1.Diagnosis and treatment methods of nontuberculous mycobacteria infections related to cosmetic surgery
Jingdong GUO ; Bo CHEN ; Liang PENG ; Dongmei ZHANG ; Haixin HOU ; Wantong LI ; Xiongxiang ZHU
Chinese Journal of Burns 2024;40(7):673-678
Objective:To investigate diagnosis and treatment methods of nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) infections related to cosmetic surgery.Methods:This study was a retrospective observational study. From January 2015 to December 2023, 24 patients with NTM infections related to cosmetic surgery meeting the inclusion criteria were admitted to Shenzhen Hospital of Southern Medical University and Northern Theater Command General Hospital, all of whom were female and aged 29-51 years. Among them, 20 cases underwent lipolysis needle injection surgery, 2 cases underwent facial contouring surgery, 1 case underwent foreign body injection, and 1 case underwent wrinkle removal surgery. The clinical manifestations of infections caused by NTM included scattered dark purplish subcutaneous nodules at the infection site with unclear boundaries, thinning of the skin on the surface of the nodules and ulceration, and powdery-white fish meat like tissue and a small amount of light yellow exudation being seen at the ulceration. In order to improve the detection rate of NTM, bacterial culture of wound exudation combined with solid tissue samples, multiple bacterial cultures, and extending culture time were performed. All patients were treated with damage control debridement on the infected site and comprehensive treatment including the use of antibiotics based on the results of drug sensitivity tests. The types of NTM infections, drug sensitivity test results, wound healing time, number of bacterial cultures, and surgical debridement times were recorded. The wound healing was observed during follow-up.Results:The bacterial culture results showed that there were 22 cases of infections with Mycobacterium abscessus and 2 cases with Mycobacterium fortuitum. The drug sensitivity test results showed that the NTM was sensitive to antibiotics such as clarithromycin, amikacin, and doxycycline. The average healing time of the wound was 83.6 days with an average of 2.85 times bacterial cultures on the specimen, and an average of 2.52 times of debridement surgery. Follow up for 6 months to 5 years, all wounds of the patients were healed. Among them, 22 patients had a basically normal appearance with slight scars, while 2 patients had obvious scars and depressions. Conclusions:It is difficult to treat NTM infections related to cosmetic surgery. Damage control debridement for the infected site can ensure wound healing and reduce the damage and postoperative deformities in facial and other cosmetic areas.