Fronto-orbital advancement and reconstruction using reverse frontal bone graft without the use of orbital bar: a technical note.

INTRODUCTION: We describe our technique of using reverse frontal bone graft for FOAR for patients with metopic or coronal synostosis and present our complications using the Leeds classification system for complications in craniosynostosis surgery. METHODS: Since April 2015, seventeen patients have been operated using this technique. We perform a frontal bone graft that is then reversed, and supraorbital margins are drilled out. The orbital bar is then removed and drilled down to make bone dust and on-lay bone grafts which are then used to fill gaps on exposed dura and fill in around the temporal region. RESULTS: All 17 patients who underwent this technique have good cosmetic results. We report 5 (29%) complications and 8 (47%) blood transfusions (7 exposures, 1 cell salvage).

Post-operative avascular necrosis of the maxilla: a rare complication following orthognathic surgery.

We present a patient with sickle cell trait who suffered avascular necrosis of the maxilla as a complication of maxillary osteotomy. Understanding the blood supply of the maxilla and how possible patient related, anaesthetic and operative factors affect it, is important in understanding how the vascularity of the maxilla can become compromised in a surgical procedure. The perioperative parameters were analysed to identify any prognostic elements. Avascular necrosis of the maxilla is a rare complication of orthognathic surgery with few cases reported in the literature. There are identifiable risk factors that can influence the blood supply of the maxilla. Careful preoperative assessment is required to exclude patient factors that have the potential to affect tissue vascularity. This in conjunction with sound anaesthetic and surgical technique should all minimize the risk of avascular necrosis. Even so it is still possible for this rare complication to occur.

Does patient ethnicity affect site of craniosynostosis?

OBJECT: There are no published papers examining the role of ethnicity on suture involvement in nonsyndromic craniosynostosis. The authors sought to examine whether there is a significant difference in the epidemiological pattern of suture(s) affected between different ethnic groups attending a regional craniofacial clinic with a diagnosis of nonsyndromic craniosynostosis. METHODS: A 5-year retrospective case-notes analysis of all cases involving patients attending a regional craniofacial clinic was undertaken. Cases were coded for the patients' declared ethnicity, suture(s) affected by synostosis, and the decision whether to have surgical correction of synostosis. The chi-square test was used to determine whether there were any differences in site of suture affected between ethnic groups. RESULTS: A total of 312 cases were identified. Of these 312 cases, ethnicity data were available for 296 cases (95%). The patient population was dominated by 2 ethnic groups: white patients (222 cases) and Asian patients (56 cases). There were both more cases of complex synostosis and fewer cases of sagittal synostosis than expected in the Asian patient cohort (χ(2) = 9.217, p = 0.027). CONCLUSIONS: There is a statistically significant difference in the prevalence of the various sutures affected within the nonsyndromic craniosynostosis patient cohort when Asian patients are compared with white patients. The data from this study also suggest that nonsyndromic craniosynostosis is more prevalent in the Asian community than in the white community, although there may be inaccuracies in the estimates of the background population data. A larger-scale, multinational analysis is needed to further evaluate the relationship between ethnicity and nonsyndromic craniosynostosis.

Inner table corticectomy of the fronto-orbital bar in correction of metopic and coronal craniosynostoses.

Fronto-orbital advancement is an established method for correction of metopic and coronal craniosynostoses. Many techniques involve creation of a single fronto-orbital bar that is then shaped with osteotomies with or without bone grafting. We present a technique that minimizes osteotomy of the frontal bar and gives superior lateral brow aesthetics.Standard fronto-orbital bar bone cuts are made without a midline osteotomy. Selective inner table corticectomy of the fronto-orbital bar allows the bone to become malleable without greensticking. The need for osteotomy of the fronto-orbital bar is obviated. An additional bandeau is created from the temporoparietal calvaria. The malleable fronto-orbital bar is then fixed to this bandeau. The frontal bar and bandeau complex is then advanced in a conventional manner. The remaining frontal calvaria is then rotated creating a more vertical forehead.This technique has been used in Leeds for more than 10 years with good cosmetic results. It has become our standard method for management of the fronto-orbital bar in correction of nonsyndromic metopic and coronal craniosynostoses.

Surgical correction of midline nasal dermoid sinus cysts.

Nasal dermoid sinus cysts (NDSCs) are rare congenital anomalies affecting approximately 1 in 30,000 live births. Nasal dermoid sinus cysts are unsightly, prone to infection, and, importantly, may communicate with the central nervous system. Treatment is complete surgical excision. This study retrospectively evaluated management of a large single-center cohort of intracranial NDSCs.Nineteen patients with NDSC were identified from all patients presenting to the Leeds craniofacial service between June 2000 and August 2008. Patient demographics, clinical presentation, preoperative investigations, and surgical procedures undertaken were analyzed.Mean age at presentation and surgery were 6.3 and 7.6 years, respectively. Fifty-three percent were males. Computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) were performed in 15 and 17 patients, respectively. One patient (5.3%) required local excision only. Eighteen (96.7%) underwent a bicoronal approach, and 13 (68.4%) of these required a craniotomy. The dura was opened in 7 (36.8%) patients. Neither CT nor MRI predicted the presence or absence of intracranial extension in all patients. Positive and negative predictive values for intracranial extension were 85.7% and 50% for CT and were 100% and 50.0% for MRI. Mean follow-up of 4.1 years shows no deep recurrences and 5 (26.3%) were superficial nasal recurrences only.A multidisciplinary approach can achieve good results with infrequent intracranial recurrence. We used a bicoronal approach to facilitate craniotomy when required intraoperatively because imaging is unable to diagnose intracranial extension with sufficient accuracy.

Dosimetry of a thyroid uptake detected in seed migration survey following a patient's iodine-125 prostate implant and in vitro measurements of intentional seed leakages.

As a quality control procedure, a post-implant seed migration survey has been accomplished on 340 prostate cancer patients since November 2001. Pulmonary seed embolization and intracardiac seed embolization have been detected. A case of thyroid uptake due to leaking iodine-125 (I-125) sources was also seized. In order to determine the dose to the thyroid, a dosimetry method was developed to link in vivo measurements and the cumulated dose to the thyroid. The calculated source leakage half-life in the case was approximately 15 days based on the measurements and the estimated cumulated dose to thyroid was 204 cGy. It is concluded that one seed was leaking. In order to verify the in vivo measurements, intentional in vitro seed leakage tests were performed. A seed was cut open and placed in a sealed glass container filled with a given volume of saline. The I-125 concentration in the saline was subsequently measured over a period of six months. Consistent in vivo and in vitro results were obtained. Recent incidents of seed leaks reported from other centers have drawn practitioners' attention to this problem. In order to make the measurements more useful, the seed leakage tests were expanded to include I-125 seeds from six other vendors. The results show that the leakage half-lives of those seeds varied from nine days to a half-year. Two seed models demonstrated least leakage. Since the measurements lasted for six months, the escape of iodine resulted from oxidation of iodide in the saline was a concern for the measurement accuracy. As a reference, another set of leakage tests were performed by adding sodium thiosulfate salt (Na2S2O3 x 5 H2O) to the saline. Sodium thiosulfate is a reducing agent that prevents the conversion of iodide to iodate so as to minimize I-125 evaporation. As a result, significantly shortened leakage half-lives were observed in this group. Seed agitation was also performed and no significant deviations of the leakage rates were observed. Considering the body fluid is more complex than saline, the in vivo leakage half-life, in case a source leak is encountered, may vary significantly from what is presented in this paper due to chemical reactions. In vivo measurements thus may produce a more accurate estimation of leakage half-life and thyroid uptake dose.