Perioperative Hyperspectral Imaging to Assess Mastectomy Skin Flap and DIEP Flap Perfusion in Immediate Autologous Breast Reconstruction: A Pilot Study.

Mastectomy skin flap necrosis (MSFN) and partial DIEP (deep inferior epigastric artery perforator) flap loss represent two frequently reported complications in immediate autologous breast reconstruction. These complications could be prevented when areas of insufficient tissue perfusion are detected intraoperatively. Hyperspectral imaging (HSI) is a relatively novel, non-invasive imaging technique, which could be used to objectively assess tissue perfusion through analysis of tissue oxygenation patterns (StO2%), near-infrared (NIR%), tissue hemoglobin (THI%), and tissue water (TWI%) perfusion indices. This prospective clinical pilot study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of HSI for tissue perfusion assessment and to identify a cut-off value for flap necrosis. Ten patients with a mean age of 55.4 years underwent immediate unilateral autologous breast reconstruction. Prior, during and up to 72 h after surgery, a total of 19 hyperspectral images per patient were acquired. MSFN was observed in 3 out of 10 patients. No DIEP flap necrosis was observed. In all MSFN cases, an increased THI% and decreased StO2%, NIR%, and TWI% were observed when compared to the vital group. StO2% was found to be the most sensitive parameter to detect MSFN with a statistically significant lower mean StO2% (51% in the vital group versus 32% in the necrosis group, p < 0.0001) and a cut-off value of 36.29% for flap necrosis. HSI has the potential to accurately assess mastectomy skin flap perfusion and discriminate between vital and necrotic skin flap during the early postoperative period prior to clinical observation. Although the results should be confirmed in future studies, including DIEP flap necrosis specifically, these findings suggest that HSI can aid clinicians in postoperative mastectomy skin flap and DIEP flap monitoring.

Smoking in relation to age in aesthetic facial surgery.

BACKGROUND: Smoking is a major cause of premature facial aging. Skin aging in general, often accompanied by wrinkling and furrowing, plays a significant role in the decision to undergo aesthetic surgery. Smoking may therefore be related to the demand for cosmetic surgery. This study aimed to compare smoking habits with respect to a standard cosmetic procedure (blepharoplasty) in the general population and to evaluate whether the age at surgery differs between smokers and nonsmokers. METHODS: A questionnaire was sent to 517 patients with valid reports describing dermatochalasis of the upper eyelid who subsequently underwent an upper-eyelid correction in 2004. Smoking habits, socioeconomic status, and medical history were evaluated. The patients were classified as smokers, ex-smokers with at least 1 year of smoking cessation, and never-smokers. RESULTS: Of the 353 questionnaires (68.3 %) returned, 345 were eligible for statistical analysis. The smoking habits did not differ between the blepharoplasty group and the general population. However, the smokers underwent surgery an average of 3.7 years earlier than the ex-smokers (p=0.0007) and 3.5 years earlier than the never-smokers (p=0.006). No significant difference was observed between the ex-smokers and the never-smokers. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first study to describe an association between smoking habits and an earlier need for upper-eyelid correction among ex- and never-smokers. The mechanism of skin restoration could result in a regenerative mechanism among ex-smokers, but further research is needed to support this hypothesis. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE III: This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors at www.springer.com/00266.

The effect of triclosan-coated sutures in wound healing. A double blind randomised prospective pilot study.

BACKGROUND: Wound infection and dehiscence are both major contributors to postoperative morbidity. One potential cause or co-factor is the use of suture material. A recently introduced subcutaneous suture is coated with triclosan (TC), an antiseptic drug. It is suggested to reduce wound complications. METHODS: To investigate the effect of TC on wound healing a double blind prospective pilot study in women undergoing a breast reduction was performed. Each patient was her own control. After randomisation the TC-coated sutures were used either on the left or right side. The contralateral side was used as the control. The incidence of dehiscence was studied. RESULTS: Twenty-six patients were included. In the TC breasts there was a wound dehiscence in 16 cases, whereas in the control breasts in seven cases a dehiscence was observed (P=0.023). CONCLUSION: These results suggest that TC-coated sutures should be used with caution. These sutures have already been introduced on to the market without good clinical studies and might have potential adverse effects as shown by these data.