Browpexy: lateral orbicularis muscle fixation as an adjunct to upper blepharoplasty.

Lateral ptosis of the eyebrow is a major part of the complex changes that patients are seeking to improve with an upper blepharoplasty. Two hundred and eight patients have undergone a browpexy procedure at the time of blepharoplasty. This operative maneuver, which is performed through the blepharoplasty incision, prevents the brow from dropping below the superior orbital rim and creates a defined tarsal sulcus to produce a sculptured upper eyelid.

Desmoid tumor occurring after reconstruction mammaplasty for breast carcinoma.

We present a case of desmoid tumor associated with prior alloplastic breast reconstruction. Wide local excision that includes chest wall resection, if necessary, is the primary treatment of choice. Patients with extensive nonresectable or recurrent disease may benefit from radiation therapy. Systemic therapy is a possibility in certain cases, but its toxicity generally precludes its use with this nonmetastatic tumor. Although this is the fourth reported case of desmoid tumor arising after implantation of a silicone prosthesis, we cannot claim a causal relationship. Careful follow-up consisting of yearly physical and mammagraphic examinations may facilitate early diagnosis and treatment of locally aggressive desmoid tumors but is not warranted, except in the context of routine screening for breast carcinoma.

Minimizing deformity in lower blepharoplasty. The transconjunctival approach.

The transconjunctival approach offers many advantages for lower blepharoplasty. It addresses bulging fat directly, minimizes late lid retraction problems, permits skin resection if indicated, and retains the natural appearance of the palpebral fissure. The technique is straightforward and is easily mastered once the relevant anatomy is understood.

Operative technique for transconjunctival lower blepharoplasty.

In the past 3 years, more than 125 patients have undergone primary and secondary lower blepharoplasty by the transconjunctival method. The ability to adequately remove fat with this approach has been impressive. Exposure of the central and medial fat compartments is excellent. The lateral fat pad area is not as easy to visualize, and care must be taken to assure that adequate fat removal is achieved. Although one might suspect that postoperative conjunctival irritation could be a problem with this procedure, this has been notably absent in our patient population. In addition, there have been remarkably few patients with dry eye complaints following transconjunctival lower blepharoplasty. The question of skin resection must also be addressed. Currently, we believe that the majority of patients seeking improvement of the lower eyelids benefit most by a transconjunctival blepharoplasty without skin resection (Figs. 3 and 4). When there is obvious skin excess, we believe that it is best approached by removing the fat through the transconjunctival incision and then removing skin with a simple skin flap or skin pinch technique. This must be done considerably more conservatively than has been recommended in the past, to retain a natural palpebral fissure. Secondary skin removal, if necessary, is a straightforward procedure that can be readily done under local anesthesia at a later date. Transconjunctival lower blepharoplasty has not been associated with prolonged (exceeding 1 month) lower lid retraction problems in any of our patients. The technique is easy to learn but does require some experience with the anatomy. The technique should become the basic procedure for correction of excess fat in the lower eyelids.

Expanded applications for transconjunctival lower lid blepharoplasty.

There has been a recent upsurge in interest in the transconjunctival approach for lower lid blepharoplasty. Initial reports have focused on the young patient with isolated fat prominence. We describe our experience with transconjunctival lower lid blepharoplasty in 104 patients over the past 2 years. There have been no instances of prolonged lower lid retraction problems, presumably related to leaving the skin, orbicularis, and orbital septum intact. Our experience with expanding the indications for the transconjunctival approach to include patients with fine skin wrinkling as well as frank skin excess has been extremely favorable. We conclude that the skin excess is often more apparent than real, with the skin being necessary to recontour the lower eyelid after fat excision. Although skin excision may be required during the initial procedure or at a later stage, patients with apparent skin excess need not be excluded from consideration for transconjunctival lower lid blepharoplasty.

The effect of rigid internal fixation on cranial growth.

As the use of rigid internal fixation of the facial skeleton has become routine in adults, many craniofacial surgeons have expanded its use to the pediatric population. The effects of miniplate and screw fixation on subsequent craniofacial growth, however, have not been examined. Using 6-week-old rabbits as an experimental model, miniplates were placed across the right coronal suture. Calvarial changes were measured by direct osteometry on dry skull preparations. Compared with the control group, a significant reduction in growth was noted across the plated suture and adjacent bones. Because secondary growth disturbances can be produced with the use of these fixation devices, their use in the pediatric population should be viewed cautiously.

Rare craniofacial clefts: Tessier no. 4 clefts.

A major difficulty in understanding rare craniofacial clefts arises from the fact that previous reports have focused on a single case or have grouped together different types of rare clefts. Less than 50 Tessier no. 4 clefts have been reported. This paper examines our experience with eight patients treated primarily or secondarily for Tessier no. 4 clefts. A treatment plan is recommended. The primary early concern is protection of the eye. Early correction of soft-tissue deformities should include skin, muscle, and lining of the orbit, cheek, and oral cavity. Contrary to the dictum that all soft tissue must be preserved, the medial portion of the upper lip from the cleft to the philtral ridge must be resected to prevent poorly camouflaged scars, muscle deficiency, and macrostomia. Bone grafting should be undertaken at an early age using calvarial bone. Late operations will be necessary for correction of medial and lateral canthal position, epiphora, lower eyelid skin deficiency, and further bony augmentation.

Management of advanced foot deformities in dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa.

Treatment for the characteristic hand deformities of dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa has been well described in the literature. We present our first experience delineating the surgical treatment for advanced foot deformities in this disease. This case emphasizes the need for release of contractures, the use of split-thickness skin grafts, and the need for rigid fixation to maintain surgical correction until healing is complete.