Microsurgical replantation of avulsed scalp - 7 years of experience

RESUMO

Scalp avulsion is a devastating physical, functional, and psychological injury to patients. The emergence of surgery and the first replantation by Miller, in 1976, was a major breakthrough in the management of scalp avulsion that became the treatment of choice, whenever possible.This study aims to present the 7 last years of experience of the Discipline of Plastic Surgery of the Medical School of the University of São Paulo and to compare it with the literature, so as to standardize the care for the cases herein addressed and thus achieve the best possible results.The cases presented consist of 6 female patients with scalp avulsion, their ages ranging between 9 and 29 years. Warm ischemia time ranged between 9 and 25 hours (average 14 hours). Four cases were totally successful, one case was partially successful (40 (per cent)), and the remaining cases lost the replantation.The current techniques and the structure available in specialized facilities enable the appropriate management of avulsed scalps through microsurgical replantation, thus leading to satisfactory results that are superior to the previously available options.