Mucocutaneous manifestations of cocaine abuse: a review.

Cocaine is an alkaloid extracted from the leaves of the Erythroxylum coca plant that emerged in the 1970s as a fashionable drug among members of certain social backgrounds. Cocaine abuse is a problem of current interest, which is mostly hidden and underdiagnosed, but dramatically widespread among all socio-economic strata, and with an incidence which is increasing at an alarming rate. There are 1.5 million cocaine consumers in the USA. In Spain, the prevalence of consumption among the population between 15 and 65 years old is higher, reaching 3.1%. Because of this, it seems important to understand and recognize all the mucocutaneous manifestations of cocaine abuse which have been reported in the literature to clarify and to help dermatologists in their daily practice. In this article, we describe the principal mucocutaneous manifestations of cocaine abuse and we review isolated case reports which have been published in the literature. Because the dermatologist may deal with an unknown problem as well as with an already well-known history of cocaine abuse, it seems logical to separate the mucocutaneous manifestations into those which are frequent and highly suggestive, such as those caused by vascular injury, damage to mucosal membranes, infectious diseases or neutrophilic dermatosis, especially when suffered by young people and in consonance with other systemic manifestations and, those which have been reported in the literature as isolated case reports. We also summarize the main aspects of its pathogeny, principal pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic characteristics, and diagnostic tools.

Suturas en «cuerda de guitarra» para facilitar el cierre del colgajo digitiforme en la reconstrucción nasal / Guitar-string suture to facilitate closure of a finger-like flap for reconstruction of the nose

Introducción: El principio básico de un colgajo lobulado o digitiforme de trasposición es que una vez que el tejido desplazado cubra el defecto, la zona dadora cierre directamente. Cuando los defectos son grandes puede ser necesaria la realización de un segundo lóbulo, debido a que el área que deja el primer lóbulo con su movimiento no cumple el criterio anterior. Con frecuencia se puede forzar el colgajo y adaptarlo al nuevo lecho, aunque a veces esta maniobra, sumada al cierre directo del tejido adyacente, puede traccionar en exceso y comprometer la vascularización. Material y métodos: Se presenta una serie de 4 pacientes con tumores epiteliales en el lateral nasal. Tras la extirpación quirúrgica, los defectos resultantes se cubrieron mediante colgajos digitiformes de trasposición. En el diseño del cierre de los defectos se utilizaron unos puntos de sutura subcutáneos denominados en «cuerda de guitarra» para disminuir el tamaño del área cruenta y facilitar el ensamblaje del colgajo sin tensión. Conclusiones: Proponemos la realización de la sutura subcutánea en «cuerda de guitarra» para aquellos casos en los que el defecto cutáneo es mayor que la cobertura que aporta el colgajo local, con el objetivo de facilitar su ensamblaje y disminuir el riesgo de necrosis del tejido desplazado por una excesiva tensión (AU)

Introduction: The basic principle of a lobed or finger-like transposition flap is that, after covering the defect with the transposed tissue, the donor site is closed primarily. With large defects, a second lobe may be added to the flap if primary closure of the area left by the first lobe is not possible. The flap can often be made to adapt to the defect, but this maneuver, in combination with primary closure of the adjacent tissue, can sometimes produce excessive tension and compromise the blood supply. Material and methods: We present a series of 4 patients with epithelial tumors of the lateral wall of the nose. The defects left by surgical excision were covered by finger-like transposition flaps. Subcutaneous sutures called guitar-string sutures were used to reduce the size of the defect and facilitate tension-free closure. Conclusions: We propose use of the guitar-string subcutaneous suture in those cases in which the defect is larger than the area that can be covered by the flap. This will make it easier to adapt the flap to the defect and will reduce the risk of excessive tension causing necrosis of the transposed tissue (AU)

Guitar-String Suture to Facilitate Closure of a Finger-like Flap for Reconstruction of the Nose. / Suturas en «cuerda de guitarra¼ para facilitar el cierre del colgajo digitiforme en la reconstrucción nasal.

INTRODUCTION: The basic principle of a lobed or finger-like transposition flap is that, after covering the defect with the transposed tissue, the donor site is closed primarily. With large defects, a second lobe may be added to the flap if primary closure of the area left by the first lobe is not possible. The flap can often be made to adapt to the defect, but this maneuver, in combination with primary closure of the adjacent tissue, can sometimes produce excessive tension and compromise the blood supply. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We present a series of 4 patients with epithelial tumors of the lateral wall of the nose. The defects left by surgical excision were covered by finger-like transposition flaps. Subcutaneous sutures called guitar-string sutures were used to reduce the size of the defect and facilitate tension-free closure. CONCLUSIONS: We propose use of the guitar-string subcutaneous suture in those cases in which the defect is larger than the area that can be covered by the flap. This will make it easier to adapt the flap to the defect and will reduce the risk of excessive tension causing necrosis of the transposed tissue.