This article represents a planned regular updating of the previous British Association of Dermatologists guidelines for the management of basal cell carcinoma. These guidelines present evidence-based guidance for treatment, with identification of the strength of evidence available at the time of preparation of the guidelines, and a brief overview of epidemiological aspects, diagnosis and investigation.

https://www.bad.org.uk/library-media/documents/BCC_2008.pdf

Guidelines for the management of basal cell carcinoma

In this study, the effects of procedure type, timing, and other clinical variables on complication rates in mastectomy reconstruction were prospectively evaluated. Using a prospective cohort design, women undergoing first-time, immediate or delayed breast reconstruction were recruited from 12 centers and 23 plastic surgeons. Complication data for expander/implant, pedicle transverse rectus abdominis musculocutaneous (TRAM) flap, and free TRAM flap procedures were evaluated 2 years after surgery in 326 patients. For each patient, the total number of complications was recorded and the complication data were dichotomized in two ways: (1) total complications and (2) major complications (those requiring reoperation, rehospitalization, or nonperioperative intravenous antibiotic treatment). The effects of procedure type, timing, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, age, smoking, and body mass index on complication rates were analyzed using logistic regression. Immediate reconstructions had significantly higher total as well as major complication rates, compared with delayed procedures (p = 0.011 and 0.005, respectively). Furthermore, higher body mass indexes were associated with significantly higher total and major complication rates (p = 0.005 and p < 0.001, respectively). No significant effects on complication rates were noted for procedure type or for the other independent variables, although there was evidence of trends for higher total and major complication rates in implant patients who received radiotherapy and a trend for higher major complication rates in TRAM flap patients who received chemotherapy. It was concluded that (1) immediate reconstructions were associated with significantly higher complication rates than delayed procedures, and (2) procedure type had no significant effect on complication rates.

Complications in postmastectomy breast reconstruction: two-year results of the Michigan Breast Reconstruction Outcome Study.

Significance: Injury to the skin provides a unique challenge, as wound healing is a complex and intricate process. Acute wounds have the potential to move from the acute wound to chronic wounds, requiring the physician to have a thorough understanding of outside interventions to bring these wounds back into the healing cascade. Recent Advances: The development of new and effective interventions in wound care remains an area of intense research. Negative pressure wound therapy has undoubtedly changed wound care from this point forward and has proven beneficial for a variety of wounds. Hydroconductive dressings are another category that is emerging with studies underway. Other modalities such as hyperbaric oxygen, growth factors, biologic dressings, skin substitutes, and regenerative materials have also proven efficacious in advancing the wound-healing process through a variety of mechanisms. Critical Issues: There is an overwhelming amount of wound dressings available in the market. This implies the lack o...

/pdf/wound-dressings-and-comparative-effectiveness-data-1652yk6a2i.pdf

Wound Dressings and Comparative Effectiveness Data.

OBJECTIVE: The authors compared skin-sparing mastectomy and traditional mastectomy both followed by immediate reconstruction in the treatment of breast cancer. SUMMARY BACKGROUND DATA: Skin-sparing mastectomy is used increasingly in the treatment of breast cancer to improve the aesthetic results of immediate reconstruction. The oncologic and reconstructive outcomes of this procedure have never been analyzed closely. METHODS: Institutional experience with 435 consecutive patients who underwent total mastectomy and immediate reconstruction from January 1989 through December 1994 was examined. Mastectomies were stratified into skin-sparing (SSM) and non-skin-sparing (non-SSM) types. RESULTS: Three hundred twenty-seven SSMs and 188 non-SSMs were performed. The mean follow-up was 41.3 months (SSM, 37.5 months, non-SSM, 48.2 months). Local recurrences from invasive cancer occurred after 4.8% of SSMs versus 9.5% of non-SSMs. Sixty-five percent of patients who underwent SSMs had nothing performed on the opposite breast versus 45% in the group of patients who underwent non-SSM (p = 0.0002). Native skin flap necrosis occurred in 10.7% of patients who underwent SSMs versus 11.2% of patients who underwent non-SSMs. CONCLUSIONS: Skin-sparing mastectomy facilitates immediate breast reconstruction by reducing remedial surgery on the opposite breast. Native skin flap necrosis is not increased over that seen with non-SSM. Skin-sparing mastectomies can be used in the treatment of invasive cancer without compromising local control.

Skin-sparing mastectomy. Oncologic and reconstructive considerations.

Management of pilonidal sinus is frequently unsatisfactory No method satisfies all requirements for the ideal treatment--quick healing, no hospital admission, minimal patient inconvenience, and low recurrence--but greater awareness of the strengths and weaknesses of existing methods would lead to improved management Early excision of the pilonidal pit at the time of treatment of pilonidal abscess reduces the high (40 per cent) risk of subsequent sinus Treatments for pilonidal sinus that flatten the natal cleft halve the risk of recurrence En block excision of pilonidal sinus with secondary healing should be abandoned and emphasis given to development of treatments, such as primary asymmetric closure, which have more potential Some treatments are operator-dependent and, to achieve the best results, junior surgeons must be correctly trained and supervised Future treatment studies must be prospective and randomized, and should compare healing time, recurrence rates beyond 3 years, nurse and hospital visits, patient inconvenience and loss of income

Pilonidal sinus: finding the right track for treatment.

The transverse abdominal island flap is not just another myocutaneous flap. Although it derives its blood supply from myocutaneous perforators, the portion of the skin and fat that overlies muscle comprises only about 20% of its surface. The surface area of the flap by far exceeds the surface area of the entire muscle that carries it. Its hemodynamics are more complicated than usual and consist of delicate communications between the superior and inferior deep epigastric systems and the deep and superficial epigastric systems across the midline. Its use in breast reconstruction has been as exciting as it is complex. We describe our experience with 60 consecutive patients and 65 transverse abdominal island flaps.

The transverse abdominal island flap: part I. Indications, contraindications, results, and complications.

The purpose of this article—an adjunct to Part I appearing in January—is to describe in detail the surgical technique of the transverse abdominal island flap for reconstructing the female breast after mastectomy. This perioperative and intraoperative management scenario represents the consensus of both authors and is not intended as a rigid set of rules on “how to do it.” Rather it is hoped that these observations, based on our experience, will stimulate further expansion and refinement and more exact definition of the art and science involved in this concept. This portion of the article should not be considered independent of the perspective presentedin Part I regarding patient selection, indications, contraindications, and limitations of the transverse abdominal island flap.

The Transverse Abdominal Island Flap: Part II. Surgical Technique

Refinements in the use of the transverse abdominal island flap for postmastectomy reconstruction.

The rectus abdominis myocutaneous flap has been used in 10 patients requiring the importation of skin, subcutaneous tissue, and muscle for postmastectomy reconstruction. It was preferred to the latissimus dorsi myocutaneous flap under the circumstances highlighted in Table I. The flap has proved reliable and easy to raise, with a consistent anatomic location of the arterial venous pedicle. In 10 such flaps performed, one partial necrosis occurred in a patient who was extremely obese and had had a previous laparotomy that may have interfered with the integrity of the underlying blood supply to the rectus abdominis muscle. A minor complication of cellulitis in the donor-site wound was due to an idiosyncratic allergy to sutures used in the subcutaneous tissue. One instance of abdominal contour deformity was noticed in a patient in whom the anterior rectus sheath had been reconstituted by advancing the fascia of the external oblique muscle to meet the linea alba in the midline. In summary, we believe that the rectus abdominis myocutaneous flap, in certain select circumstances, produces a reliable, readily accessible myocutaneous flap to import tissue to the anterior chest wall for adequate mound reconstruction after mastectomy.

The role of the rectus abdominis myocutaneous flap in breast reconstruction.

Most failure and recurrences after excision and grafting occur during the first five months postoperatively. We concluded that this most likely indicated inadequate excision rather than inefficacy of the procedure. For small pilonidal sinus with minor sinus tract and shallow natal cleft, excision with primary closure would seem to be the best procedure. However, for extensive or recurrent sacrococcygeal pilonidal disease, wide excision with primary split thickness skin grafting is superior. We reviewed 58 patients who had undergone excision of extensive or recurrent pilonidal disease, with primary skin grafting. More than 72 per cent of these patients had recurrent disease when first seen at the Cleveland Clinic. The average hospital stay was 9.8 days; the total disability period, time off work, was 28 days; recurrence rate, 1.7 per cent, and failure rate, 3.4 per cent. This procedure is recommended for recurrent or extensive pilonidal disease.

Melvyn I. Dinner

Papers

The transverse abdominal island flap: part I. Indications, contraindications, results, and complications.

The Transverse Abdominal Island Flap: Part II. Surgical Technique

Refinements in the use of the transverse abdominal island flap for postmastectomy reconstruction.

The role of the rectus abdominis myocutaneous flap in breast reconstruction.

Excision and grafting in treatment of recurrent pilonidal sinus disease.