Citation

Hudson DA, Grobbelaar AO. Burns 1995; 21(3): 209-211.

Affiliation

Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Red Cross Childrens' Hospital, Cape Town, South Africa.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1995, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

7794503

Abstract

The outcome of 25 children who underwent reconstruction of the head and neck with tissue expanders is described. Fourteen boys and 11 girls with a mean age of 6.2 years (range 3-11 years) had 36 tissue expanders inserted. Five of the expanders extruded and five children suffered other expander-related complications. The best aesthetic results were achieved in the scalp and the poorest results occurred where expanded neck skin was transposed into the face. Tissue expansion is a useful method for reconstruction of the head and neck in burned children. However patients require careful selection in order to achieve optimal results. Meticulous attention to detail is required to reduce the incidence of complications.

Language: en