Maxillofacial traumas caused by gunshot wounds may cause quite varied defects. The objective of this study was to evaluate the reconstruction methods in 12 patients with gunshot wound-related mandibular and maxillofacial bony and soft tissue defects. Twelve patients who were operated on for maxillofacial gunshot wounds at our clinic between 2002 and 2012 were included in the study. Seven patients were wounded in a suicide attempt, and 5 were wounded as a result of an accident or in assaults. Two patients underwent reconstruction using free fibula osteocutaneous flap, 4 patients received the free radial forearm osteocutaneous flap, 2 patients received costal bone graft, and 3 patients received iliac bone grafts. Satisfactory functional and aesthetic outcomes were achieved in cases where staged secondary reconstruction, balloon treatment, and consecutive fat and steroid injections into the depressed scar areas were applied. In conclusion, the basic goal in maxillofacial reconstruction is the functional and aesthetic reconstruction of the contours. Because it is not easy to get perfect results with only 1 clinical approach or 1 method, the proper timing and reconstruction method should be selected.
One of the challenging postburn face deformities is alar rim defects or deformities. Small through-and-through defects of the nasal ala may be managed with a composite graft of auricular tissue, obtained from the earlobe, the helical rim, and the root of the helix. We use usually the root of the helix for postburn alar defect correction as a composite graft donor site. The advantage of these composite grafts is that the procedure is a single-stage operation with excellent contour correction and a well toleration of donor site morbidity by the patient.
The most common causes of cheek defects include trauma, burn, and tumor resections. In the reconstruction of the defects in this region, it is essential to use similar or adjacent tissue considering the aesthetic and functional properties. For this purpose, numerous local, regional, or distant free flaps were described. The local flaps harvested from the head and neck region are the most frequent methods because of the similar skin color, texture, and compatibility with cheek.In this study, the reconstruction in a 29-year-old male patient who had a full-thickness cheek defect due to tumor resection on the left side was performed, wherein a hairless skin island was carried through the frontal branch of superficial temporal artery for oral mucosa, and a hairy skin island through the parietal branch of the same pedicle was carried for the bearded skin defect. No complication occurred postoperatively and both aesthetic and functional satisfactory results were obtained, providing the oral mucosal and natural beard integrity. Donor-site scarring and temporal alopecia were recorded as the disadvantages of this method.This technique is a useful method for the reconstruction of full-thickness cheek defects because of its advantages including compatibility of color and texture, reliable blood supply, requiring single-session procedure, and being able to carry 2 different skin islands on the same pedicle.
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