Prevention of Earlobe Keloid Recurrence After Excision: Assessment of the Value of Presurgical Injection of Triamcinolone.

The ear is commonly involved in keloid formation, being often pierced. This study estimates the value of pre-excision triamcinolone injection of earlobe keloid, by comparing recurrence rates in patients who only received postexcision triamcinolone injection to those who had it administered before and after excision.The prospective intervention study involved 18 keloid lesions in as many consenting patients who presented with pedunculated earlobe keloid from January 2005 to January 2007.Triamcinolone doses were administered 10 mg/cm of lesion or sutured excision site. Each patient was followed-up for 10 years. Aggregate length of keloid lesions at presentation was 24.4 cm in Group A and 26.5 cm in Group B. Aggregate length of postexcision sutured wound in Group A was 16.1 cm, and 14.8 cm in Group B. Group A patients received a total of 1610 mg of triamcinolone, while a total of 4660 mg of same drug was administered to Group B patients, among whom 3180 mg was delivered presurgically. Total number of clinic visits during the course of treatment in Group A was 10, while that of Group B was 22. No patient with recurrent keloid was recorded in both groups.The authors concluded that there is no advantage to presurgical injection of triamcinolone when excision is considered as part of treatment protocol of a keloid lesion. This study helps to eliminate an ostensibly needless part of a commonly used treatment protocol.

Patient's Self-Assessment of Social-Approval After Mandibulectomy with Disarticulation: the Necessity for Jaw Reconstruction Following Loss of Facial Symmetry in a Resource-Poor African Setting.

OBJECTIVE: Mandibulectomy with disarticulation is usually carried out without reconstruction in Low-Income-Countries. Lower standards of living are usually acceptable and adapted to, in poor societies. This study compares patient's self-assessment of social approval among reconstructed and non-reconstructed cases of mandibulectomy with disarticulation in a resource-poor African setting. MATERIAL AND METHOD: This questionnaire-based study documented patient's self-assessment of social approval of themselves following mandibulectomy with disarticulation. 12 derived queries were administered on each patient, to test what they perceived of social acceptability of their facial features following mandibulectomy. RESULTS: All 10 patients who underwent mandibular reconstruction reported that they felt confident engaging in all forms of social activity, while all 10 who had resection without reconstruction did not. CONCLUSION: The low social approval perceived by patients who have undergone mandibulectomy with disarticulation without reconstruction necessitates that surgeons must strive to reconstruct this anatomical region even under circumstances of severe resource-constraint. The culture in the third-world is not supportive of patients who have not undergone reconstruction following resection, in spite of being victims of all-pervading poverty. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level IV, investigative study.

Reconstruction of tooth-bearing portion of mandible using polyglactin 910 sutures for internal fixation in the third-world: functional and cosmetic outcome.

BACKGROUND: This study analyzed the cosmetic and functional outcome of cases involving reconstruction of tooth-bearing portion of the lower jaw, using a polyglactin 910 suture for fixation. PATIENTS AND METHOD: This prospective intervention study documented the treatment outcome in 25 consecutive adult patients, who underwent immediate mandibular reconstruction following segmental resection of tooth-bearing portion of mandible. Cortico-cancellous bone graft was taken from the inner table of iliac bone, sparing the crest. Use of post-surgical inter-maxillary fixation was avoided. RESULTS: Twenty-five patients were recruited for the study. Seventeen were males and eight were females. Their ages ranged from 18 to 50 years, with a mean of 30.0 years. Average length of grafted bone was 9.8 cm. Following surgery, all 25 (100%) patients were judged to have satisfactory facial symmetry. One (4.0 %) had altered dental occlusion. Twenty-five (100%) had satisfactory bone union. All of the patients claimed to masticate satisfactorily. Assessment was carried out at the last post-operative follow-up visit for each patient who ranged between 22 and 83 months. CONCLUSION: Use of polyglactin 910 suture material for fixation in mandibular reconstruction following segmental resection of tooth-bearing portion has proven to be a cosmetic and functional success. It may serve as alternative for those among whom conventional treatment methods may be contraindicated. This method of bone fixation may serve as a reliable and much cheaper alternative in low-income countries. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level IV, therapeutic study.

Management of mandibular fractures in a developing country: a review of 314 cases from two urban centers in Nigeria.

BACKGROUND: This study was designed to establish the current demographic and treatment patterns of mandibular fractures in two urban centers (Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Lagos, and National Hospital, Abuja) in Nigeria. METHODS: All cases of mandibular fractures diagnosed and treated at the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Lagos (1998-2007) and Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, National Hospital, Abuja, Nigeria (2001-2007) were reviewed. Data collected included age, sex, etiology of fracture, anatomic site of fracture, associated maxillofacial fracture, types of treatment, and postoperative complications. RESULTS: The highest incidence of mandibular fractures (49.3%) occurred in the age group 21-30 years and the lowest in the age group 0-10 years, with male preponderance in nearly all age groups. Road traffic crashes (RTC) were the leading cause (67.5%), followed by assault (18.8%), and gunshot. Of the RTC cases, 85 (40%) were sustained from motorcycle-related crashes. The commonest site of fracture was the body of the mandible (n = 137), followed by the angle (n = 114). The majority (83.1%) were treated by closed reduction using intermaxillary fixation, 13.1% by open reduction and internal fixation, and 3.8% had conservative treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Mandibular fractures are commonest during the third decade of life and in men, with almost half of the cases due to of road traffic crashes. RTC was the leading cause of mandibular fractures in all age groups. Motorcycle-related mandibular fractures seem to be increasing in Nigeria. There is a need to enforce legislation designed to prevent RTC to reduce maxillofacial fractures in Nigeria.