Classification des tumeurs et malformations vasculaires: fondement de la classification et intérêt clinique

Vascular anomalies are a complex pathological group. They are especially difficult to study because of confusion in the terminology used. The classification developed by the ISSVA (International Society for the Study of Vascular Anomalies) now allows using a common scientific language. The classification is based on clinical, radiological, hemodynamic, and histological arguments. There are two groups of lesions: vascular tumors and vascular malformations. Vascular tumors are associated to vascular proliferation. They are called hemangioma and can be infantile or congenital. Vascular malformations are associated to vessels with morphologic anomalies. They are classified according to the distorted vessel type, capillary, venous, lymphatic, and arteriovenous). Such a classification has many implications. It is a guide for the orientation of radiological exams and treatment of vascular anomalies. The management of these anomalies is still difficult and must involve an interdisciplinary approach.

Clinicopathologic Monitoring of the Skin and Oral Mucosa of the First Human Face Allograft: Report on the First Eight Months

BACKGROUND

The first human face allograft was performed in France on November 27, 2005. We report herein the clinicopathologic findings from the skin and oral mucosa of this allograft during the first eight months.

METHODS

Sequential biopsies were taken from the facial skin (n = 3), oral mucosa (n = 20), and sentinel skin graft (n = 11) from day 3 to day 220 postgraft and examined (immuno)histologically, using a pathological score previously proposed for evaluation of rejection in composite tissue (hand) transplantation.

RESULTS

The patient developed clinically rejection episodes at day 20 and during the eighth month postgraft, manifesting with redness and edema of the facial skin, oral mucosa, and sentinel graft skin. Pathologically, changes suggestive of rejection grades 0, I, II, and III were seen in 1, 1, 1, and 0 biopsies of facial skin, 7, 2, 1, and 1 biopsies of sentinel skin graft and 3, 5, 8, and 4 biopsies of oral mucosa, respectively. Pathological changes were generally more severe in the oral mucosa than in facial and sentinel graft skin (mean scores 1.85, 0.64, and 1, respectively).

CONCLUSIONS

As it happens with other composite tissue allografts, close clinicopathologic monitoring of the skin (and oral mucosa) seems to be the most reliable way to detect rejection in the setting of human facial tissue allotransplantation. Apart from these rejection episodes, the skin and mucosa maintained a normal microscopic structure, paralleling functional recovery.

First human face allograft: early report

BACKGROUND

Extended soft tissue defects of the face are difficult to reconstruct, and autologous tissue transfers usually lead to poor cosmetic and functional outcomes. We judged that composite tissue transplantation could be valuable in facial reconstructive surgery.

METHODS

We transplanted the central and lower face of a brain-dead woman onto a woman aged 38 years who had suffered amputation of distal nose, both lips, chin, and adjacent parts of the cheeks. Transplantation consisted of revascularisation of right and left facial arteries and veins (ischaemic time 4 h), mucosal repair of oral and nasal vestibules, bilateral anastomoses of infraorbital and mental sensitive nerves, joining of mimic muscles with motor nerve suture on mandibular branch of the left facial nerve, and skin closure. Immunosuppressive treatment was with thymoglobulin, tacrolimus, mycophenolate mofetil, and prednisone. Two infusions of donor bone-marrow cells were given. Follow-up included routine tests, biopsies, physiotherapy, and psychological support.

FINDINGS

The initial postoperative course was uneventful. No surgical complication occurred. Bone-marrow graft and immunosuppression were well tolerated. Mild clinical signs of rejection were seen at day 20. Increased corticoids initially did not reverse rejection, but signs of rejection disappeared after three boluses of prednisone. Anatomical and psychological integration and recovery of sensation were excellent. At the end of the first postoperative week, the patient could eat, and speech improved quickly. Passive transmission of muscle contractions to the graft already exists; physiotherapy is being done to restore dynamic motions around the lips.

INTERPRETATION

The 4-month outcome demonstrates the feasibility of this procedure. The functional result will be assessed in the future, but this graft can already be deemed successful with respect to appearance, sensitivity, and acceptance by the patient.

[Tuberculosis of the submandibular gland: a case report]

INTRODUCTION

Tuberculosis remains an important public health problem in France. After a certain decline, its incidence has remained unchanged since 1990. 30% of tuberculosis cases are extra-pulmonary form, most of them concern nodes especially in cervical areas.

CASE REPORT

This case of submandibular tuberculosis illustrates diagnostic and therapeutic difficulties.

DISCUSSION

There are few clinical signs or laboratory clues suggestive of tuberculosis, however a surgery cannot be avoided and must be performed in combination with antituberculosis chemotherapy.

Cleft palate and Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome

OBJECTIVE

Patients with Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome suffer numerous anomalies, which vary somewhat from case to case. Cleft palate in combination with this syndrome has rarely been reported in the literature. Through two cases, this report examines the staging of the surgical repairs and the role of macroglossia in cleft palate and the consequences of the scarred palate on mandibular development.

RESULTS

Of four patients with Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome, only two had a cleft palate. The timing of the repair in these two children was different. Speech development was satisfactory in the first case but mediocre in the second. This result seemed to be related to a poor social environment. Mandibular prognathism persisted in both cases.

CONCLUSION

The treatment of patients with cleft palate and Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome remains complex. It is preferable not to operate on a cleft palate before performing a tongue reduction plasty, but rather to combine these two surgical interventions. This would reduce the risks of anesthesia and enable the palate to heal more efficiently. Surgical treatment should be performed after the age of 6 months and before problems in speech development occur. An orthognathic surgery at adolescence could be performed if prognathism persists. While the origin of the cleft palate is still being discussed, we cannot claim that macroglossia is related to the development of cleft palate, nor that the scarred palate has an impact on the mandibular development.

Comparison of two computerassisted surgery techniques to guide a mandibular distraction osteogenesis procedure Technical note

The accuracy of distracted facial bone displacement depends on the preoperative clinical assessment, surgical planning and technique. The aim of this study was to evaluate two different techniques to guide the mandibular distraction surgical procedure using an intraoral device. This study was performed on a fresh cadavre. 3D reconstructions from a computed tomographic (CT) acquisition were used for the two techniques. The first technique comprised a customised stereolithographic template and the second technique used a computer-assisted surgery (CAS) unit to guide the osteotomy and the positioning and screwing of the distractor device. Both methods were planned and compared with the same 3D software. The authors discuss the feasibility and reliability of the two techniques. The accuracy of the two techniques appears to be comparable for clinical applications, although the rapid prototyping template technique appears to be more satisfactory.

Total lower lip functional reconstruction with a prefabricated gracilis muscle free flap

Total lower lip reconstruction was performed in an 18-month-old boy following a dog bite. In order to obtain an optimal functional result and to avoid any additional facial scarring, a prefabricated gracilis muscle free flap was used in a two-stage procedure. Firstly, the muscle was delayed on its main pedicle, a 'tendinous' strip was inserted along its free border and a silicone sheet was slid under its predicted intraoral side. At the time of reconstruction, the neomucosal lining obtained in this way reconstituted the labial vestibule. Furthermore, the muscle, reinnervated by the mandibular branch of the facial nerve, was also put under minimal tension and suspended between the two modioli using the 'tendon' graft. This allowed both lip occlusion and normal speech development to be restored without any impairment of mandibular growth during a 4-year follow-up.

[Cherubism: the value of imaging and preoperative embolization]

Cherubism is a benign, hereditary, autosomal dominant disease, with variable penetrance and expressivity. It presents as a characteristic indolent deformity of the lower half of the face, associated with multicystic bone tumors. The definitive diagnosis is established by pathology. Radiology contributes greatly to its diagnosis (CT or MRI scan), and preoperative arterial embolization can provide valuable help to the surgeon when excision of this hemorrhagic lesion is necessary. The present article presents a case showing the advantage of this type of devascularization prior to surgery, not previously described in the literature.

[Cavernous hemangioma of the nasal bones]

Cavernous hemangioma of the nasal bones is a rare benign tumor. 31 cases have been published in the world literature. The tumor appears as a firm swelling involving the nasal bone, adjacent tissues are uninvolved. The CT scan is helpful in defining tumor characteristics and extent. In most cases surgery appears curative without major cosmetic deformation. We present a case of nasal bones hemangioma where a coronal flap approach was used for tumor resection and cranial bone grafts for reconstruction.

Cerebro-costo-mandibular syndrome in a father and a female fetus: early prenatal ultrasonographic diagnosis and autosomal dominant transmission

Ultrasonography in a female fetus revealed cystic cervical hygroma, severe micrognathia, and vertebral and upper limb anomalies suggestive of cerebro-costo-mandibular syndrome (CCMS) which was diagnosed ultrasonographically at 16 weeks' gestation. The father is affected and presents with a Pierre Robin sequence, short stature and typical costovertebral anomalies. CCMS is a rare and severe disorder. The high frequency of sporadic cases, vertical transmission, and the excess of sibs affected via horizontal transmission suggest dominant autosomal mutation with possible germinal mosaicism. The vertical familial case detailed in the present report is a reminder of the high risk when one parent or one sibling is affected and the extreme variability of phenotype and costal ossification. Early prenatal ultrasound diagnosis is possible in a severely affected fetus.

[Orthognathic surgery and stereolithographic models. A new technic of dental occlusion transfer]

Use of stereolithographic models in orthognathic surgery is limited by the difficult in considering the facial osteotomies and the dental occlusion at the same time. Different techniques allow the surgeon to perform the simulation using composite prototypes after including the dental casts on the models. These techniques require complex "stereotaxic" systems or a surgical approach before CT scanning in order to insert the reference screws. They cannot overcome the problem of mandibular movement during the CT session. Our technique is a simple way to include the dental casts in the stereolithographic model with high precision. This can easily be done in a maxillo-facial environment and does not require any further special knowledge other than that which can be aquired in a classical dental laboratory. The occlusion transfer is achieved with a silicon cast of the teeth and the bony structures of the sterolithographic model on which we include the plaster dental casts. The silicone cast of the dental occlusion can also be used to decrease the mandibular movement during CT scanning.

[Bilateral carotid paraganglioma]

We report an unusual case of bilateral paraganglioma of the carotid. The tumor had been neglected for a long time and increased in volume during pregnancy, inducing compression and requiring surgical treatment. We focus on the therapeutic strategy: devascularization followed by percutaneous sclerosis before total surgical removal in a two-step procedure.

[Secondary repair of oro-pharyngectomy with mandibular resection and radionecrosis]

There are two pitfalls to be avoided in transmandibular buccopharyngectomy: mandibular amputation and inversely a contemplative wait-and-see attitude. Preservative measures require a precise evaluation of bone invasion, surgical approaches respecting the lip and cutaneo-muscular flaps, and an early assessment of the secondary effects of radiotherapy. Reasonable use of bone periosteal free flaps and striving for immediate reconstruction of each defect certainly leads to an interventionist behavior, but which can be conducted under better conditions and more attainable objectives than after mandibular deformation, a pharyngostomia or recent radionecrosis. Microsurgical procedures are nothing more than technical mastery and can lead to arrogant behavior. Fifty cases illustrate this position.

[Digestive flaps and facial microsurgery]

Abdominal wall and contents can be used out of the coeliac cavity, as tissues donors site, for filling up or covering defects. Microsurgical technology mastery can extend their use in all the human body parts, especially in the craniofacial area. More than 110 digestive free transplants have been used during a 8 year period in head and neck surgical repairs. The report shows how to exploit at their best the anatomical and physiological properties of diverse abdominal tissues. Beyond this, the possible association of these transplants with other repair techniques opens new therapeutical perspectives, such as chimerical flaps whose pedicle distributes to heterogenous (or heteroclite) components, double flaps with a single or a double pedicle, replacing, at one single operative time, each missing tissue by the most adequate transplant. In consideration of this, abdominal tissues are an inexhaustible source of transplants, even through some imperfections must be managed.

[Microsurgery and ballistic traumatology of the face]

The use of free flaps to fill and repair facial defects due to suicidal gunshot wounds has considerably extended and refined the possibilities available to reconstructive surgeon. The objective is no longer to close the defect at any cost, or "fill a hole", but to replace missing tissue by an identical tissue, able to restore an identical cosmetic appearance, support equivalent constraints, and restore analogous function. Retrospective analysis of 56 cases of large facial defects due to gunshot wounds revealed a total of 66 free flaps for 32 cases. The vascular quality of the flaps allowed better integration in a sometimes hostile recipient site and markedly reduced the treatment time. Although the objective results obtained in the treatment of these severe defects remain poor, the first-line use of these multiple flaps, exclusively reserved for deep repair, as the basis for reconstruction, has modified our behaviour. A real medium-term treatment strategy, based on a decision flow-chart, can be proposed which, despite several inevitable failures, leaves less room for improvisation and piecemeal surgery. Free flaps are only the hidden part of the reconstruction, as surface cover uses local flaps and other conventional reconstructive surgery techniques. However, this humble, hidden role is nevertheless fundamental, in the strict sense of the term, and guides the general approach to this surgery.

[Role of coral blocks in cheek augmentation surgery. Prospective study of 23 patients]

A two-year multicentre prospective study was performed from 1992 to 1995 in order to evaluate the real value of various kinds of coral blocks as bone substitute in maxillofacial surgery. This study was supported by the French National Agency for Research Valorization (GBM/TEP procedure). Ten Maxillofacial Surgery Units were included. During this time, 28 coral blocks (23 patients) of two different shapes were used as malar implants for correction of congenital or acquired zygomatic hypoplasia. The mean follow-up was 1.8 year (min: 1.5; max: 2). The tolerance was perfect for 89% of cases. The radiologic opacity never decreased more than 30% and the volume augmentation was always stable at the end of the follow-up period. Three implants were removed because of septic complications. Rigid fixation between the implant and the zygomatic bone appears to be the most important factor of success. On the other hand, the surgical approach (endo- or exo-buccal) does not seem to influence the success rate. The aesthetic improvement was always evaluated as satisfactory and stable by the patients and the surgeons. The authors discuss the real value of the various kinds of biomaterials and especially coral, comparing their personal data with those of the literature. Coral blocks clearly constitute a safe and reliable bone substitute, but further investigations are required to determine its long-term behavior.

[History of microsurgical reconstruction of the mandible]

The history of mandibular reconstruction, initially prosthetic, dates back to Ancient Egypt and China, but developed rapidly and diversified from the 19th century onwards when C. Martin, in 1889 developed his "immediate prosthesis applied to resection of the jaws", while A. Barth, in 1895, performed the first bone grafts. The more recent history of microsurgical reconstruction commenced with free rib transfers in 1977-1978 (Ariyan, Couly). Other microsurgical transfers, either pure bone or composite osteocutaneous, osteoseptal or osteomyocutaneous were then rapidly developed and used with varying degrees of success for mandibular reconstruction: inguinoiliac flap (Talyor and Watson, 1978), dorsopedal flap using the second metatarsal (O'Brien, 1979), forearm flap with the radius (Soutar and Mac Gregor, 1986), lateral brachial flap with humerus (Martin, 1988), free fibular flap (Hidalgo, 1989)... and the story continues.