The Effectiveness of Plastic Surgery of Post-Burn Scarring of the Face and Neck with the Use of A Free Skin Graft

Abstract

The relevance of the problem. The issue of plasty of extensive post-burn defects of the soft tissues of the head and neck is still open. Microsurgical flaps cannot be used in cases where there are no recipient vessels for revascularization of the graft. At the same time, microsurgical autotransplantation of tissues requires special equipment and tools, a trained microsurgical team. In light of the above, further research is needed to improve the known and develop new methods of surgical correction of the consequences of burns of the head and neck. Objective: to improve the results of surgical rehabilitation of patients with post-burn scar deformity of the face and neck by applying plastic surgery with a full-layer free skin graft. Materials and methods: according to the applied plastic surgery methods, 216 patients were divided into two groups. In the main group – 103 patients, the proposed method of eliminating post–burn scar deformity of the face and neck was performed; in the comparison group - 113 patients, plastic surgery with a free skin graft or its combination with plastic surgery with local tissues was performed according to traditional methods. Results: an improved method of plasty with a full-layer free skin graft and local tissues in post-burn scarring of the face and neck, characterized by an improvement in the quality of the removed graft, by reducing the degree of its retraction, as well as stimulation of vascularization, reducing the risk of formation of subcutaneous fluid accumulations, excluding prolonged wearing of a pressure bandage, which generally contributes to a more physiological engraftment of transplanted tissues.