Incomes to Outcomes: A Global Assessment of Disparities in Cleft and Craniofacial Treatment.

OBJECTIVE: Recent investigations focused on health equity have enumerated widespread disparities in cleft and craniofacial care. This review introduces a structured framework to aggregate findings and direct future research. DESIGN: Systematic review was performed to identify studies assessing health disparities based on race/ethnicity, payor type, income, geography, and education in cleft and craniofacial surgery in high-income countries (HICs) and low/middle-income countries (LMICs). Case reports and systematic reviews were excluded. Meta-analysis was conducted using fixed-effect models for disparities described in three or more studies. SETTING: N/A. PATIENTS: Patients with cleft lip/palate, craniosynostosis, craniofacial syndromes, and craniofacial trauma. INTERVENTIONS: N/A. RESULTS: One hundred forty-seven articles were included (80% cleft, 20% craniofacial; 48% HIC-based). Studies in HICs predominantly described disparities (77%,) and in LMICs focused on reducing disparities (42%). Level II-IV evidence replicated delays in cleft repair, alveolar bone grafting, and cranial vault remodeling for non-White and publicly insured patients in HICs (Grades A-B). Grade B-D evidence from LMICs suggested efficacy of community-based speech therapy and remote patient navigation programs. Meta-analysis demonstrated that Black patients underwent craniosynostosis surgery 2.8 months later than White patients (P < .001) and were less likely to undergo minimally-invasive surgery (OR 0.36, P = .002). CONCLUSIONS: Delays in cleft and craniofacial surgical treatment are consistently identified with high-level evidence among non-White and publicly-insured families in HICs. Multiple tactics to facilitate patient access and adapt multi-disciplinary case in austere settings are reported from LMICs. Future efforts including those sharing tactics among HICs and LMICs hold promise to help mitigate barriers to care.

Prior fronto-orbital advancement associated with complications from transcranial midface surgery in patients with syndromic craniosynostosis.

PURPOSE: Our center adopted posterior vault distraction osteogenesis (PVDO) as a first-line intervention for cranial expansion in syndromic craniosynostosis in 2008, and we have a growing cohort of patients undergoing transcranial midface advancement who have not had prior fronto-orbital advancement (FOA). The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether a history of FOA influences the risk profile of transcranial midface advancement in patients with syndromic craniosynostosis. METHODS: Patients undergoing transcranial fronto-facial advancement from 2000 to 2022 were retrospectively divided into cohorts based on preceding history of fronto-orbital advancement (FOA- and FOA+). Perioperative outcomes including operative time, length of stay, intraoperative dural injury, and complications (Clavien-Dindo score) were compared between groups with appropriate statistics. RESULTS: Thirty-eight patients were included (15 in FOA- group and 23 in FOA+ group). The overall complication rate was 47% (10% minor, 37% major). Compared to the FOA- group, the FOA+ group had a higher incidence of dural tears (65% v 20%, p = 0.006) and major complications (48% v 13%, p = 0.028). These findings were recapitulated in multivariate logistic regression controlling for other predictors. CONCLUSIONS: Prior FOA is associated with increased rates of major complications and dural tears in patients with syndromic craniosynostosis undergoing fronto-facial surgery. Options for cranial vault expansion that avoid the frontal region, such as PVDO, may favorably alter the risk profile of fronto-facial advancement.

The Impact of Breast Cancer Type, Staging, and Treatment on Vascular Complications of Immediate Free-Flap Breast Reconstruction.

BACKGROUND: Patients with advanced cancer staging have a greater risk of developing venous thromboembolism than noncancer patients. The impact of breast cancer stage and treatment on outcomes after autologous free-flap breast reconstruction (ABR) is not well-established. The objective of this retrospective study is to determine the impact of breast cancer characteristics, such as cancer stage, hormone receptor status, and neoadjuvant treatments, on vascular complications of ABR. METHODS: A retrospective review was conducted examining patients who underwent ABR from 2009 to 2018. Breast cancer stage, cancer types, hormone receptor status, and treatments were collected in addition to demographic data. Intraoperative vascular concerns, postoperative vascular concerns, and flap loss were analyzed. Univariate analysis and fixed-effects models were used to associate breast cancer characteristics with outcomes. RESULTS: Neoadjuvant hormone therapy was associated with increased risk for intraoperative vascular concern (odds ratio, 1.059 [ P = 0.0441]). Neoadjuvant trastuzumab was associated with decreased risk of postoperative vascular concern (odds ratio, 0.941 [ P = 0.018]). Breast cancer stage, somatic genetic mutation, receptor types, neoadjuvant chemotherapy, and neoadjuvant radiation had no effect on any vascular complications of ABR. CONCLUSION: Autologous free-flap breast reconstruction is a reliable reconstructive option for patients with all stages and types of breast cancer. There is potentially increased risk of intraoperative microvascular compromise in patients who have neoadjuvant hormone therapy. Trastuzumab is potentially protective against postoperative microvascular compromise. Patients should feel confident that, despite higher stage cancer, they can pursue their desired reconstructive option without fear of vascular compromise.

Use of Cosmetic Facial Injectables After Facial Aesthetic Surgery.

BACKGROUND: Over the last 2 decades, both invasive and minimally invasive aesthetic procedures have proliferated. Aesthetic surgeons often recommend injectable treatments after cosmetic facial surgery for multiple reasons. However, literature is lacking on how cosmetic surgery affects postoperative facial injectable use. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to identify predictors of facial injectable use after cosmetic facial surgery. METHODS: All adult patients operated on by a single surgeon between 2013 and 2021 were retrospectively reviewed. Patients who had any of the following cosmetic facial surgeries were included: rhytidectomy, blepharoplasty, rhinoplasty, or genioplasty. Patient demographics, clinical history, intraoperative factors, and use of cosmetic facial injectables (neurotoxin, facial fillers, deoxycholic acid, poly-l-lactic acid) were recorded. RESULTS: A total of 227 patients who underwent facial cosmetic surgery were reviewed, of whom 158 were included. Of these, 89 patients had rhytidectomy (56.3%), 112 had blepharoplasty (70.9%), 28 had rhinoplasty (17.7%), and 7 had genioplasty (4.4%). Injectables were administered to 44.3% of patients after their surgery (n = 73), compared with only 17.7% before surgery (n = 28) (P < 0.001). The most common postoperative injectables were neurotoxins (48.5%) and facial fillers (46.0%), followed by deoxycholic acid (2.7%) and poly-l-lactic acid (2.7%). Multivariate regression revealed factors positively correlated with future injectable use were index blepharoplasty or rhinoplasty, and history of preoperative neurotoxin injection (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Cosmetic facial injectables are an important consideration in achieving and maintaining optimal facial aesthetics. Their use, especially neurotoxins and facial fillers, has increased among patients postoperatively. These results highlight the contribution of injectable procedures in the context of multidimensional care for augmenting facial aesthetics.

Early Clinical and Patient-Reported Outcomes of a New Hybrid Mesh for Incisional Hernia Repair.

INTRODUCTION: Consensus on the safety and efficacy of various types of mesh in reconstructing the abdomen has yet to be reached. Hybrid mesh products have been designed to address the need for a cost-effective mesh leveraging the tensile strength of a synthetic mesh while minimizing the prosthetic footprint within the abdominal wall through resorbable materials. In this study we evaluate early clinical outcomes and health related quality of life (HR-QOL) of a new Hybrid mesh, SynecorTM, for Ventral Hernia Repair (VHR). METHODS: Adult (>18 y old) patients undergoing VHR with SynecorTM mesh by a single surgeon between 2017-2019 with ≥1-y follow-up were identified. We analyzed a composite of postoperative outcomes as well as the incidence of hernia recurrence, readmissions, mortality, and HR-QOL. RESULTS: Thirty-five patients were included in our analysis with a median follow up of 2.1 y. The median age and BMI were 54.1 y and 33.2 kg/m2, respectively. The rate of surgical site occurrences was 37.1%, with only one patient (2.9%) requiring surgical intervention. No patients developed a hernia recurrence. Overall HR-QOL improved significantly (preoperative mean 2.5 [SD 0.7] versus postoperative 3.4 [0.4]; P< 0.01), particularly in regards to pain, functional status, self-esteem and body image (all P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Abdominal reinforcement with SynecorTM mesh at the time of VHR results in promising early recurrence rates, an acceptable safety risk profile, and an improvement in overall HR-QOL.