Background Lower lip is a vital organ with important functions as well as aesthetic importance. It is critical to provide an aesthetically appealing lower facial subunit with maintenance of understandable speech and oral competence. Achieving these targets is very difficult especially in total lower lip defects. This report presents a technique using super‐thin anterolateral thigh (ALT) flaps with fascia graft for reconstruction of large, complex oral sphincter defects. Patients and methods Six patients with squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and one patient with a gunshot injury were presented in this report. All of them had full‐thickness defects including skin, orbicularis muscle and oral mucosa. The mean age was 58 (range, 32–85) years. Defects of the lower lip were reconstructed with a super‐thin ALT flap. Super‐thin flaps were obtained by planning as close to the knee as possible and elevating at the level of superficial fascia. The fascia graft was used for achieving lip suspension. Results Overall flap survival was 100%. The flap size ranged from 8 × 6 cm to 14 × 10 cm. The follow‐up periods ranged from 6 to 14 months. All the patients achieved acceptable oral competence, both in the resting condition and during speaking and eating, except for one patient who had a drooping lower lip developed in the post‐operative 3rd month and underwent a secondary tightening procedure. Another patient needed liposuction due to bulky appearance. Conclusion Super‐thin ALT flaps seem to be a useful option for functional and aesthetic reconstruction of extensive lip defects.

Basosquamous carcinoma is a rare cutaneous tumour that is considered an aggressive type of basal cell carcinoma with an increased risk of recurrence and metastases. This impression has been perpetuated in the literature, despite limited scientific data and conflicting results of some authors. This present study was aimed to evaluate the clinical-pathological features of this tumour and follow-up of a series of basosquamous carcinoma. Basosquamous carcinoma patients who underwent surgical excision between January 2000 and February 2012 were analyzed retrospectively. Their medical files were reviewed and the corresponding routinely stained sections (with hematoxylin-eosin) were re-evaluated by two pathologists. Thirty-five patients with basosquamous carcinoma were operated on in this period. Most tumurs were located in the head and neck area (94%), and the mean age of the patients was 69.8 years. Margin involvements were seen in 11 patients (31.4%) and all of them underwent re-excision. There was only one local recurrence. There was neither regional lymph node nor distant metastasis in this series. The recurrence rate of basosquamous carcinoma is found as 4%, lower than that of most other similar studies. Further pathologic studies are needed to better classify basosquamous carcinoma and to increase consistency between the results of studies. Surgical excision and regular follow-up are considered as the treatment of choice.

When there is no suitable vessel in the injured leg for microsurgical transfer, cross-leg free flaps can be considered for lower extremity reconstruction. This report describes patients who experienced lower extremity trauma and underwent reconstruction with cross-leg free flaps with preserved blood flow in the recipient artery. Anterolateral thigh flap is preferred for small to moderate defects. The descending branch of the lateral femoral circumflex artery was dissected 2 cm proximally and distally and was prepared in a T-shape. The branches of the T were anastomosed to the recipient artery in the contralateral leg in the first session of the cross-leg free flap procedure. After 3 weeks, the flap artery was separated from the bifurcation. For large defects, the latissimus dorsi flap was chosen. The thoracodorsal artery was anastomosed to the contralateral posterior tibial artery in the first session. After 3 weeks, to provide recipient vessel integrity, the thoracodorsal artery was transected from the flap and anastomosed to the distal stump of the posterior tibial artery. Between January 2017 and January 2019, 8 defects were reconstructed using an anterolateral thigh flap; the remaining 4 defects were reconstructed using a latissimus dorsi flap. All flaps survived without complications. Anterograde flow distal to the anastomosis was confirmed in all recipient arteries via Doppler ultrasound. In cross-leg free flaps, the continuity of the recipient artery can be established to prevent diminished blood flow to the recipient extremity.

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Elastofibromas are slow-growing and rare soft-tissue tumors. The etiology and pathogenetic mechanisms are still controversial and there are only a few studies in the literature investigating the histochemical, immunohistochemical, and genetic features to determine the pathogenesis. We investigated the cellular composition of lesions with a diagnosis of elastofibroma in 17 patients by using histochemical and immunohistochemical methods. There were 17 cases with a mean age of 53.5 years. Mean lesion diameter was 6.6 cm. The immunohistochemical method showed vimentin and factor XIIIa positivity in all cases. Four cases had focal myoglobin positivity in the spindle-shaped cells between the collagen fibers. Spindle cells were positive for CD34 in 8 cases. Smooth muscle actin, desmin, type 4 collagen and laminin were negative in all cases. The elastic nature of the abnormal fibers was shown histoch with Verhoeff elastin staining and aldehyde fuchsin staining in all cases. Our results have shown that the concurrent positivity of factor XIIIa and CD34 in the cells forming the lesion might show that the lesionoriginates from primitive dermal mesenchymal cells. In addition, the myoglobin positivity found in some cases indicates the possibility of a myofibroblastic origin of elastofibromas.

Objectives Recently, anterolateral thigh flap has become one of the most commonly used free flaps in reconstructive surgery. Although its pedicle has relatively sufficient length, it falls short in some circumstances. Eccentric perforator location can be used to lengthen the pedicle, but flap tip viability can be a problem in this case. In addition, partial flap loss can be encountered in perforator flaps. The aim of this study was the use of multidetector computed tomographic angiography in preoperative mapping to overcome these problems. Materials and Methods Anterolateral thigh perforator flap was planned for various soft-tissue reconstructions in 19 patients. There were 15 males and 4 female patients with ages ranging from 19 to 65 years. These patients were evaluated with preoperative multidetector computed tomographic angiography to choose and to trace the course of the perforators. Flaps were designed according to the suprafascial course of the perforators. Perforators were safely located eccentrically when needed. Pedicle length and complications, such as infection, wound dehiscence, and partial or total flap loss, were recorded. Results Perforators were located eccentrically in 8 patients and centrally in the other 11 patients. Eleven flaps were used in lower leg reconstruction, 2 flaps in popliteal region, and 6 flaps in head and neck. All flaps survived and any partial or total loss did not occur. There was not any infection and wound problem. Conclusions Multidetector computed tomographic angiography can reveal the suprafascial course of the perforator and help design anterolateral thigh perforator flap. By using this kind of mapping, perforators can be safely located eccentrically to lengthen the pedicle and partial flap loss can be prevented.

The results of this study indicate significant improvements in health-related QOL at 4 months after breast reduction in a population of patients with macromastia. The authors also demonstrate excellent responsiveness of the BRASS.