Dermatography as a treatment after periocular surgery.

Dermatography is the application of tattooing techniques in medicine. In the past, several techniques have been tried but none of these led to reproducible results. Over the last 17 years, dermatography has been developed into a technique that is both generally applicable and reproducible. It is a suitable treatment modality for disturbing skin discolorations and scars. With dermatography these can be permanently camouflaged. In this paper, the use of dermatography as a treatment after periocular interventions is discussed.

[Dermatography. An effective method for pacemaker marking after spinal cord injuries and implantation of a Brindley stimulator for neurogenic bladder]. / Dermatographie. Eine effektive Methode zur Pacemakermarkierung nach Rückenmarkverletzungen und Anlage eines Brindley-Stimulators für neurogene Blase.

In our department, two spinal cord lesion patients suffering from neurogenic bladder dysfunction were selected for the implantation of a Brindley stimulator, as they could not be managed by conservative treatment. Accurate positioning of the external transmitter block over the subcutaneous receiver block, which is essential for the Brindley stimulator to function correctly, posed problems for the relatives who had to apply the external transmitter. In order to facilitate positioning, dermatography was used to mark the exact spot where the external transmitter should be placed. A 3-year follow-up showed that this marking solved the problem completely and that recurrent urinary tract infections stopped.

[Keratography (corneal tattooing) in corneal leukoma]. / Keratographie (Hornhauttätowierung) bei Hornhautleukom.

BACKGROUND: Since antiquity attempts have been made to minimize disfigurement and stigmatization of patients with leukoma. Keratography is a relatively new method for imprinting color pigments into the corneal stroma with an entomological needle. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Keratography was performed in 20 patients at the University Eye Hospital, Munich, between November 1997 and September 1999. Patients had either a leukoma that did not tolerate prothesis or had another cloudy corneal disease. The operation was carried out in our outpatient clinic under local anesthesia. RESULTS: There was a single operation in three patients, two operations in nine, three operations in six, and four operations in two. Postoperatively 33% of patients complained of pain. No postoperative bacterial keratitis or perforation occurred. CONCLUSION: All patients were highly satisfied. The long-term stability of color pigments must still be evaluated.

Dermatography as a new treatment for alopecia areata of the eyebrows.

BACKGROUND: Alopecia areata is considered to be an autoimmune disease. It consists of patchy hair loss of the scalp and the eyebrows, making it a disfiguring condition. This 10-year study was designed to assess the usefulness of the treatment of the eyebrows with dermatography as a relatively quick and simple method to obtain a cosmetically satisfactory result. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The eyebrow areas were covered with a halftone pattern of tiny dots of color pigments, using a Van der Velden Derma-injector, without anesthesia. On average, two to three dermatography sessions of 1 h were required. The follow-up was 4 years. RESULTS: Thirty three patients, most of whom had been previously treated with a sensitizer such as dinitrochlorobenzene (DNCB), were treated with dermatography. Four patients had also been treated by a beautician with a crude form of tattooing. The results in 30 patients were excellent. In three patients the results were good. CONCLUSIONS: Dermatography is a technique offering a good alternative for time-consuming, troublesome treatment modalities that often have considerable side-effects. With dermatography, no side-effects were found.

Dermatography with bleomycin as a new treatment for verrucae vulgaris.

BACKGROUND: Common warts are caused by infection with human papillomaviruses (HPVs). Many, largely ineffective, treatment modalities have been tried in the past. The cytostatic drug bleomycin has been found to selectively affect squamous cell and reticuloendothelial tissue, but the method of its delivery directly into affected tissue such as warts has been of little efficacy. This study assessed the efficacy of a new mode of intralesional administration of bleomycin by dermatography. METHODS: The warts of patients were treated with increasing concentrations of bleomycin using the van der Velden Derma-Injector, a modified tattooing machine, under local or block anesthesia. The effects of the procedure were evaluated 1, 24, and 48 h later and the patients followed for up to 2 years. RESULTS: Thirteen patients with warts on the hands and/or feet, resistant to conventional therapy, were entered into the study, and two patients dropped out. Of the 11 remaining patients, seven went into full remission that was maintained for at least 2 years. One patient showed moderate progress and in three patients little progress was noted and dermatography was stopped. The dosage of bleomycin varied between 0.1 and 1.0 mg/mL. CONCLUSIONS: Dermatography proved to be an effective technique for intralesional administration of bleomycin in more than two-thirds of patients resistant to conventional therapy. Treatment failures in this study could in part be explained by a defective immune system in the patients. Dermatography is a technique that can be learned by any skillful dermatologist or plastic surgeon.

[Use of dermatography as treatment method in various medical specialties]. / Anwendung von Dermatographie als Behandlungsmethode in verschiedenen medizinischen Fachbereichen.

Dermatography is the application of tattooing techniques in medicine. In the past, several techniques were tried but none led to reproducible results. Dermatography has been improved over the last ten years, providing techniques which are both generally applicable and reproducible. It is a suitable treatment modality for permanently camouflaging disturbing discolorations and scars. This paper covers technical and medical aspects of dermatography, as well the indications.

Anxiety and autonomic regulation in major depressive disorder: an exploratory study.

Spectral analysis of fluctuations in heart rate and blood pressure was employed to explore sympathetic and parasympathetic cardiovascular control mechanisms in relation to trait anxiety in major depressive disorder Sixteen drug-free female depressed patients were divided into two groups: those who were high on trait anxiety (HTA, n = 9) and those who were normal or low on trait anxiety (LTA, n = 7). In patients and age-matched female controls (n = 10), heart rate (HR), blood pressure (BP; Finapres device) and respiration were recorded during a period of supine rest (10 min), orthostatic challenge (60 degrees head-up tilting, 8 min), and post-orthostatic supine rest (8 min). Power spectra were calculated over the last 4 min of these three situations for HR, systolic BP, as well as for respiration. Spectral density was assessed for three frequency bands: low (0.02-0.06 Hz), mid (0.07-0.14 Hz) and high (0.15-0.50 Hz). Patients did not differ from controls during supine rest. During orthostatic challenge, HTA patients showed significantly more HR increase and suppression of high-frequency fluctuations of HR (suggesting stronger vagal inhibition) in comparison with the controls; this effect was accompanied by a significant increase in respiratory frequency. Both patients groups did not show the normal increase in mid-frequency band fluctuations of BP during orthostatic challenge, indicating reduced sympathetic activation. Low-frequency fluctuations of HR, as well as respiratory frequency during post-orthostatic supine rest of the HTA patients were significantly increased versus controls. This exploratory study indicates that trait anxiety may be a relevant factor when evaluating parasympathetic and sympathetic dysbalances in the state of a major depressive disorder.

Dermatography: a method for permanent repigmentation of achromic burn scars.

Dermatography, a refined elaborate tattooing technique, has been used successfully in 52 patients suffering from postburn depigmentation. Materials and methods are simple and safe. Over a 5-year follow-up no adverse reactions or complications were noticed. The cosmetic results were very satisfactory both to the surgeons and to the patients. Dermatography is suggested as an alternative for treating localized achromasia, particularly when other medical therapeutic attempts have failed in repigmenting this often disfiguring condition.

Dermatography as an adjunctive treatment for cleft lip and palate patients.

PURPOSE: To investigate dermatography as a treatment for cleft lip and palate. METHODS: The results of the treatment of 19 cleft lip patients with discoloration of scars and the vermillion border after secondary cleft lip and palate surgery by dermatography and intracicatricial keloidectomy are described. RESULTS: This group of patients has gained self-confidence after treatments, to the extent that their articulation has improved. CONCLUSION: Dermatography can be applied as an adjuvant treatment with good cosmetic and esthetic results.

Dermatography--a new discipline with a wide range of applications.

Dermatography is the application of tattooing techniques in medicine. In the past, several techniques were tried but none led to reproducible results. Dermatography has been developed over the last 10 years into a technique which is both generally applicable and reproducible. It is a suitable treatment modality for disturbing discolorations and scars of the skin which can be permanently camouflaged.

Dermatography, a simple and effective method for colouring leucoma corneae.

Since antiquity many attempts were made and hence many methods were devised in order to minimalize the disfiguration and stigmatization caused by leucoma corneae. Dermatography, a refined, modified tattooing technique, was developed to treat this affliction. Materials and method are safe and simple. A number of 12 patients has been treated over a period of 3 years. During the 2-year follow-up no negative reactions were found. The cosmetic results were very satisfactory. The method is suitable to rural clinics in the developing world. The technique is safe in the hands of any well-instructed doctor.

Cosmetic tattooing as a treatment of port-wine stains.

BACKGROUND: Medical treatment for port-wine stains frequently is cosmetically unsatisfactory. An alternative possibility is cosmetic medical tattooing. METHODS: By means of a traditional Japanese tattooing technique, five patients were treated in multiple sessions until the color of the lesion matched that of the surrounding skin. RESULTS: The results were excellent, the skin texture remained normal, and the patients could discontinue cosmetic camouflage. DISCUSSIONS: Cosmetic medical tattooing when carefully done is a valuable addition to the medical armamentarium and may replace more aggressive techniques.

Tattoo removal: tannic acid method of Variot.

BACKGROUND: There are many methods for tattoo removal (e.g., surgery, cryosurgery, laser, dermabrasion), but none can restore the skin to its original state. METHODS: Tattoo removal was obtained with a combination of tattoo machine, tannic acid, and silver nitrate. RESULTS: This technique proved to be effective for the removal of amateur tattoos of any size. The results with professional tattoos were much less satisfactory. The estimation of the depth of pigment in pretreatment biopsies showed no correlation with the success rate of treatment. No indication of systemic side effects on the liver from tannic acid was found in the concentration and amount used in this study. CONCLUSIONS: This technique is effective for the removal of amateur tattoos of any size and is comparable with cryotherapy, infrared coagulation, and focal salabrasion.

Dermatography, a treatment for sequelae after head and neck surgery: a case report.

Two patients with discolouration fo skin grafts after head and neck surgery, were treated with dermatography, a refined method of tattooing, and with intra-cicatricial keloidectomy, of which the results are described.

[Streptococcus suis type 2 in swine. An imported problem?]. / Streptococcus suis type 2 bij varkens. Een geïmporteerd probleem?

Investigations were carried out on eighteen farms in the Province of Gelderland to determine whether it was possible to use biopsy specimens of the tonsils to differentiate between farms with clinical problems caused by Streptococcus suis type 2 and farms without these problems. The proportion of carriers of this organism on the farms was 14 per cent and 2 per cent respectively, so that this differentiation is feasible. It was also studied whether this proportion differed on farms which imported pigs from Great Britain and farms which did not do so; the proportion of carriers on farms having animals imported from Great Britain was found to be higher than that on farms not using these importations, viz., 17 per cent and one per cent respectively.

Long-term outcome of network therapy.

Hospital utilization by crisis-ridden chronic mentally ill persons living in the community was studied after their participation in a network therapy program, which convenes a social network of relatives and friends to provide continuing emotional and practical support for mentally ill individuals and their families. The study compared the number of psychiatric hospitalizations and total days hospitalized for 20 network therapy participants and 20 nonparticipants before and after referral to the program. In a follow-up period ranging from six months to two years, the number of hospitalizations fell by 74 percent for participants and by 19 percent for nonparticipants. The total number of days hospitalized decreased by 76 percent for participants, compared with a 112 percent increase for nonparticipants. The results suggest that participants benefit from network therapy and that its effect is enduring.

Network therapy: an outcome study of twelve social networks.

Twelve social networks received a course of network therapy at the Mount Tom Institute in Holyoke, Massachusetts, by the Network Therapy Project. A total of twenty-five 3-hour meetings included 201 participants. A study was conducted examining the number and type of service contacts in the clients' central medical files three months prior to the completion of network therapy and at two 3-months intervals after therapy was terminated. Entries were made in clients' charts by case managers, by crisis team staff, and by other mental health professionals. An historical comparison group was studied by randomly choosing 12 clients from the 19 referred for network therapy who did not receive this treatment. The comparison group showed an overall 17% decrease in service utilization after the date of referral, compared to a 76% decrease postnetwork therapy in the treatment group. The difference between the group outcomes was statistically significant.