Faculty Bibliography

A prospective review is presented of 50 patients with one of the craniofacial synostosis syndromes who underwent early interventive craniofacial surgical correction (average age 7.6 months at time of surgery). The study has demonstrated the efficacy and safety of the techniques when employed in the infant. Satisfactory cranio-orbital form was achieved in the majority of the patients, although 10 patients required secondary surgery because of sutural refusion or the development of turricephaly or calvarial contour irregularities. Despite earlier hopes, this surgery did not result in the development of satisfactory occlusal relationships and midfacial form in the craniofacial dysostosis group (Crouzon's, Apert's, etc.). Based on this clinical experience, a surgical treatment plan is presented for the newborn with craniofacial synostosis

Orbital abscess following blepharoplasty is surprisingly rare. The diagnosis may not be obvious from the physical signs alone. Ultrasonography is a helpful diagnostic tool in such problems. The abscess cavity can be visualized. A case of orbital abscess is presented

Summary form only given, as follows. As part of their PAC system, the authors are developing two types of workstations to meet the needs of both the radiologists and referring physicians. In examining these needs, they found a difference in requirements. Radiologists are most interested in a workstation which can emulate a CT viewing console and provide some added capability. Referring physician requirements are either for a very simple viewbox-like system, or (for some specialists) much more elaborate graphics displays. The authors examine the reasons for these requirements and their approaches to fulfilling them

In nine adult baboons, full-thickness skin grafts were reciprocally exchanged between three glabrous skin sites on one hand and glabrous skin sites on the contralateral hand or foot, and a hairy skin site on the dorsum of the ipsilateral hand. The grafts acquired some of the physical characteristics of the recipient site; glabrous skin became thinner and more pliable on the dorsum of the hand and hairy skin became thicker and displayed a more irregular surface contour when transferred to the palm. The electrophysiological properties of cutaneous mechanoreceptors serving these grafts were examined about 5 months after surgery and again after 1 year. Measurements of conduction velocity, receptive field size and shape, and responses to mechanical stimuli suggested that axons serving mechanoreceptors in glabrous grafts functioned at nearly normal levels by 5 months, while axons innervating hairy skin grafts, whether transferred to a glabrous skin site or to a hairy skin site, performed less well even after 1 year. These observations suggest that factors intrinsic to the graft are a major determinant of the quality of sensory function achieved following a skin graft procedure. These factors affect the relative proportions of rapidly and slowly adapting fibres, conduction velocities, thresholds and receptive field configurations. As a result, hairy skin is not the tissue choice for plastic surgical procedures requiring optimum sensory return

Nerve grafting has made advances in the last 100 years. One of the most significant of these was realizing the importance of adequate blood supply for successful nerve grafting. The vascular anatomy of the six potential vascularized donor nerves we have reviewed may prove to be extremely useful in reconstructing proximal nerve lesions, large nerve defects, and compromised recipient beds