Treatment of Facial Hypertrophic Scar with Cervical Flap and Intraoperative Tissue Expansion

ABSTRACT

Many plastic surgeons have been tried to attain ultimate goal lies in restoring the original shape and function of the facial aesthetics, in reconstruction of deformities resulting from facial hypertrophic scar and skin defects. This would require consideration in terms of hanmony in color match, skin texture and thickness. Various forms of skin graft, local flap, distant flaps, free flap and tissue expander have been employed in restoring skin defects and deformities of the cheek and submental area, and the use of large local flaps utilizing the cervicofacial skin flaps or tissue expander have brought about improved aesthetic results. the authers have obtained satisfactory results in treating 2 cases of wide hypertrophic scar of the cheek and submental area with combination of wide cervical flap and intraoperative tissue expansion using foley catheter. the merits of this combined operative methods are as follows 1. It is not necessory to keep tissue expander for a long period. 2. This technique is able to diminish the cost of multistage operation and using of tissue expander. 3. There is no psychologic problems due to undesirable facial appearance during tissue expansion period. 4. Rapid intraoperative tissue expansion by foley catheter during elevating wide cervical flap can allow to dissect one, preserving the perforators without bleeding in a short time. 5. Wide cervical flap and additional expanded tissue by means of intraoperative tissue expansion could brought into suturing avoiding tension of oral commissure and lip eversion. 6. Preservation of perforators of cervical flap above the platysma muscle raised flap's survival rate and then this result could prevent distal ischemic necrosis after flap coverage.