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Summary:. For large lower lip defects, a thin flap combined with a tendon is the standard reconstructive option. However, this method can result in flap ptosis, which occurred in two of our patients. To correct the ptosis, we transplanted costal cartilage into the reconstructed lower lips, which produced good or moderate results. We report our experience based on long-term follow-up. In case 1, reconstruction was performed with a latissimus dorsi myocutaneous flap. Within 10 years of the first cartilage transplant, two additional surgeries were required due to cartilage/screw breakage. These problems may have been triggered by the bulkiness of the flap and/or the angle at which the cartilage was anchored in place. There have not been any further problems for 3 years. In case 2, reconstruction was performed with a free anterolateral thigh flap. The skin around the flap had poor extensibility, and the patient had marked Class II occlusion. We grafted cartilage without fixing it to the mandible. However, temporary interference with the maxillary dentition was observed. In conclusion, costal cartilage grafts are effective against flap ptosis after free flap reconstruction of the lower lip in patients without Class II occlusion. To achieve long-term stability, the optimal angle and positioning of the cartilage and the extensibility of the skin must be thoroughly investigated before surgery, and a thick piece of cartilage must be firmly fixed in place.

Summary:. Abdominal hernias are often repaired using prosthetic mesh, which is susceptible to infections. Normally, it is necessary to remove the mesh. However, successful mesh salvation with negative-pressure wound therapy (NPWT) has recently been reported. We encountered Mycobacterium(M) mageritense infection after hernia repair using the mesh. M. mageritense is classified as a fast-growing nontuberculous mycobacterium, but few cases have been reported. Nontuberculous mycobacterium can cause rare chronic infections. Skin and soft-tissue infections by nontuberculous mycobacterium involving localized abscess formation and chronic abscesses under various situations have been reported. We report an 85-year-old woman in whom a ventral hernia repair-related M. mageritense mesh infection was treated with NPWT without mesh removal. The hernia was repaired using Bard Ventralex mesh. Pus discharge was seen on the seventh postoperative day, and there was a small area of necrosis under the mesh. From the 13th postoperative day, NPWT was performed for 4 weeks. On the 29th postoperative day, a M. mageritense infection was diagnosed, which was resistant to multiple drugs. After the NPWT, most of the wound showed good granulation tissue formation. In conclusion, the mesh used to repair a hernia became infected with M. mageritense, but NPWT was able to salvage it. In cases of mesh infection involving small necrotic areas, performing NPWT under the guidance of an infectious disease expert may make it possible to preserve the mesh.

Summary. We treat infected cysts on a daily basis, but it is difficult to diagnose similar lesions produced by inflammatory conditions that are not primarily caused by bacteria. Dissecting cellulitis of the scalp (DCS) is a chronic inflammatory disease that results in disfiguring, painful, and purulent lesions. It often takes a long time to diagnose. The pathophysiology of DCS remains unclear. Various treatments for DCS have been proposed, depending on the severity of the disease. However, none of these treatments are clearly superior to the others. If DCS spreads to the entire occipital region, aggressive surgical treatment may be beneficial in terms of the patient’s quality of life. However, surgical interventions, such as drainage, are not effective at preventing the progression of the disease. Herein, we report the case of a young female patient who developed a cyst in the occipital region. We initially suspected that the lesion was a normal infected trichilemmal cyst. However, DCS was subsequently suspected because the lesion exhibited an unusual course after drainage and debridement. We consider that we made a diagnosis relatively early, but if we had sufficient knowledge about DCS we could have made a diagnosis even earlier by performing debridement sooner. Minocycline was administered for 5 months, which caused the lesion to disappear. After 2 years, no recurrence had been observed.

Summary:. We report a case, function preservation of the upper lip after tumor resection was possible using residual orbicularis oris muscle and attached levator labii superioris alaeque nasi. Patient was 67-year-old male with squamous cell carcinoma at the vermilion border. The tumor was resected with an 8-mm margin, leaving the oral mucosa as intact as possible. To reconstruct the red lip, we used the oral mucosa as a rotational transposition flap. The white lip was reconstructed with a cheek rotation flap. A levator labii superioris alaque nasi muscle flap, which was attached to the remaining orbicularis oris muscle, was used to increase marginal lip volume. The movement of the reconstructed lip was good. At 9 postoperative months, induration of the red lip was palpable, and we suspected that the blood supply to the levator labii superioris alaque nasi was borderline insufficient. Slight drooping of the reconstructed lip occurred. We dissected this was caused by dissection of mid facial muscles from orbicularis oris muscle to ease downward rotation of the cheek flap and obscure the original nasolabial fold. Although some drooping and induration of the lip occurred, the white and red lip were reconstructed in a single-stage procedure, which resulted in good movement and preserved the function of the orbicularis oris muscle.