Nose and Eyebrow Reconstruction Following Electrical Injury

Abstract

Electrical injuries occur world wide and constitute 5 to 10% of all occupational fatalities.1 Factors that determine the type and extent of electrical injuries include voltage and current flow.1,2 Neurologic complications secondary to electrical injury can manifest themselves either early or late including delayed peripheral neuropathy; lower motor neuron syndrome.3 Patients with head wounds seem to be most at risk for development of cataracts.4 We describe a 24 year old male with a history of electrical burns to the face and neck causing full thickness and underlying soft tissue loss of the left eyebrow, left frontal area, most of the nose and posterior neck. The patient was surgically reconstructed in several stages: 1) Nasal reconstruction was accomplished using an anterior neck tubed flap for the columella, bilateral nasolabial flaps with rib cartilage as an intervening structure for the septum and a scalp forehead flap to substitute the skin of entire nose, and eye brow reconstruction. 2) Forehead reconstruction was carried with use of a tissue expander.