Journal Reviews
Delayed intraoral wound healing in patients on bisphosphonates
Since Marx first described bisphosphonate related osteonecrosis of the jaw (BRONJ), the literature is now replete with cases of BRONJ. There are no internationally accepted protocols. A three month cessation of drug treatment, a ‘drug holiday’ has been advocated. The...
Anteromedial thigh perforator free flaps
Forty-one consecutive anterior anteromedial thigh (AMT) free flaps are reported, with a success rate of 95%. This flap is being used as an alternative to the preferred anterolateral thigh flap (ALT), which is described as the ‘real workhorse’, when this...
Vascularised composite allotransplantation: an update
Vascularised composite allotransplantation (VCA) includes transplantation of multiple tissues in a single vascularised unit, such as the upper limb, or most dramatically the face. Truly remarkable results have been achieved, such as the one illustrated in this article. More than...
The cost of surgery for bedsores
Many plastic surgeons will have experienced a heart-sinking moment when receiving a request to give an opinion on a patient with a bedsore. The surgery is not technically demanding, but the postoperative care and rehabilitation of the patient can be...
Poor glycaemic control associated with worse outcomes in primary wound closure
This study is the first to specifically investigate the effects of chronic and perioperative glycaemic control in high risk patients undergoing primary closure of wounds. Seventy-nine patients were included – 93% of closures were of the lower limb and only...
Infection and sepsis in burns: potential clinical predictors
In this retrospective study, the authors attempt to identify the most reliable predictors of early infection (within 10 days) in acute burns patients to try to reduce unnecessary antibiotic therapy. They recognise that infections and sepsis represent the leading cause...
Management of major burns – a role for Oxandrolone
Oxandrolone The authors present a retrospective single centre based study assessing the effect of Oxandrolone (OX) on the length of stay (LOS) following ≥15% of total body surface area (TBSA) burns. One hundred and sixty-seven surviving patients were retrospectively analysed...
Size does matter
Megasessions in hair restoration, being defined as transplantation of 3,000 or more grafts, have the potential to definitely treat a significant area of scalp in only one procedure, allowing the patient to achieve their desired goals while minimising their overall...
Caring for our patients: postoperative nausea and vomiting
This review article cites as its basis ‘The Consensus Guidelines for Managing Postoperative Nausea and Vomiting’, an international panel of experts’ evidence-based opinions, and the IMPACT Study. The pathophysiology, risk factors, and strategies for reducing postoperative nausea and vomiting (POVN)...
Measures against female hair loss
The author presents a detailed, well-structured review about female hair transplant surgery. Female hair pattern loss usually differs from male hair pattern loss, resulting in regions of the scalp where hair density falls without complete alopecia. Surgery for female patients...
Excisional margins for cutaneous malignancies
The authors present the results of a retrospective study of 495 non melanoma skin cancer (NMSC) lesions of the face treated with Mohs micrographic surgery (MMS) over a six year period. The size of the lesion was calculated as the...
History of fat grafting
Fat grafting was first described in 1893 by Gustav Neuber, who transplanted adipose tissue from the arm to the orbit to correct depressed scars resulting from osteomyelitis. In 1895, Czerny reported excising a lipoma and grafting it into a breast...
