Penile replantation.

Penile amputation is rare and hence the paucity of experience and publication. We present our case of self-inflicted penile amputation, which was successfully managed with microsurgical replantation, with relevant literature review.

Diverse manifestations and management options in Klippel-Trenaunay syndrome: a single centre 10-year experience.

Klippel-Trenaunay syndrome is a well-known conglomeration of capillary malformations, bony or soft tissue hypertrophy, and abnormal deep or superficial veins. Although it generally presents with grossly enlarged limbs, it can present with more serious features like haematuria, haematochezia, and seizures. This retrospective study included patients admitted with the diagnosis of Klippel-Trenaunay syndrome in this institute from 2001-2010. The patients' demographic data, clinical features, associated findings, and treatments given were tabulated. A total of 19 patients were included in the study. Two patients presented with haematocezia and had to undergo bowel resection. Five presented with bleeding and ulceration. Debulking surgery was done in three of them. Patients also presented with abdominal distension, jaundice, seizures, and haematuria. Although the common presentation of varicose veins was treated with sclerotherapy, the treatment was tailored to each patient. Klippel-Trenaunay syndrome is a multifaceted disorder which can manifest in a number of different ways. These features may be missed by an unwary plastic surgeon treating them only for the limb hypertrophy.

A prospective randomized controlled trial comparing negative pressure dressing and conventional dressing methods on split-thickness skin grafts in burned patients.

INTRODUCTION: Split-thickness skin grafting (SSG) is a technique used extensively in the care of burn patients and is fraught with suboptimal graft take when there is a less-than-ideal graft bed and/or grafting conditions. The technique of Negative Pressure Dressing (NPD), initially used for better wound healing has been tried on skin-grafts and has shown to increase the graft take rates. However, comparative studies between the conventional dressing and vacuum assisted closure on skin grafts in burn patients are unavailable. The present study was undertaken to find out if NPD improves graft take as compared to conventional dressing in burns patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Consecutive burn patients undergoing split-skin grafting were randomized to receive either a conventional dressing consisting of Vaseline gauze and cotton pads or to have a NPD of 80 mm Hg for four days over the freshly laid SSG. The results in terms of amount of graft take, duration of dressings for the grafted area and the cost of treatment of wound were compared between the two groups. RESULTS: A total of 40 split-skin grafts were put on 30 patients. The grafted wounds included acute and chronic burns wounds and surgically created raw areas during burn reconstruction. Twenty-one of them received NPD and 19 served as controls. Patient profiles and average size of the grafts were comparable between the two groups. The vacuum closure assembly was well tolerated by all patients. Final graft take at nine days in the study group ranged from 90 to 100 per cent with an average of 96.7 per cent (SD: 3.55). The control group showed a graft take ranging between 70 and 100 percent with an average graft take of 87.5 percent (SD: 8.73). Mean duration of continued dressings on the grafted area was 8 days in cases (SD: 1.48) and 11 days in controls (SD: 2.2) after surgery. Each of these differences was found to be statistically significant (p<0.001). CONCLUSION: Negative pressure dressing improves graft take in burns patients and can particularly be considered when wound bed and grafting conditions seem less-than-ideal. The negative pressure can also be effectively assembled using locally available materials thus significantly reducing the cost of treatment.