Facing The World in Vietnam: Feedback From Trainees on the Educational Value of Surgical Missions to Help Patients With Craniofacial Deformities.

BACKGROUND: Education and training of local healthcare staff is a crucial component of a surgical mission. Facing The World (FTW) is a UK-based craniofacial charity that provides facial reconstructive surgery to children with complex, craniofacial anomalies. As part of its global initiative, FTW has developed a training outreach program in Vietnam. The aim of this study was to analyze feedback data to evaluate the educational value of the training program and identify areas for improvement. METHODS: Feedback was obtained through both 5-point Likert scale and open-ended response questions on written questionnaires. Six postmission reports were reviewed, and used as a base for the content of the questionnaires. Selective sampling was used, with questionnaires distributed to all Vietnamese and UK trainees who have been part of the FTW training program. RESULTS: Seven Vietnamese trainee questionnaires were completed, a response rate of 87.5%. Twelve UK trainees completed the feedback questionnaire, giving a response rate of 85.7%. One hundred percent of local trainees and 83.3% of UK trainees found the training program to be useful or very useful, with no trainees deeming the training program not useful or of no use at all. CONCLUSION: The training missions offered by FTW have successfully provided education to both UK and Vietnamese surgeons in Craniofacial surgical techniques and patient care. No negative responses were identified in both questionnaires. The feedback provides evidence of FTW's effective training program, while allowing insight into where further improvements can be made.

Multidisciplinary surgical management of cherubism complicated by neurofibromatosis type 1.

UNLABELLED: Cherubism is a rare, autosomal dominant, mostly self-limiting disease of the jaw. It is characterized by bilateral fibrous tissue hyperplasia, giant cell proliferation, and bony degeneration in the lower facial skeleton, which can result in a massive and severely deforming prominence of the maxillomandibular structure. This case study examines the multidisciplinary management of a severe case of cherubism complicated by neurofibromatosis type 1, 2 codominant nonsegregating conditions that were clinically and genetically diagnosed, an extremely rare combination. Adequate mandibular reduction, reconstruction, and dental implantation afforded good restoration of oral function as well as a marked aesthetic improvement. METHODS: A 14-year-old Fijian girl was referred to our unit for management of severe overgrowth of her mandible that compromised her speech and deglutition. In addition, she displayed clinical features consistent with neurofibromatosis type 1. Radiologic, histologic, and genetic analyses confirmed the diagnosis of both conditions. Our craniofacial multidisciplinary team undertook mandibular reconstruction followed by placement of osseointegrated dental implants. RESULTS: Mandibular reduction, reconstruction, and dental implantation resulted in a significantly improved functional and aesthetic outcome with no further regrowth at 3-year follow-up when she returned to the United Kingdom for osseointegrated dental implant insertion. CONCLUSIONS: The successful outcome of this surgically challenging, grossly disfiguring, and rare condition was largely a result of the combined input from our multidisciplinary team, adequate preoperative planning, and the use of a novel surgical technique in debulking and reconstructing her mandible.

Protuberant fibro-osseous lesion of the temporal bone: "Bullough lesion".

Primary tumors of the calvarium are infrequent, and with the exception of osteoma, lesions confined to the surface of the skull are very rare. The differential diagnosis includes benign and malignant matrix forming tumors, other mesenchymal tumors, and reactive lesions. Fibro-osseous lesions are characteristically centered within bone and surface fibro-osseous lesions always prompt consideration of parosteal osteosarcoma, which is rare but well documented in the calvarium. We present 2 cases of a distinctive lesion of the temporal bone intimately related to the occipito-mastoid suture and typically presenting as a retroauricular soft tissue mass with calcific densities, confined to the soft tissues on the outer table of the skull without intraosseous involvement. The lesion is characterized histologically by rounded and ovoid zones of ossification within a bland fibrous stroma. The first 2 cases were documented in 1999 as "Protuberant fibroosseous lesion of the temporal bone.:" We present a further 2 cases, 1 of 2 years duration and the other with a 10-year history. This distinctive entity, which must be distinguished from other fibro-osseous lesions, including subtle low-grade parosteal osteosarcoma, seems to behave in a benign fashion and thus far recurrence is not documented. Local excision seems adequate. The pathologic features in the original report were documented by Prof Peter Bullough. As these cases were recognized by him alone we propose calling this entity "Bullough lesion" or, better still, "Bullough's Bump!"

The wide nasal dorsum: evaluation and management.

OBJECTIVE: Rhinoplasty is arguably the most challenging of all facial aesthetic surgery. With contemporary aesthetic ideals favoring the more petite and narrow nose, successful management of the wide nasal dorsum is crucial in obtaining favorable outcomes. This paper aims to define the underlying anatomical variances that contribute to the wide nose, as well as providing a process by which one can identify and address these components appropriately. STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING: We conducted a retrospective study of 543 consecutive rhinoplasty patients presenting to a busy inner city cosmetic practice in Sydney, Australia. Of these patients, 53 were identified whose primary complaint was dissatisfaction with their wide nose. Analysis of the fundamental causes for these patients' wide nasal dorsum was carried out, and the techniques used to manage these problems were tabulated. Two illustrative case studies are included. RESULTS: Of the 53 patients, 29 (54.7%) could be managed by the simple technique of single lateral osteotomies in conjunction with medial osteotomies or hump removal. In the remainder, a variety of techniques were required to achieve the desired result. These included multiple lateral osteotomies (32.1%), wedge osteectomies (11.3%), nasal bone sculpturing (1.9%), reverse spreader technique (1.9%), cartilage sculpturing (3.8%), dorsal onlay grafting (22.6%), and deep fatty panniculus excision (35.8%). CONCLUSIONS: Management of the wide nasal dorsum should begin with a comprehensive analysis of the underlying causative anatomy. Although most cases may be managed satisfactorily with simple lateral osteotomies, a large percentage of patients presenting to the rhinoplasty surgeon will require adjunctive or alternate techniques to produce optimal results.