Gracilis Muscle Interposition to Fill the Perianal Dead Space May Decrease Hospital Length of Stay in Fournier's Gangrene.

PURPOSE: The treatment of Fournier's gangrene (FG) includes aggressive debridement of the affected necrotic area, broad-spectrum antibiotic therapy, and reconstructive procedures, respectively. One of the main reasons of unfavorable outcomes in FG surgery is that the dead space occurs in the perianal region because of destruction of fascias and soft tissues. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the results of gracilis muscle flap transposition to fill the FG-associated perianal dead spaces. METHODS: Patients treated for FG-associated dead spaces in their perianal region between the years 2017 and 2021 were included in the study. The patients who underwent the pedicled gracilis muscle flap surgery were included in group 1, whereas group 2 consisted of the patients with no additional surgical procedure for dead spaces but only the reconstruction of the soft tissue defects. Demographic data (age, sex), comorbid diseases, localization and length of perianal dead space, and management method for the soft tissue defects and complications were noted. The length of hospital stay and discharge day after surgery were also recorded. RESULTS: In group 1, the mean duration of hospital stay was 23.5 ± 5.0 (range, 14-48) days, whereas the mean period between the surgery and discharge was 5.1 ± 2.2 (range, 3-12) days. These numbers were 31 ± 8.3 (range, 19-58) days and 12.7 ± 6.1 (range, 7-22) days in group 2, respectively. Statistical comparison of the periods between the surgery and discharge was found to be significantly different ( P = 0.022). The duration of hospital stay was also shorter in the patients with gracilis muscle flap ( P = 0.039). CONCLUSIONS: Perianal dead spaces accompanying many of the patients with FG provide appropriate conditions for bacterial colonization. Filling these pouches by the gracilis muscle flap prevented the progression of infection and enabled the patients to return to their normal life earlier.

Acquired Constriction Band Syndrome Affecting Multiple Digits - A Case Report.

Rubber band syndrome is a condition that usually affects children because of wearing a rubber band on the wrist or the ankle. Depending on the degree of pressure caused by the band, patients may present acutely with ischemia and necrosis of the tissues distal to the bands or chronically with change in shape, oedema, loss of function, sensation and rarely amputation. This condition is very rare in adults and most reports in literature are in patients with cognitive impairment or psychiatric illness. We report 62-year-old lady with a background of a psychiatric illness who presented with an acquired constriction band syndrome affecting multiple digits of both hands. Level of Evidence: Level V (Therapeutic).

Does Estradiol Level in Platelet-Rich Plasma Improve Efficacy of Androgenic Alopecia Treatment?

BACKGROUND: Although some studies in the literature report that autologous and homologous platelet-rich plasma (PRP) can be employed in the treatment of androgenic alopecia (AGA), no study, to the authors' knowledge, has examined the estrogen concentration of prepared PRP. OBJECTIVES: The authors aimed to determine the presence of estrogen in PRP and to investigate the effect of estrogen concentration of PRP on AGA treatment. METHODS: Between 2017 and 2018, 30 male patients with hair loss complaints were included in this prospective study. Autologous PRP was injected in patients in Group 1. Homologous PRP with high estrogen levels was injected in the patients in Group 2. PRP was injected in both groups 4 times at 0, 1, 3, and 6 months. The obtained photographs were evaluated and hair densities of each patient at controls were calculated. RESULTS: The mean estrogen level measured in PRP was statistically significantly higher in Group 2. In both groups, the increase in hair density was observed from the first month, but this increase was statistically significantly higher in all controls in Group 2. In Group 2, there was a statistically significant increase in the 1st and 3rd months compared with the previous control, but there was no difference between the 6th and 12th months and the 3rd month. CONCLUSIONS: Increased hair density is greater and earlier in the group receiving estrogen-rich PRP than in the group utilizing autologous PRP. The authors think that estrogen-rich PRP may be employed in the treatment of AGA in the presence of an appropriate donor.