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A new free flap for the head and neck

Whilst the radial forearm free flap (RFFF) is well known and tested, this group of surgeons from Sunderland, UK, discuss their experience with a comparable flap. They advocate the medial sural artery perforator flap (MSAPF), with a long pedicle if...

Polydioxanone in septal reconstruction

Septal reconstruction is a challenging problem and is undertaken for functional or cosmetic reasons or a combination of both. Either autologous cartilage, commonly auricular, or other alloplastic material can be used. The authors describe the use of a polydioxanone (PDS)...

Better outcomes from early repair of type B blow-out fractures

This paper examines whether early, rather than late, surgical repair results in better motility outcomes for a particular subgroup of orbital floor blowout fractures. The authors divide floor fractures into types A and B, depending on whether or not the...

Changing trends in the management of osteoradionecrosis (ORN)

In the wake of new drugs that have been introduced for ORN like pentoxifylline, tocopherol, clodronate etc, traditional ‘conservative’ management of osteoradionecrosis (ORN) including minimal surgical debridement and hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) is under review. This study is a retrospective...

Modified temporalis muscle transfer for facial palsy

Use of the temporalis muscle to mitigate the deformities of facial palsy is an accepted technique, but getting the temporalis muscle into the correct position, with the correct tension, is difficult but essential if the operation is to be successful....

Fat grafting as therapy for Raynaud’s

The authors have adapted the technique of lipo-filling, previously described for rejuvenation of the hand, to achieve symptom reduction in patients with primary and secondary Raynaud’s that had previously failed to respond to medical treatments. The majority of the subjects...

Additional venous anastomoses to safeguard DIEP flaps

That DIEP flaps can be troublesome is not news and many descriptions exist trying to circumvent these problems. The most common problem is venous congestion in the flap and this paper presents an ingenious method of anticipating and forestalling such...

Social media usage by UK plastic surgeons

Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, RealSelf, YouTube and Research gate are used by British plastic surgeons, as well as website ownership. Sixty-two percent of plastic surgeons had websites (some shared) – a rise from 36% in 2011. The message is directed to...

Electrochemotherapy for BCCs

A remarkable account of an effective non-surgical treatment for basal cell carcinomas (BCCs). Electrochemotherapy (ECT) consists of making the area surrounding the lesion temporarily permeable using electric pulses (under local anaesthesia), then bleomycin is administered to the area. The treatment...

Oestrogen receptors in breast capsules – experimental findings

This study from Rome, on humans, is stated by the authors to be not definitive and further work is required before any treatment can be recommended. But careful analysis of oestrogen receptors in breast capsules and the number of fibroblasts...

Raised serum lactate as a marker in the diagnosis of necrotising fasciitis

A 10-year prospective study of cases of suspected necrotising fasciitis was made, involving 53 patients. Of these, 28 had histologically proven necrotising fasciitis, 25 did not. Serum lactate measured at presentation of those who had the condition was 4.1+or-1.62 mmol/l...