ABSTRACT
Volunteer surgical missions to provide cleft care to patients in developing countries has been done successfully for a number of years. Similar missions that provide craniofacial surgery introduce a dramatic step up in complexity. While articles have addressed protocols for the safe delivery of cleft care around the world, little has been written on volunteer craniofacial surgical missions. Komedyplast was established in March 2001 as a 501c(3) nonprofit organization to provide craniofacial surgical care to underserved populations and educate local surgeons in craniofacial principles. During 9 annual missions, the organization has provided surgical care to more than 150 patients with various complex, congenital, craniofacial conditions. The article addresses important safeguards that have been implemented to maximize safety and minimize risk.
Subject(s)
Craniofacial Abnormalities/surgery , Developing Countries , Medical Missions/organization & administration , Volunteers , Humans , Organizational ObjectivesABSTRACT
The current treatment of craniosynostosis is open surgical excision of the prematurely fused suture and cranial vault remodeling. Due to the change in skull morphology and the increase in volume, some tension on the skin flaps is noted with closure. Although complete wound breakdown is rare, it can be a devastating complication. We present our experience with the use of the SPY imaging system (Lifecell Corporation, Branchburg, NJ, USA) to visualize and record blood flow within the flaps of a 1-year-old patient with anterior plagiocephaly. Intraoperative indocyanine green angiography has the potential to be a significant advantage in such cases, providing a safe and objective method to assess intraoperative scalp perfusion, allowing the surgeon to take additional measures to ameliorate any ischemic problems.
