Oral commissure reconstruction with orbicularis oris elastic musculomucosal flaps.

Surgical reconstruction of the oral commissure aims to restore both symmetry of the lips at rest and, more importantly, full oral competence. Moulding the lip commissure with functional and cosmetic fidelity remains till today a difficult task. A possible surgical solution, the 'elastic flap' principle described by Goldstein, may be found in the wide full-thickness mobilization of the upper and lower vermilion as two composite myocutaneous flaps - tissue sandwiches consisting of labial skin, orbicularis oris muscle and oral mucosa - on the axial pattern of the superior and inferior labial arteries. Based on the contralateral commissure, both flaps are easily 'stretched', accordion-like, to reach the predetermined point of the new commissure, using to full advantage the inherent elastic potential of both vermilions. The fibres of the orbicularis oris muscle at each end of both flaps are embricated to reconstitute a neo-modiolus, which is anchored to the residual buccinator muscle in primary reconstructions, or to the available peri-oral fibrous tissue in secondary procedures. The authors present a select group of 22 patients, who, between 1993 and 2008, underwent this reconstruction procedure for primary or secondary defects involving the oral commissure. The results were generally satisfactory, both functionally and cosmetically. The advantages of this procedure include full restoration of the dynamic function of the orbicularis ring in a single-stage operation and avoidance of either lipswitching procedures or of mobilization of mucosa and cheek skin. The final scars remain well camouflaged within the oral mucosa and the mucocutaneous junction of each lip.

[Use of a GnRH analogue in the treatment of certain forms of endometrial hyperplasia associated with menometrorrhagia]. / Impiego di un analogo del GnRH nel trattamento di alcune forme di patologia iperplastica endometriale associate a menometrorragia.

Hyperestrogenism is a powerful factor inducing the development of endometrial hyperplasia that in its turn may represent the first step in the natural history of endometrial carcinoma. During menopause it is possible to have a condition to relative hyperestrogenism induced by a residual hormonal activity and by aromatisation of androgens in the adipose tissue. Therapeutical approach in this pathology aims to control hyperplastic development of the endometrial mucosa and to exclude menometrorrhagia. This study has been performed according to an open uncontrolled design in 14 women (4 menopausal women) with abnormal uterine bleeding and hysteroscopic endometrial cystic or adenomatous hyperplasia. At the beginning and at the end of treatment all patients underwent routine biohumoral blood-tests, hysteroscopy and diagnostic curretage. The GnRH analogue (tryptorelin) 3.75 mg 1 ampoule i.m. every 28 days was administered during a 6-month treatment cycle. At the end of therapy bleeding had disappeared in all menopausal women; in the premenopausal group 8 patients have shown a normal menstrual cycle while 2 are still amenorrhoic. The final hysteroscopic evaluation displayed atrophic endometrium in 9 patients and simple proliferative endometrium in 5 cases. Safety was excellent: 3 cases of slight increase of systolic blood pressure and 1 case of slight increase of weight took place. Our results demonstrate therapeutic efficacy of GnRH analogues in the treatment of endometrial hyperplasia with menometrorrhagia either in premenopausal or menopausal women.