Head and neck reconstruction in vessel-depleted necks: Case report of a labio-mental and mandibular reconstruction using an arteriovenous loop.

Major defects of the facial structures cause severe functional and esthetic impairment. Difficulty in head and neck reconstruction lies in cases of secondary, tertiary, or further reconstruction. This is not a rare situation for patients who had cancer of the upper airways, since the rate of recurrence, second location, or osteoradionecrosis is high. Multiple surgeries and radiation therapy cause significant fibrosis and scar tissues, making any further reconstruction a major challenge for the surgeon when operating patients with vessel- depleted neck. We report our experience with a clinical case of a patient to whom we performed a double free flap reconstruction anastomosed on a vascular loop in a context of vascular cervical desert. In our case, the use of an arteriovenous loop proved to be a reliable approach for a vessel-depleted free tissue reconstruction. This technique has received insufficient attention, yet it provides a means to establish dependable vascular alternatives.

The influence of tissue redraping after Le Fort I type osteotomy.

Elongation of the upper lip, in particular the philtrum, and nose widening are common postoperative changes after a Le Fort I osteotomy. These changes can be induced by the transection of soft tissue and loosening of the underlying musculature. A methodology for soft tissue redraping was developed to limit these undesirable nasolabial changes. This study evaluates the effectiveness of the technique and influence of maxillary translocation on the nasolabial form. Anthropometric measurements, lip, philtrum length, and nose width, were taken two weeks prior to, and one year after, surgery. The mean postoperative changes were minimised to less than 1mm except for lip length in the extrusion groups, which was less than 1.5mm. Statistical analysis showed a stable result for lip length after maxillary advancement and/or intrusion as limited lengthening mainly occurred at the vermilion. Conversely, lip lengthening after extrusion mainly occurred at the philtrum. The mean nose width was maintained after maxillary advancement, decreased after extrusion, and increased after intrusion. The type of maxillary translocation only influenced the nasolabial soft tissue in case of intrusion and extrusion, not after advancement.

Parathyroid carcinoma: a review with three illustrative cases.

Parathyroid carcinoma is a rare disease, which accounts for less than 1% of all case of primary hyperparathyroidism and is usually not detected until the time of surgery or thereafter. For most patients preoperative staging is not available. A radical excision remains the standard management; the place of adjuvant radiotherapy is not well established yet. Local recurrence and/or the metastases are unfortunately frequent. The present paper presents an up to date review of the literature illustrated by three clinical cases.