Staged Mosaic Punching Excision of a Kissing Nevus on the Eyelid.

BACKGROUND: A congenital divided nevus, also known as kissing nevus, is a type of congenital compound nevus that affects equal areas of the upper and lower eyelids. The edges of the nevus touch or "kiss" during closure of the lids, owing to its extension to the lid margins. Multiple treatment modalities, such as dermabrasion, cryotherapy, primary closure after excision, and skin grafts, have been proposed; however, complications such as recurrence, ectropion, skin color mismatch, and scar contractures are known to occur. This study aimed to introduce a staged excision using the 10,600-nm CO2 pulsed laser to remove a congenital divided nevus without noticeable complications. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From August 2015 to December 2018, patients with congenital divided nevus underwent staged laser excision. Seven patients underwent staged mosaic pattern punch excision with a laser. Eight patients underwent concomitant excision, and one patient underwent skin grafting of the medial canthus. Patient satisfaction was assessed immediately and at 3 months after the procedure. RESULTS: During the study period, 15 patients (10 women and 5 men), with a mean age of 26.0 years (range 13-73 years), underwent laser excision. Continuity of the eyelid margins was maintained in 13 patients. In one patient, the eyelashes grew inward and developed inflammation. No patient developed complications during the healing process, except for partial loss of cilia. Eleven patients were very satisfied, whereas three were satisfied with the results. One patient discontinued treatment after two laser sessions. CONCLUSION: We performed multiple staged mosaic punching excisions of a congenital divided nevus with the CO2 laser in 15 cases. We observed consistent therapeutic results without definite recurrence, while maintaining the continuity of the eyelid and eyelash. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE IV: 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 www.springer.com/00266 .

Normative measurements of grip and pinch strengths of 21st century korean population.

BACKGROUND: Measuring grip and pinch strength is an important part of hand injury evaluation. Currently, there are no standardized values of normal grip and pinch strength among the Korean population, and lack of such data prevents objective evaluation of post-surgical recovery in strength. This study was designed to establish the normal values of grip and pinch strength among the healthy Korean population and to identify any dependent variables affecting grip and pinch strength. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was carried out. The inclusion criterion was being a healthy Korean person without a previous history of hand trauma. The grip strength was measured using a Jamar dynamometer. Pulp and key pinch strength were measured with a hydraulic pinch gauge. Intra-individual and inter-individual variations in these variables were analyzed in a standardized statistical manner. RESULTS: There were a total of 336 healthy participants between 13 and 77 years of age. As would be expected in any given population, the mean grip and pinch strength was greater in the right hand than the left. Male participants (137) showed mean strengths greater than female participants (199) when adjusted for age. Among the male participants, anthropometric variables correlated positively with grip strength, but no such correlations were identifiable in female participants in a statistically significant way. CONCLUSIONS: Objective measurements of hand strength are an important component of hand injury evaluation, and population-specific normative data are essential for clinical and research purposes. This study reports updated normative hand strengths of the South Korean population in the 21st century.

Free-flap reconstruction of the scalp: donor selection and outcome.

Wide, complex defects of the scalp caused by various insults always represent reconstructive challenges for surgeons. Our study group consisted of 18 patients (14 males and 4 females) with a mean age of 40.2 years. Nineteen free-tissue transfers were used to reconstruct the scalp defects. The selected cases included 8 latissimus dorsi muscle flaps, 3 latissimus dorsi myocutaneous flaps, 2 rectus abdominis muscle flaps, 3 omental flaps, 1 scapular flap, 1 radial forearm flap, and 1 groin flap. Twelve patients had acute or subacute wounds resulting from trauma or craniotomy, 4 had primary cancer, and 2 had neurofibromatosis. Commonly used recipient vessels were the superficial temporal artery and vein. No flap procedure had morbidity due to vessel compromise, and the overall flap success rate was thus 100%. No major donor-site morbidity was observed. All cases underwent primary closure of donor sites except for one receiving split-thickness skin grafting. In cases where muscle or omental free flaps covered skin grafts, patients were more satisfied because of increased durability and well-fitted wigs. We advocate variable free-tissue transfers for the reconstruction of large defects of the scalp related to the sizes, sites, and extents of the involvement.

Nasolabial facial artery and vein as recipient vessels for midface microsurgical reconstruction.

Although free flap transfer is commonly performed to reconstruct facial defects, the submandibular facial artery and vein have historically been considered as adequate recipient vessels for microsurgical reconstruction. If the vascular pedicles of the free flap are short, vein grafts are necessary. The purpose of this study was to determine the indications for and effectiveness of using the nasolabial facial vessels for midfacial reconstruction. A retrospective chart review of 6 patients undergoing microsurgical reconstruction for defects of the face revealed 6 free tissue transfers in which the nasolabial facial artery and vein were considered for use as recipient vessels. Flap success rates were evaluated. Six patients (5 men and 1 woman) underwent 6 free flap transfers. Five anterior helix free flaps were used for the reconstruction of defects in the lower third of the nose. Nasal defects were due to trauma in 4 patients and squamous cell carcinoma in 1 patient. In 1 neurofibromatosis type 1 case, a radial forearm flap was used for reconstruction of the left orbital defect. The facial artery and vein in the nasolabial fold were used as the recipient artery and vein in every case. The mean length of follow-up was 5.8 years. All flaps survived. All patients were satisfied with the degree of aesthetic improvement after surgery.Use of the facial artery and vein in the nasolabial fold for facial reconstruction is reliable and safe. The nasolabial facial artery and vein should be considered as primary recipient vessels in microsurgical reconstruction of the midface.