Common Pediatric Skin Lesions: A Comprehensive Review of the Current Literature

Comparison of three different surgical approaches for the treatment of large/giant congenital melanocytic nevus

OBJECTIVE

Treating large/giant congenital melanocytic nevus (L/GCMN) is challenging for surgeons. Operative approaches commonly used to remove L/GCMN include serial excision, tissue expansion, and skin grafting. Thus, we retrospectively compared these three operations' applications and therapeutic effects.

METHODS

The clinical data of 97 L/GCMN patients from June 1, 2015, to June 1, 2019, were collected and divided into three groups according to the operations used: serial excision group(SE group, n=18), tissue expansion group(TE group, n=23) and skin grafting group(SG group, n=56). The location and size of the lesion, the number of operations, duration of each operation, preoperative preparation time, postoperative hospital stay, complications, and clinical outcomes of all patients were collected and assessed.

RESULTS

The SE group had the most times of operation (3.9 and 6.0 for LCMN and GCMN, respectively), the shortest surgery length (56.3min), and the shortest postoperative hospital stay (10.0d). The SE and SG groups required much less time to prepare for surgery and had a lower rate of complications than the TE group. During the 11.9-month median follow-up period, the SE and TE groups had better postoperative outcomes than the SG group.

CONCLUSION

Each of the three operations has different advantages and disadvantages, and the specific surgical strategy should be decided based on the patient's unique circumstances.

Reconstruction of a Giant Congenital Melanocytic Nevus Defect With a Submental Flap in a Global Health Setting

Excision of a facial congenital melanocytic nevus (CMN) is a common reason for consultation in pediatric plastic surgery. Facial nevi are generally small and uncomplicated to remove and become more complex when large or giant. The available resources determine treatment and excision options. The indication for excision is generally based on esthetic criteria; however, the risk of melanoma increases with the nevi diameter. This patient with a giant CMN (GCMN) was encountered on an international medical mission trip. The palm-sized lesion spanned from her left zygomatic arch down to the jawline. Due to the esthetic impact and lack of resources to continue monitoring the lesion, complete excision was performed. The resultant defect was reconstructed with a pedicled submental flap. This article presents management and reconstruction of a facial GCMN encountered in the global setting and presents a brief literature review of GCMN.