Use of an artificial dermis (Integra) for the reconstruction of extensive burn scars in children. About 22 grafts.

We used an artificial dermis (Integra) for the reconstruction of extensive burn scars in children. Integra was initially developed for the primary coverage of acute burns, but several authors report good experiences with Integra for reconstructive surgery. We present a group of 10 children who underwent Integra grafting at 22 different operational sites. Five children received several grafts with Integra. On average, 260 cm(2) per session were grafted. We compared the surface of Integra on the day of grafting and then again on the evaluation day to measure the secondary retraction of the grafts. Complications (infection of Integra, failure of the epidermal graft) were observed in 5 cases. At the final evaluation, 20 grafts were visible. The surface of the Integra graft represented less than 50% of the initial surface in 7 cases, 51-75% in 5 cases and more than 76% in 8 cases. The disadvantages of Integra in reconstructive surgery are that two operative procedures are necessary and the recurrence of contraction seems to be more significant than with full thickness auto grafts. However, Integra has many advantages: the immediate availability of large quantities, the simplicity and reliability of the technique, the pliability and the cosmetic aspect of the resulting coverage. In light of these preliminary results, Integra appears to offer a new alternative for the reconstruction of extensive burn scars in children.

[Long-term outcome of surgically treated orbital floor fractures. Apropos of a series of 242 patients]. / Séquelles à long terme des fractures du plancher de l'orbite opérées. A propos d'une série de 242 patients.

Over a period extending from January 1993 to December 1995, we treated 242 patients with 268 orbital floor fractures in our department. Surgical indications were broad and relied on clinical criteria (enophthalmos, diplopia, hypoesthesia) and/or CT analysis (bony collapse, extrusion of orbital contents, suspicion of muscular entrapment, dislocation of the infraorbital rim). Two years after surgery, 91% of the patients showed good results (absence of diplopia or severe enophthalmos). The analysis of these results points out that the degree of sequelar enophthamos was not only related to the degree of initial bony collapse but above all to the quality of the bony reconstruction. Sequelar diplopia was linked with the presence of a preoperative diplopia and its severity was a direct function of operative delay. Hypoesthesia in the infraorbital nerve territory was the most common sequela; some were postoperative complications. The type of material used for the restoration of the orbital floor was not involved in the development of these sequela. Our good results suggest that an interventionist attitude is warranted in these kind of fractures, the more so as the X-ray examinations often underestimate injuries.

[Extra-popliteal localizations of adventitial cysts. Review of the literature]. / Les localisations extra-poplitées des kystes adventitiels. Revue de la littérature.

Cystic adventitial disease is an uncommon vascular anomaly first described in 1947 in the external iliac artery. The preferential localization is the popliteal artery although other arteries and veins may also be involved though not always recognized. There have been 45 extra-popliteal localizations of adventitial cysts reported in the literature. Thirty cases involved an artery an 15 a vein. The iliofemoral axis, with 33 reported cases, is the preferential localization of these extra-popliteal adventitial cysts (including 22 arteries and 11 veins). All the other cases also involved a vessel near an articulation (knee, ankle, elbow, wrist). Despite a preferential popliteal arterial localization only one case involved the popliteal vein. The diagnosis is rarely made before surgery, probably because of the nonspecific clinical presentation. Ultrasonography should allow better recognition of these adventitial cysts, eliminating an aneurysm or a synovial cyst, and evidencing the localization of the cyst within the vessel wall.