Early management of parotid gland injury with oral nortriptyline and closed drain.

Parotid gland plays the most critical role in saliva secretion in the oral cavity. Parotid gland injuries due to facial trauma can cause various complications such as formation of a fistula or sialocele. Thus, such saliva-related complications can interfere with wound healing and increase the risk of infection. Several previous studies have discussed the treatment of fistula or sialocele. Nonetheless, prevention of such complications is of utmost importance. We present a case of parotid gland injury due to trauma to the cheeks that was surgically treated, with early postoperative management involving oral administration of nortriptyline and closed drainage, without complications.

Skin malignancy initially misdiagnosed as a benign epidermal cyst.

Skin cancer, which often occurs as a result of skin exposure to ultraviolet light radiation, usually presents with characteristic abnormal features, such as ulcerative lesions, irregular morphology, bleeding, and excessive growth. Therefore, skin cancer rarely resembles a benign tumor on visual inspection. Nonetheless, squamous cell carcinoma and basal cell carcinoma with nodular or polypoid features can have a similar appearance to that of benign tumors, meaning that they are sometimes misdiagnosed as benign. As benign and malignant tumors have some overlapping features, clinicians sometimes use additional imaging techniques such as ultrasonography to improve the accuracy of the diagnosis because even a malignant tumor that externally resembles a benign tumor generally has internal morphological features characteristic of malignancy, such as invasion and irregular borders. However, these imaging tools also have limitations, and punch or excisional biopsy can be needed if malignancy cannot be completely ruled out. Herein, we report a case of skin malignancy initially misdiagnosed as a benign epidermal cyst based on external visual inspection and ultrasonography.

Early cicatricial lagophthalmos release with pentagonal wedge resection of the scar, fat redistribution, and full-thickness skin grafting.

The specialized structure of the upper eyelid ensures complete closure of the eye and eyeball sealing. An upper eyelid injury can cause various symptoms associated with eyeball trauma, not just scar formation or eyelid deformity. In this report, we describe a case of lagophthalmos observed after wound repair in a patient with a crushing injury caused by a grinder. Several surgical techniques are used to treat lagophthalmos or scar contracture. In most cases, a releasing procedure is performed after 6 months of initial repair. However, if the patient has severe symptoms that are not relieved by conservative care, early revision is inevitable. We describe a case of early lagophthalmos successfully resolved with pentagonal wedge resection, fat redistribution, and full-thickness skin grafting. After the revisional surgery, we observed that the patient regained the ability to completely close the injured eyelid, with restoration of function and favorable cosmetic outcomes. Pentagonal wedge resection to release a retracted structure, fat redistribution to prevent readhesion, and full-thickness skin grafting for enough amount of skin to regain upper eyelid function is useful for scar release and lagophthalmos following crushing injuries of the upper eyelid.

A retrospective computed tomography analysis of maxillary fractures and the clinical outcomes of their unreduced parts.

BACKGROUND: Some parts of a maxillary fracture-for example, the medial and posterior walls-may remain unreduced because they are unapproachable or hard to deal with. This study aimed to investigate the self-healing process of unreduced maxillary membranous parts of fractures through a longitudinal computed tomography (CT) analysis of cases of unilateral facial bone injuries involving the maxillary sinus walls. METHODS: Thirty-two patients who had undergone unilateral facial bone reduction surgery involving the maxillary sinus walls without reduction of the medial and posterior walls were analyzed in this retrospective chart review. Preoperative, immediate postoperative, and 3-month postoperative CT scans were analyzed. The maxillary sinus volume was calculated and improvements in bone continuity and alignment were evaluated. RESULTS: The volume of the traumatized maxillary sinuses increased after surgery, and expanded significantly by 3 months postoperatively (p< 0.05). The significant preoperative volume difference between the normal and traumatized sides (p= 0.024) resolved after surgery (p> 0.05), and this resolution was maintained at 3 months postoperatively (p > 0.05). The unreduced parts of the maxillary bone showed improved alignment and continuity (in 75.0% and 90.6% of cases, respectively), and improvements in bone alignment and bone continuity were found to be correlated using the Pearson chi-square test (p= 0.002). CONCLUSION: Maxillary wall remodeling through self-healing occurred concomitantly with an increase in sinus volume and simultaneous improvements in bone alignment and continuity. Midfacial surgeons should be aware of the natural course of unreduced fractured medial and posterior maxillary walls in complex maxillary fractures.

Glomus tumor of the hand.

BACKGROUND: Glomus tumors were first described by Wood in 1812 as painful subcutaneous tubercles. It is an uncommon benign neoplasm involving the glomus body, an apparatus that involves in thermoregulation of cutaneous microvasculature. Glomus tumor constitutes 1%-5% of all hand tumors. It usually occurs at the subungual region and more commonly in aged women. Its classical clinical triad consists of pain, tenderness and temperature intolerance, especially cold sensitivity. This study reviews 15 cases of glomus tumor which were analyzed according to its anatomic location, surgical approach and histologic findings. METHODS: Fifteen patients with subungual glomus tumors of the hand operated on between January 2006 and March 2013, were retrospectively reviewed. Patients were evaluated preoperatively with standard physical examination including ice cube test and Love's test. Diagnostic imaging consisted of ultrasonography, computed tomography, and magnetic resonance imaging. All procedures were performed with tourniquet control under local anesthesia. Eleven patients underwent excision using the transungual approach, 3 patients using the volar approach and 1 patient using the lateral subperiosteal approach. RESULTS: Total of 15 cases were reviewed. 11 tumors were located in the nail bed, 3 in the volar pulp and 1 in the radial aspect of the finger tip. After complete excision, patients remained asymptomatic in the immediate postoperative period. In the long term follow up, patients exhibited excellent cosmetic results with no recurrence. CONCLUSIONS: Accurate diagnosis should be made by physical, radiologic and pathologic examinations. Preoperative localization and complete extirpation is essential in preventing recurrence and subsequent nail deformity.

Four flaps technique for neoumbilicoplasty.

The absence or disfigurement of the umbilicus is both cosmetically and psychologically distressing to patients. The goal of aesthetically pleasing umbilical reconstruction is to create a neoumbilicus with sufficient depth and good morphology, with natural-looking superior hooding and minimal scarring. Although many reports have presented techniques for creating new and attractive umbilici, we developed a technique that we term the "four flaps technique" for creating a neoumbilicus in circumstances such as the congenital absence of the umbilicus or the lack of remaining umbilical tissue following the excision of a hypertrophic or scarred umbilicus. This method uses the neighboring tissue by simply elevating four flaps and can yield sufficient depth and an aesthetically pleasing shape with appropriate superior hooding.