Vertical Body Lift: Surgical Technique and Comparison with the Inferior Body Lift Technique.

BACKGROUND: Patients with massive weight loss have excessive skin laxity along both vertical and transverse axes. Vertical body lift (VBL) is a body-contouring technique addressing both excesses, promoting not only body lifting but also a tightening effect. The aim of this study was to describe the authors' VBL surgical technique and its potential clinical applications. In addition, they present their experience among postbariatric surgery patients to compare surgical aspects and outcomes of VBL and the classic inferior body lift (IBL) technique. METHODS: The authors reviewed data on 140 consecutive postbariatric surgery patients who underwent a body lift procedure between January of 2018 and March of 2020. The patients were divided into two groups: the VBL group and the IBL group. Patient demographics, operative details, and postoperative outcomes were compared between groups. RESULTS: Of the 140 patients included in the study, 92 underwent IBL and 48 underwent VBL. There were no statistically significant differences between groups for surgical duration (IBL, 192 minutes; VBL, 193 minutes), hemoglobin decrease (IBL, 2.32 g/dL; VBL, 2.11 g/dL), hospital length of stay (IBL, 5.4 days; VBL, 5.7 days), or complication rate (IBL, 32%; VBL, 31%). CONCLUSIONS: The authors' study shows comparable operative details and postsurgical outcomes between the VBL and classic IBL techniques. In their experience, VBL is a reliable and reproducible technique that can improve aesthetic and functional outcomes in a subpopulation of approximately one-third of patients with massive weight loss. CLINICAL QUESTION/LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Therapeutic, III.

Robotic Prophylactic Nipple-Sparing Mastectomy with Immediate Prosthetic Breast Reconstruction: A Prospective Study.

BACKGROUND: Robotic nipple-sparing mastectomy (RNSM) could be a significant advancement in the treatment of breast cancers and prophylaxis because the mastectomy is performed without leaving any scar on the breast. The aim of this study was to assess the feasibility and the safety of RNSM with immediate prosthetic breast reconstruction (IPBR). METHODS: In this prospective study, RNSM with IPBR was offered to patients with breast cup size A, B or C and ptosis grade ≤ 2. In case of oncologic surgery, RNSM was proposed only if the tumor was located more than 2 cm away from the nipple-areola complex (NAC) and if postoperative radiation was not indicated. In case of prophylactic surgery, RNSM was proposed only if a high-risk genetic mutation had been identified. The primary endpoint was the rate of skin or NAC necrosis. The rate of conversion to open technique, the duration of the procedure, and postoperative complications were also analyzed. RESULTS: Sixty-three RNSM with IPBR were performed in 33 patients. There were no cases of mastectomy skin flap or NAC necrosis. We had to convert to an open technique in one case (1.6%). Three infections occurred (4.8%), one leading to implant loss (1.6%). No other major complications were observed. CONCLUSIONS: Preliminary data attest to the feasibility, the reproducibility, and the safety of this approach. However, long-term data are needed to confirm the oncological safety and the esthetic stability of the result. Trial registration identifier NCT02673268.

Robotic Nipple-Sparing Mastectomy with Immediate Prosthetic Breast Reconstruction: Surgical Technique.

Robotic nipple-sparing mastectomy could be a significant advancement in the treatment and prophylaxis of selected breast cancers. Motion-scaling, high-resolution, three-dimensional optics; tremor elimination; and instruments with enhanced precision with 7 degrees of freedom have allowed surgeons to overcome the limitations experienced with the endoscopic approach in breast surgery. Advantages of this procedure, in comparison with the open technique, are a shorter and more acceptable scar located in the lateral thoracic region, and greater respect for the vascularization of the mastectomy skin flap, because there is no incision on the breast and no retractors are used. The authors recently received approval from both the French health authorities and the ethics committee to carry out a clinical trial in their institution to assess feasibility, reproducibility, and safety of robotic nipple-sparing mastectomy with immediate prosthetic breast reconstruction. The aims of this article are to describe the surgical technique they have developed, and to share, through a video, the clinical experience gained from over 60 procedures performed so far.

Indications and Controversies in Partial Mastectomy Defect Reconstruction.

Breast cancer surgical treatment nowadays includes oncoplastic surgery. It is a reliable oncologic surgical treatment, which also prevents functional and aesthetic sequelae, thus improving the patient's quality of life and satisfaction. Numerous techniques have been described, with different levels of complexity and technicality. Their indications differ depending on the global breast volume and the degree of ptosis, on the tumor volume compared with the breast volume, and on the tumor location. This article describes the authors' many years of experience of breast cancer treatment using oncoplastic surgery. They also established a decision-making guide, whose implementation enables treatment of every patient.

Fascia Temporalis Free Flap for Cricotracheal Reconstruction: A Novel Approach.

BACKGROUND: The aim of tracheal reconstruction is to provide an airtight and noncollapsible airway covered with a suitable epithelial lining. To date, no ideal treatment is available for large tracheal defects. METHODS: We report 4 patients who underwent one-stage reconstruction for a cricotracheal stenosis with a free temporoparietal fascia flap and costal cartilage grafts. RESULTS: Closure of tracheostoma was achieved for all patients. The main advantage of this flap compared with the free radial forearm flap is that it supplies a more suitable lining allowing the reepithelialization process with respiratory epithelium. CONCLUSIONS: This one-stage procedure provides a reliable construct to substitute for large tracheal defects, even in areas previously exposed to an operation or radiotherapy.