January 1st, 2012 by John Di Saia, M.D. in Opinion
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Online resources for tummy tuck information suffer with a great deal of misconception. Even surgeons may disagree regarding choosing between different tummy tuck operations for a given patient. Reduced cost, pain and extent of surgery tend to push patients toward lesser surgery. These days “less invasive” is a popular selling point. As my practice has progressed, however, I have found the satisfaction rate of mini tummy tuck to be too low to support doing many of them. I do “minis” only in rare circumstances these days.
Mini tummy tuck surgery corrects much less than more involved full versions of the operation. If there is any significant looseness above the belly button, the mini will not address it much. If there is any more than a tiny bit of excess skin, the mini will not touch it much at all. The feeling of having been “under corrected” is common after mini tummy tuck surgery. If patients are unhappy with the results of a mini tummy tuck it is not always possible to Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Truth in Cosmetic Surgery*
December 21st, 2011 by RamonaBatesMD in Research
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There is an interesting article in the current edition of the Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery Journal (December 2011). The focus of the article is a small subset of renal patients who need kidney transplants but whose abdominal panniculus excludes them due. A significant panniculus creates an infrapannicular area prone to increased moisture, skin maceration, and elevated bacterial counts, predisposing the patient to postoperative wound infections, necrosis, and dehiscence. Not good for anyone, but really not for someone on immunosuppression.
The article discusses the use of abdominal panniculectomy in these patients in preparation for the transplant. Nine patients, 3 men and 6 women, with a mean age of 54.5 years and a mean BMI 28.3 are the focus of the article. The focus is not Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Suture for a Living*
December 17th, 2011 by John Di Saia, M.D. in Opinion, Research
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Despite the benefits of immediate post-mastectomy breast reconstruction, only a small minority of women, regardless of age, choose this option, a new study indicates. Research has shown that compared with a delayed procedure, immediate post-mastectomy reconstruction improves psychological well-being and quality of life. The new study, headed by Dawn Hershman, M.D., associate professor of medicine and epidemiology at Columbia University Medical Center, indicates that only about one-third of women opt for the procedure, according to the American Association for Cancer Research.
Source: cosmeticsurgerytimes.modernmedicine.com/
cosmeticsurgerytimes/article/articleDetail.jsp?id=751765
Immediate breast reconstruction does lead to better results in patients with early stage breast cancer. That is a pretty much well known fact. This statistic of less than a third of women seeking this type of reconstruction in this light seems kinda sad, but keep reading: Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Truth in Cosmetic Surgery*
December 17th, 2011 by RamonaBatesMD in Opinion, Research
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There were two articles regarding deep venous thrombosis prevention in the November 2011 issue of the Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Journal. Both are worth reading. I have supplied the full references below with links.
From the second article:
Between 1 and 7 percent of surgeons have personally experienced a venous thromboembolism–related patient death after high-risk plastic surgery. Plastic surgeons’ self-reported practice patterns indicate a disparity between clinical understanding and clinical practice. The majority of surgeons can identify patients at high risk for postoperative venous thromboembolism. However, examination of their self-reported practice patterns indicates that a substantial proportion of surgeons (>50 percent) provide inadequate levels of venous thromboembolism prophylaxis for high-risk patients. In addition, surgeons recognize modifiable venous thromboembolism risk factors (such as oral contraceptive use) but may fail to modify those factors before surgery.
“Never event” is a poor descriptor for venous thromboembolism, as it implies that Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Suture for a Living*
December 10th, 2011 by Berci in Research, Video
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It would be fantastic to use 3D printers to produce bone replacements:
Now, Washington State University engineers are unveiling a unique implementation of the tech that could aid in the regrowth of damaged or diseased bones. Utilizing a ceramic compound, the group’s optimized ProMetal 3D printer builds dissolvable scaffolds coated with a plastic binding agent that serve as a blueprint for tissue growth. The team’s already logged four long years fine tuning the process, having already achieved positive results testing on rats and rabbits, but it appears there’s still a ways to go — about 10 -12 years, according to the project’s co-author Susmita Bose — before orthopedic and dental surgeons can begin offering “printed” bone replacements.
*This blog post was originally published at ScienceRoll*
