30 - 203 - EXCISIONAL SURGERY AND REPAIR, FLAPS AND GRAFTS Flashcards
What characteristics does each major cosmetic units share?
color, thickness, texture, sebaceous quality and hair density
What are the major cosmetic units of the face?
forehead, periorbital area, nose, lips and perioral area, chin, and cheeks
What is the optimal lengthto-width ratio of a simple ellipse?
3.5:1
- to minimize the formation of redundant tissue at the apices, otherwise known as “dog-ears” or “standing tri-cones.”
- The ratio may be increased to 4:1 or greater in locations with less tissue distensibility and in convex surfaces
What is the lengthto-width ratio of ellipse in locations with less tissue distensibility and in convex surfaces?
4:1 or greater
What is the lengthto-width ratio of ellipse in concave surfaces or in areas where the tissue is more lax and a lower tendency to produce cones?
3:1 or less
The apical angle between the 2 arciform incisions ranges from ? depending on the length-to-width ratio
37° to 74°
with the angles used in excisional surgery, the arcs are roughly how many percent longer than the straight line drawn down the middle of the ellipse
20%
A wound gains only how many percent of its final strength after 2 weeks?
7%
In settings where wound healing may be impaired due to the patient’s advanced age or underlying disease, what is the preferred type of closure?
interrupted sutures may be preferred, as interrupted sutures may have, with all other factors being equal, greater tensile strength and less potential to pull through thin skin or impair microcirculation
ROS of face and ears
5 - 7 days
ROS of neck
7 days
ROS of scalp
7 - 10 days
ROS of trunk and extremities
10 - 14 days
what do you call the freed cone after a dog ear repair?
burow’s triangle
- straight lines radiating in opposite directions connect the tips
- This leads to the formation of 2 triangles that enclose the defect and form a rhombic shape
- advantage: simpler design, easier excision for the surgeon, and removal of less healthy tissue
- disadvantage: notching or a gap can develop in the center of the defect where the 2 triangles peak
RHOMBIC/TANGENT-TO-CIRCLE EXCISION
- repair that is useful on the cheek and around the chin
- created by intentionally designing it with one side longer than the other.
- wound is closed by the rule of halves.
CURVED ELLIPSE
useful on **convex surfaces **such as the extremities where a linear repair may result in persistent standing cones or indentations
S-PLASTY
allows the length of a scar to be shortened
M-PLASTY
- Rather than extending the end of an ellipse or removing a Burow’s triangle, the redundant tissue may be excised inward, forming a M-shaped scar
- long axis of the incision is reduced by the length equivalent to the inverted triangle that makes the center of the M
*
This technique is useful for confining a scar to a single cosmetic unit or when an incision approaches a free margin.
M-PLASTY
- The scar may be camouflaged in locations where rhytides bifurcate, such as the crow’s feet in the periorbital area or around the lips.
- It is important to advance the inverted triangle up into the rest of the ellipse to take full advantage of the scar-shortening effect.
- A half-buried horizontal mattress suture, also known as a tip stitch, may help prevent necrosis of the central tip.
This closure is used when more extensive repairs are limited by lack of local tissue reservoirs or the patient’s health or coagulation status
PARTIAL CLOSURE
- The wound is closed from the ends toward the center. When wound tension prevents further closure, the area remains open to heal by second intention.
- The final scar is usually linear and may resemble a spread scar in the middle.
This is typically used to minimize the length of the final scar in large circumference neoplasms that are benign or low risk.
SERIAL EXCISION
Used when the length of an ellipse required to excise a lesion with a 3 or 4:1 ratio is too long for an acceptable cosmetic or functional outcome
SERIAL EXCISION
- A partial excision is performed, ideally an ellipse that accommodates the full length of the lesion, with primary linear closure.
- During the following months, the surrounding tissue stretches and the tension in the area decreases.
- Additional excisions are performed in a similar manner, removing the remaining lesion as well as the scar or scars created from the first steps of the procedure.
areas that heal well with secondary intention
Wounds located in concave areas such as the medial canthus, ear concha, alar crease (if small), temple region, and postauricular sulcus lend themselves well to healing by secondary intention
contributes to approximately 50% to 70% of the final wound closure and scar tissue fills out the remaining wound
Contraction