ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Recent advances in robotic surgery have extended to hair restoration surgery, using a robotic recipient site creation device. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to assess the surgical safety and postoperative clinical outcomes of using this robotic system. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty-one men diagnosed with androgenetic alopecia, who underwent hair transplantation with robotic recipient site creation, were retrospectively reviewed. Their mean age was 38.7 ± 9.5 (range, 22â67) years. RESULTS: The total number of robotically created recipient sites was 36,273. The average site creation speed was 1,593 ± 544 sites per hour. Postoperative crusting (54.8%) was the most frequent complication in the recipient area, followed by pruritus (12.9%), asymmetry (6.5%), and folliculitis (6.5%). The mean score of cosmetic outcomes and patient satisfaction, scored on a 5-point scale, was 4.10 ± 0.54 and 4.13 ± 0.85, respectively. No significant differences in cosmetic outcomes and patient satisfaction were found between 3 operators. CONCLUSION: The current device can automatically make slit incisions in the recipient area with speed and consistency noninferior to manual site creation. It is both safe and reliable for clinical use, and it is also easily managed by different hair surgeons without a long learning curve.
Subject(s)
Alopecia/surgery , Folliculitis/epidemiology , Hair Follicle/transplantation , Pruritus/epidemiology , Robotic Surgical Procedures/adverse effects , Adult , Aged , Folliculitis/etiology , Humans , Learning Curve , Male , Middle Aged , Patient Satisfaction , Pruritus/etiology , Retrospective Studies , Robotic Surgical Procedures/education , Robotic Surgical Procedures/methods , Treatment Outcome , Young AdultABSTRACT
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Tattoo removal by laser has been mostly performed using Q-switched laser, which has nanosecond pulse width. In recent years, the efficacy of treatment with picosecond pulse width laser has also been reported. STUDY DESIGN/MATERIALS AND METHODS: Using a picosecond-domain, neodymium-doped yttrium-aluminum-garnet laser with a potassium-titanyl-phosphate frequency-doubling crystal, we performed a retrospective clinical study with combination treatment using pulse widths of 750 ps and 2 ns. The number of treatments was compared with the Kirby-Desai score. Tissue changes immediately after laser irradiation at 2 ns and 750 ps were compared using an electron microscope. RESULTS: The combination treatment using pulse widths of 2 ns and 750 ps was safe and more effective than the Q-switched neodymium-doped yttrium-aluminum-garnet laser treatment. Tattoo removal was possible with significantly fewer treatment numbers than the Kirby-Desai score, without adverse events. The results from the scanning electron microscope revealed that ink particles irradiated by 750 ps were more dispersed than those by 2 ns. CONCLUSIONS: The combination treatment with pulse widths of 2 ns and 750 ps and 1064 nm and 532 nm wavelengths using the neodymium-doped yttrium-aluminum-garnet laser was safe and effective and can be a useful option for tattoo removal. Lasers Surg. Med. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
