• Archives of Craniofacial Surgery
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.111-115
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• 2011

Purpose: Reconstruction of a full thickness defect of the nose is a difficult task for plastic surgeons because the anatomical characteristic, shape, and function of the nose all need to be taken into consideration. Most often, a local flap or a composite graft is used, but for a large defect, reconstruction using free flaps is the most ideal method. In free flap reconstruction, the chondrocutaneous preauricular area can be a suitable donor site. We performed a chondrocutaneous preauricular free flap with an interpositional vascular graft for reconstruction of a nasal ala. Methods: A 46 year-old male presented to the hospital with a right alar deformity induced by a dog bite. During the surgery, the existing scar tissue was removed and thereby a newly formed full thickness defect was reconstructed using the chondrocutaneous preauricular free flap with an interpositional vascular graft harvested from the descending branch of the lateral femoral circumflex vessel between the facial and superficial temporal vessels of the free flap. Results: The flap survived without flap loss and showed symmetry in its overall shape, contour, texture, and color. The patient was satisfied with the results and the surgery yielded no additional scars at the nasolabial fold area. Conclusion: The chondrocutaneous preauricular free flap is a valuable method in reconstruction of full thickness defects of the nose, and using the descending branch of the lateral femoral circumflex vessel as the interpositional vascular graft at the anastomotic site produces reliable results.

• Archives of Craniofacial Surgery
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.86-92
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• 2011

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the possibility that a dynamic facial composite flap with sensory and motor nerves could be made available from donor facial composite tissue. Methods: The faces of 3 human cadavers were dissected. The authors studied the donor faces to assess which facial composite model would be most practicable. A "panorama facial flap" was excised from each facial skeleton with circumferential incision of the oral mucosa, lower conjunctiva and endonasal mucosa. In addition, the authors measured the available length of the arterial and venous pedicles, and the sensory nerves. In the recipient, the authors evaluated the time required to anastomose the vessels and nerve coaptations, anchor stitches for donor flaps, and skin stitches for closure. Results: In the panorama facial flap, the available anastomosing vessels were the facial artery and vein. The sensory nerves that required anastomoses were the infraorbital nerve and inferior alveolar nerve. The motor nerve requiring anstomoses was the facial nerve. The vascular pedicle of the panorama facial flap is the facial artery and vein. The longest length was 78 mm and 48 mm respectively. Sensation of the donor facial composite is supplied by the infraorbital nerve and inferior alveolar nerve. Motion of the facial composite is supplied by the facial nerve. Some branches of the facial nerve can be anastomosed, if necessary. Conclusion: The most practical facial composite flap would be a mid and lower face flap, and we proposed a panorama facial flap that is designed to incorporate the mid and lower facial skin with and the unique tissue of the lip. The panorama facial composite flap could be considered as one of the practicable basic models for facial allotransplantation.

• Archives of Craniofacial Surgery
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.33-36
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• 2011

Background: In a frontal sinus reconstruction, the literature primarily recommends a surgical approach for definite treatment with the exception of for anterior wall fractures with no dislocation. Many studies have assessed a range of methods for the reduction of frontal sinus fractures. This paper presents a case, in whom the anterior wall of the frontal sinus was reconstructed using an outer table calvarial bone graft in an en bloc manner. Patient and methods: A 36-year-old male visited the emergency room with a heavy injury to the forehead. He was diagnosed with fractures of the anterior and posterior wall of the frontal sinus. The neurosurgeon removed the fractured area and repaired the meninges. Afterwards, cranialization was performed and the opening of the nasofrontal duct was obstructed. After fixing the removed bone to its original location, all fragments of fractured anterior wall were purged out and the anterior wall reconstructed using an en bloc calvarial bone graft. Results: In the post-operative 8 months period, there were no complications, the round contour of the forehead was expressed well and the patient was satisfied with the result. Conclusion: There are many methods for reconstructing the anterior wall of the frontal sinus. On the other hand, in cases of large fracture sites with many fractured bone fragments, en bloc harvesting of the outer table calvarial bone could be a better choice than making use of only plates and screws because this method shows a good results in terms of aesthetics with a low complication rate.

• Archives of Craniofacial Surgery
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.17-21
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• 2011

Purpose: It is difficult to objectively evaluate the outcomes of plastic surgical procedures. The combination of aesthetic and medical factors makes outcome quantification difficult. In this study, fracture reduction accuracy was objectively evaluated in patients with zygomatic complex fractures. Patients satisfaction with the accuracy was also examined. In addition, the patients' overall satisfaction and discomfort due to complications were analyzed. Methods: Eighty-five patients who had surgeries via bicoronal incision for zygomatic complex fracture from March 2006 to December 2009 were included in this study. Two plastic surgeons evaluated the accuracy of the fracture reduction with postoperative computed tomography. A survey questionnaire was administered to evaluate the patients' overall satisfaction and the impact of symptoms associated with the procedure on the patients' daily lives. Results: The overall patient satisfaction rate was $82.1{\pm}10.9%$ (range, 45~100%). The level of deformation was $6.7{\pm}10.9%$, the levels of discomfort in daily life due to pain, paresthesia, scar, and facial palsy were $8.5{\pm}13.2%$, $5.8{\pm}8.9%$, $4.4{\pm}9.9%$, and $1.9{\pm}9.2%$, respectively. According to the visual analogue scale, paresthesia was found to be the most frequent symptom (43.5%), and pain was the most troublesome symptom. Conclusion: The use of bicoronal incision for treating zygomatic complex fractures can cause various complications due to wide incision and dissection. However, this technique can provide optimized reduction and rigid fixation. Most of these postoperative complications can cause significant discomfort in the patient. It is thought that the use of correct surgical technique and the accurate knowledge of craniofacial anatomy will result in a reduction of complications and significantly increase patient satisfaction.

• Archives of Craniofacial Surgery
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.107-110
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• 2011

Purpose: There have been few case reports regarding treatment plans for long-term, neglected scalp defects and calvarial defects with subdural abscess. The purpose of this case report is to present our experience with a free latissimus dorsi musculocutaneous flap for scalp and calvarial defects and to discuss flap options in comparison with a literature review. Methods: A 60-year-old man who fell down from a four-story-height that resulted in a craniotomy in 1979; he visited our outpatient clinic for a chronic, purulent scalp and calvarial defects with unidentified artificial bone. The artificial bone was removed by a neurosurgeon and reconstructed with a free latissimus dorsi musculocutaneous flap. The deep temporal artery was used as a recipient artery. The postoperative flap status was excellent until the 6th day post-operation when the patient experienced a seizure, and an arterial insufficiency occurred at the flap probably due to an arterial spasm. Emergency exploration with arterial re-anastomosis was performed and the flap status was stabilized. Results: Complete wound healing was achieved after 3 weeks without infectious and systemic postoperative complications. During the 6 month follow-up period, there were no complications. Conclusion: We suggest the latissimus dorsi myocutaneous free flap as a good treatment option for a chronic, purulent, complicated scalp with calvarial defect, as a well as treatment for an acute traumatic defect.

• Archives of Craniofacial Surgery
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.63-66
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• 2011

Purpose: Cranial fasciitis is a rare type of benign tumor that occurs mostly in children younger than 6 years. It arises from the deep fascia, periosteum, or fibromembranous layer that covers fontanelles. The etiology is unknown, although prior trauma has been postulated to be an underlying cause. There is a 2:1 male predominance. Despite its rapid growth, this tumor has a benign clinical course and can be cured by total excision. Methods: A 16-year-old male presented with a 3 cm-sized palpable mass in the left lateral eyebrow region that he first noticed 4 months before presentation. The mass had grown rapidly since it was first noticed. Preoperative brain computed tomography showed a well-demarcated mass approximately 3 cm in size extending from the subcutaneous layer to the periosteum. Preoperatively, the presumed diagnosis was a dermoid cyst. An operation was performed with the patient under general anesthesia. The subcutaneous mass was completely excised by periosteal dissection. Results: Histological diagnosis revealed the presence of cranial fasciitis. After 20 months of follow-up, there have been neither complications nor evidence of local recurrence besed on clinical examination. Conclusion: Although cranial fasciitis is quite rare, it should be considered in the differential diagnosis for lytic skull lesions in patient whose clinical presentation suggests this possibility. This condition could be occasionally mistaken for malignant or locally aggressive lesions. To prevent local recurrence, curettage of the underlying bone is recommended for patients with bone involvement.

• Archives of Craniofacial Surgery
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.125-128
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• 2011

Purpose: Asymmetric crying facies is caused by agenesis or hypoplasia of the depressor anguli oris muscle and is often associated various anomalies. Several static and dynamic surgical interventions have been reported, but their effects are unreliable. We report on the successful use of botulinum toxin A in an asymmetric crying facies patient. Methods: A 4-year-old girl presented with a facial asymmetry on crying or smiling. Physical examination revealed that her face had no asymmetry at rest. However, the patient showed characteristic asymmetry when smiling, crying, and with other normal facial movements. Asymmetric crying facies was clinically suspected and the weakness of left depressor anguli oris was present on electrophysiology study. Fifteen units of botulinum toxin type A were injected to the right depressor anguli oris muscle. Results: The patient showed the prominent improvement in the facial symmetry without significant complication and the effect persisted until 3 months post injection. Conclusion: Asymmetric crying facies was treated successfully with botulinum toxin A and this method was easy and noninvasive.

• Archives of Craniofacial Surgery
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.11-16
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• 2015

Background: Source material used to fill calvarial defects includes autologous bones and synthetic alternatives. While autologous bone is preferable to synthetic material, autologous reconstruction is not always feasible due to defect size, unacceptable donor-site morbidity, and other issues. Today, advanced three-dimensional (3D) printing techniques allow for fabrication of titanium implants customized to the exact need of individual patients with calvarial defects. In this report, we present three cases of calvarial reconstructions using 3D-printed porous titanium implants. Methods: From 2013 through 2014, three calvarial defects were repaired using custom-made 3D porous titanium implants. The defects were due either to traumatic subdural hematoma or to meningioma and were located in parieto-occipital, fronto-temporo-parietal, and parieto-temporal areas. The implants were prepared using individual 3D computed tomography (CT) data, Mimics software, and an electron beam melting machine. For each patient, several designs of the implant were evaluated against 3D-printed skull models. All three cases had a custom-made 3D porous titanium implant laid on the defect and rigid fixation was done with 8 mm screws. Results: The custom-made 3D implants fit each patient's skull defect precisely without any dead space. The operative site healed without any specific complications. Postoperative CTs revealed the implants to be in correct position. Conclusion: An autologous graft is not a feasible option in the reconstruction of large calvarial defects. Ideally, synthetic materials for calvarial reconstruction should be easily applicable, durable, and strong. In these aspects, a 3D titanium implant can be an optimal source material in calvarial reconstruction.

• Archives of Craniofacial Surgery
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.35-38
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• 2015

Alloplastic implants have been used to repair orbital wall fractures in most cases. Orbital hemorrhage is a rare complication of these implants and has been reported rarely in Korea. The purpose of this article is to report a late complication case focusing on their etiology and management. A 20-year-old male patient underwent open reduction with Medpor (porous polyethylene) insertion for bilateral orbital floor fractures. The initial symptom occurred with proptosis in the right side as well as vertical dystopia, which had started 4 days earlier, 8 months after surgery. Any trauma history after the surgery was not present. We performed an exploration and removal of hematoma with Medpor titanium meshed alloplastic implant. A case of delayed orbital hematoma following alloplastic implant insertion was identified. It occurred within the pseudocapsule of the implant. One week after surgery, overall symptoms improved successfully, and no complications were reported during the 11-month follow-up period. Although rare, orbital hemorrhage is a potential complication of alloplastic orbital floor implants, which may present many years after surgery. As in the case presented, delayed hematoma should be included in the differential diagnosis of late proptosis or orbital dystopia.

• Archives of Craniofacial Surgery
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.17-23
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• 2015

Background: Treatment of skull base tumors is challenging due to limited access and presence of important neurovascular structures nearby. The success of a complete tumor resection depends on the extent of tumor exposure and secure field of view. While these tumors are often removed by transcranial endoscopic access, transfacial approach is sometimes required depending on the location and size of the tumor. This study describes various transfacial approaches in patients undergoing skull base tumor resection. Methods: From March to November 2013, 15 patients underwent skull base tumor resection via transfacial accesses at a tertiary institution. Data were reviewed for patient demographics, type of access used, completeness of tumor resection, surgical outcome, and postoperative complications. Results: Two clivus tumor patients underwent transmaxillary approach; three tuberculum-sellae and suprasellar-hypothalamus tumor patients underwent transbasal approach; three clinoid and retrobulbar intraconal orbital tumor patients underwent orbitozygomatic approach; and seven petroclival-area, pons, cavernous sinus, and lateral-sphenoid-wing tumor patients underwent zygomatic approach. In all cases, the upper and lower margins of the tumor were visible. Complete tumor removal consisted of 10 cases, and partial tumor removal in 5. There were no immediate major complications observed for the transfacial portion of the operations. The overall cosmetic results were satisfactory. Conclusion: Plastic surgeons can use various transfacial approaches according to the location and size of skull base tumors to secure a sufficient field of view for neurosurgeons.