practitioners, and patient-surgeon consultations, when planning scar revision.

• Archives of Plastic Surgery
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.194-198
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• 2011

Purpose: Heterotopic calcification is the abnormal deposition of calcium salts in tissues other than bone and enamel, and it occurs in the form of dystrophic calcification or metastatic calcification. This deposition can occur under many conditions, but in some rare cases, it may develop in burns and nonhealed scars. It is difficult to treat the combination of heterotopic calcification and ulceration in scar tissues by using conservative therapy and to determine the margin of excision in such cases. Our study proposes the use of intraoperative C-arm-guided mapping of lesions with heterotopic calcification, and adequate excision of ulcers in chronic scars where heterotopic calcification is also observed. Methods: This study included 2 patients and was conducted from January 2010 to July 2010. The first patient was a 63-year-old woman who presented with atypical calcium deposits and chronic ulceration in the lower one-third region of the right leg. The second patient was a 38-year-old man who presented with a nonhealing ulcer that had developed on the right leg 3 months earlier he had a history of 40% scalding burns on the entire body. Surgery is the most reliable method for treating heterotopic calcification therefore, both patients were treated using intraoperative C-arm-guided marginal mapping of heterotopic calcification, followed by release of contracture, and eventually split-thickness skin grafting. Results: Plain radiographs of the leg showed spotty radiopaque areas in the hard part of the scar well superficial to the underlying bones. Histopathological analysis revealed multiple foci of calcified deposits, increased fibrosis, and inflammation in the scar tissue. Surgery-related complications were not observed. Conclusion: C-arm guided excision of calcified scars and the release of contracture can cure nonhealing ulcers and may therefore prevent recalcification.

• Archives of Plastic Surgery
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• v.40 no.5
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• pp.603-609
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• 2013

Background Although the conventional direct brow lift operation provides a simple means of managing lateral brow ptosis, the scars produced have been unacceptable. However, using the modifications proposed here, scarring showed remarkable improvement. This article reviews our experiences with the presented technique, mainly with respect to postoperative scarring. Methods Measured amounts of supra-eyebrow skin and subcutaneous fat were excised en bloc in the conventional manner under 'hyper-hydrated' local infiltration anesthesia. The lower flap and the edge of the upper flap were undermined above the muscular plane, and the orbicularis oculi muscle was directly suture-plicated and suspended upward to the distal frontalis muscle. Skin closure was performed in a basic plastic surgical manner. Results From April 2007 to April 2012, a consecutive series of 60 patients underwent surgery using the above method. The average width of the excised skin was 8 mm (range, 5-15 mm) at the apex of the eyebrow. Preoperative complaints were resolved without occurrence of significant complications. The surgical scars showed remarkable improvement and were negligible in the majority of the cases. Conclusions The direct brow lift operation combined with plication/suspension of the superior and lateral portion of the orbicularis oculi muscle provides a simple, safe, and predictable means of correcting lateral brow ptosis. The scars were acceptable to all of the patients. For proper management of the frontalis tone, upper blepharoplasty and/or repair of eyelid levator function must be considered in addition to brow lift procedures.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.72 no.4
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• pp.374-380
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• 2012

Background: Delivery of Bacille Calmette-Gur$\acute{e}$in (BCG) Tokyo vaccine, with the multipuncture device, has been much preferred over BCG Pasteur, with the intradermal method, possibly due to the easier manner of administration, a desire to avoid any trouble with scars, as well as side effects and higher profits to providers in South Korea. Methods: To determine BCG scar status in 0~6 year old children vaccinated with two BCG vaccines (Pasteur BCG vaccine with intradermal method and BCG Tokyo vaccine with percutaneous method), the data from the national BCG scar survey in 2006 was analyzed. Results: Based on the national survey, the high proportion that were vaccinated with BCG Tokyo vaccines with the multipuncture method (64.5%) was noted in 0~6 year old Korean children. From inspection of scar formation, as an indicator of vaccination, the median number of the visible pin scars from the percutaneous method was 16 (interquartile range, 12~18) in the Korean children, and pin scars decreased as the age of the children increased (p<0.001). Conclusion: The findings in this survey clearly showed a growing preference of parents for the BCG Tokyo vaccines by the multipuncture method in South Korea.

• Korean Journal of Cleft Lip And Palate
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.21-32
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• 2009

Generally, an adult cleft lip or/and palate patient shows some amount of maxillary deficiency due to limitation of bony growth caused by heavy scars resulted from previous operations such as a cheiloplasty and/or a palatoplasty at an early child age. To solve the problem, advancement of the maxilla is usually required during orthognathic surgery. However, severe tensional force resulted from heavy scars on the palate and/or the lip, as well as the bony defect at the cleft area limited sufficient advancement of the maxillary segment and finally caused relapse of the reposed maxilla. Therefore, distraction osteogenesis of the maxilla was introduced for the successful maxillary advancement inthose kinds of patients. As both hard and soft tissues can be simultaneously and gradually extended with this technique, tensional force caused by heavy scars opposed to forward movement of the maxilla can be reduced to an extent not to develop severe relapse of the advanced maxilla. Since distraction osteogenesis of the maxilla was applied as one of standard protocols for the treatment of the patients with severe maxillary hypoplasia dueto cleft lip and/or palate, the devices for the distraction was improved to control the vectors of distraction with better and more stable. We have treated a 23-year-old male cleft patient with a severe maxillary hypoplasia using a newly developed a maxillary distraction device and a RP model for a pre-operative simulation surgery. As a result, we could successfully move the maxilla as we designed pre-operatively and also reduce much of operation time. Therefore, we report of the case to share our experience with colleagues.

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine
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• v.34 no.5
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• pp.436-437
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• 2000

A 63-year-old male who had subtotal gastrectomy for early gastric cancer three months ago underwent Tc-99m bone scintigraphy for the evaluation of skeletal metastases. He had no symptoms such as fever, tenderness, or wound discharge. On physical examination, the surgical scat along the midline of the upper abdomen had keloid formation and there was no radiographic evidence of calcification. Bone scintigraphy (Fig. 1A & 1B) demonstrated all unusual linear increased uptake along the midline of the upper abdomen that corresponded to the,skin incision for subtotal gastrectomy. Usually, an incisional scar will not be visualized in Tc-99m methylene diphosphate (MDP) scintigraphy beyond two weeks after surgery.$^{1)}$ Upon reviewing the literature, there were only a few reports where localization of Tc-99m MDP in surgical scars were found two months after surgery.$^{2)}$ It was also reported that a few cases with Tc-99m MDP uptake in the keloid scar developed after surgery. Although there are several potential mechanisms that may explain the uptake of Tc-99m MDP in scar tissue, the primary mechanism in older scars is suggested to be a result of pathological calcification.$^{2)}$ Siddiqui et al$^{3)}$ suggested it could be due to microscopic calcification in small resolving hematomas. However, the primary mechanism in keloid scar is not well-known. We should obtain oblique or lateral views to differentiate the uptake in healing surgical scars from the artifactual uptake.

• Translational and Clinical Pharmacology
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.63-66
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• 2017

Allopurinol-induced severe cutaneous adverse reactions (SCARs) such as Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS), toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN), and drug reaction with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms (DRESS) syndrome are reportedly associated with the $HLA-B^{\star}58:01$ genotype. Three patients who developed SCARs after allopurinol administration were subjected to HLA-B genotyping and lymphocyte activation test (LAT) to evaluate genetic risk and to detect the causative agent, respectively. All three patients given allopurinol to treat gout were diagnosed with DRESS syndrome. Symptom onset commenced 7-24 days after drug exposure; the patients took allopurinol (100-200 mg/d) for 2-30 days. HLA-B genotyping was performed using a polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-sequence-based typing (SBT) method. All patients had a single $HLA-B^{\star}58:01$ allele: $HLA-B^{\star}13:02/^{\star}58:01$ (a 63-year-old male), $HLA-B^{\star}48:01/^{\star}58:01$ (a 71-year-old female), and $HLA-B^{\star}44:03/^{\star}58:01$ (a 22-year-old male). Only the last patient yielded a positive LAT result, confirming that allopurinol was the causative agent. These findings suggest that patients with $HLA-B^{\star}58:01$ may develop SCARs upon allopurinol administration. Therefore, HLA-B genotyping could be helpful in preventing serious problems attributable to allopurinol treatment, although PCR-SBT HLA-B genotyping is time consuming. A simple genotyping test is required in practice. LAT may help to identify a causative agent.

• Medical Lasers
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.19-23
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• 2019

Background and Objectives The picosecond 755 nm alexandrite laser was first approved by the US FDA in 2012. A previous study described the use of a 1,064 nm picosecond laser with a micro-lens array (MLA) in peri-areolar scarring from breast reconstruction surgery and reported significant improvement in the texture and aesthetic appearance of the scar without other wound complications. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the improvement of overall scarring, not just pigmentation, in the picosecond laser treatment of patients with pigmentations. Materials and Methods Sixteen patients who underwent 1,064 nm picosecond laser treatment from June 2016 to December 2018 were enrolled in this study. Patients received two to six sessions of picosecond laser treatment at intervals of 4 weeks. Before and after the laser treatment, the patients evaluated their own satisfaction score and a physician evaluated the Vancouver Scar Scale. To evaluate the satisfaction score and complication rate, a retrospective chart review was done. Results Seven were female and nine were male. The mean of the patients' satisfaction score before the treatment was 1.44 (interquartile range [IQR], 1-2) and 3.00 (IQR 2.25-3.75) six months after treatment. The mean of the Vancouver Scar Scale before the treatment was 9.69 (IQR 8-11), and 6.25 (IQR 5-7.75) six months after treatment. All the results were statistically significant (p<0.01). Conclusion This study provides evidence that the use of a 1,064 nm picosecond laser treatment for pigmented scars can be effective in improving the pigmentation and overall scar status, including vascularity, height, and pliability, with the results of a decrease in the VSS scores between treatments.