A Retrospective Analysis of Pinnaplasty Outcomes: The Welsh Experience.

Prominent ears (PEs) are the most frequent congenital external ear deformity, occurring in ∼5% of the population. Although the deformity does not usually cause functional difficulties, it can significantly affect the patient's psychological and social health. The authors aim to present the Welsh experience of pinnaplasty, reviewing our outcomes and complications. A retrospective cross-sectional study was performed of all patients undergoing pinnaplasty in Morriston Hospital, Swansea, Wales. We represent the tertiary plastic surgery referral unit across Wales. We included all patients undergoing pinnaplasty between 2015 and 2022 inclusive. We excluded patients undergoing revision procedures or those who had no follow-up. Over the 7-year period, 236 pinnaplasties were performed and 203 were included in the analysis. Ninety-six percent of cases were performed using a cartilage-sparing approach, which represents the mainstay in our unit. The mean follow-up length for our cases was 12 months. Revision procedures were required in 4% of cases. Three hematomas (1.5%) and one (0.5%) wound dehiscence due to infection were recorded and required a return to the operating room. Suture extrusion was noted in 5% of cases (10 patients); 4.5% (9) cases were affected by either hypertrophic or keloid scarring. Across the United Kingdom, cosmetic procedures have come under scrutiny, namely, because of a difficult economic climate. In the era of tight fiscal control in health care, it is pertinent to analyze the outcomes and performance metrics of our operations regularly, thus aiding in the development of an established evidence base to advocate for our respective patients.

A not-so-sweet diagnosis - leukocytoclastic vasculitis masquerading as squamous cell carcinoma.

Leukocytoclastic vasculitis (LCV) is a rare small-vessel vasculitis characterised by neutrophilic inflammation of post-capillary venules. Incidence varies from 3 to 4.5 per 100 000 people per year. Patients typically present with painful, itchy purpura and erythema, although clinical manifestations can vary making diagnosis a challenge. We report the case of a 75-year-old man with a history of a previously completely excised and grafted squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) on the dorsum of his hand, who presented with an acutely swollen, erythematous and ulcerated lesion adjacent to the graft site. A shave biopsy failed to definitively exclude SCC recurrence. He was referred to the Plastics team who initially suspected Sweet's syndrome but could not rule out SCC recurrence. The patient underwent formal mapping incisional biopsies that later diagnosed LCV. He was managed conservatively and made an excellent recovery. We present clinical photographs and histology to illustrate disease progression. LCV is typically self-limiting with a good overall prognosis, but a minority of patients follow a protracted course, which may require treatment in the form of systemic corticosteroids or colchicine. LCV can only be confirmed histologically. We present this case in order to highlight the importance of adequate tissue biopsy when there is diagnostic uncertainty with an acute dermatosis, particularly in the context of previous skin malignancy.

The use of a cell-free chondroinductive implant in a child with massive cartilage loss of the talus after an open fracture dislocation of the ankle: a case report.

BACKGROUND: We present a case report of a 3-year-old girl who sustained a severe open fracture dislocation of her talus with complete loss of full-thickness articular cartilage and subchondral bone over 80% of the talar dome. At presentation there was an extensive soft tissue defect including absent anterior joint capsule. She required a free anterolateral thigh flap to reconstruct this defect. The talar dome defect was treated with a cell-free chondroinductive implant made of resorbable polyglycolic acid felt and hyaluronic acid. This was the first use of such an implant in the United Kingdom and the first use in a child anywhere in the world. METHODS: The case has been followed prospectively for 3 years. RESULTS: At 3 years postoperative, the patient underwent thinning of the anterolateral thigh flap and trimming of an anterior tibial overgrowth, which was causing impingement. At surgery the talar dome cartilage looked pristine, with a line representing the tidemark between the original cartilage and the new formed. Biopsies were taken and histopathology performed. CONCLUSIONS: This was a rare and difficult case that has achieved an excellent outcome at this follow-up stage. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level V.

These umbilical lesions weren't granulomas after all.

Consider a VID remnant as part of the differential diagnosis for any patient who has what appears to be a granulomatous umbilical lesion. Order ultrasonography to evaluate a suspected VID, especially for lesions that fail to respond to 2 or 3 silver nitrate treatments. Surgical excision of a VID remnant is usually curative.

The origins and regulation of tissue tension: identification of collagen tension-fixation process in vitro.

The absence of a controllable in vitro model of soft tissue remodeling is a major impediment, limiting our understanding of collagen pathologies, tissue repair and engineering. Using 3D fibroblast-collagen lattice model, we have quantified changes in matrix tension and material properties following remodeling by blockade of cell-generated tension with cytochalasin D. This demonstrated a time-dependent shortening of the collagen network, progressively stabilized into a built-in tension within the matrix. This was differentially enhanced by TGFB1 and mechanical loading to give subtle control of the new, remodeled matrix material properties. Through this model, we have been able to identify the 'tension remodeling' process, by which cells control material properties in response to environmental factors.