BACKGROUND Bilobed transposition flaps are prone to pincushioning (trapdooring), whereby contraction of the flap over the wound bed may produce an unsatisfactory functional and aesthetic outcome. There are several proposed methods to prevent this, but there is currently no clear consensus on the ideal technique. OBJECTIVE To compare primary lobe pexing sutures versus intraoperative triamcinolone (TAC) injection as methods to prevent pincushioning in bilobed transposition flaps. MATERIAL AND METHODS A retrospective chart review of bilobed flap reconstructions identified from the Mohs micrographic surgery database at a single tertiary center in New Zealand. RESULTS Three hundred forty-two patients met the inclusion criteria: 37 received pexing sutures, 42 intraoperative TAC, and 263 no additional intervention. The most defect common location was the nasal tip (43.6%), followed by the ala (20.8%). Ninety-three participants (27.2%) developed pincushioning at a median 35 days postoperatively. Participants receiving no intervention had a 30.8% pincushioning rate. The TAC group had a 23.8% pincushioning rate (p 5 .358), and the pexing group had a 5.5% pincushioning rate (p 5 .001). CONCLUSION Participants receiving primary lobe pexing sutures had a statistically significantly lower rate of pincushioning than those receiving no intervention. Intraoperative TAC injections appeared to have little impact on pincushioning.
Objectives The aim of this study was to ascertain the accuracy of computed tomography (CT) in assessing the presence of bony involvement and thickness of squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the scalp. Methods A single-centre retrospective chart review was carried out. Inclusion criteria were scalp SCC, CT between January 2008 and 2018, and the availability of a reference test. Reference tests were either histology, surgical notes or clinical notes. Tabular assessment of accuracy was performed and Student’s t-test, Mann–Whitney U test and Fisher exact test were used in univariable analysis. Accuracy of thickness measurement was calculated using the limits of agreement method, and linear regression was used to examine trend. Results Thirty-nine patients were included. Most patients were male (74.4%), white (97.4%), not immunosuppressed (66.6%) and had poorly differentiated tumours (33.3%). The most common tumour sites were the vertex (28.2%) and temporal region (23.1%). Sensitivity of CT in detecting presence or absence of bony invasion of scalp SCC was 76.9% (95% CI 46.2–94.9%) and specificity was 96.2% (95% CI 80.4-99.9%). Overall accuracy was 89.7% (95% CI 75.8–97.1%), positive predictive value was 90.1% (95% CI 58.7–99.8%) and negative predictive value was 89.3% (95% CI 71.8–97.7%). No significant differences were found comparing patients with an accurate or inaccurate CT scan. Thickness on CT was found to be consistent with histological thickness at the 95% confidence level. Conclusions CT is accurate at assessing the presence of bony involvement and thickness of scalp SCC. This study was limited somewhat by small sample size.
Introduction
Anatomical knowledge is an essential part of surgical practice. However, its delivery lacks a standardised approach across medical school curricula. A student-led anatomy programme was implemented at a single institution, using near-peer teaching and Anatomage virtual dissection. This study aims to describe the methodology of this programme and determine the benefit of a near-peer taught anatomy course.
Method
The programme was organised by senior medical students, utilising Anatomage virtual dissection and techniques in line with Bigg’s constructive alignment. Attendees were asked to complete questionnaires with Likert scales (0-10) and open answer text to determine learners’ benefit. Both quantitative and qualitative analyses are presented.
Results
73 students attended eight sessions from January to March 2020. Students reported a statistically significant (p < 0.01) increase in confidence after the sessions of 3.74±1.83. The quality and relevance of the teaching also scored highly (9.32±0.89 and 9.47±0.86 respectively). Qualitatively, students praised the "informal learning environment”, the structure of the sessions, the handout provided, and the interactivity of anatomage technology.
Conclusions
This study demonstrates how virtual dissection technology and near-peer teaching can derive significant benefit to undergraduate students, in line with previously published data.
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