Faculty Bibliography

In properly selected patients, the results of free nipple graft breast reduction may be equal or superior to a pedicle technique. A free nipple graft is clearly indicated for gigantomastia, but it is also useful in severe macromastia, when a large, bulky pedicle may impede adequate reduction and optimal contour, and in patients with fatty breasts and inverted nipples. Disadvantages include the loss of ability to breast-feed, loss of nipple sensation, and possible hypopigmentation in the nipple-areola. The author discusses patient selection and describes execution of this technique. (Aesthetic Surg J 2001;21:261-271.).

This addendum to the 'State of the Art Dental Treatment of Predental and Infant Patients With Clefts and Craniofacial Anomalies,' by Prahl-Andersen (Cleft Palate Craniofac J. 2000;37:528532), offers an extended perspective on this controversial subject. This article reviews the role of combined nasal and alveolar (nasoalveolar) molding in the primary correction of the nose, lip, and alveolus of infants born with unilateral and bilateral clefts. The background of presurgical nasoalveolar orthopedic molding, the technique, and the literature are presented. The proposed benefits of treatment from the traditional techniques of presurgical orthopedics have been shown to be unsubstantiated (Kuijpers-Jagtman and Prahl, 1996). A close comparison of the proposed benefits of earlier forms of presurgical orthopedics, along with those of the current technique of nasoalveolar molding, is presented

PURPOSE: We present a two-generation family with multiple endocrine neoplasia (MEN) type IIb diagnosed by their ophthalmologists based on characteristic ophthalmic findings. METHODS: A family consisting of a 33-year-old female proband and her 8- and 7-year-old children had prominent corneal nerves; eyelid, lip, and tongue nodules; and a characteristic facies. A polymerase chain reaction-based genetic assay was obtained to detect the genetic mutation most commonly associated with MEN type IIb. Serum calcitonin and urine catecholamine studies were obtained. RESULTS: Molecular genetic studies detected in all 3 patients a mutation at codon 918 of the RET proto-oncogene known to be present in 95% of the cases of MEN type IIb. Serum calcitonin was elevated in the proband and her son. Urine catecholamine levels were elevated in the proband. Surgical treatment and histologic analysis confirmed pheochromocytoma and medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) in the proband. Surgical exploration revealed the MTC to be metastatic to the liver. CONCLUSIONS: This family demonstrates the characteristic findings of MEN type IIb: prominent corneal nerves in a clear stroma and multiple submucosal neuromas of the conjunctiva, eyelids, lips, and tongue. Ophthalmologists have a critical role to play in recognizing these signs, because the early diagnosis of medullary thyroid carcinoma and pheochromocytoma may be life saving.

End-to-side nerve repair allows for target-muscle reinnervation, with simultaneous preservation of donor-nerve function. Local administration of insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) has been shown to increase the rate of axon regeneration in crush-injured and freeze-injured rat sciatic nerve. The purpose of the current project was to determine the effects of IGF-I in a rat model of end-to-side nerve repair. The left musculocutaneous nerve of 18 adult male Sprague-Dawley rats was fully transected to induce biceps-muscle paralysis. The distal stump of the musculocutaneous nerve was then coapted by end-to-side neurorrhaphy through a perineurial window to the ipsilateral median nerve. All animals were randomly assigned to three groups: Group A received 100 microg/ml IGF-I; Group B received 50 microg/ml IGF-I; and control Group C received 10 mM acetic acid vehicle solution. Infusions were regulated by the Alzet model 2004 mini-osmotic pump, with an attached catheter directed at the coaptation site. Weekly postoperative behavioral evaluations revealed significantly increased functional return over control in both experimental groups as early as 3 weeks. After 28 days, histology evaluations revealed statistically significantly higher musculocutaneous nerve axon counts and myelin thickness/axon diameter ratios in both experimental groups vs. controls. The three groups were not significantly different in motor endplate counts of the biceps muscle. Groups A and B were not significantly different in all parameters tested. This study suggests that local infusion of IGF-I may expedite the functional recovery of a paralyzed muscle, by increasing the rate of axon regeneration through an end-to-side nerve graft

Learning Objectives: After studying this article, the participant should be able to: 1. Describe the alternatives for auricular reconstruction. 2. Discuss the pros and cons of autogenous reconstruction of total or subtotal auricular defects. 3. Enumerate the indications for prosthetic reconstruction of total or subtotal auricular defects. 4. Understand the complexity of and the expertise required for prosthetic reconstruction of auricular defects.The indications for autogenous auricular reconstruction versus prosthetic reconstruction with osseointegrated implant-retained prostheses were outlined in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery in 1994 by Wilkes et al. of Canada, but because of the relatively recent Food and Drug Administration approval (1995) of extraoral osseointegrated implants, these indications had not been examined by a surgical unit in the United States. The purpose of this article is to present an evolving algorithm based on an experience with 98 patients who underwent auricular reconstruction over a 10-year period. From this experience, the authors conclude that autogenous reconstruction is the procedure of choice in the majority of pediatric patients with microtia. Prosthetic reconstruction of the auricle is considered in such pediatric patients with congenital deformities for the following three relative indications: (1) failed autogenous reconstruction, (2) severe soft-tissue/skeletal hypoplasia, and/or (3) a low or unfavorable hairline. A fourth, and in our opinion the ideal, indication for prosthetic ear reconstruction is the acquired total or subtotal auricular defect, most often traumatic or ablative in origin, which is usually encountered in adults. Although prosthetic reconstruction requires surgical techniques that are less demanding than autogenous reconstruction, construction of the prosthesis is a time-consuming task requiring experience and expertise. Although autogenous reconstruction presents a technical challenge to the surgeon, it is the prosthetic reconstruction that requires lifelong attention and may be associated with late complications. This article reports the first American series of auricular reconstruction containing both autogenous and prosthetic methods by a single surgical team

Lower eyelid malpositions and ocular damage occur with inadequate reconstructions of facial defects that encroach on the periocular region. Reconstructive principles and techniques are presented that are essential in the prevention of ectropion in these situations. Eyelid and periocular anatomy is reviewed. The use of canthalplasties, canalicular reconstruction, and ancillary techniques for facial flaps are presented