Faculty Bibliography

The rarity of infection after rhinoplasty is not well understood. Despite the apparent low incidence of this complication, many surgeons administered perioperative antibiotics to prevent infection. We studied whether a bacteremia composed of nasal flora can originate during rhinoplasty. Fifty-two health patients admitted for rhinoplasty were studied. Blood and nasal cultures were drawn immediately before operation and blood cultures 5 and 15 minutes after completion of the nasal osteotomies. With the exception of one instance of likely contamination, none of the blood cultures grew microorganisms. Neither local nor systemic infections occurred in any patient. The negative results of this study suggest an exceedingly low incidence of bacteremia during rhinoplasty. For this reason, the value of perioperative antibiotic prophylaxis is questionable

Congenital lipomatosis of the face is characterized by collections of nonencapsulated, mature lipocytes which infiltrate local tissues and tend to recur after surgery. These lesions represent a distinct clinicopathologic entity that has not been previously reported in this location in children. Three children with congenital lipomatosis of the face were treated at the Institute of Reconstructive Plastic Surgery over a 2- to 14-year follow-up period. In each instance, pathologic evaluation by light and electron microscopy revealed similar lesions sharing the following morphologic criteria: (1) nonencapsulated tumors containing mature fat cells, (2) infiltration of adjacent muscle and soft tissue, (3) absence of malignant characteristics, (4) absence of lipoblasts, (5) presence of fibrous elements in conjunction with increased numbers of nerve bundles and vessels, and (6) hypertrophy of subjacent bone. All three lesions recurred after numerous excisions, some of which were extensive. All were benign by histologic examination and remained so for as long as 14 years. Surgical treatment improved the aesthetic appearance of each child despite evidence of tumor persistence. Although these tumors are benign, we recommend an early aggressive surgical approach to control the infiltrative nature of their growth and to improve facial appearance

Fifteen patients with paralysis of the 7th and 5th nerves or the 7th nerve alone were treated with an encircling silicone prosthesis. There has been no serious ocular complication observed over the last 3 years. The prosthesis has been removed in 9 of the 15 patients in whom good 7th nerve recovery has occurred. In the remaining 6 patients, the prosthesis is being well tolerated

A three-dimensional, multiplane cephalometric analysis is presented. This analysis permits visualization of skeletal midlines at selected depths of the craniofacial complex. When the midlines and associated anatomic structures are studied sequentially, the individual midlines may be combined conceptually into a warped midsagittal 'plane.' This localizes craniofacial asymmetry in the posteroanterior and basilar views. The study of structures in various coronal and transverse planes makes it possible to measure and record the three-dimensional relationships of anatomic structures to one another. A case of hemicraniofacial microsomia in which this analysis was used is presented

Various attempts to describe the skeletal characteristics of unilateral craniofacial microsomia have been made with the use of cephalometric and panoramic roentgenograms. Previous studies have been only descriptive in nature. To date, a detailed (quantitative) cephalometric analysis of the mandibular deformity has not been reported. The purpose of this study was to describe the skeletal jaw deformity by means of cephalometric landmarks in the lateral view. The patient population consisted of sixteen boys and eight girls who ranged in age from 6 to 16 years. They were compared to the University of Michigan normal control population for the following measures: gonial angle, mandibular plane angle, overall oblique length of the mandible, ramal height, and body length. The affected side showed a larger gonial angle and mandibular plane angle. The oblique length of the mandible (Cd-Gn) was decreased on both sides, as were ramal height and body length. Paradoxically, body length appeared shorter on the unaffected side than on the affected side. This paradoxical observation could be attributed to a shift of the mandible in relation to the midsagittal plane of the cranial base, the film cassette, and the path of the x-ray beam. Observation of the mandible in the basilar cephalogram explained the geometry of the projection error found in the lateral view. Similar projection errors exist for patients with other types of craniofacial asymmetry. It is suggested that two radiographic views, orthogonal to each other, should be used to define the x, y, and z planes for studies of craniofacial abnormality