A prospective randomized trial of absorbable versus metal skin staples for securing skin grafts to excised burn wounds was performed in 20 patients. The absorbable staples were easy to use and efficacious in securing the skin grafts, except to edematous fatty tissue. Aesthetically, the absorbable staples yielded as good or better results when compared with metal staples resulting from a lack of tissue distortion. A decrease of 61.4 minutes of the most significantly painful portion of the postoperative dressing change (i.e., staple removal) would have been avoided by using absorbable staples. The overall cost of using the absorbable staples for small burns was comparable with metal staples; however, the cost difference was significantly greater for large burns.
The authors describe a case of dermatofibrosarcoma protruberans of the frontal region in a young girl. The condition was treated by radical excision of the scalp, frontal bone, and sinuses, and immediate reconstruction with an acrylic cranioplasty and microsurgical transfer of a free groin flap. Pathological examination revealed the margins of the excised specimen were clear of tumor. The initial flap failed, but a second graft was immediately transferred successfully, with a good cosmetic result.
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