ABSTRACT
The popularity of mixed martial arts competitions and televised events has grown exponentially since its inception, and with the growth of the sport, unique facial injury patterns have surfaced. In particular, upper eyelid and brow lacerations are common and are especially troublesome given the effect of hemorrhage from these areas on the fighter's vision and thus ability to continue. We propose that the convexity of the underlying supraorbital rim is responsible for the high frequency of lacerations in this region after blunt trauma and offer a method of reducing subsequent injury by reducing its prominence.
Subject(s)
Facial Injuries/prevention & control , Lacerations/prevention & control , Martial Arts/injuries , Plastic Surgery Procedures/methods , Adult , Athletic Injuries/epidemiology , Athletic Injuries/prevention & control , Athletic Injuries/surgery , Cicatrix/etiology , Cicatrix/surgery , Eyebrows , Eyelids/injuries , Facial Injuries/etiology , Facial Injuries/surgery , Humans , Lacerations/epidemiology , Lacerations/etiology , Lacerations/surgery , Male , Nevada/epidemiology , Secondary Prevention , Skin Transplantation , Treatment OutcomeABSTRACT
The radial forearm flap has been used for reconstruction of the cervical esophagus most often as a patch or for circumferential repair of short defects (less than 5 cm). In the following three cases, the radial forearm flap was used to reconstruct circumferential cervical esophageal defects ranging from 5 to 12 mm in length. These procedures were successfully carried out in three patients in whom the intraoperative defect was unexpectedly large or the intra-abdominal viscera harvest would have been difficult. These patients had reliable esophageal function 8 to 24 months after surgery. We conclude that the radial forearm flap can be used for reconstruction of large circumferential defects of the cervical esophagus.
