PURPOSE: The focal ossification of auricular cartilage is an unusual clinical entity in which the ear becomes partially or totally rigid and immalleable. This condition may result from cold injury, local trauma, inflammation, or various systemic diseases. Patients may feel mild discomfort, but there are usually no other serious symptoms. We present a case of focal ossification of auricular cartilage in which the cause is unknown. METHODS: A healthy 58-year-old man presented with a 2-year history of hard mass of right posterior auricular area. He denied any precipitating historical events like cold injury and inflammation. Routine testing did not demonstrate systemic abnormalities. Ultrasonographic examination revealed a 22 x 10 x 11 mm sized heterogenous isoechoic mass showing an acoustic shadow. RESULTS: Excisional biopsy was performed under local anesthesia. Histological examination revealed the ossification with deposition of trabecular bone in normal elastic cartilage. The patient was healed without any problems and satisfied with the result. CONCLUSION: We report clinical experience of focal ossification of auricular cartilage, which is quite a rare clinical entity. It should be considered that there is the possibility of ossification of cartilage when it meets the benign mass of the ear.
Acoustics ; Anesthesia, Local ; Biopsy ; Cartilage ; Cold Temperature ; Ear ; Ear Cartilage ; Elastic Cartilage ; Humans ; Inflammation ; Middle Aged

PURPOSE: Pyoderma gangrenosum is a rare inflammatory, reactive dermatosis marked by painful cutaneous ulcer. The causes of pyoderma gangrenosum remain unclear. Gastrointestinal, hematological, rheumatological, and immmune disorders may be associated with pyoderma gangrenosum. The appearance of this disease may range from mild skin ulcers to life-threatening conditions. Generalized multiple ulcerative pyoderma gangrenosum is very rare. Here we report our experience with a case of multiple ulcerative pyoderma gangrenosum accompanied by ulcerative colitis. METHODS: A 67-year-old man had cutaneous ulcers at multiple sites including the scalp, face, chest, abdomen, hands, and buttocks. He also developed gastrointestinal symptoms such as intermittent dyspepsia and bloody excrement. Debridement and irritation aggravated the disease progress. We gave a diagnosis of pyoderma gangrenosum with ulcerative colitis based on the clinical appearance and biopsy. The patient was treated with systemic intravenous steroid therapies and careful wound cares. Ulcers of the scalp and buttocks were treated with split thickness skin grafts. RESULTS: Most of the multiple cutaneous ulcers were treated by systemic intravenous steroid therapies and wound cares. The rest of the ulcers were treated with skin grafts. Systemic intravenous steroid therapy was used to treat the ulcerative colitis. CONCLUSION: Generalized multiple ulcerative pyoderma gangrenosum is very rare. Without making an accurate diagnosis, hasty surgical treatments could aggravate the progression of the disease. Additionally, care should be taken to systemically treat underlying disease as well as administrating local treatments for the skin lesions. Intravenous systemic steroid therapy and skin grafts are useful treatments for generalized pyoderma gangrenosum.
Abdomen ; Aged ; Biopsy ; Buttocks ; Colitis, Ulcerative ; Debridement ; Dyspepsia ; Hand ; Humans ; Pyoderma ; Pyoderma Gangrenosum ; Scalp ; Skin ; Skin Diseases ; Skin Ulcer ; Thorax ; Transplants ; Ulcer

PURPOSE: Many advances have been made in lower eyelid reconstruction surgical procedures after tumor ablative therapy. These include skin grafts, local flaps, free flaps, and skin expansion. When a full-thickness defect of the lower eyelid is reconstructed with many free flaps, ectropion and deformity of the medial and lateral canthal areas are common late complications caused by gravitational descent. The radial forearm free flap is widely used because of its lack of bulk, ease of dissection, malleability, and hairlessness. This report introduces a novel method for preventing ectropion using a composite radial forearm free flap reconstruction and palmaris longus suspension technique. METHODS: A 70-year-old man had a malignant melanoma on his left lower eyelid. The patient was referred to our department after a biopsy confirmed the initial diagnosis. A full-thickness wide resection with a 25 mm free margin was performed, and a 5 x 8 cm radial forearm flap was elevated with a vascularised palmaris longus tendon. The palmaris longus tendon was fixed to the medial and lateral orbital rim perisoteum and the deep temporal fascia. The buccal mucosa was grafted to reconstruct the inner conjunctival layer. The pedicle vessels were anastomosed to the left superficial temporal artery and vein. RESULTS: The postoperative clinical course was uneventful. The flap showed good texture and color match. No ectropion was noted 14 months after surgery and the tumor did not recur. The patient was quite satisfied with the final outcomes. CONCLUSION: Use of a radial forearm free flap and the palmaris longus tendon is an effective method for a full-thickness lower eyelid reconstruction.
Aged ; Biopsy ; Congenital Abnormalities ; Ectropion ; Eyelids ; Fascia ; Forearm ; Free Tissue Flaps ; Humans ; Melanoma ; Mouth Mucosa ; Orbit ; Skin ; Temporal Arteries ; Tendons ; Transplants

PURPOSE: Romberg's disease manifests as progressive hemifacial atrophy of the skin, soft tissue and bone, which usually begins in the first or second decade of life. When present, atrophy may originate from the cutaneous stigmata and may become so sharply delimited by the midline. METHODS: A 10-year-old girl, who had suffered from right mandibular area atrophy for 3 years, visited us and was diagnosed with Romberg's disease. The depressed lesion of the face was augmented successfully using a deepithelialized groin free flap. The superficial circumflex iliac vessels were used as the donor pedicle and the facial artery and vein were used as the recipient vessels. RESULTS: After surgery, the flap survived well and she was satisfied with the result. Although there are various methods of facial augmentation using free flaps, this flap has some advantages. First, there is a considerable amount of fat tissue components for augmentation. Second, flap elevation with thinning is possible. Third, the donor site can be hidden. CONCLUSION: The groin dermo-fat free flap is a good method for the facial augmentation of Romberg's disease.
Arteries ; Atrophy ; Child ; Christianity ; Facial Hemiatrophy ; Free Tissue Flaps ; Groin ; Humans ; Skin ; Tissue Donors ; Veins

PURPOSE: Cancer arising from the external auditory canal is a rare disease. A lesion that seems harmless in someway, can be lethal when inadequately excised, the tumor may infiltrate nerves, the parotid and auditory tissues before re-invading the skin. Wide resection of the lesion surrounding the structure and reconstruction with an adequate plan is crucial for the treatment of this disease. METHODS: Two patients with external auditory canal cancer were treated with muscle flaps and skin grafts. Lateral temporal bone resection (LTBR) was performed for complete resection of the cancer. The defect cavity was obliterated with highly vascularized tissue using pedicled sternocleidomastoid muscle, and temporalis muscle individually, combined with full thickness skin graft for covering the skin defect of the ear. RESULTS: Clear resection margin was obtained, and both patients showed disease free survival during the follow up. There was no complications of hematoma, infection, flap loss, or wound problem in both patients. Both patient received radiation therapy, there was no osteoradionecrosis or any other complication related to radiation therapy. CONCLUSION: Utilizing pedicled muscle flaps for managing defects after wide resection of the external auditory canal cancer is an effective method for managing this difficult disease.
Disease-Free Survival ; Ear Canal ; Follow-Up Studies ; Hematoma ; Humans ; Muscles ; Osteoradionecrosis ; Rare Diseases ; Skin ; Temporal Bone ; Transplants

BACKGROUND: In a frontal sinus reconstruction, the literature primarily recommends a surgical approach for definite treatment with the exception of for anterior wall fractures with no dislocation. Many studies have assessed a range of methods for the reduction of frontal sinus fractures. This paper presents a case, in whom the anterior wall of the frontal sinus was reconstructed using an outer table calvarial bone graft in an en bloc manner. PATIENT AND METHODS: A 36-year-old male visited the emergency room with a heavy injury to the forehead. He was diagnosed with fractures of the anterior and posterior wall of the frontal sinus. The neurosurgeon removed the fractured area and repaired the meninges. Afterwards, cranialization was performed and the opening of the nasofrontal duct was obstructed. After fixing the removed bone to its original location, all fragments of fractured anterior wall were purged out and the anterior wall reconstructed using an en bloc calvarial bone graft. RESULTS: In the post-operative 8 months period, there were no complications, the round contour of the forehead was expressed well and the patient was satisfied with the result. CONCLUSION: There are many methods for reconstructing the anterior wall of the frontal sinus. On the other hand, in cases of large fracture sites with many fractured bone fragments, en bloc harvesting of the outer table calvarial bone could be a better choice than making use of only plates and screws because this method shows a good results in terms of aesthetics with a low complication rate.
Adult ; Dislocations ; Emergencies ; Esthetics ; Forehead ; Frontal Sinus ; Hand ; Humans ; Male ; Meninges ; Transplants

PURPOSE: A cranioremodeling helmet for correcting plagiocephaly was recently developed. However, no discrete objective methods to evaluate how the deformity is being corrected have been developed. We have established an easy and cost-effective method that can be used not only to show the correction process, but can also be used by physicians to assess the degree of plagiocephaly two-dimensionally. METHODS: For two-dimensional evaluation, a length of malleable memory wire (2 mm in diameter) resembling "Sun-Wukong's headband" was placed on the patient's head. The wire around the patient's head was positioned on a plane including points 1 cm above the eyebrow and 1 cm above the auricle. The wire was placed on a sheet of paper and the outline was marked using pens of various colors during each visit. The degree of plagiocephaly correction could then be shown to the patient's parents at every consultation. RESULTS: The method established by the present study easily shows the horizontal cross-section transformation of the head, illustrates plagiocephaly correction by the helmet, and shows the degree of correction in a two-dimensional manner. CONCLUSION: A soft-shell helmet is widely used for correcting plagiocephaly. However, evaluating the effectiveness of the helmet has been determined in a subjective manner, and a more objective method is now in demanded. Our study found that a "Sun-Wukong's headband" wire can accurately measure two-dimensional changes. Future studies will be required to identify landmarks needed for assessing plagiocephaly correction.
Congenital Abnormalities ; Eyebrows ; Head ; Head Protective Devices ; Humans ; Memory ; Parents ; Plagiocephaly ; Plagiocephaly, Nonsynostotic

PURPOSE: Packing the nose is a common procedure after the closed reduction of a nasal bone fracture to prevent postoperative complications, such as bleeding and adhesion formation as well as to stabilize the framework of the nasal bone. On the other hand, it is difficult for a patient to endure nasal packing because of breathing difficulties, headaches, chest discomfort, insomnia, general weakness and hypoxia. This study examined the availability of a bronchodilator to improve the decreased oxygen saturation and postoperative symptoms on nasal packing. METHODS: From February, 2010 to July, 2010, a prospective randomized comparison of the incidence of a range of postoperative signs and symptoms was conducted on 60 patients, who did (n=30) and did not (n=30) undergo bronchodilator infusion (aminophylline 250 mg/10 mL + normal saline 100 mL IV qd) following nasal packing. The postoperative symptoms and oxygen saturation in the two groups were compared. RESULTS: Patients who had infused the bronchodilator showed improved oxygen saturation. Nevertheless, there were no significant differences in the postoperative uncomfortable symptoms (dyspnea, headache, chest discomfort, insomnia, general weakness) between the two groups. CONCLUSION: A bronchodilator after nasal packing improves oxygen saturation by dilating the airway tract but it cannot reduce the uncomfortable symptoms caused by nasal obstruction. Overall, the bronchodilator is a useful medication for improving the level of oxygen saturation.
Anoxia ; Hand ; Headache ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Incidence ; Nasal Bone ; Nasal Obstruction ; Nose ; Oxygen ; Postoperative Complications ; Prospective Studies ; Respiration ; Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders ; Thorax

PURPOSE: It is difficult to objectively evaluate the outcomes of plastic surgical procedures. The combination of aesthetic and medical factors makes outcome quantification difficult. In this study, fracture reduction accuracy was objectively evaluated in patients with zygomatic complex fractures. Patients satisfaction with the accuracy was also examined. In addition, the patients' overall satisfaction and discomfort due to complications were analyzed. METHODS: Eighty-five patients who had surgeries via bicoronal incision for zygomatic complex fracture from March 2006 to December 2009 were included in this study. Two plastic surgeons evaluated the accuracy of the fracture reduction with postoperative computed tomography. A survey questionnaire was administered to evaluate the patients' overall satisfaction and the impact of symptoms associated with the procedure on the patients' daily lives. RESULTS: The overall patient satisfaction rate was 82.1 +/- 10.9% (range, 45~100%). The level of deformation was 6.7 +/- 10.9%, the levels of discomfort in daily life due to pain, paresthesia, scar, and facial palsy were 8.5 +/- 13.2%, 5.8 +/- 8.9%, 4.4 +/- 9.9%, and 1.9 +/- 9.2%, respectively. According to the visual analogue scale, paresthesia was found to be the most frequent symptom (43.5%), and pain was the most troublesome symptom. CONCLUSION: The use of bicoronal incision for treating zygomatic complex fractures can cause various complications due to wide incision and dissection. However, this technique can provide optimized reduction and rigid fixation. Most of these postoperative complications can cause significant discomfort in the patient. It is thought that the use of correct surgical technique and the accurate knowledge of craniofacial anatomy will result in a reduction of complications and significantly increase patient satisfaction.
Cicatrix ; Facial Paralysis ; Humans ; Paresthesia ; Patient Satisfaction ; Postoperative Complications ; Questionnaires

PURPOSE: This study examined the biomechanical stability of four different plating techniques in the experimental model of mandibular subcondyle fracture. METHODS: Twenty standardized bovine tibia bone samples (7 x 1.5 x 1.0 cm) were used for this study. Each of the four sets of tibia bone was cut to mimic a perpendicular subcondyle fracture in the center area. The osteotomized tibia bone was fixed using one of four different fixation groups (A,B,C,D). The fixation systems included single 2.0 mm 4 hole mini adaption plate (A), single 2.0 mm 4 hole dynamic compression miniplate (B), double fixation with 2.0 mm 4 hole mini adaption plate (C), double fixation with a 2.0 mm 4 hole mini adaption plate and 2.0 mm 4 hole dynamic compression miniplate (D). A bending force was applied to the experimental model using a pressure machine (858 table top system, MTS(R)) until failure occurred. The load for permanent deformation, maximum load of failure were measured in the load displacement curve with the chart recorder. RESULTS: Double fixation with a 2.0 mm 4 hole mini adaption plate and a 2.0 mm 4 hole dynamic compression miniplate (D) applied to the anterior and posterior regions of the subcondyle experimental model showed the highest load to failure. CONCLUSION: From this study, double fixation with an adaption plate and dynamic compression miniplate fixation technique produced the greatest biomechanical stability. This technique may be considered a useful means of fixation to reduce the postoperative internal maxillary fixation period and achieve early mobility of the jaw.
Displacement (Psychology) ; Hydrazines ; Jaw ; Models, Theoretical ; Tibia