Comparison of the Basal View and a Previously Standardized Cleft Lip Rating Scale.

OBJECTIVES: Numerous scales assessing the aesthetics of cleft lip repair exist. Most, including the Asher-McDade scale, use frontal and lateral views, while neglecting a basal view. We believe this view is important for properly assessing the aesthetics of repair. In this study, we evaluate the basal view in comparison to the Asher-McDade scale. METHODS: This scale was based on progressive columellar shortening and alar flaring/slumping. A panel of 4 plastic surgeons applied the basal and Asher-McDade scales to pictures of patients with repaired unilateral cleft lip in 56 multiethnic participants aged 5 years to 18 years; images were scored from 1 to 5 (best). Statistical analysis was done via Spearman correlation. RESULTS: Scores from plastic surgeons correlated strongly for each view. There was moderate correlation for the basal view with both nasal form and deviation scores ( P < .05). As expected, there were no strong correlations between the basal view and vermillion border or profile. DISCUSSION: The Asher-McDade scale has been used to evaluate cleft lift repairs but is limited due to its subjective nature. The basal view scale grades these repairs by using a scale of progressive columellar shortening and alar flaring/slumping, which provides an opportunity for quantification and standardization. Our results show that the basal view correlates with the Asher-McDade scale among raters, thus providing an objective and validated measure of cleft lip repair.

Utilizing Indocyanine Green Dye Angiography to Detect Simulated Flap Venous Congestion in a Novel Experimental Rat Model.

BACKGROUND: Venous congestion is a leading cause for free flap failure and still relies on clinical observation as the diagnostic gold standard. We sought to characterize blood flow in a variable venous congestion murine hind limb model using indocyanine green (ICG, SPY Pack, LifeCell, Branchburg, NJ) angiography. METHODS: Male Sprague-Dawley rats (Charles River, Hudson, NY) underwent bilateral partial amputation at the inguinal ligament, leaving only the femoral vessels and femur intact. Complete unilateral venous occlusion was achieved via suture ligation, while partial occlusion was achieved by surrounding the femoral vein with a synthetic microtube to achieve 25, 75, 85, or 92% occlusion. Relative blood flow of occluded and control limbs was tracked with ICG angiography throughout a 90-minute time course. RESULTS: ICG angiography detected statistically significant (p < 0.05) reductions in limb blood flow 1 and 2 minutes following ICG injection in the 100, 92, and 85% occluded limbs when compared with contralateral control limbs. Dynamic tracking using the slope of ICG inflow for 45 seconds postinjection reflected this same significant difference. No statistically significant change in limb blood flow or dye influx rate was observed in the 25 and 75% occlusion groups. CONCLUSIONS: ICG angiography can detect venous congestion in a rat lower extremity model reliably at occlusion rates ≥ 85%. This method may offer surgeons an intraoperative diagnostic tool to identify venous congestion at extremely early time points, allowing for immediate intervention. Further investigation and characterization is warranted in a larger animal model before clinical adaptation.

The effect of acellular dermal matrix use on complication rates in tissue expander/implant breast reconstruction.

Tissue expander/implant breast reconstructions by 5 surgeons at a single institution from 2005 to 2008 were retrospectively identified and divided into 2 cohorts: use of acellular dermal matrix (ADM, n = 75) versus standard submuscular placement (n = 52). The ADM group had a statistically significant higher rate of infection (28.9% vs. 12.0%, P = 0.022), reoperation (25.0% vs. 8.0%, P = 0.011), expander explantation (19.2% vs. 5.3%, P = 0.020), and overall complications (46.2% vs. 22.7%, P = 0.007). When stratifying by breast size, a higher complication rate was not observed with the use of ADM in breasts less than 600 g, whereas ADM use in breasts larger than 600 g was associated with a statistically significant higher rate of infection when controlling for the occurrence of skin necrosis. The ADM cohort had a significantly higher mean initial tissue expander fill volume (256 mL vs. 74 mL, P < 0.001) and a significantly higher mean initial tissue expander fill ratio (49% vs. 17%, P < 0.001). Further work is needed to define the ideal patient population for ADM use in tissue expander/implant breast reconstruction.