Inhibition of fibroblast-populated collagen lattice contraction by an albumin-bound lipid fraction in human amniotic fluid.

Human amniotic fluid inhibits the contraction of fibroblast-populated collagen lattices. Amniotic fluid of 21 weeks' gestation was previously reported to have peak inhibiting activity. An attempt to isolate the inhibitory factor(s) from human amniotic fluid employing a molecular sieving column demonstrated an inhibitory factor near 70,000 molecular weight (repeated three times with triplicate samples). Since albumin has a molecular weight of 68,000 and is in high concentration in amniotic fluid, the removal of albumin by an Affi-Gel Blue (an albumin binding affinity column) was the first step in the purification scheme. The bound human amniotic fluid albumin fraction was eluted from the Affi-Gel Blue column, and the unexpected finding was that this fraction inhibited fibroblast-populated collagen lattice contraction (three repetitions in duplicate). We previously showed that prostaglandins and saturated and unsaturated fatty acids affect fibroblast-populated collagen lattice contraction, and albumin is a carrier for lipids. The eluted albumin fraction was separated into its protein and lipid components. The lipid-free albumin fraction had no fibroblast-populated collagen lattice contraction inhibiting activity (run four times in duplicate). The isolated lipid fraction inhibited fibroblast-populated collagen lattice contraction in a dose-responsive manner (repeated twice in triplicate). It was demonstrated that lipid bound to albumin isolated from human amniotic fluid inhibited fibroblast-populated collagen lattice contraction.

Single-stage treatment of sternal wound complications in heart transplant recipients in whom pectoralis major myocutaneous advancement flaps were used.

Treatment of sternal wound complications is controversial, particularly in immunosuppressed heart transplant recipients. Regardless of the severity of infection, we combine immediate, aggressive débridement with bilateral pectoralis major myocutaneous advancement flaps in a single procedure. Compared with management with pectoralis major turnover flaps or distant pedicled muscle flaps, treatment of these sternal wounds with pectoralis major myocutaneous advancement flaps is simpler and quicker and provides better aesthetic results. Furthermore, because pectoralis major myocutaneous flaps are based on the thoracoacromial arteries, whether or not the internal mammary arteries have previously been harvested for coronary grafts is irrelevant. Twenty consecutive heart transplant recipients with sternal wound complications were treated with this technique. No intraoperative or perioperative deaths occurred. The morbidity rate was 30%, with seroma treated by needle aspiration in four patients (20%) being the most common complication. Only one patient had a postoperative wound infection. All patients had excellent functional and aesthetic results.

Frey's syndrome: prevention with temporoparietal fascial flap interposition.

The recent trend in management of Frey's syndrome has been the use of prophylactic procedures performed at the time of parotidectomy to prevent its symptoms postoperatively. An additional benefit of this approach is the prevention of the typical cheek contour deformity after parotidectomy. We reviewed our experience with interposition of a vascularized temporoparietal fascial flap between the parotid bed and overlying skin immediately after complete superficial parotidectomies to prevent Frey's syndrome and contour defects. The results of seven consecutive attempts revealed it to be an effective technique, achieving both goals in all patients with minimal morbidity.

Single-stage management of 74 consecutive sternal wound complications with pectoralis major myocutaneous advancement flaps.

The optimal management of sternal wound complications remains controversial. Since 1985, we have utilized a combination of immediate, aggressive debridement with simultaneous repair using bilateral pectoralis major myocutaneous advancement flaps, regardless of the degree of infection. As compared with the use of distant pedicled muscle flaps or pectoralis major turnover flaps, the management of complicated sternal wounds with immediate pectoralis major myocutaneous advancement flaps provides an effective yet simpler, quicker method of management with improved aesthetic results. In addition, basing the pectoralis major myocutaneous flaps on the thoracoacromial arteries eliminates the need for intact internal mammary arteries, valuable since the latter are increasingly used for coronary grafts. Seventy-four consecutive patients, 17 (23 percent) of whom were immunosuppressed heart transplant recipients, have been managed with this procedure. There were no intraoperative deaths. The 30-day perioperative mortality rate was 9 percent (7 of 74), with only 1 death related to persistent sepsis. The morbidity rate was 39 percent, with the most common complication being seroma managed by needle aspiration (18 of 74, 24 percent). The aesthetic and functional results have been uniformly excellent.

The inhibition of fibroblast-populated collagen lattice contraction by human amniotic fluid: a chronologic examination.

The effect of human amniotic fluid on fetal wound healing remains to be fully elucidated and may lead to the isolation of factors that could modulate adult wound healing. This study uses an in vitro model of wound contraction, the fibroblast-populated collagen lattice, to examine the effects of chronologically sampled human amniotic fluid on contraction of lattices composed of either human adult or fetal fibroblasts. This chronology has not been reported previously. Human amniotic fluid was obtained in a sterile fashion via amniocentesis from 120 different women at different time points in gestation, ranging from 13 to 24 weeks. At each time point of gestation, three to five samples were individually examined in duplicate sets. Only fluid from pregnancies deemed normal by amniocentesis was included. Contaminated specimens were discarded. Using Bell's protocol, lattices were constructed of acid-soluble rat tail collagen, growth medium, and either human adult fibroblasts or human fetal fibroblasts. Lattices contained 20% v/v human amniotic fluid. In the control lattices, phosphate-buffered saline replaced amniotic fluid in equal volumes. Area was measured at 24-hour intervals, and all tests were run in duplicate for each specimen. The mean area at each interval was computed for each gestational week examined. Data were analyzed for significance with ANOVA and Dunnett's t test against control.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Unhooking the hook: sculpting the nasal tip by replanting the medial crura.

A great challenge of rhinoplasty is the tip with insufficient projection or the hooked nose. Tip grafting is the standard method used to correct this. The open rhinoplasty technique provides exposure of nasal structures not afforded by the closed approach. We have used this approach to sculpt the nasal tip. Successful "unhooking of the hooked nose" by gaining tip projection has been achieved by completely replanting the medial crura. In the operation, the medial crura are freed in their entirety. The lateral alae of the lower cartilages are trimmed. The medial crura are then advanced dorsally until adequate nasal tip projection is obtained. They are secured to each other and to the septum in their new position with interrupted sutures. More tip definition can be obtained, if needed, by suturing the medial crura together near the tip. The dome can be sculpted to an appropriate width in a similar manner. This technique is advantageous because exact symmetry and positioning of the cartilages can be obtained under direct vision. It contours the tip structures to achieve more nasal tip projection, obviating the need for tip grafting. The technique is particularly useful in the patient with a low dorsum and acute nasolabial angle who will benefit from tip augmentation and elevation. The technique simultaneously thins the tip, adds nasal tip projection of 4 to 6 mm, and corrects the nasolabial angle. We have used this technique with good results in 15 patients. The technique and results were illustrated.

Nipple-areola reconstruction with intradermal tattoo and double-opposing pennant flaps.

Reconstruction of the nipple-areolar complex is an important part of postmastectomy breast reconstruction. Intradermal tattooing is effective for creating areolar pigmentation and is simpler than skin grafting. However, a simple method for the construction of a normal nipple using local tissues remains a challenge. Several techniques achieve long-term nipple projection but at the expense of complicated flap design, multidirectional scars, and often a need for skin grafting to obtain a uniform-appearing areola. Our one-stage method of nipple-areola reconstruction uses intradermal tattooing for pigmentation and double-opposing pennant flaps for nipple reconstruction. The entire procedure is simple and fast, routinely performed in < 30 minutes under local anaesthesia in the office. From September 1989 to March 1992 we performed 102 reconstructions. The method produces a realistic appearing nipple. We have had no flap necrosis.

When does a random flap die?

A random flap can be constructed, its circulation determined, and the ischemic portion identified. Left untreated for a period, the critical ischemia time, the ischemic portion will die and is clinically recognized several days later. What is not known is when this tissue, destined to die, actually dies. To ascertain this time, we compared the percent necrosis of a distal 3 x 3 cm segment of a 10 x 3 cm reverse McFarlane random flap with a known distribution of necrosis to the percent necrosis of the distal 3 x 3 cm of full-thickness skin grafts taken from a similar reverse McFarlane flap at 0, 4, 8, 12, and 16 hours after pedicle construction. Implicit in this experiment is the assumption that necrosis of the full-thickness skin grafts in excess of that of control animals represented skin no longer viable. Sometime between 8 and 12 hours, the percent necrosis of the full-thickness skin grafts surpassed that of the control, and it was concluded that this graft was dead prior to grafting. Thus it is suggested that critical ischemia time and death of the flap tissue are nearly identical, and the latter occurs at between 8 and 12 hours.

The effect of fibrin glue on skin grafts in infected sites.

Fibrin bonding of skin grafts to wounds is an essential part of the graft-adherence process. Bacteria, in concentrations greater than 10(5)/gm of tissue, are associated with graft failure. Sixty-five rats were randomly divided into three groups, dorsal split-thickness skin grafts were harvested, and the sites were inoculated with Staphylococcus aureus. After incubation, each wound was quantitatively biopsied and treated with saline, fibrin glue with aprotinin, or fibrin glue alone. We found that the addition of commercially available fibrin glue with or without the antifibrinolytic agent aprotinin is capable of restoring graft adherence to normal levels in graft sites infected with greater than 10(5) bacteria/gm of tissue. Fibrin glue may have potential for increasing skin-graft take in the clinical situation where the graft bed is infected.

Skin closure with dye-enhanced laser welding and fibrinogen.

The topical application of wavelength-specific dye and fibrinogen has been used to enhance laser closure of vascular anastomoses. We compared the closure of skin incisions by two different dye-enhanced, fibrinogen-based laser welding systems [argon laser (power density 4.78 W/cm2) with fluorescein isothiocyanate dye (n = 32) and diode laser (power density 9.55 W/cm2) with indocyanine green dye (n = 32)] with closure by interrupted 5-0 nylon suture (n = 64) and examined tensile strength, hydroxyproline production, histology, and cosmesis. Two 3-cm full-thickness incisions were made on the shaved backs of 64 rats. One incision was closed with suture, whereas the other, after treatment with the appropriate dye, was welded with either argon- or diode-lasered fibrinogen. At postoperative days 5, 10, 15, and 28, the closure sites were harvested and sectioned for analysis. Initially, wounds closed with argon-lasered fibrinogen showed less inflammatory response, greater collagen production (34.61 +/- 0.74 mg/gm), and greater mean peak stress at rupture (64.85 lbs/in2) than those closed with suture (16.42 +/- 3.20 mg/gm, 26.68 lbs/in2) (p less than 0.05). By 15 days, both argon and diode laser closures are superior in strength and collagen production to suture closure (p less than 0.05). At 28 days, diode laser closures (1315.60 lbs/in2) are stronger than suture closures (998.09 lbs/in2), whereas both are stronger than argon laser closures (813.16 lbs/in2) (p less than 0.05). Cosmetically, argon-welded wounds consistently appeared finer and lacked cross-hatched suture scars.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Perforation of the hard palate associated with cocaine abuse.

Cocaine abuse is associated with serious systemic complications. Snorting cocaine can also cause complications of the nasopharyngeal structures. Repeated episodes of vasoconstriction and subsequent ischemia may cause this destruction. We present a patient with perforation of the nasal septum and palate and collapse of the nasal dorsum. The destroyed anatomy was reconstructed by using standard surgical techniques. Palatal destruction is a rare entity and, to our knowledge, this patient is the first reported patient with palatal destruction due to cocaine insufflation.

Clinical experience with immediate breast reconstruction using tissue expansion or transverse rectus abdominis musculocutaneous flaps.

We retrospectively reviewed our experience with immediate breast reconstruction in 103 consecutive patients with stage 0 or I breast carcinoma between May 1983 and April 1988. Two reconstructive techniques were used, that is, either tissue expansion with secondary prosthesis implantation (60%) or transverse rectus abdominis musculocutaneous (TRAM) flap (40%). Chemotherapy was administered in 22% of patients without delay or compromise. The mean length of follow-up is 30 months. The complication rate was equal for both groups (24%) with infection being most common in the group of patients with tissue expansion and partial flap necrosis being most common in the group of patients with TRAM flaps. Aesthetic results were superior with use of the TRAM flap. Our experience concurs with previous reports that documented satisfactory results with immediate breast reconstruction without compromising further therapy. We conclude that although the tissue expansion technique yields acceptable results, the TRAM flap yields superior aesthetic results in terms of both appearance and consistency.

Mammary hypertrophy is not associated with increased estrogen receptors.

Estrogen promotes secondary female sex characteristics, including breast enlargement. Since excessive breast hypertrophy is unrelated to elevated serum estrogen levels, it has been postulated that the enlarged breast is a hypersensitive "target organ." At the cellular level, estrogen crosses the cell membrane, is bound to a cytoplasmic estrogen receptor (ER), and induces the formation of specific anabolic proteins. In breast cancer, this estrogen receptor is regarded as a measure of the sensitivity of the cell to estrogen. To determine if mammary hypertrophy is related to an increase in the number of estrogen receptors, we assayed breast tissue, not fat, from 25 consecutive breast reductions. The median age of patients was 26 years (17 to 77 years), with 752 gm per breast removed on average. Twenty-four percent of the patients were taking estrogens, primarily birth control bills. Cellular estrogen-receptor status was measured by a standardized cytosol extraction radioactive estradiol technique. Estrogen receptors were undetectable (less than 3 fmol/mg cytosol protein) in all patients. We conclude that estrogen receptors alone, and hence estrogen, are not a determinant in mammary hypertrophy. If the enlarged breast is a "target organ," it is by another mechanism.

Single-stage management of sternal wound infections.

Deep median sternotomy wound infection is a significant source of morbidity after cardiac operations. Accepted approaches in treating this complication include débridement with either sternal closure over an irrigation system or open dressings and closure by secondary intention. Muscle flaps are often used in subsequent procedures for wound closure. A single-stage procedure was developed to eliminate irrigation, open wound management, or reoperation for muscle flap closure. This approach consists of débridement and immediate closure with a pectoral musculocutaneous flap. The following report describes 31 patients treated by such a method. Compared with results of previous techniques in treating sternal wound infections, hospital study is decreased, fewer reoperations are needed, and patient management is simplified.

Fluorometric analysis of an attempt to reclaim ischemic flaps in rats with Fluosol.

An experiment was designed to answer two questions as they apply to random skin-flap survival: Is there a therapy that can improve random skin-flap survival when given postoperatively? And if so, when does one start such a therapy? Fluosol-DA 20% (Fluosol) has increased random skin-flap survival when given preoperatively in our laboratory. An experiment was devised to see if it could rescue failing flaps. One-hundred Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into a control (N = 25) and five experimental groups (N = 15). All had 10 X 13 cm reverse McFarlane random flaps raised and reinset. The experimental groups underwent hemodilution with either Ringer's lactate or Fluosol at 4, 8, and 12 hours after flap elevation. All were kept in 50% oxygen for 72 hours postoperatively. The flaps and their corresponding necrotic areas were measured on day 7. As to when to institute a therapy, we simultaneously evaluated the use of a microfluorometer as a monitor of flap survival. Analysis of flap survival showed little difference between control and experimental Ringer's lactate or Fluosol groups. Analysis of the microfluorometric data led to the following points. First, as a monitor of flap viability, it is limited by a lack of specificity and sensitivity. Second, comparison of the data from portions of the flap destined to live with those destined to die suggests that it may not be failure of circulatory inflow that leads to flap death.

Augmentation mammaplasty by cadaver fat allografts.

Two Soviet women were treated for complications of breast hardening and tenderness following augmentation mammaplasty using cadaver fat allografts. The cadaver fat grafts were excised and replaced with silicone-gel prostheses in the submammary pockets. The implants were found to contain necrotic fat tissue with areas of fibrosis and calcification; however, no signs of rejection were evident. Both patients had a successful postoperative outcome.

Dermofluorometric prediction of flap survival.

Techniques to predict flap survival would help the reconstructive surgeon, but while various modalities exist, none is consistently accurate. The standard clinical method of fluorescein visualization by ultraviolet light requires such a high dose that it precludes rapid repetition. Recently, assessment of cutaneous fluorescein with the dermofluorometer has allowed mini-dose fluorescein, quantification, and repetition. The fiberoptic dermofluorometer was tested on experimental and clinical flaps. An experiment was devised to determine if the dermofluorometer could accurately predict flap survival. Modified McFarlane flaps were raised in 10 250- to 300-g female Sprague-Dawley rats and divided into 10 1-cm grids. A dermoviability index was calculated for each grid. A reading below 30% correlated with flap necrosis. Our clinical experiences were less predictive.

Use of computer analysis in flap research.

A computer based analysis of survival of experimental rat skin flaps is presented. The two commonly used experimental flaps, the modified McFarlane dorsal skin flap and the ventral skin flap, are compared. The analysis of the data showed that although the McFarlane flap is random, and the ventral flap based on one epigastric vascular bundle is both axial and random, there was no statistically significant difference in the percent of survival of these flaps. The advantages of the computer based method are discussed.