Mulliken and Glowacki categorized vascular anomalies as either hemangiomas or malformations, with the former being the most common tumor of infancy. Despite distinct clinical, radiologic, and histologic findings, the two major types of vascular lesions are often confused. This complicates both patient care and interpretation of the medical literature. A thorough understanding of the presentation, natural history, treatment, and complications of vascular tumors (hemangiomas) and vascular malformations is essential to their proper management. A comprehensive review outlining the diagnosis and treatment of hemangiomas in presented.

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The search for less invasive surgical techniques to address the effects of facial aging led to the development of barbed polypropylene sutures for facial suspension. Theoretical advantages of these "threadlifts" included limited scarring, rapid recovery, relative safety, and reduced cost when compared with a standard rhytidectomy. The goal of this study was to evaluate the outcomes of patients undergoing threadlifts to determine the actual complication rates, the durability of results, and the rates of reoperative surgery. A single surgeon's initial 2-year experience with 72 patients undergoing threadlifts was retrospectively reviewed. Preoperative patient demographical and clinical data, operative information, and postoperative outcomes data were compiled and evaluated. A total of 72 thread lifts were performed by 1 surgeon over a 24-month period. Of these patients, 76% underwent threadlift alone, whereas concomitant procedures were performed in 24% of patients. Minor complications were common and usually self-limited. Forty-two percent of patients underwent a secondary procedure after primary threadlift, an average of 8.4 months after the original surgery. Thirty-one percent of patients required revisional surgery for cosmetic reasons an average of 8.7 months after their threadlift. Eleven percent of the patients ultimately required removal of palpable threads. Threadlift is a safe procedure associated with minor complications. Rates of revisional surgery for cosmesis are high after threadlift. Time to revisional surgery for cosmesis is short. Results achieved by threadlift are subtle and short-lived. Threadlift is not a minimally invasive replacement of surgical rhytidectomy. Patients should understand the limitations of this technique and its high rates of revisional surgery.

Silicone gel implants have been widely used for breast augmentation and reconstruction since the 1960s. Several alterations to both elastomer shell and filler gel have been made over the years to improve their ability to replicate the natural breast and to decrease the incidence of capsular contracture. The latter is a pathologic process involving the periprosthetic tissues formed in response to the presence of the implant. When severe, capsular contracture may cause firmness, distortion, and pain. In response to many claims of implant-related connective tissue disease, the US Food and Drug Administration placed a moratorium in 1992 on silicone gel breast implants for cosmetic purposes. Despite a preponderance of scientific data to their safety, silicone gel implants are presently available in the United States only as part of limited clinical trials. They continue to be used in Europe and other parts of the world.

The successful use of hyperbaric oxygen for the management of radionecrosis of the head and neck is supported. The unusual prevalence of chondroradionecrosis may be an early reflection of changes in treatment protocols for patients with head and neck cancer.