Ant Waist Surgery: Aesthetic Removal of Floating Ribs to Decrease the Waist-hip Ratio.

Decreasing waist circumference has become an essential feature in modern body contouring surgery owing to the attractiveness of hourglass body shapes. Traditionally, this can be achieved through lipomodeling and abdominal musculature strengthening techniques. An adjunctive procedure for ideal shaping of the waistline is resection of the 11th and 12th ribs, referred to as floating ribs. This study aimed to report and analyze clinical outcomes and self-reported patient satisfaction after "ant waist" surgery (floating rib removal) for aesthetic reasons. We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of five patients who had undergone bilateral 11th and 12th rib resections at a single institute in Taiwan in an outpatient setting. The mean lengths of the resected left and right 11th ribs were 9.1 and 9.5 cm, respectively. The mean lengths of the resected left and right 12th ribs were 6.3 and 6.4 cm, respectively. The mean waist-to-hip ratio decreased from 0.78 preoperatively to 0.72 postoperatively, with a mean decrease of 7.7%. No adverse events were reported. Generally, all patients reported being satisfied with the operation. Floating rib resection proved useful and effective in decreasing the waist-to-hip ratio using a safe, simple, and reproducible technique without significant complications. Although preliminarily, the authors' comprehensive demonstration of this ant waist surgery supports further studies focusing on waistline contouring.

Postoperative Hematoma in Microvascular Reconstruction of the Head and Neck.

BACKGROUND: Free tissue transfer has become a safe and reliable means for repairing soft tissue and bony defects of the head and neck region. Although the success rate is high, the incidence of postoperative complications is common. One significant complication is postoperative hematoma formation. However, few published studies have addressed its incidence, etiology, or outcome. We performed a retrospective analysis to investigate this issue. METHODS: A retrospective review was conducted of 293 consecutive microvascular free tissue transfers in the head and neck region in a single institute from January 2013 to December 2015. Patients with postoperative hematoma were identified, and demographic data, perioperative conditions, medications, and outcomes were evaluated by chart review. RESULTS: A total of 34 patients (11.8%) had postoperative hematoma. Compared with the patients without hematoma, this group had a longer hospital stay (P = 0.06) and required more secondary procedures (P = 0.001). The use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs; P < 0.001) was associated with a higher incidence of hematoma formation. Among the 34 patients with hematoma, 16 (47.1%) had flap compromise and underwent emergent reexploration. The salvage rate was higher than that in the nonhematoma group (87.5% vs 59.3%, P = 0.086). CONCLUSIONS: Postoperative hematoma after head and neck microvascular reconstruction is not a rare complication and may lead to poor outcome and more complications. The avoidance of NSAIDs preoperatively may prevent hematoma formation. Surgeons should be alert to this situation, and immediate return to the operative room for hematoma evacuation is necessary. Early intervention may contribute to a high salvage rate.

Vascular Complications and Free Flap Salvage in Head and Neck Reconstructive Surgery: Analysis of 150 Cases of Reexploration.

INTRODUCTION: Despite the excellent reliability of free tissue transfer, flap failure is devastating, and in addition to patient morbidity, it may increase hospital stay and associated costs. Previous studies have evaluated factors related to flap salvage, regarding the operative strategy for flap salvage surgery. The present study aimed to share our experience of reexploration and describe operative standards dealing with vascular thrombosis. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed 150 (of 1258) free flaps for head and neck reconstruction that showed signs of vascular compromise at our institution during a 13-year period between 2002 and 2015. Patient demographics, including sex, age, premorbid health status, personal history, indication for reexploration, flap type, and number of recipient vessels, were analyzed. Days between the end of initial surgery and salvage surgery were also recorded. The incidence of postsalvage complications (hematoma formation, wound dehiscence, and infection requiring surgical intervention) and the overall flap survival were recorded. RESULTS: Of the 150 flaps, 87 flaps had evident arterial or venous thrombosis; 34 of these failed and required a second free flap or pedicle flap reconstruction. The remaining 53 were successfully salvaged. Although vascular thrombosis was found to be a major contributing factor in flap loss, no significant differences in any factor were found between patients with salvageable flaps and those with unsalvageable flaps. CONCLUSIONS: Vascular thrombosis is a major contributing factor in flap loss. The incidence of venous thrombosis is higher, but arterial thrombosis may be more severe. Improvements in the surgical technique and perioperative management are highly reliable. We believe that strict models of flap monitoring; well-trained, dedicated staff; and immediate reexploration will potentially further improve flap survival and optimize the quality of life.

Experience With the Use of Free Fasciocutaneous Flap in Through-and-Through Cheek-Buccal Defect Reconstruction: Surgical Outcome and Quality of Life Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Through-and-through cheek-buccal soft tissue defects usually require fasciocutaneous flaps for reconstruction. However, no ideal flap has been established for reconstruction. METHODS: A retrospective chart review of head and neck reconstruction performed at Taipei Veterans General Hospital between 2003 and 2012 was conducted. Surgical outcomes and quality-of-life assessments between different fasciocutaneous flaps were collected and compared. RESULTS: Eighty-five patients received a free anterolateral thigh flap, and 25 patients received a free forearm flap. The flap success rates were 96.4% for the free anterolateral thigh flap and 96% for the free forearm flap. Appearance, swallowing, and speech were less satisfactory in long-term follow-up; and recurrent tumor, flap size (>100 cm²), oral commissure involvement, and long hospital stay (>40 days) were associated with unsatisfactory quality of life. CONCLUSIONS: Free fasciocutaneous flap can result in acceptable success rates, but patient satisfaction with appearing, swallowing, and speech function was relatively low after reconstruction. Tumor status (primary or recurrent), flap size, oral commissure involvement, and length of hospital stay are the main factors that affect quality of life.