3D PED BURN app: A precise and easy-to-use pediatric 3D burn surface area calculation tool.

Background and aims: Calculating the precise total burn surface area is crucial when treating burn patients, particularly children. The Lund and Browder chart and Rule of Nines, 2-dimensional diagrams that are widely used, are subject to high interrater variance, and they can severely overestimate the burn area. Previously, the adult 3-dimensional burn area calculation mobile application was developed. Aiming to improve accuracy, a 3-dimensional pediatric burn surface area calculation mobile application ("3D PED BURN") was developed to overcome the limitations of the conventional methods. Method: Fifteen 3-dimensional pediatric burn surface area models based on detailed anthropometric measurements collected from 85 patients were developed and categorized into four age groups: <1 year; 1-4 years; 5-9 years, and 10-15 years. According to their weight and height, the models in each group were fractionated into large, medium, and small body sizes. Result: A precise and easy-to-use application was developed based on these data. This application is a promising and more accurate calculation tool for burn surface area in pediatric patients. Its low inter-rater variance makes it reliable for use by various healthcare personnel. Conclusion: The 3D PED BURN app is a pediatric 3D burn surface area calculation tool that is both accurate and simple to use.

An anthropometric study of the external ear in the Thai population.

Auricular dimensions are important data for the treatment of auricular deformities, either congenital or acquired. Many previous studies have shown that the auricular dimension varies among ethnic groups; however, there are currently no available data for the Thai population. The objective of this investigation was to provide normative values regarding the adult ear dimensions in Thailand. A total of 200 Thai volunteers between the ages of 18 and 70 years (80 men, 120 women) were enrolled in this study. We measured six dimensions, including the auricular, lobular, and conchal length and width and the auricular projection at the superaurale and tragal levels. Moreover, we calculated the auricular, lobular, and conchal indices. The selected dimensions of the external ears were shown as means ± standard deviations. These parameters were then compared between the right and left sides, men and women and participants aged ≥50 and <50 years. We found that men have a significantly larger and more projected ear than women do. The length of the entire auricles and the length of the earlobe were also significantly longer in the population ≥50 years than those <50 years. This study provides normative data of the external ear dimension and projection in the adult Thai population. These data can be used to reconstruct the ear and face more appropriately for Thai individuals.

The Effect of Cold Water on Pain Evaluation During Negative Pressure Wound Therapy Dressing Changes: A Prospective, Randomized Controlled Study.

Negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) is a technique using vacuum dressing to promote wound healing in complicated wound. However, for many patients, the application and removal of the NPWT is source of procedural pain. The authors hypothesized that administering cold sterile water into the NPWT sponge would decrease pain during dressing changes. A prospective randomized controlled study was conducted on 27 patients who were undergoing 81 NPWT wound dressing changes (n = 81) at a single institution between October 2016 and September 2017. Each patient had 3 NPWT dressing changes. Cold sterile water (5.74 °C), room temperature sterile water (26.89 °C), and nothing were randomized and administered in the NPWT tubing into the sponge 10 minutes before changing the dressing in each and every procedure. Pain scores were assessed using a 0 to 10 numeric pain scale. Patients administered with cold water reported less pain than those administered with room temperature sterile water during the dressing change (4 vs 5.67; P < .003), and much less pain than those with nothing instilled before dressing change (4 vs 6.59; P < .001). There is no statistically significant difference in pain score between using the room temperature sterile water group and the control group that instilled nothing (5.67 vs 6.59; P = .065). This study has shown that cold water administered through the suction tubing before the dressing change had a better reduction in pain score than using room temperature sterile water and the control group.

The Anatomical Study of the Nasal Septal Cartilage with its Clinical Implications.

BACKGROUND: Several rhinoplasty and nasal reconstruction procedures require cartilage. Various studies have reported on the nasal septal cartilage as a donor site for Caucasian and Asian populations. However, studies regarding the Thai nasal septal cartilage dimensions are rare. This study aimed to examine the length, height, area, and thickness of the nasal septal cartilage, along with implications of the size and quantity of the available cartilage, for grafting in Thai cadavers. METHODS: We analyzed the nasal septal cartilage in 42 Thai cadavers. The length, height, area, and thickness were digitally measured using ImageJ 1.52 software, along with the size and area of the available cartilage for grafting after preserving a 10-mm L-strut. Data were compared between sexes. RESULTS: The mean height, length, and area of the nasal septal cartilage were 30.96 ± 5.90 mm, 26.13 ± 6.90 mm, and 636.10 ± 196.13 mm2, respectively. The length did not differ significantly between sexes. However, the height and area in male cadavers were greater than those in female cadavers. The mean thickness ranged from 0.77 to 1.02 mm depending on the area, with the thickest and thinnest areas being the superoposterior and inferoposterior parts, respectively. The mean height, length, and area of the harvestable cartilage were 20.96 mm, 16.13 mm, and 384.84 mm2, respectively, after excluding the L-strut. CONCLUSION: Our results provide major anatomical data of the Thai nasal septal cartilage. Its implication for use of the septal cartilage for grafting is 21 mm in height and 16 mm in length, which is sufficiently safe to maintain nasal support. 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.

Spermatogenesis Abnormalities following Hormonal Therapy in Transwomen.

OBJECTIVE: To measure spermatogenesis abnormalities in transwomen at the time of sex reassignment surgery (SRS) and to analyze the association between hormonal therapy duration and infertility severity. DESIGN: Retrospective study. SETTING: University hospital. PATIENTS: One-hundred seventy-three transwomen who underwent SRS from January 2000 to December 2015. INTERVENTIONS: All orchidectomy specimens were retrospectively reviewed and classified. History of hormonal therapy duration was retrieved from medical records. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Histological examinations of orchidectomy specimens were performed to assess spermatogenesis. RESULTS: One-hundred seventy-three orchidectomy specimens were evaluated. Histological examinations showed maturation arrest in 36.4%, hypospermatogenesis in 26%, Sertoli cell-only syndrome in 20.2%, normal spermatogenesis in 11%, and seminiferous tubule hyalinization in 6.4% of the specimens. Spermatogenesis abnormality severity was not associated with the total therapy duration (P = 0.81) or patient age at the time of surgery (P = 0.88). Testicular volumes and sizes were associated with spermatogenesis abnormality severity (P = 0.001 and P = 0.026, right testicle and left testicle, resp.). CONCLUSIONS: Feminizing hormonal treatment leads to reductions in testicular germ cell levels. All transwomen should be warned about this consequence, and gamete preservation should be offered before starting hormonal treatment.

Reconstruction of Penile Shaft Defects Following Silicone Injection by Bipedicled Anterior Scrotal Flap.

PURPOSE: Numerous causalities, including attempts at penile augmentation with silicone or paraffin, can lead to extensive circular penile shaft defects. Reconstruction is challenging and skin grafting is a suboptimal option despite its widespread use. We present a surgical technique for penile shaft reconstruction with a bipedicled anterior scrotal flap. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective data analysis was performed of patients treated for symptomatic penile siliconomas who underwent subsequent penile reconstruction with a bipedicled anterior scrotal flap between 2010 and 2015. The surgical technique is described and depicted in detail. RESULTS: A total of 43 men were treated with radical circular excision of penile siliconomas and extensive shaft defects were reconstructed with a bipedicled anterior scrotal flap. Mean ± SD age was 36.95 ± 11.27 years, mean followup duration was 10.69 ± 9.54 months and mean operative time was 2.53 ± 0.46 hours. The operation proved uneventful in all cases. Only minor complications were observed, such as partial necrosis in 9% of patients, hematoma of the donor site in 12% and partial wound disruption in 19%. The mean patient satisfaction score was 4.37 on a scale of 1 to 5. All patients reported postoperative erection ability and the ability to achieve sexual intercourse. CONCLUSIONS: We present a surgical technique to reconstruct extensive penile shaft defects with an axial scrotal flap, which provides well vascularized coverage with comparable donor skin quality and thickness. The results are associated with minor donor site morbidity, good functional and aesthetic outcomes, and high patient satisfaction.

Male-to-female vaginoplasty: Preecha's surgical technique.

The inverted peno-scrotal flap is considered the standard technique for vaginoplasty in male-to-female transsexuals. Nowadays, great importance is also given by patients to the reconstruction of the clitoro-labial complex; this is also reconstructed with tissue coming from glans penis, penile skin envelop and scrotal skin. Since the first sex reassignment surgery for biological males performed in Thailand in 1975, Dr Preecha and his team developed the surgical technique for vaginoplasty; many refinements have been introduced during the past 40 years, with nearly 3000 patients operated on. The scope of this paper is to present the surgical technique currently in use for vaginoplasty and clitoro-labioplasty and the refinements introduced at the Chulalongkorn University and at the Preecha Aesthetic Institute, Bangkok, Thailand. These refinements consist of cavity dissection with blunt technique, the use of skin graft in addition to the penile flap, shaping of the clitoris complex from penis glans and clitoral hood, and the use of the urethral mucosa to line the anterior fourchette of the neo-vagina. With the refinements introduced, it has been possible to achieve a result that is very close to the biological female genitalia.

The development of sex reassignment surgery in Thailand: a social perspective.

This paper reviews the development of gender reassignment in Thailand during the period of 1975-2012, in terms of social attitude, epidemiology, surgical patients' profile, law and regulation, religion, and patients' path from psychiatric assessment to surgery. Thailand healthcare for transsexual patients is described. Figures related to the number of sex reassignment surgeries performed in Thailand over the past 30 years are reported. Transsexual individuals are only apparently integrated within the Thail society: the law system of Thailand in fact, does not guarantee to transsexuals the same rights as in other Western countries; the governmental healthcare does not offer free treatments for transsexual patients. In favor of the transsexual healthcare, instead, the Medical Council of Thailand recently published a policy entitled "Criteria for the treatment of sex change, Census 2009." The goal of this policy was to improve the care of transsexual patients in Thailand, by implementing the Standards of Care of the World Professional Association of Transgender Health. Currently, in Thailand, there are 6 major private groups performing sex reassignment surgery, and mostly performing surgery to patients coming from abroad. Particularly, the largest of these (Preecha's group) has performed nearly 3000 vaginoplasties for male-to-female transsexuals in the last 30 years.

Bilateral scrotal flap: pedicle and dimension of flap in cadaveric dissections.

Penile paraffinoma is not uncommon among Thai males. The definite treatment involves the complete removal of skin and subcutaneous tissue infiltrated by the foreign material and resurfacing in the penile shaft with skin graft or scrotal flap in severe cases. In the present study the authors undertook an anatomical investigation of external pudendal vessels and scrotal skin in 5 soft cadavers. The authors found that the anterior scrotal artery branching from the external pudendal artery at the point 2-2.7 cms. from midline at pubic symphysis level and running in the internal spermatic plane. Anterior scrotal artery supplied scrotal skin 62.5-100% (mean 75.9%) in anteroposterior dimension and 66-100% (mean 88%) in superoinferior dimension. The authors recommended that this flap must elevate deep to the internal spermatic plane, just close to tunica vaginalis and the dimension of flap should not be more than 62.5% in anteroposterior and 66% in superoinferior dimension.

Neurovascular anatomy of the penis and pelvis in Thai males: applications to male-to-female and pelvic surgeries.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the neurovascular profiles in the pelvis and penis for applying to sex reassignment surgery. MATERIAL AND METHOD: Dissection of the pelvis and penile shaft was performed in 12 soft-preserved and 32 fresh adult male cadavers respectively. The neurovascular structures were located and documented, and the distances between anatomical landmarks were measured. Thirty-two specimens from the glans penis were obtained for immunohistochemical analysis to analyze its innervation and blood supply. RESULTS: Several anatomical variations of penile arterial supply were found. They are the presence of the accessory pudendal artery, multiple cavernous and bulbourethral arteries. The unilateral dorsal artery was observed in 10 of 32 cadavers, predominantly on the left. From the root to the neck of the penis, the dorsal nerves were divided into two groups. The first group of fibers innervating the glans coursed along the dorsolateral surface of the shaft and pierced the entire area of the corona. The other group diverged to distribute throughout the lateral surface to innervate the lateral and ventral portions. The mean distance between the left and right medial main branches that terminated in the glans was 1.18 cm. Immunohistochemical analysis revealed that the main nerves, after entering the glans, divided into terminal branches that concentrated around urethra. A mean distance from the main nerves to the epithelium was 0.71 cm. CONCLUSION: This detailed anatomy in the pelvis and along the penis should provide a valuable guide for sex reassignment surgery and intrapelvic operations.

Bilateral scrotal flaps: a skin restoration for penile paraffinoma.

Foreign body injection into the penile shaft, in the mistaken belief that it could increase the size, is not uncommon among Thai males. Paraffin, oil, and other materials had been injected into the penile skin and predictably followed by a lot of complications. Foreign body granuloma, disfigurement, chronic and unhealed ulcer, painful erection, and the inability to achieve sexual activities are those following complications. In the severe cases, even though the complete resection of the skin and all of the infiltrated tissue was meticulously performed, some foreign bodies had to be left since they had incorporated into either the corpus cavernosum or corpus spongiosum. Durable resurfacing skin can't be perfectly achieved by skin grafting in these situations. Between 1996 and 2002, 31 patients with penile paraffinoma have been treated using bilateral scrotal flaps. Both functional and cosmetic goals without any major complications were achieved in all of the patients.

The role of SMAS flap in preventing Frey's syndrome following standard superficial parotidectomy.

Between 1992 and 2002, 46 patients who underwent standard superficial parotidectomy with a superficial muscoloaponeurotic system (SMAS) preservation technique were included in a retrospective study. Twenty-six patients were evaluated by questionnaire for subjective symptoms of gustatory sweating and flushing as well as satisfaction with the aesthetic appearance of their cheek. Six of twenty-six patients (23.1%) complained of symptoms of Frey's syndrome. Seven of twenty-six patients (26.9%) demonstrated a positive Minor's starch iodine test. By this technique the incidence of Frey's syndrome is substantially reduced from 48% by subjective review and 72% by objective measurement reported in the previous study by the same group of surgeons without using the SMAS preservation technique. This study supports the role of the SMAS flap in preventing Frey's syndrome following standard superficial parotidectomy.

Myocardial revascularization with the posterior tibial artery.

A large number of coronary artery bypass grafts are performed in Thailand. Some patients develop restenosed coronary arteries or stenosed graft conduits. Great saphenous veins, internal thoracic arteries, radial arteries, and right gastroepiploic arteries are used for redo coronary artery bypass grafting. But even with many conduits to choose from, sometimes graft conduits are not available. We report a case of redo coronary artery bypass grafting where the posterior tibial artery was harvested for the graft conduit. Clinical outcome and angiographic results are reported at 1 year postoperation.