Search

Capsular contracture is one of the most distressing complications of breast implant use in both aesthetic and reconstructive plastic surgery procedures. This systematic review was performed to assess the effectiveness of all nonsurgical treatments for established capsular contracture.

The dorsoradial flap is a recently described cutaneous flap, which is harvested from the distal forearm and indicated for covering dorsal soft tissue defects of the hand and thumb. Vascularization of the flap is assured by a cutaneous branch of the radial artery, which arises at the level of the first intermetacarpal space and supplies the skin of the distal quarter of the forearm dorsum. This area corresponds to the skin island of the dorsoradial flap. We report our clinical experience on seven patients where this flap was used for covering post-traumatic defects of the thumb. Dimensions of the defect varied from 18 to 28 cm(2). The donor site was skin grafted. All flaps survived and provided satisfactory coverage of the defect. Based on a secondary vascular axis, the flap has a large skin paddle and a wide rotation arc that allows soft tissue reconstruction of the dorsal and radiopalmar areas of the thumb.

Late presentation of extravasation injuries from chemotherapeutic agents is not uncommon. Twenty-four patients with extravasation injuries presented with upper limb extravasation but without any skin necrosis between the second and the fourteenth day following injury day. We flushed out the infiltrated area with 300-500 ml of normal saline through multiple stab incisions. All 24 patients responded well to the procedure and no further complications occurred. The average time for the complete healing of the wounds was 15 days. All the patients were able to continue their chemotherapy treatment without delay. Patients were followed up for a mean period of 13 months. They all recovered with no functional deficit and only mild scarring. Early recognition and immediate treatment of extravasation injuries are of paramount importance. In cases with no evidence of skin necrosis, a delayed wash-out procedure appears to be very effective in removing the extravasated drug and minimizing further tissue damage.