Faculty Bibliography

BACKGROUND:Feminizing Facial Gender-Affirming Surgery (FFGAS) is gaining popularity among the diverse population of patients impacted by gender incongruence. However, most studies examining facial femininity are based on Caucasians. Thus, it is unclear if ethnic differences exist in anthropometric measures relevant to FFGAS procedures. This study aims to analyze ethnic anthropometric variations in the cisgender female face to identify differences that are potentially relevant to FFGAS. METHODS:A systematic review and meta-analysis of the PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane databases was performed following PRISMA guidelines on June 25, 2021. Original studies reporting facial anthropometry in cisgender women were included. Anthropometric measures of interest included mandibular and zygomatic width, facial and forehead height, and nasolabial angle. A meta-analysis was performed using a linear mixed-effects model for each anthropometric measure. RESULTS:A total of 1246 abstracts were screened, yielding 21 articles that met the inclusion criteria. Facial anthropometric data of 4792 cisgender females of 16 different ethnicities were analyzed. This meta-analysis demonstrated that compared with Caucasian cisgender women, Japanese, Chinese, and Korean cisgender women had a wider mandible (Japanese +20.13 mm [SE 4.43, P<0.001, P value adjusted for multiple comparisons (p-adj)=0.002], Chinese +16.22 mm [SE 4.39, P=0.002, p-adj=0.013]; and Korean +14.46 mm [SE 3.97, P=0.002, p-adj=0.014]). Further, when compared with Caucasian cisgender women, Chinese cisgender women demonstrated a larger zygomatic width, African American cisgender women tended to have smaller nasolabial angles, and Indian and Japanese cisgender women tended to have a smaller and larger facial height, respectively. However, following P value adjustment for multiple comparisons, these differences were not found to be statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS:We found that mandibular width tends to be greater for Japanese and Chinese cisgender women relative to Caucasian cisgender women. This data may be useful in counseling patients during preoperative evaluations ahead of mandibular reduction. No other anthropometric features were found to be significantly different among the ethnic groups studied. This portends that current approaches to FFGAS, which emphasize patient-specific needs and maintenance of a harmonious appearance, may require minimal or no adjustment to account for ethnic facial anthropometric differences.

Precise nasofacial analysis ahead of rhinoplasty surgery is imperative. Features common to the Caucasian masculine nose are reviewed in a stepwise fashion and contrasted to the Caucasian feminine nose. A solid understanding of the cis-male, masculine nose enables the plastic surgeon to determine the changes required for a successful facial feminizing rhinoplasty, as a part of facial gender confirmation.

INTRODUCTION/BACKGROUND:Simultaneous Le Fort III/I (LF III/I) osteotomies are often performed when a differential advancement of the upper and lower midface is needed. This study aims to evaluate midface position preoperative and 1 week postoperative in patients with severe midface hypoplasia. In addition, this study aims to compare the planned surgical movements to the actual postoperative movements. MATERIALS AND METHODS/METHODS:A retrospective review was conducted using cephalometry for patients treated with a simultaneous LF III/I osteotomy at a single institution. Osteotomies were performed during 1980-2018 on skeletally mature patients with a craniofacial syndrome, with clinical and radiographic follow-up available. RESULTS:Twelve patients met the inclusion criteria with a mean age of 20.2±6.4 years. Treatment resulted in statistically significant anterior movements related to Orbitale, anterior nasal spine, A Point, and the upper incisor tip, and inferior movements related to anterior nasal spine, A Point, upper and lower incisor tips, B point, and pogonion. Stability after 1 year showed only statistically significant changes at ANB. The predictable error for planned movements versus actual movements was greater in the vertical plane than the horizontal plane. CONCLUSIONS:A simultaneous LF III/I osteotomy significantly improved the midface position and occlusal relationship in syndromic patients with midface hypoplasia in a predictable manner. Further multicenter studies with larger sample sizes are needed to validate the conclusions.

Background/Purpose: APS ACTION is an international Clinical Database and Repository of persistently antiphospholipid antibody (aPL)-positive subjects, collecting demographic, medical history, and aPL data.This study focused on the prevalence of antinuclear antibodies (ANA) in aPL positive patients without a defined concomitant autoimmune disease. The objective of this study was to evaluate potential differences when stratifying patients by ANA, and to better phenotype aPL positive patients.
Method(s): Data from aPL positive patients with or without APS classification criteria were retrieved from the APS ACTION Database. Patients with a diagnosis of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) or other connective tissue disease were excluded. Patients were divided in two groups (ANA+ and ANA-), based on ANA status at registry entry. Subsequently, Table 1. Demographic, clinical and serological characteristics of the patients. demographic, clinical (including 1997 ACR SLE classification criteria), and serological data were compared between the two subgroups.
Result(s): 521 aPL-positive patients were included in the study (meanage 52.1+/-13 years, 70% female). Among them, 224 patients were ANA+ and 297 ANA-. Patients characteristics are displayed in Table 1. ANA positivity was significantly associated with previous history of hematologicalmanifestations as a whole, including hemolytic anemia, thrombocytopenia, and leukopenia, (19.3% ANA+ vs. 8.4% ANA-, p < 0.01) and livedo reticularis (15.1% ANA+ vs. 10% ANA-, p < 0.05). A positive association with the number of unexplained fetal deaths beyond 10 weeks of gestation was also noted (p < 0.05), and a trend was observed for lower platelet count, aPL-related nephropathy and arthritis, though these associations were not statistically significant. No significant association was found for extra-criteria manifestations such as haemolytic anemia and history of thrombocytopenia, when considered individually. When sub-analysing the ANA-group, a significant association with any history of arterial thromboses (29.4% ANA+ vs. 38.8% ANA-, p < 0.02) and the number of arterial events was observed (p < 0.01). When evaluating ANA positivity in aPL carriers and primary APS (PAPS) individually, the association between ANA+ and previous hematologic disorder remained significant for both groups, with stronger significance for PAPS patients. In addition, ANA positivity in PAPS patients was significantly associated with livedo reticularis and previous history of small vessel disease (p < 0.05).
Conclusion(s): In this large international cohort, ANA positivity was associated with a higher rate of hematologic manifestations in aPL-positive patients without connective tissue disease. ANA+ patients, especially those with PAPS, showed a tendency toward a higher rate of microvascular manifestations and arthritis. ANA-subjects showed a significantly higher rate of arterial thrombosis, without any other significant association with clinical, serological or demographic data

UNLABELLED:Facial transplantation (FT) has advanced extensively over the past two decades, with over 40 transplants performed to date. Over this time, the FT literature has evolved as well, from early discussions on ethics and feasibility of FT to functional outcomes reports more recently. We aimed to evaluate the entire body of FT literature to identify trends in publications over time in addition to current existing gaps in the field. METHODS/UNASSIGNED:We conducted a comprehensive bibliometric analysis of the published FT literature from 1994, the first year FT was mentioned in the literature, through July 2020. Co-authorship and keyword information were analyzed using VOSviewer. Articles were manually categorized based on keywords and their aim to provide insight on trends. RESULTS/UNASSIGNED:A total of 2182 articles were identified. Analysis identified the top 50 publishing authors in the field and demonstrated co-authorship linkage between 84.8% of the top 1000 authors. Clinical surgical techniques, protocols, and experiments were the most frequently published category. Within clinical outcomes, immunologic outcomes were most frequent, while psychosocial were the lowest. Gaps were identified in long-term outcomes reporting and patient-reported outcomes, with physician-reported outcomes heavily outweighing patient-reported outcomes. CONCLUSIONS/UNASSIGNED:As the field continues to evolve, rigorous tracking of publication patterns over time will encourage development of a more robust evidence base, identify gaps in the published literature, and highlight opportunities to enhance collaboration in the field. This data will provide surgeons and research institutions with information to further improve this life-changing procedure.

BACKGROUND:As facial feminization surgery (FFS) continues to grow in access and popularity, the need for secondary FFS can be expected to increase. The purpose of this study was to identify reasons for FFS reoperation and offer recommendations to minimize secondary surgery. METHODS:A retrospective cohort study of patients who underwent FFS from October 2017 to 2021 was performed. Patients who underwent nonstaged secondary surgery were identified and sorted in 2 non-mutually exclusive surgical cohorts: additional surgery, defined as unplanned additional feminization surgery on previously unoperated facial units, and revision surgery, defined as redo surgery on previously operated facial units. Reasons for secondary surgery were examined in the context of the senior author's experience. RESULTS:Of 161 patients who underwent FFS, 41 (25.5%) underwent secondary surgery consisting of additional surgery (n = 32) and/or revision surgery (n = 30). There were no significant differences in clinical or demographic data between the secondary surgery and total FFS cohorts. Among additional surgery patients, facial units that had been previously operated on were as follows: nose (46.3%), trachea (31.7%), forehead/brow (22.0%), chin (12.2%), lips (9.8%), and cheeks (7.3%). Among revision patients, facial units revised were as follows: nose (36.6%), forehead/brow (26.8%), cheeks (17.1%), chin (17.1%), lips (12.5%), and trachea (2.4%). The main indication for revision for all facial units was undercorrection to feminine ideals. CONCLUSIONS:One-quarter of patients who underwent FFS had prior FFS and/or sought revision. Keeping in mind that the dominant indication for revision was undercorrection, FFS surgeons can minimize the need for secondary surgery in the future.

The field of vascularized composite allotransplantation (VCA) is evolving, with some procedures poised to transition from highly experimental research toward standard of care. At present, the use of social support as an eligibility criterion for VCA candidacy is at the discretion of individual VCA programs, allowing VCA teams to consider the unique needs of each potential candidate. Yet this flexibility also creates potential for bias during the evaluation process which may disproportionately impact members of certain communities where social configurations may not resemble the model considered "optimal." We examine the extent to which ethical considerations for social support in solid organ transplantation (SOT) may be applied to or adapted for VCA, and the ethically meaningful ways in which VCA procedures differ from SOT. We conclude that VCA programs must retain some flexibility in determining criteria for candidacy at present; however, considerations of equity will become more pressing as VCA procedures evolve toward standard of care, and further empirical evidence will be needed to demonstrate the association between social support and post-operative success. The field of VCA has an opportunity to proactively address considerations of equity and justice and incorporate fair, inclusive practices into this innovative area of transplantation.

Intensive postoperative rehabilitation therapy is associated with positive functional recovery in hand transplants (HTs). Our goal is to share the hand therapy protocol developed for our patient who underwent a combined face and bilateral HT. The patient is a 23-year-old right-hand-dominant male with a history of third-degree burns to 80% of his body following a motor vehicle accident. A multidisciplinary evaluation established his candidacy for a combined face and bilateral HT, and surgery took place in August 2020. Our individualized hand therapy protocol consisted of 4 phases. The pre-surgery phase focused on planning the orthotics and patient/caregivers' education on the rehabilitation process. The intensive care unit (ICU)/acute care phase involved hand allograft protection and positioning via orthotic fabrication, safe limb handling, and edema/wound management. The inpatient rehabilitation phase aimed to prepare the patient for independent living via neuromuscular and sensory re-education, improvement of upper extremities strength/flexibility, training basic activities of daily living, and providing a home exercise program (HEP). Finally, the outpatient phase aimed to maximize our patient's range of motion and independency in performing his routine activities and HEP. The patient's post-transplant functional outcomes showed a significant improvement compared to the pre-operative baseline. We hope this report sheds light on a comprehensive hand therapy program in HT.