Outcome Of Reconstructive Surgery Research Articles

Patients’ expectations for the functional and psychosocial outcomes of orbital decompression surgery for thyroid eye disease: a qualitative study

Patients with appearance-altering conditions may be dissatisfied with the outcomes of reconstructive surgery due to unmet expectations. This study explored patients’ expectations of orbital decompression surgery for thyroid eye disease (TED) and whether these were met. Semi-structured interviews were conducted at two times: (1) in the weeks after patients were listed for decompression surgery and before surgery; (2) up to 12 months after surgery. Thematic analysis was performed for each time point, to identify themes within the data. Fourteen adults with TED were interviewed prior to surgery and five were followed up after surgery. Thematic analyses found: (1) Prior to surgery, patients had formed expectations through online information about the procedure, consultations with physicians, the impact TED had on their lives, and speaking to relevant others. Patients had specific expectations about the procedure, the recovery, post-operative appearance and post-operative vision. (2) After surgery, patients generally felt their appearance and well-being had improved. However, dissatisfaction was linked to unanticipated specific aspects of surgical care, recovery, or appearance. Dissatisfaction can arise from unmet expectations for the outcomes of reconstructive surgery. Physicians should be aware of the processes by which patients form expectations, for example different types and quality of online information. Ensuring that preoperative expectations are realistic could enhance satisfaction after surgery.

Indications and Predictors for Reconstructive Surgery After Hand Burns

The objective of this study was to analyze the prevalence, indications, and type of reconstructive surgery and predictors of the outcomes of reconstructive surgery after hand burns. A retrospective cohort study was conducted that included all patients admitted with acute hand burns in the Dutch burn centers from January 1998 through December 2002. The details of reconstruction including frequency, timing, indication, and techniques were collected over a 10-year follow-up period. Hand burns were seen in 42% (n= 562 of 1,334) of all patients admitted with acute burns. Reconstructive surgery during the 10-year follow-up period was required in 15%. Contractures, especially of the first web space and little finger, were the most frequent indications for reconstructive surgery. Web spaces 1 to 3 and the little finger were the location most frequently operated on. The most frequently performed surgical technique was release of the contractures and the use of a random flap. Eighty percent of the reconstructive surgery patients required more than 1 reconstructive procedure, most often within 2 years of the initial injury. Secondary operations at the same location were required in 12%. In 40% of the patients, the first reconstructive surgery was performed within the first postburn year. Significant independent factors related to the need for reconstructive hand surgery were a larger area of full-thickness burns and surgical treatment of the hand during the acute phase. Reconstructive surgery was required in 15% of patients who sustained hand burns. The majority of the patients requiring reconstructive surgery of the hand needed 2 or more operations to correct the contractures of the hand. Contractures of the little finger and first web space were the locations most frequently operated on. Patients with more extensive burns and who required hand surgery during the acute phase were more likely to need reconstructive surgery. Prognostic IV.

The Association between Smoking and Plastic Surgery Outcomes in 40,465 Patients: An Analysis of the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program Data Sets.

Smoking is known to negatively impact postoperative wound healing and increase infection risk. However, few studies have investigated whether the negative effects of smoking are similar for different procedures. The authors examined the association between smoking and postoperative outcomes for a diverse range of plastic surgery procedures. Using the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program data set, demographics and outcomes were examined for patients who underwent plastic surgery between 2007 and 2012. Multivariable logistic regression models assessed the relationship between smoking status and a range of postoperative outcomes, including medical and surgical complications and impaired wound healing. Patients were also evaluated for length of inpatient hospitalization while controlling for multiple demographic factors and type of procedure. Forty thousand four hundred sixty-five patients were identified from the data set, including patients who had undergone breast, upper and lower extremity, abdominal, and craniofacial procedures. Current smokers constituted 15.7 percent of the cohort. Smokers had a higher likelihood of surgical (OR, 1.37; p < 0.0001) and medical complications (OR, 1.24; p = 0.0323) and increased odds for wound complications (OR, 1.49; p < 0.0001) and wound dehiscence (OR, 1.84; p < 0.0001). Smokers were also found to have increased odds of these complications even when subgroup analysis was performed according to major Current Procedural Terminology categories. Smoking also increased the odds of superficial wound infections (OR, 1.40; p < 0.0001). No difference was observed in hospital length of stay between smokers and nonsmokers. Smoking increases a multitude of postoperative complications after plastic surgery procedures. The effects of smoking on plastic surgery outcomes should be used to guide patients in preoperative smoking cessation and to evaluate protocols for managing patients who smoke. Risk, II.

RECONSTRUCTION OF UPPER LIMB TRAUMA

Background: Upper limb trauma is an injury caused by cutting, tearing, or crushing which leads to the limb becoming unrecognizable. In essence, there are two treatment options amputation and salvage reconstruction. Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the outcome of reconstructive surgery in upper limb trauma. Patients and Methods: This study was conducted upon 30 patients (24 males and 6 females) with mean age 28.53 ± 9.06 years presented with more than two elements, e..g. bone and tendons, vascular, nerve and skin. They were selected from Al-Azhar University Hospitals. They were admitted in General Surgery Department, Al-Azhar University Hospital, Faculty of medicine (Damietta), between April 2011 and January 2016. After appropriate consent, clinical assessment and radiological evaluation, reconstruction of upper limb trauma by repaired tendons, vascular, skin injuries and bone fixation were done. Postoperative clinical assessments of sensation and function were done. Hand functions were grouped as excellent, good, fair and poor. Nerve injury was tested using both sensory and motor components, while assessment of the hand and fingers vascularity was carried out by original and modified Allan's test. All cases were followed up in first postoperative year for vascularity, sensation and functions of the hand. Results: For 30 patients over a period of a year of clinical follow up, there was marked reduction in morbidity and mortality with satisfactory significant improvement in upper limb and hand functions, and no ischemia, neuroma or tendon ruptures were observed during the follow-up period. Conclusion: Upper limb trauma reconstruction required a thorough understanding of the advantages and limitations of local, regional, distant, and free flap options. Only those wounds with exposed neurovascular structures, tendon, or bone typically require flap coverage. Multidisciplinary team can prevent or at least minimize post-operative functional disability of upper limb.

Comparative evaluation of fisiograft (polylactic and polyglycolic acid co-polymer) with open flap debridement (OFD) versus open flap debridement (OFD) alone in the treatment of periodontal intra-bony defects: A clinical and radiographic study

<b>Background:</b> Among treatment modalities, grafting of biomaterials/bone substitutes has been used with varying success to accomplish the reconstruction of the lost periodontal attachment apparatus. Biodegradable polymers, especially those belonging to the family of polylactic acid (PLA) and polyglycolic acid (PGA), are playing an increasingly important role in bone reconstructive procedures. The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical outcome of reconstructive surgery in human deep intrabony defects with the use of fisiograft (polylactic and PGA copolymer) with open flap debridement (OFD) versus OFD alone in the treatment of periodontal intrabony defects. <b>Materials and Methods:</b> Thirty 2- or 3-walled intrabony defects were treated in 15 (ten male and five female) patients with a mean age of 50.4 years. All had completed nonsurgical treatment and a period of supportive periodontal therapy. The study used a split-mouth design where two intrabony defects were randomly chosen to receive fisiograft (polylactic and PGA copolymer) with OFD (Group 1) on 15 sites and remaining 15 sites were chosen only for OFD alone (Group 2). <b>Statistical Analysis:</b> Wilcoxon's signed-rank test as an alternative to paired <i>t</i>-test and Mann–Whitney U-test as an alternative to unpaired <i>t</i>-test were used for statistical analysis. <b>Results:</b> There was a decrease in probing pocket depth of 3.93 ± 0.08 mm for PGA/PLA with OFD and 3.14 ± 0.41 mm for OFD alone with a mean gain of relative clinical attachment level of 3.81 ± 0.30 and 2.46 ± 0.03 for PGA/PLA with OFD and OFD alone, respectively. Gingival margin position was 0.667 ± 0.51 mm and 3.626 mm for the PGA/PLA with OFD and OFD alone. The mean amount of defect fill for PGA/PLA with OFD and OFD alone was 1.80 ± 0.86 mm and 1.20 ± 0.94 mm, with a mean change in the level of alveolar crest after 6 months being 0.267 ± 0.46 and − 0.86 ± 0.74 for the two groups, respectively. The mean difference in percentage of original defect resolved when compared between the test and control groups 6 months postoperatively was found to be 31.85% which was statistically significant (<i>P</i> = 0.001). <b>Conclusion:</b> In the present study, fisiograft (polylactic and PGA copolymer) with OFD group showed better results than where OFD alone was used in the treatment of periodontal intrabony defects in terms of both clinical as well as radiographic assessment. Although Fisiograft^® has shown promising results on clinical and radiological evaluation in the present study, it would be inappropriate to draw definite conclusions regarding the nature of the defect fill.

E-Cigarettes and Potential Implications for Plastic Surgery.

The use of tobacco-based products, most notably cigarettes, is related directly to wound healing problems and poorer outcomes in plastic surgery. Current abstracts have highlighted the potential complications from nicotine, specifically following plastic surgery in patients who choose to smoke. Recently, products that use electricity to vaporize liquid nitrogen have been gaining popularity. New rules were recently proposed that would give the federal government authority over electronic cigarettes. However, the health-related issues surrounding e-cigarettes are still largely unknown or misunderstood. These issues also extend to their impact on surgical procedures, notably their effect on plastic surgical procedures that rely heavily on the vascularity of either the host wound bed or the replacement tissue.

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Outcomes in Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction Surgery

Abstract Improving the outcomes in reconstructive surgery of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) requires a rigorous and permanent assessment of specific parameters. Therefore, we can increase the degree of reproducibility of the procedure and identify particular aspects in order to achieve an adequate and individualized therapeutic approach for each case. In order to accomplish this goal, the use of complex means (scores) of quantifying results is required. That includes objective means of verifying the parameters in knee surgery, and a subjective evaluation of the patient in order to compare the results.

Examining the validity of the ACS-NSQIP Risk Calculator in plastic surgery: lack of input specificity, outcome variability and imprecise risk calculations

American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS-NSQIP) created the Surgical Risk Calculator, to allow physicians to offer patients a risk-adjusted 30-day surgical outcome prediction. This tool has...

Forehead Inclination in the Lateral Profile in Koreans.

Forehead Inclination in the Lateral Profile in Koreans.

Promise and Limitations of Big Data Research in Plastic Surgery.

The use of "Big Data" in plastic surgery outcomes research has increased dramatically in the last 5 years. This article addresses some of the benefits and limitations of such research. This is a narrative review of large database studies in plastic surgery. There are several benefits to database research as compared with traditional forms of research, such as randomized controlled studies and cohort studies. These include the ease in patient recruitment, reduction in selection bias, and increased generalizability. As such, the types of outcomes research that are particularly suited for database studies include determination of geographic variations in practice, volume outcome analysis, evaluation of how sociodemographic factors affect access to health care, and trend analyses over time. The limitations of database research include data which are limited only to what was captured in the database, high power which can cause clinically insignificant differences to achieve statistical significance, and fishing which can lead to increased type I errors. The National Surgical Quality Improvement Project is an important general surgery database that may be useful for plastic surgeons because it is validated and has a large number of patients after over a decade of collecting data. The Tracking Operations and Outcomes for Plastic Surgeons Program is a newer database specific to plastic surgery. Databases are a powerful tool for plastic surgery outcomes research. It is critically important to understand their benefits and limitations when designing research projects or interpreting studies whose data have been drawn from them. For plastic surgeons, National Surgical Quality Improvement Project has a greater number of publications, but Tracking Operations and Outcomes for Plastic Surgeons Program is the most applicable database for plastic surgery research.

Outcomes of Reconstructive Surgery for Cleft Palate Patients: A survey on patients Admitted to Imam Khomeini and Apadana Hospitals during 2004-2010

Outcomes of Reconstructive Surgery for Cleft Palate Patients: A survey on patients Admitted to Imam Khomeini and Apadana Hospitals during 2004-2010

A Review of the Use of Medicare Claims Data in Plastic Surgery Outcomes Research.

Summary:With a growing national emphasis in data transparency and reporting of public health data, it is essential for researchers to know more about Medicare claims data, the largest and most reliable source of health-care utilization and expenditure for individuals older than 65 years in the United States. This article provides an overview of Medicare claims data for plastic surgery outcomes research. We highlight essential information on various files included in Medicare claims data, strengths and limitations of the data, and ways to expand the use of existing data for research purposes. As of now, Medicare data are limited in providing adequate information regarding severity of diagnosed conditions, health status of individuals, and health outcomes after certain procedures. However, the data contain all health-care utilization and expenditures for services that are covered by Medicare Parts A, B, and D (inpatient, outpatient, ambulatory-based and physician-based services, and prescription drugs). Additionally, Medicare claims data can be used for longitudinal analysis of variations in utilization and cost of health-care services at the patient level and provider level. Linking Medicare claims data with other national databases and utilizing the ICD-10 coding system would further expand the use of these datasets in health services research.

Outcomes of Reconstructive Surgery for Defects of the Articular Ends of Bones Using Home Joint Implants

Long-term outcomes of reconstructive operations for substitution of post-resection defects of the articular ends of tubular bones that form the hip, knee and shoulder joints using home endoprosthesis were studied. The study included 344 patients who were treated at CITO department of bone pathology from 2004 to 2014. Substitution of the defect was performed in 236 and 108 cases for the knee, hip joints, respectively. Indications for surgical intervention were: bone tumors; previously performed arthroplasty failure; defects of the articular ends after failed traumatologic and orthopaedic operations; severe forms of knee arthroses. Functional results (MSTS scale), survival of constructions, inflammatory complications were analyzed and comparative evaluation with imported analogues was performed. General functional outcomes and rate of complications correspond to the data on application of new oncologic and modular endoprostheses presented in foreign literature.

Outcomes of Reconstructive Surgery for Defects of the Articular Ends of Bones Using Home Joint Implants

Long-term outcomes of reconstructive operations for substitution of post-resection defects of the articular ends of tubular bones that form the hip, knee and shoulder joints using home endoprosthesis were studied. The study included 344 patients who were treated at CITO department of bone pathology from 2004 to 2014. Substitution of the defect was performed in 236 and 108 cases for the knee, hip joints, respectively. Indications for surgical intervention were: bone tumors; previously performed arthroplasty failure; defects of the articular ends after failed traumatologic and orthopaedic operations; severe forms of knee arthroses. Functional results (MSTS scale), survival of constructions, inflammatory complications were analyzed and comparative evaluation with imported analogues was performed. General functional outcomes and rate of complications correspond to the data on application of new oncologic and modular endoprostheses presented in foreign literature.

The value of perioperative antibiotics on the success of oral free flap reconstructions.

The subject of the presented study was to monitor and compare problems and outcomes of reconstructive surgery with microvascular free flaps in the head and neck region between groups of patients treated with perioperative antibiotics and a group of patients without antibiotics. Patients requiring oral reconstructive surgery following cancer resections with microvascular free flaps were prospectively evaluated (2007-2012). Antibiotic therapy was started 30 min before the operation and administered for 10 days. Three hundred and fifty patients were included (208 male, 59.4%; 142 female, 40.6%; mean age 59.8 ± 13.2 years). 330 patients received perioperative antibiotics. Twenty patients (5.7%) who received no antibiotics for specific reasons served as the control group. Wound infections developed in 33 of 122 patients (27%) who received benzylpenicillin, 17 of 88 patients (19.3%) who received amoxicillin combined with sulbactam and 25 of 120 patients (20.8%) who received cefuroxime. Ten patients (50%) who did not receive antibiotics developed wound infections. Receiving no antibiotics or penicillin showed no benefit (P = 0.11). Those receiving cefuroxime showed significantly lower incidence of wound infections (P = 0.034; risk decreased by the factor 2.88). The use of amoxicillin combined with sulbactam showed the lowest rate of wound infections (P = 0.018; risk decreased by the factor 3.46). The use of amoxicillin combined with sulbactam appears to be the most appropriate prophylactic antibiotic followed by cefuroxime in oral microsurgical free flap reconstructions. These data may serve as a guide until a controlled multicenter prospective trial is performed comparing newer antibiotics against current standards.

The impact of advancing age on postoperative outcomes in plastic surgery

Age has been shown to be an independent predictor of complications in general surgery patients. In contrast, the effect of age on outcomes after plastic surgery has yet to be confirmed or refuted. The objective of the current investigation was to evaluate a possible association between age and postoperative outcomes after plastic surgery. The 2005–2012 NSQIP database was retrospectively reviewed for all patients undergoing plastic surgery. Patients ≥60 years with procedures under the category of plastic surgery in NSQIP were selected for analysis. The primary outcome of interest was 30-day overall complication rates. Multivariate regression models were constructed to control for potential perioperative confounders. Of the 2,320,920 patients captured in the NSQIP database, 36,819 patients underwent plastic surgery and met inclusion criteria. The incidence of unadjusted overall complications increased with age with an overall complication rate of 9.0% in patients <60 years, 11.6% in patients 60–69 years, 13.2% in patients 70–79 years, and 15.9% in patients 80 or more years (p < 0.001). After adjusting for potential confounders, age was not independently associated with increased overall complications rates in patients 60–69 years (OR = 1.026; 95% CI = 0.927–1.135; p = 0.619) and 70–79 years (OR = 0.933; 95% CI = 0.797–0.919; p = 0.393), although patients 80 years and older experienced more medical complications (OR = 1.626; 95% CI = 1.218–2.172; p = 0.001). Age is not independently associated with overall worse outcomes in patients undergoing plastic surgery. Medical complications and mortality were more likely in extremes of age (>80 years). Age alone should not be included as a decisional factor in patients <80 years old considering plastic surgery.

Rodger H. Brown, MD.

Dr. Rodger Brown is an assistant professor in the Division of Plastic Surgery in the Michael E. DeBakey Department of Surgery at Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas. He completed his medical degree and integrated plastic surgery residency training at Baylor College of Medicine. Dr. Brown maintains a very diverse practice in both cosmetic and reconstructive surgery, with the majority of his practice focusing on breast reduction, breast reconstruction, Mohs reconstruction, body contouring, thoracic and abdominal wall reconstruction, and facial and lower extremity trauma. His research interests focus on improving clinical outcomes in plastic surgery. I want to thank Dr. Brown for serving as guest editor for this issue of Seminars in Plastic Surgery on techniques in breast reduction and mastopexy. We also appreciate the efforts made by each outstanding author for sharing with us their knowledge and expertise.

Eigen-disfigurement model for simulating plausible facial disfigurement after reconstructive surgery.

BackgroundPatients with facial cancers can experience disfigurement as they may undergo considerable appearance changes from their illness and its treatment. Individuals with difficulties adjusting to facial cancer are concerned about how others perceive and evaluate their appearance. Therefore, it is important to understand how humans perceive disfigured faces. We describe a new strategy that allows simulation of surgically plausible facial disfigurement on a novel face for elucidating the human perception on facial disfigurement.MethodLongitudinal 3D facial images of patients (N = 17) with facial disfigurement due to cancer treatment were replicated using a facial mannequin model, by applying Thin-Plate Spline (TPS) warping and linear interpolation on the facial mannequin model in polar coordinates. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was used to capture longitudinal structural and textural variations found within each patient with facial disfigurement arising from the treatment. We treated such variations as disfigurement. Each disfigurement was smoothly stitched on a healthy face by seeking a Poisson solution to guided interpolation using the gradient of the learned disfigurement as the guidance field vector. The modeling technique was quantitatively evaluated. In addition, panel ratings of experienced medical professionals on the plausibility of simulation were used to evaluate the proposed disfigurement model.ResultsThe algorithm reproduced the given face effectively using a facial mannequin model with less than 4.4 mm maximum error for the validation fiducial points that were not used for the processing. Panel ratings of experienced medical professionals on the plausibility of simulation showed that the disfigurement model (especially for peripheral disfigurement) yielded predictions comparable to the real disfigurements.ConclusionsThe modeling technique of this study is able to capture facial disfigurements and its simulation represents plausible outcomes of reconstructive surgery for facial cancers. Thus, our technique can be used to study human perception on facial disfigurement.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12880-015-0050-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Patient-reported outcome measures in reconstructive breast surgery: is there a role for generic measures?

Patient-reported outcomes provide an invaluable tool in the assessment of outcomes in plastic surgery. Traditionally, patient-reported outcomes have consisted of either generic or ad hoc measures; however, more recently, there has been interest in formally constructed and validated questionnaires that are specifically designed for a particular patient population. The purpose of this systematic review was to determine whether generic measures still have a role in the evaluation of breast reconstruction outcomes, given the recent popularity and push for use of specific measures. A systematic review was performed to identify all articles using patient-reported outcomes in the assessment of postmastectomy breast reconstruction. Frequency of use was tabulated and the most frequently used tools were assessed for success of use, using criteria described previously by the Medical Outcomes Trust. To date, the most frequently used measures are still generic measures. The 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey was the most frequently used and most successfully applied showing evidence of responsiveness in multiple settings. Other measures such as the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, the Hopwood Body Image Scale, and the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale were able to show responsiveness in certain settings but lacked evidence as universal tools for the assessment of outcomes in reconstructive breast surgery. Despite the recent advent of measures designed specifically to assess patient-reported outcomes in the breast reconstruction population, there still appears to be a role for the use of generic instruments. Many of these tools would benefit from undergoing formal validation in the breast reconstruction population.