ABSTRACT
Avulsion of the medial canthal tendon secondary to nasoorbitoethmoidal fractures leads to severe aesthetic and functional impairments. The tendon should be repositioned at the posterior lacrimal crest. Owing to the complexity of nasoorbitoethmoidal fractures, accurate location of this point during surgery can be challenging. With the aid of computer-assisted planning and surgical navigation, the point at which the medial canthal tendon should be repositioned can be easily and precisely located. We have developed an innovative navigation-assisted technique that increases the reliability and safety of internal canthus repositioning. We performed a case series of three consecutive patients who underwent medial canthal tendon repositioning using computer-assisted planning and surgical navigation. We believe that this innovation provides a new and useful application of computer-assisted planning and surgical navigation in craniomaxillofacial surgery.
ABSTRACT
UNLABELLED: Our purpose was to evaluate the use of the Harmonic scalpel in neck dissections. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We conducted a randomized prospective intervention study to compare the Harmonic scalpel (32 patients) with the conventional technique (31 patients). RESULTS: Operative time was lowered by 64 min (p < 0.001) and 7.5 min (p = 0.367); blood lost during surgery was lowered by 80.5 ml (p < 0.001) and 76.6 ml (p < 0.001); the length of time the drains were kept in place was lowered by 1.3 days (p < 0.001) and 1.5 days (p < 0.01); and the volume of drainage was lower by 228.7 ml (p < 0.001) and 187.6 ml (p < 0.01) in selective and comprehensive neck dissections respectively in patients treated with the Harmonic scalpel. CONCLUSIONS: The Harmonic scalpel shortens operative time in selective dissections. It reduces blood loss during surgery; time drains are kept in place and the amount of drainage in comprehensive and selective neck dissections.
