Usefulness of a Skin Graft Obtained from the Bilateral Nasolabial Folds for a Skin Defect following Resection of a Malignant Tumor at the Nasal Tip.

The cosmetic appeal of the nose is very important, as it is a structure located at the center of the face. Hence, the removal of nasal tumors requires matching aesthetic subunits for the ensuing reconstruction. This procedure often creates large defects that require skin grafts or local flaps for repair. If a large skin graft is required, harvesting of flaps from the head and neck region might have some limitations. Although flaps from the forehead can cover a wide range of facial defects, the skin properties of the forehead differ from those of the rest of the face. Moreover, early postoperative flap deformation may be due to the flap volume and the need for multiple surgeries, leading to vertical forehead scarring. Particularly, vertical forehead scars are more noticeable in Asians than in Westerners. Previously, grafts have been harvested from a unilateral nasolabial fold, but these grafts were small and resulted in asymmetry. Herein, we describe the case of a 67-year-old man with a basal cell carcinoma of the nasal tip, in which closure of the large defect was achieved through excision matching of the aesthetic unit by using skin harvested from bilateral nasolabial folds.

Juvenile Xanthogranuloma on the Upper Lip.

We treated a patient with juvenile xanthogranuloma on the upper lip. A yellow, elastic, hard tumor on the upper lip was evident from birth, which gradually increased in size. The patient was examined at our department at the age of 7 months, at which time the mass extended from the upper lip to the nasal cavity and measured approximately 1 cm. There was a risk that the mass might obstruct the nasal cavity, and an incisional biopsy was conducted to obtain a definitive diagnosis. In histopathological testing, the patient was diagnosed with a juvenile xanthogranuloma. Part of the mass still remains on the upper lip, but has not increased in size during postoperative monitoring. Juvenile xanthogranuloma on the upper lip is extremely rare, and to the best of our knowledge, this is only the fourth case to be reported in the plastic surgery literature in English. In most cases, juvenile xanthogranuloma regresses spontaneously, and unnecessary surgery is to be avoided. The possibility of juvenile xanthogranuloma should always be considered for masses that increase in size in infants and young children, and it is important to reach a definitive diagnosis by skin biopsy.

Unilateral Breast Inflation Caused by Breastfeeding after Polyacrylamide Hydrogel Injection.

Polyacrylamide hydrogel (PAAG) has been widely used in Russia and China as an injection material for cosmetic surgery. We report the case of a 36-year-old woman who noted breast enlargement subsequent to breastfeeding, after a PAAG injection. In 2016, a PAAG injection was administered to her under both mammary glands at a nearby cosmetic surgery clinic for breast augmentation. After she started breastfeeding following delivery in 2020, she was admitted to our hospital because of a rapid left breast enlargement and unbearable pain. Contrast-enhanced chest computed tomography revealed marked fluid retention in the left breast, and the mammary gland tissue had been pushed outward. A skin incision revealed a significant amount of yellowish-white odorless fluid accumulation. On surgery, a foreign body remained around the pectoralis major muscle, but complete removal was impossible. Currently, 3 months have passed since the operation; however, the patient has not experienced any further pain. There have been many reports on complications caused by PAAG injection. In our case, commencing breast feeding after receiving PAAG injections resulted in a rapid unilateral breast enlargement, and there is no similar report from Japan. In this case, suppressing lactation and rapid removal of the foreign body is the most important measure. It is difficult to completely remove PAAG once it has been injected. PAAG injections for breast augmentation should be avoided in all patients.

Anatomical Study of the Descending Branch of the Lateral Femoral Circumflex Artery and Veins in Vascular Grafting in Japanese Cadavers.

In microsurgery development, autologous vein grafting is necessary when there are no suitable blood vessels for anastomosis around the flap recipient site or when the vascular pedicle of the flap is short. The descending branches of the lateral femoral circumflex artery (LFCA) and vein have been used as a vascular bundle instead of vein grafts, but to our knowledge, there have been no reports on the relationship between thigh length and vessel length. In this study, we performed a macroscopic examination of the LFCA descending branch length required for grafting. METHODS: The length of the LFCA descending branches and veins as well as thigh length were measured in 16 preserved cadaveric legs. RESULTS: The average length of the thigh was 42.6 cm. It was possible to harvest a mean length of 14.2 cm of the descending branches of the lateral femoral circumflex vessels. Descending branches of the LFCA and veins were identified in all cases. It was estimated that the length of the LFCA descending branch and veins could be collected in 20% of the thigh length in 98% of cases. CONCLUSION: When preparing a preoperative plan, it is important to thoroughly consider the required length of blood vessels for grafting and whether it is possible to harvest vessels with sufficient length.

Analysis of Vascular Anatomy in Inferiorly Based Gastrocnemius Muscle Flaps in Japanese Individuals Using a Cadaver Study.

Inferiorly based gastrocnemius muscle flaps have been successfully used to cover soft tissue defects of the middle third of the leg. This is done especially in older patients or patients with major complications where operative time should be limited. We aimed to determine the gastrocnemius muscle length that can be safely used for preparing inferiorly based muscle flaps. METHODS: We performed angiographies and dissection to investigate the numbers and distribution of the communicating arterial branches between the medial and lateral heads of the gastrocnemius muscle, and the perforating arterial branches of the medial sural artery from the soleus to the gastrocnemius muscles on 18 legs of preserved cadavers. RESULTS: The lengths of the gastrocnemius heads were approximately 10 cm, and the communicating arterial branches of the gastrocnemius muscle also were located at approximately 10 cm from the gastrocnemius head. The perforating arterial branches from the soleus muscle to the gastrocnemius muscle were also located at approximately 10 cm from the gastrocnemius head. CONCLUSIONS: Communicating arterial branches of the gastrocnemius muscle were found in all cadavers. To the best of our knowledge, no other study has focused on investigating the perforating arterial branches that supply the gastrocnemius from the soleus muscle. Our study indicates that the entire gastrocnemius muscle can be safely used in reconstruction surgeries.

Mixed Tumor of the Nasal Root.

We reported the case of a 53-year-old man who presented with over 25-year history of a soft tissue on the nasal root. The tumor with a diameter of 4 cm was observed on the nasal root, the mass was soft, freely mobile, and painless on palpation. No adhesion with the nasal bone was observed. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed multiple nodular solid tumor masses. There was a region with low contrast in the tumor, and adipose tissue was confirmed. We performed total excision. Histopathological examination revealed that the tumor had multiple nodular lesions, and epithelial component had glandular features and a myxoid stromal component. So, we diagnosed mixed tumor of the skin. To the best of our knowledge, it seems to be the largest in the mixed tumor of the skin that occurred in the nasal root in the previous reports.

Spindle Cell Lipoma of the Thumb.

We report the case of a 34-year-old man who presented with a 4-year history of a soft tissue on the palmar aspect of the thumb. Magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated the presence of a mass with heterogeneous high intensities on T1-weighted images and high intensities on T2-weighted images. We performed excisional biopsy. Histologically, the tumor was composed of mature adipocytes and spindle cells in a collagen background. Immunohistochemically, the tumor cells showed strong expression of CD34. Therefore, we diagnosed it as spindle cell lipoma. To the best of our knowledge, only 2 cases of spindle cell lipoma of the thumb have previously been reported.

Anatomical Analysis of Cutaneous Perforator Distribution in the Forearm.

BACKGROUND: Few reports describe the distribution of cutaneous perforators from the radial and ulnar arteries in the forearm. This study aimed to map the location of the cutaneous perforators that arise directly from the radial and ulnar arteries in cadavers. METHODS: Twenty-nine human cadaveric forearms were dissected. All radial and ulnar arteries cutaneous perforators were analyzed for total number and distribution. To define the distribution of each cutaneous perforator, the forearm was divided into 10 sections, with the sections labeled as 10%, 20%, 30%, and so on, beginning at the wrist. RESULTS: From the radial artery, there were a total of 262 skin perforators with an average of 9.03 ± 2.28 (mean ± SD) per limb, whereas the total was 159 from the ulnar artery, with an average of 5.48 ± 1.49 per limb. Additionally, 128 (49%) radial artery cutaneous perforators and 75 (47%) from the ulnar artery were concentrated in the 0-30% section of the forearm. Both the radial and ulnar arteries had many cutaneous perforators in the forearm section labeled 70%, with 32 of 262 (12%) cutaneous perforators of the radial artery and 27 of 159 (17%) cutaneous perforators of the ulnar artery located here. CONCLUSIONS: There were more cutaneous perforators from the radial artery than from the ulnar artery, and both were concentrated in the distal one-third of the forearm and in the forearm section labeled 70%. This information could be helpful when harvesting forearm flaps.

Lymphangiography and subsequent sclerotherapy can be easily applied by cannulation of the lymph duct with a catheter for the neonatal central vein.

Therapeutic lipiodol lymphangiography for postoperative chyle leakage due to lymph duct damage has recently been attracting attention. Lymph duct puncture is technically complex and difficult. Lymphangiography and sclerotherapy can be easily applied by cannulation with a catheter for the neonatal central vein to the lymph duct under a microscope.