Is a 3 mm Surgical Margin Safe for Basal Cell Carcinoma in the Head and Neck that is Less than 2 cm, Considering Different Risk Factors?

Background Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is the most common type of nonmelanoma skin cancer. Typically, resection requires a safety margin of ≥4 mm. When removing tumor cells, achieving complete excision with minimal safety margins and reconstructing the defect to preserve the original appearance are important. In this study, we used a 3-mm resection margin to confirm recurrence and re-resection rates. Methods Electronic medical records and photographic data were obtained for patients with primary BCC lesions less than 2 cm in diameter who underwent wide excision with a 3-mm surgical margin from January 2015 to November 2021. We analyzed factors determining recurrence and re-resection rates, such as tumor size, location, age, sex, underlying diseases (including immunosuppression state), ethnicity, subtypes, tumor borders, etc. Results This study included 205 patients. The mean age and follow-up period were 73.0 ± 11.5 years and 10.2 ± 8.0 months, respectively. The recurrence and re-resection rates were 1.95% and 25.85%, respectively. A statistically significant correlation was found between recurrence rate and tumor border ( p = 0.013) and the re-resection rate was correlated statistically with location ( p = 0.022) and immunosuppressed patients ( p = 0.006). Conclusion We found that a 3-mm excision margin provided sufficient safety in small facial BCC, resulting in ease of surgery and better aesthetic outcomes. However, surgical margins must be determined case by case by integrating various patient factors. In particular, a surgical margin of ≥4 mm is required for BCC in high-risk areas, immunosuppressed patients, or poorly defined border.

Prediction of Enophthalmos in Medial Orbital Wall Fracture: Suggested Coordinate Plane for Making Surgical Decisions.

BACKGROUND: Enophthalmos is one of the most distressing complications of blowout orbital fractures. Although several studies have been conducted on the topic of indications of early surgical correction, none have been performed using a set of measurable parameters. METHODS: The study quantitatively examined orbital fracture areas (OFA) and volumes (OFV) retrospectively of 242 patients with isolated medial orbital wall fractures that were treated conservatively during a 12-year period (from 2009 to 2021). Three plastic surgeons measured enophthalmos >6 months after trauma. The correlations between parameters and enophthalmos in the study cohort were analyzed. In addition, patients treated operatively, and nonoperatively were compared with assess the suitability of the predictive model. RESULTS: Significant correlations were observed between several parameters and late enophthalmos. Total 2.59 cm 2 of OFA (ie, OFA >2.59 cm 2 ) or 1.45 cm 3 of OFV (ie, OFV >1.45 cm 3 ) corresponds to 2 mm of enophthalmos. Multiple regression analysis revealed the following coefficients: -0.208 is a constant ( P <0.001), with 0.695 and 0.372 for OFA and OFV, respectively ( P <0.001 for both OFA and OFV). CONCLUSIONS: The study shows that enophthalmos can be more accurately predicted when OFA and OFV are simultaneously considered in patients with isolated medial wall fractures. Finally, an algorithm and a "blowout fracture coordinate plane" was proposed to aid treatment decision-making in isolated medial wall fractures.

Pseudoaneurysm of the superficial temporal artery after blunt trauma: case report and literature review.

An 88-year-old man presented with a left temporal pulsatile mass that developed after blunt trauma. Based on suspicion of hematoma, needle aspiration was performed with the removal of approximately 15 mL of blood. No evident improvement was noted, and active arterial bleeding was observed at the needle puncture site. Doppler ultrasonography revealed a "yin-yang" sign, and the mass was diagnosed as a pseudoaneurysm of the left superficial temporal artery. Under general anesthesia, the superficial temporal artery was ligated and the pseudoaneurysm was removed. Superficial temporal artery pseudoaneurysm is a rare facial tumor that generally occurs after blunt trauma. Due to its rarity, pseudoaneurysms are often misdiagnosed as hematoma. The treatment of choice is excision, although endovascular intervention is a potential treatment option. However, when a pseudoaneurysm is small, conservative treatment can be used.

A new technique of suturing using adhesive skin closure for uncooperative patients.

Open wounds are usually closed with suture. However, young patients often do not cooperate and prevent proper suture placement. Young patients are often terrified of mild pain and wholly uncooperative, which is why we introduce this timesaving, less painful, more aesthetic technique of placing and removing stitches. 104 patients with facial lacerations aged 5 to 15 years were treated at a single center from May 2019 to March 2021. Patients were randomly assigned equally to a simple interrupted suture group (the SI group) or a continuous locking with Steri-Strip group (the CS group). Suture times, times for stitch removal, pain scores at stitch removal and mature scar scores were evaluated. Suture and stitch removal times were significantly shorter, and pain scores at stitch removal and observer scar assessment scale scores were lower in the CS group. Patient scar assessment scale score was non-significantly lower in the SI group. This study shows that the novel continuous locking with the Steri-Strip technique is easier and quicker to perform, causes less pain when removing stitches, provides better aesthetic results than the simple interrupted suture technique and suggests the continuous locking with Steri-Strip technique would be very useful for uncooperative young patients.

Prediction of late enophthalmos using quantitative measures in isolated medial orbital wall fracture: Multiple regression analysis.

BACKGROUND: Enophthalmos is one of the most distressing complications of orbital fracture, and when faced with a blowout fracture, plastic surgeons often find it difficult to determine the need for surgical correction. Although a number of studies have been conducted on this topic, no study has yet been performed using a set of measurable parameters. METHODS: We quantitatively measured orbital fracture areas (OFA), volumes (OFV), and medial rectus muscle cross-sectional ratios in patients with an isolated medial orbital wall fracture defect during a 5-year period from 2014 to 2018. Only conservatively treated patients constituted the study cohort. Enophthalmos was measured by two plastic surgeons at ≥6 months after trauma. We analyzed correlations between various parameters and degrees of late enophthalmos in the study cohort. RESULTS: Significant correlations were observed between several parameters and late enophthalmos. Multiple regression analysis resulted in the following coefficients: -0.449 is constant (p = 0.017), 0.596 and 0.460 for OFA (p = 0.000) and OFV (p = 0.005), respectively. However, no significant relationship was observed between enophthalmos and medial rectus muscle cross-sectional ratios (p = 0.340). CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study enable the degree of late enophthalmos in conservatively treated patients to be predicted using OFV and OFA values. We suggest five indications that require surgical correction without long-term clinical follow-ups: (1) OFA ≥ 1.90 cm2, (2) OFV ≥ 1.00 cm3, (3) 1.30 OFA + OFV > 5.32, (4) signs of muscle incarceration, and (5) signs of severe retrobulbar hematoma. The more satisfactory the five indications are, the greater is the need for surgery.

True-color face peeled images with botulinum toxin injection sites and anatomic landmarks / Imágenes de color verdadero de rostros sin piel con puntos de inyección de toxina botulínica y puntos de referencia anatómicos

To allow students and surgeons to learn the sites for botulinum toxin injection, new types of educational images are needed because MRI, CT, and sectioned images are inadequate. This article describes browsing software that displays face peeled images that allow layers along the curved surface of the face to be peeled gradually in even depths across the surface. Two volume models of the head were reconstructed from sectioned images and segmented images of Visible Korean, respectively. These volume models were peeled serially at a thickness of 0.2 mm along the curved surface of the facial skin to construct the peeled images and peeled segmented images. All of the peeled images were marked with botulinum toxin injection sites, facial creases and wrinkles, and fat compartments. All peeled images and the text information were entered into browsing software. The browsing software shows 12 botulinum toxin injection sites on all peeled images of the anterior and lateral views. Further, the software shows 23 anatomic landmarks, 13 facial creases and wrinkles, and 7 face fat compartments. When a user points at any structure on the peeled images, the name of the structure appears. Our software featuring the peeled images will be particularly effective for helping medical students to quickly and easily learn the accurate facial anatomy for botulinum toxin injection sites. It will also be useful for explaining plastic surgery procedures to patients and studying the anatomic structure of the human face.

Para permitir que los estudiantes y cirujanos aprendan los sitios para la inyección de toxina botulínica, se necesitan nuevos tipos de imágenes educativas ya que las imágenes de MRI, CT e imágenes seccionadas son inadecuadas. Este artículo describe el software de navegación que muestra imágenes de cara sin piel que permiten que las capas a lo largo de la superficie curva de la cara se despeguen gradualmente en profundidades uniformes a lo largo de la superficie. Se reconstruyeron dos modelos de volumen de la cabeza a partir de imágenes seccionadas e imágenes segmentadas visibles, respectivamente. En estos modelos de volumen se retiró la piel en serie con un grosor de 0,2 mm a lo largo de la superficie curva de la cara para construir las imágenes sin piel y las imágenes segmentadas sin piel. Todas las imágenes sin piel se marcaron con puntos de inyección de toxina botulínica, arrugas y arrugas faciales y compartimientos de grasa. Todas las imágenes despegadas y la información de texto se ingresaron en el software de navegación. El software de navegación muestra 12 sitios de inyección de toxina botulínica en todas las imágenes de las vistas anterior y lateral. Además, el software muestra 23 puntos de referencia anatómicos, 13 pliegues y arrugas faciales y 7 compartimentos de grasa facial. Cuando un usuario selecciona cualquier estructura en las imágenes sin piel, aparece el nombre de la estructura. Nuestro software con las imágenes sin piel será particularmente efectivo para ayudar a los estudiantes de medicina a aprender rápida y fácilmente la anatomía facial precisa para los sitios de inyección de toxina botulínica. También será útil para explicar los procedimientos de cirugía plástica a pacientes y estudiar la estructura anatómica del rostro humano.

A case of acute skin failure misdiagnosed as a pressure ulcer, leading to a legal dispute.

It is difficult to differentiate acute skin failure (ASF) from pressure ulcer (PU). ASF is defined as unavoidable injury resulting from hypoperfusion caused by severe dysfunction of another organ system. We describe a case of ASF mistaken as PU that resulted in a legal dispute. A 74-year-old male patient was admitted to our intensive care unit with sepsis due to bacterial pneumonia. Despite the use of air cushions and regular position changes, skin ulcerations occurred over his occiput, back, buttock, elbow, and ankle. After improvement in his general condition, he was transferred to the department of plastic and reconstructive surgery. Debridement was performed immediately, followed by conservative treatment (including a vacuum-assisted closure device) for 6 weeks. The buttock and occiput wounds were treated surgically. Despite complete healing, his caregivers sued the hospital for failing to prevent PU formation. ASF is a pressure-related injury resulting from hemodynamic instability due to organ system failure. Unlike PU, ASF may occur despite the implementation of all appropriate preventive measures. Furthermore, misdiagnosis of ASF as PU can lead to litigation. Therefore, it is critical for the proper diagnosis to be made quickly, and for physicians to explain that ASF occurs despite proper preventative treatment.

Eccrine Poroma of the Postauricular Area.

Eccrine poroma is a common benign cutaneous tumor that originates in an intraepidermal eccrine duct. This tumor exhibits acral distribution (sole, palm), and is rarely encountered in the head and neck area. In fact eccrine poroma in the postauricular area has only been rarely reported. A 55-year-old female visited our hospital with a main complaint of a mass that first developed in the left postauricular area about a year previously. The mass was painless, soft, protruding, domed, and dark red in color, and had slowly enlarged (at presentation it measured 1×1 cm). Excisional biopsy was performed. Histological examination showed distinct features, and eccrine poroma was diagnosed. Follow-up at 6 months postoperatively showed no recurrence. The frequency of eccrine poroma is dependent on eccrine sweat glands density, and thus, usually occurs on the palms or soles. For eccrine poroma in the head and neck region, the differential diagnosis must rule out other masses, such as nevus, skin tag, pyogenic granuloma, cyst, basal cell carcinoma, and seborrheic keratosis. Importantly, 18% of poromas show malignant transformation, and can develop into porocarcinoma. For these reasons, an eccrine poroma in the facial area requires histological examination, complete excision, and follow-up.

Pediatric Orbital Medial Wall Trapdoor Fracture with Normal Computed Tomography Findings.

With advances in diagnostic technology, radiologic diagnostic methods have been used more frequently, and physical examination may be neglected. The authors report a case of pediatric medial orbital trapdoor fracture in which the surgery was delayed because computed tomography (CT) findings did not indicate bone displacement, incarceration of rectus muscle, or soft tissue herniation. A healthy 6-year-old boy was admitted to the emergency room for right eyebrow laceration. We could not check eyeball movement or diplopia, because the patient was irritable. Thus, we performed facial CT under sedation, but there was normal CT finding. Seven days later, the patient visited our hospital due to persistent nausea and dizziness. We were able to perform a physical examination this time. Lateral gaze of right eye was limited. CT still did not show any findings suggestive of fracture, but we decided to perform exploratory surgery. We performed exploration, and found no bone displacement, but discovered entrapped soft tissue. We returned the soft tissue to its original position. The patient fully recovered six weeks later. To enable early detection and treatment, thorough physical examination and CT reading are especially needed when the patient shows poor compliance, and frequent follow-up observations are also necessary.

A Retrospective Clinical View of Basal Cell Carcinoma and Squamous Cell Carcinoma in the Head and Neck Region: A Single Institution's Experience of 247 Cases over 19 Years.

BACKGROUND: The two most common skin cancers are basal cell carcinoma (BCC) and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). The purpose of this study was to describe the detailed clinical behavior of BCC and SCC in the head and neck region over 19 years at a single institution. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was performed for all patients with non-melanoma skin cancer who had undergone surgical resection over an 18-year period. Patient charts were reviewed for demographic information, tumor size, onset-to-diagnosis, anatomic location, clinical subtype, histologic differentiation, method of surgical treatment, and recurrence. RESULTS: The review identified 265 cases of either BCC or SCC in 226 patients. Of the 226 patients, 80 (35.4%) were men and 146 (64.6%) were women. BCC (n=138, 55.9%) was more frequent than SCC (109, 44.1%). The most frequent age group was 70-to-79 year olds (45 patients, 35.2%) for BCC and 80-to-89 year olds (41 patients, 41.8%) for SCC. By aesthetic units of the face, the most common location was the nasal unit (44 cases, 31.9%) for BCC and the buccal unit (23 cases, 21.1%) for SCC. The most common clinical subtype of BCC was the nodular type (80 cases, 58.0%). Local flaps were most commonly used to cover surgical defects (136 cases, 55.1%). Recurrent rates were 2.2% for BCC and 5.5% for SCC. CONCLUSION: In our study, many characteristics of BCC and SCC were compared to previously published reports were generally similar, except the ratio of BCC to SCC. Further study can help to establish the characteristics of BCC and SCC.

Delayed-Onset Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Infection at 18 Months after Absorbable Plate Fixation for Zygomaticomaxillary Complex Fracture.

None of the reports of delayed infection mentioned a latent period exceeding 13 months. we report an infection that developed 18 months after implantation of an absorbable plate. A 16-year-old adolescent girl had undergone reduction and fixation with an absorbable plate for Lefort I and zygomaticomaxillary complex fractures 18 months prior at our hospital. In her most recent hospital visit as an outpatient, abscess was observed in periocular area. Computed tomography revealed sinusitis with an abscess above the infraorbital rim. Wound culture yielded methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus . Despite conservative treatments, wound state did not improve. Therefore, our department decided to perform surgery. Absorbable plate had been mostly absorbed but remained a bit. Bony depression of infraorbital rim and mucosal exposure of maxillary sinus anterior wall were observed. After the surgery, the patient recovered. We believe that the reason the wound infection and sinusitis manifested at the same time is because of several factor such as alcohol abuse, smoking, and mucosal exposure of maxillary sinus anterior wall. Absorbable plate takes 9 months to 3 years to be completely absorbed, thus we suggest studies with a follow-up of at least 3 years be undertaken to determine the outcomes of patients with many risk factors.

Correction of Sunken Upper Eyelids by Anchoring the Central Fat Pad to the Medial Fat Pad during Upper Blepharoplasty.

BACKGROUND: Many methods have been proposed for the correction of sunken upper eyelids. These methods include surgical treatments, such as micro-fat, dermofat, or fascia-fat grafts, or the use of alloplastic materials. Here, we present our experience of sunken upper eyelid correction involving the simple addition of anchoring the central fat pad to the medial fat pad during upper blepharoplasty. METHODS: We performed 74 cases of upper blepharoplasty with sunken upper eyelid correction between October 2013 and September 2014. The lateral portion of the central fat pad was partially dissected to facilitate anchoring. The medial fat pad was gently exposed and then pulled out to facilitate anchoring. After the rotation of the dissected lateral portion of the central fat pad by 180° to the medial side, it was anchored spreading to the medial fat pad. Photographs taken at 6 months postoperatively were presented to three physicians for objective assessment. Of the 74 patients, 54 patients followed at 6 months postoperatively were included in this retrospective, objective assessment. RESULTS: Sunken eyelids were effectively corrected in 51 of the 54 patients, but 3 had minimal effect because preaponeurotic fat pads had been removed during previous upper blepharoplasty. In addition to correcting sunken eyelids, lateral bulging was corrected and a better definition of the lateral portion of upper lid creases was obtained. CONCLUSIONS: Anchoring the central fat pad to the medial fat pad provides an effective means of correcting sunken upper eyelids during upper blepharoplasty.

Analysis of patients with facial lacerations repaired in the emergency room of a provincial hospital.

BACKGROUND: Facial laceration is the most common injury encountered in the emergency room in the plastic surgery field, and optimal treatment is important. However, few authors have investigated this injury in all age groups or performed follow-up visit after repair. In the present study, the medical records of patients with lacerations in the facial area and underwent primary repair in an emergency room over a 2-year period were reviewed and analyzed. METHODS: Medical records of 3,234 patients with lacerations in facial area and underwent primary repair in an emergency room between March 2011 and February 2013 were reviewed and identified. RESULTS: All the 3,234 patients were evaluated, whose ratio of men to women was 2.65 to 1. The forehead was the most common region affected and a slip down was the most common mechanism of injury. In terms of monthly distribution, May had the highest percentage. 1,566 patients received follow-up managements, and 58 patients experienced complications. The average days of follow-up were 9.8. CONCLUSIONS: Proportion of male adolescents was significantly higher than in the other groups. Facial lacerations exhibit a 'T-shaped' facial distribution centered about the forehead. Careful management is necessary if a laceration involves or is located in the oral cavity. We were unable to long term follow-up most patients. Thus, it is necessary to encourage patients and give them proper education for follow-up in enough period.

A Case of Rapidly Growing Extraocular Sebaceous Carcinoma.

Sebaceous carcinoma is a rare malignant tumor differentiated from the adnexal epithelium of sebaceous glands and forms less than 1% of all cutaneous malignancies. We present a case of a 93-year-old woman with a rapidly growing mass on the right cheek. Initial histiopathologic finding was basal cell carcinoma. The mass was widely excised and superficial parotidectomy was performed while preserving the facial nerve branches. The resulting defect was covered with a transposition flap from the ipsilateral posterior auricular area and the donor site was closed primarily. However, histopathologic examination of the excised mass showed a poorly differentiated sebaceous carcinoma with a clear resection margin. The diagnosis of sebaceous carcinoma can be difficult to make at initial presentation. This report describes a rare case of a rapidly growing extraocular sebaceous carcinoma, which resulted in a good treatment outcome, and provides a review of relevant literature.

A Case Report of Sweet's Syndrome with Parotitis.

Sweet's syndrome is characterized by clinical symptoms, physical features, and pathologic findings which include fever, neutrophilia, tender erythematous skin lesions, and a diffuse infiltrate of mature neutrophils. This is a report of our experience of Sweet's syndrome with parotitis. A 57-year-old man initially presented with tender swelling on the right cheek similar to parotitis. His symptoms relapsed despite the use of an oral antibiotic agent for 3 weeks. He additionally presented with erythematous papules and plaques on the periocular area and dorsum of both hands. Histiopathologic findings on punch biopsy of the right dorsum of the hand showed superficial perivenular histiocytic infiltration without vasculitis. We confirmed this as histiocytoid Sweet's syndrome and used systemic corticosteroid. After initiation of treatment with systemic corticosteroids, there was a prompt recovery from both the dermatosis-releated symptoms and skin lesions. Sweet's syndrome should be considered in patients with therapy-refractory parotitis and unclear infiltrated nodules. We present a confusing case who initially appeared to have parotitis but turned out to have histiocytoid Sweet's syndrome.

Enhanced cytotoxicity of 5-FU by bFGF through up-regulation of uridine phosphorylase 1.

Anti cancer agent 5-FU (Fluoro Uracil) is a prodrug that can be metabolized and then activated to interfere with RNA and DNA homeostasis. However, the majority of administered 5-FU is known to be catabolized in vivo in the liver where Dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase (DPD) is abundantly expressed to degrade 5-FU. The biological factors that correlate with the response to 5-FU-based chemotherapy have been proposed to include uridine phosphorylase (UPP), thymidine phosphorylase (TPP), p53 and microsatellite instability. Among these, the expression of UPP is known to be controlled by cytokines such as TNF-alpha, IL1 and IFN-gamma. Our preliminary study using a DNA microarray technique showed that basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) markedly induced the expression of UPP1 at the transcription level. In the present study, we investigated whether bFGF could modulate the expression of UPP1 in osteo-lineage cells and examined the sensitivity of these cells to 5-FU mediated apoptosis.

Identification of osteogenic purmorphamine derivatives.

During embryonic and cancer development, the Hedgehog family of proteins, including Sonic Hedgehog, play an important role by relieving the inhibition of Smo by Ptc, thus activating the Smo signaling cascade. Recently, a purine compound, purmorphamine, has been reported to target the Hedgehog signaling pathway by interacting with Smo. Interestingly, both Sonic Hedgehog and purmorphamine were found to promote the osteogenic differentiation of mouse chondroprogenitor cells. However, there is insufficient information as to how the activation of this seemingly unrelated signaling pathway, either by Sonic Hedgehog or purmorphamine, contributes to osteogenesis. Using alkaline phosphatase assays, we screened 125 purmorphamine derivatives from the Korea Chemical Bank for effects on the differentiation of preosteoblast C2C12 cells. Here, we report that two purine derivatives modulate ALP activity as well as the expression of genes whose expression is known or suggested to be involved in osteogenesis.