BACKGROUND: Keloids are benign fibro-proliferative lesion, related to excessive inflammatory reactions in certain anatomical areas, including the auricles. Their specific etiology remains unclear; nonetheless they exhibit tumor-like characteristics of significant recurrence and cause emotional distress, even with various treatment strategies. We applied intermittent magnetic pressure therapy on ear keloids in combination with surgical excision, and present its effectiveness herein.METHODS: Ear keloid patients were treated with surgical excision followed by magnetic pressure therapy. The keloid tissues underwent excision and keloid marginal flaps were utilized for wound closure. Intermittent magnetic pressure therapy was applied 2 weeks after the surgical procedure. The pressure therapy consisted of a 3-hour application and 2-hour resting protocol (9 hr/day), and lasted for 6 months. The results were analyzed 6 months after the therapeutic procedures, using the scar assessment scale.RESULTS: Twenty-two ear keloids from 20 patients were finally reviewed. Among the keloids that completed the therapeutic course, 20 ear keloids out of 22 in total (90.9%) were successfully eradicated. Two patients (2 keloids) exhibited slight under-correction. Postoperative complications such as wound dehiscence or surgical site infection were not noted. The scar assessment scale demonstrated a significant improvement in each index. The intermittent pressure therapy led to patient compliance, and avoided pressure-related pain and discomfort.CONCLUSION: Excision followed by intermittent pressure application using a magnet successfully reduced the burden of fibro-proliferative keloids, and had good patient compliance. The role of intermittent pressure application and resting should be studied with regard to keloid tissue remodeling.
Cicatrix ; Ear ; Humans ; Keloid ; Patient Compliance ; Postoperative Complications ; Recurrence ; Surgical Wound Infection ; Treatment Outcome ; Wounds and Injuries

The scalp is the thickest skin in the body and protects the intracranial structures. The coverage of a large scalp defect is a difficult surgical procedure, the full details of which must be considered prior to the procedure, such as defect size and depth, and various factors related to the patient’s general condition. Although a free flap is the recommended surgical procedure to cover large scalp defects, it is a high-risk operation that is not appropriate for all patients. As such, other surgical options must be explored. We present the case of a patient with an ulcer on the scalp after wide excision and split-thickness skin graft for squamous cell cancer. We successfully performed a reverse temporalis muscle flap for this patient.

Juvenile psammomatoid ossifying fibroma (JPOF) is a rare, benign, fibro-osseous variant of ossifying fibroma. It exhibits short-term rapid growth and has a high recurrence rate. Herein we describe a case of JPOF of the maxilla that was treated via complete excision utilizing an intraoral approach with immediate reconstruction using an iliac bone graft, in conjunction with a comprehensive review of the literature. A 20-year-old man presented with a mass on his right cheek that he reported had been growing over the last 10 months. In that cheek he had noticed fullness and experienced pressure, tenderness, and fluffiness, with no other ophthalmic or dental symptoms. After clinical, radiological, and histological examinations, the diagnosis was confirmed as JPOF. Surgical excision was performed, followed by immediate reconstruction with an autologous iliac cortical and cancellous bone graft harvested from the right iliac crest under general anesthesia. Good cicatrization of the intraoral surgical wounds and right iliac crest were evident. He was monitored for 6 months after the surgery and exhibited appropriate midfacial contour. There were no signs of recurrence or complications.

BACKGROUND: This study was conducted to determine the relationship between third molar (M3) and mandibular fracture.METHODS: Patients with unilateral mandibular angle or condyle fractures between 2008 and 2018 were evaluated retrospectively. Medical records were reviewed regarding the location of fractures, and panoramic radiographs were reviewed to discern the presence and position of ipsilateral mandibular third molars (M3). We measured the bony area of the mandibular angle (area A) and the bony area occupied by the M3 (area B) to calculate the true mandibular angle bony area ratio (area A–B/area A× 100).RESULTS: The study consisted of 129 patients, of which 60 (46.5%) had angle fractures and 69 (53.5%) had condyle fractures. The risk of angle fracture was higher in the presence of M3 (odds ratio [OR], 2.2; p< 0.05) and the risk of condyle fracture was lower in the presence of M3 (OR, 0.45; p< 0.05), than in the absence of M3. The risk of angle fracture was higher in the presence of an impacted M3 (OR, 0.3; p< 0.001) and the risk of condyle fracture was lower in the presence of an impacted M3 (OR, 3.32; p< 0.001), than in the presence of a fully erupted M3. True mandibular angle bony area ratio was significantly lower in the angle fractures than in the condyle fractures (p= 0.003).CONCLUSION: Angle fractures had significantly lower true mandibular angle bony area ratios than condyle fractures. True mandibular angle bony area ratio, a simple and inexpensive method, could be an option to predict the mandibular fracture patterns.
Humans ; Mandible ; Mandibular Fractures ; Medical Records ; Methods ; Molar, Third ; Retrospective Studies ; Tooth, Impacted

BACKGROUND: Temporal hollowing is inevitable after decompressive craniectomy. This complication affects self-perception and quality of life, and various techniques and materials have therefore been used to restore patients’ confidence. Autologous fat grafting in postoperative scar tissue has been considered challenging because of the hostile tissue environment. However, in this study, we demonstrate that autologous fat grafting can be a simple and safe treatment of choice, even for postoperative depressed temporal scar tissue. METHODS: Autologous fat grafting was performed in 13 patients from 2011 to 2016. Fat was harvested according to Coleman’s strategy, using a tumescent technique. Patient-reported outcomes were collected preoperatively and at 1-month and 1-year follow-ups. Photographs were taken at each visit. RESULTS: The thighs were the donor site in all cases for the first procedure. The median final volume of harvested fat was 29.4 mL (interquartile range [IQR], 24.0–32.8 mL). The median final volume of fat transferred into the temporal area was 4.9 mL on the right side (IQR, 2.5–7.1 mL) and 4.6 mL on the left side (IQR, 3.7–5.9 mL). There were no major complications. The patient-reported outcomes showed significantly improved self-perceptions at 1 month and at 1 year. CONCLUSIONS: Despite concerns about the survival of grafted fat in scar tissue, we advise autologous fat grafting for patients with temporal hollowing resulting from a previous craniectomy.
Adipose Tissue ; Cicatrix ; Decompressive Craniectomy ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Lipectomy ; Quality of Life ; Self Concept ; Thigh ; Tissue Donors ; Transplantation ; Transplantation, Autologous ; Transplants

BACKGROUND: This study was conducted to determine the effect of the distributional relationship between dental roots and the mandibular bone on single mandibular bone fractures, which are common craniofacial fractures. METHODS: This was a retrospective, single-center study in Seoul, Korea. Patients with single mandibular fractures in the symphysis, parasymphysis, body, and angle area, with tooth structure involvement were included. The control group included patients with simple, bone-level lacerations without fractures. In total, 94 patients (72 males and 22 females) were included in the treatment group, and 125 (71 males and 54 females) were included in the control group. The height of the mandibular bone and the dental root were measured with panoramic radiography. The central incisor represented the symphysis area, the canine represented the parasymphysis area, the first molar represented the body area, and the second molar represented the angle area. RESULTS: In the treatment group, symphysis fractures occurred in 16 patients (17%), parasymphysis fractures in 36 patients (38%), body fractures in 17 patients (18%), and angle fractures in 25 patients (27%). The ratios of the dental roots to the total height of the mandibular bone in the treatment group were 30.35%, 39.75%, 39.53%, and 36.27% for symphysis, parasymphysis, body, and angle areas, respectively, whereas in the control group, they were 27.73%, 39.70%, 36.76%, and 35.48%. The ratios of the treatment group were significantly higher than those of the control group. CONCLUSION: The results show that the higher ratio of the dental root to the height of the mandibular bone increases the fracture risk.
Fractures, Bone* ; Humans ; Incisor ; Korea ; Lacerations ; Male ; Mandible ; Mandibular Fractures ; Molar ; Radiography, Panoramic ; Retrospective Studies ; Seoul ; Tooth ; Tooth Root

Background: Hand fractures can be treated using various operative or nonoperative methods. When an operative technique utilizing fixation is performed, early postoperative mobilization has been advocated. We implemented a protocol involving controlled active exercise in the early postoperative period and analyzed the outcomes. Methods: Patients who were diagnosed with proximal phalangeal or metacarpal fractures of the second to fifth digits were included (n=37). Minimally invasive open reduction and internal fixation procedures were performed. At 3 weeks postoperatively, controlled active exercise was initiated, with stress applied against the direction of axial loading. The exercise involved pain-free active traction in three positions (supination, neutral, and pronation) between 3 and 5 weeks postoperatively. Postoperative radiographs and range of motion (ROM) in the interphalangeal and metacarpophalangeal joints were analyzed. Results: Significant improvements in ROM were found between 6 and 12 weeks for both proximal phalangeal and metacarpal fractures (P<0.05). At 12 weeks, 26 patients achieved a total ROM of more than 230° in the affected finger. Postoperative radiographic images demonstrated union of the affected proximal phalangeal and metacarpal bones at a 20-week postoperative follow-up. Conclusions Minimally invasive open reduction and internal fixation minimized periosteal and peritendinous dissection in hand fractures. Controlled active exercise utilizing pain-free active traction in three different positions resulted in early functional exercise with an acceptable ROM.

Naso-orbito-ethmoidal (NOE) fractures are complicated fractures of the mid-face. The treatment of NOE fractures is challenging and a comprehensive treatment strategy is required. We introduce a case of NOE fracture treated with open reduction and suspension sutures. A 28-year-old woman presented with a unilateral NOE fracture. To reduce the frontal process of the maxilla, a suspension suture was made by pulling the fragment using a double arm suture via a transcaruncular incision. The suture thread was placed in the horizontal plane. Another suspension suture on the inferior orbital rim assisted reduction procedure, and they passed through the overlying skin. The reduction alignment could be finely adjusted by tightening the transcutaneous suture threads while checking the degree of bone alignment through the subciliary incision. The two suture threads were suspended using a thermoplastic nasal splint. An additional skin incision on the medial canthal area, which would have resulted in a scar, could be avoided. Four months postoperatively, computed tomography showed an accurate and stable reduction. The patient was satisfied with her aesthetic appearance, and functional deficits were not present.

Xeroderma pigmentosum is a rare autosomal recessive disease, related to defects in DNA repair mechanism. It presents skin lesions on sun-exposed areas, leading to various skin cancer. Skin lesions can be treated with cryotherapy, skin resurfacing, 5-FU, Imiquimod, topical T4 endonuclease V, radiotherapy and genetic therapy, but invasive skin cancer should be treated by a surgery. We report a 12-year-old female xeroderma pigmentosum patient with recurrent basal cell carcinoma successfully treated by skin grafting. In that there is no cure for this disease, prevention and patient education is most important.

Cutaneous horn is the clinical entity, which is circumscribed, conical, markedly hyperkeratotic lesion in which the height of the keratotic mass amounts to at least half of its largest diameter. It may be associated with many different pathological lesions. It is a relatively rare and a kind of epidermal tumor that generally appears as a conical projection. Here, we report rare case of congenital cutaneous horn. A 39-month-old female Korean patient presented at our clinic with a mass at the tip of her nose present since birth. Under general anesthesia, cutaneous horn of nasal tip was completely excised without any complications. The operation site was small enough to perform a primary closure, without any nasal deformity. Histopathologically, it was reported as a fibroepithelial polyps. After operation, there is no evidence of recurrence at 16 months of follow-up.