Assessing tissue expansion in reconstruction of post burn head and neck scar

Due to high prevalence of head and neck burns and reports on the success of tissue expansion in reconstruction, this study was carried out to determine the effect of tissue extension on reconstructing head and neck scars, emphasizing on the right flap design.

In a clinical trial, 51 patients (62 scars) underwent tissue expansion. All patients were examined preoperatively for their scar status and amount of intact tissue. Afterwards, the reconstructed area was examined 6 months post-surgery in respect to tissue similarity, pliability and skin color.

This study was conducted on 51 patients (55% female and 45% male) ranging from 10 to 59 years. Tissue expansion was successful in 95.1% of the reconstructions, whereas tissue transmission and covering the defect was successful in 89%. Complications were only seen in 19.4%. In 4.8% of the cases no tissue extension occurred. Good blood perfusion was observed in 81% of the flaps. ‍

It seems that using tissue expansion is acceptable in reconstructing head and neck burn scars. We recommend its use with appropriate flap design.