Palatal Protective Stents Prevent Oro-Nasal Fistulas after Surgery for Velopharyngeal Insufficiency: A Preliminary Report.

BACKGROUND: One of the potential complications of surgery for velopharyngeal insufficiency (VPI) is postoperative oral-nasal fistula (ONF). Reported rates vary from 0 to 60%. Several factors are on account of these disproportionate rates. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to describe the use of a palatal protective stent (PPS) to preserve the VPI repair surgical site and to study its effectiveness for decreasing the incidence of postoperative ONF. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective study was carried out. All patients undergoing surgery for VPI with complete preoperative and postoperative evaluations including at least one year follow up after surgery from 2012 to 2016 were studied. Some of the patients were operated on using a pre-molded palatal protective stent (PPS). Twenty-seven patients were included in the study group. Most of the patients underwent a customized pharyngeal flap according to findings of imaging procedures. The remaining cases underwent a Furlow palatoplasty. Twelve patients were operated on using PPS. RESULTS: There were no surgical complications during the procedures. ONF was detected in four of the patients operated on without PPS. None of the patients undergoing surgery using PPS demonstrated ONF. All fistulas were located at the soft/hard palate junction. VPI was corrected in 92% of the cases. CONCLUSION: Although only a reduced number of cases were studied, these preliminary results suggest that using PPS during surgical procedures for correcting VPI is a safe and reliable tool for preventing ONF.

Thermal Burn Injury from a Wedding Ring: An Unusual Case.

Thermal ring injuries are rarely reported in the literature. For this reason, treatment is varied without a standard approach. We describe a case of a thermal wedding ring injury sustained during a welding accident. It is critical to understand the 3 zones of burn injuries when managing these infrequent cases. Furthermore, the dynamic progression that ensues a thermal burn will directly affect outcome. A case is presented along with a graduated approach to the management of such injuries.

Malleolar Ulceration Induced by Hydroxyurea Therapy for Chronic Eosinophila.

A 59-year-old African American female presented to a plastic surgery office in consultation for a very painful non-healing wound of her right lateral malleolus. An incisional biopsy was performed and ultimately a diagnosis of hydroxyurea-induced ulcer was concluded. Descriptions of this entity are rare in the surgical and wound care professional literature. This diagnosis does appear in the hematology/oncology literature; however, these practitioners may not be the first to examine a patient with the development of such an ulcer. This article presents the pathophysiology and clinical presentation of hydroxyurea-induced ulceration as well as the characteristics of hydroxyurea-induced ulceration in addition to the case study.