BACKGROUND: Surgical excision combined with radiotherapy is considered an effective treatment for keloids, while the efficacy and safety of this regimen for huge keloids in patients who need reconstruction after excision is still unclear. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of surgical excision and reconstruction combined with radiotherapy for huge keloids in a single center with 13 years of experience.
METHODS: All consecutive patients with huge keloids who underwent surgical excision and reconstruction combined with radiotherapy were identified. Demographic information, prior interventions for keloids, parameters and complications, and recurrence rates were documented.
RESULTS: Twenty-one patients (10 males; mean age, 43.19 ± 18.15 years) were included, 14 patients reconstructed with z-plasties, 5 with skin grafts, and 2 with skin flaps. During a mean follow-up of 75 months, one patient developed local necrosis without the need for revision surgery and two patients developed temporary hyperpigmentation. Two patients with the z-plasties suffered partial keloids recurrence, which was healed with corticosteroid injection. No wound infection, hematoma, telangiectasia, or new keloids at donor sites were observed. The overall appearance of reconstructed defects was aesthetically acceptable.
CONCLUSIONS: Surgical excision and reconstruction combined with radiotherapy may be safe and effective for huge keloids.

The aim of this study is to determine whether Z-plasty combined with fractional CO2 laser therapy can be a potential management option for hypertrophic burn scars in the proliferation stage. A total of 105 patients (46 male and 59 female patients) diagnosed with hypertrophic scars under tension but without any functional limitations were enrolled in this study. The Vancouver Scar Scale (VSS) score and scar height were analyzed and compared. The VSS scores for all scars were improved in all groups after treatment. The scar height was also significantly decreased in each group after treatment (P < 0.05). In the C group, the scar height decreased significantly to 2.62 ± 0.21 mm, which was the maximum extent at the ≦ 6 month time point compared to the decrease in the other groups. Compared to the > 12 month time point for the C group, there was a significant difference between the ≦ 6 month time point for the L group and the > 12 month time point for the Z group. The proportion of satisfied patients was highest at 89.47% at the ≦6 month time point in the C group and lowest at 65.52% at the > 12 month time point in the L group. Six representative cases are presented. Z-plasty can decrease the thickness of a hypertrophic burn scar, which not only reduces the scar tension but also makes it easy to treat the scar with a fractional CO2 laser. Subsequent treatment with a fractional CO2 laser can better improve the color and texture of the scar.

This study aimed to explore the treatment effect of Z-plasty on a non-healing wound. A total of 72 patients diagnosed with a chronic non-healing wound in Peking University Third Hospital from November 2009 to August 2019 were retrospectively analysed. Among them, 27 patients were treated with Z-plasty, and 45 patients were treated with the general method. Detailed patient information was retrieved from medical records, including age, gender, body mass index (BMI), alcohol, smoking, and comorbidities (diabetes mellitus, hypertension, heart disease). Surgical parameters included operation time and intraoperative blood loss. Wound swelling, epidermal blisters, wound edge colour, and skin temperature at 1 day after surgery were assessed to evaluate the blood supply of the wound. Surgical complications included infection, haematoma, dehiscence, and non-healing within 2 weeks postoperatively. Student t test (for continuous data) and Chi-square test (for categorical data) were conducted to determine the statistical difference. We found no significant differences in age, gender, BMI, alcohol, smoking, and comorbidities between the two groups. Z-plasty did not show any advantages in the surgical time, invasive blood loss, hospital days, and hospitalisation expenses. The incidence of abnormal wound edge colour with Z-plasty was significantly lower than that with the general treatment (P < .05), and the Z-plasty enables better healing of the patient\'s wound (P < .05). Z-plasty promoted better recovery of chronic non-healing wounds than direct suturing.

Sacrococcygeal pilonidal sinus is one of common diseases in general department. However, it is characterised, for surgeons, by high post-surgical recurrence and high incidence of post-surgical wound complications. Due to that fact, this retrospective randomised clinical study was designed to evaluate the surgical procedure effect of Z-plasty (ZP), compared with convention simple excision (SE). A total of 67 patients from May 2015 to May 2019 in our department were studied into two groups randomly, the group of ZP and the group of SE. The patients\' characteristics, surgical data, hospital length of stay (LOS), and post-surgery complications were recorded. Statistical approaches were proceed with P-value analysis. The results are as follows. No significant differences were found between these two groups of the ages, gender distribution, Body Mass Index (BMI), smoking history, diabetes mellitus, and blood hypertension. The estimated blood loss, specimen volume, distance to anus, and drain output on the first day of post-surgery between the two groups were not statistically significant, either. However, surgical time in the ZP group was longer than that in the SE group (P < .0001). LOS in the ZP group was obviously shorter than that in the SE group (P = .0051). Furthermore, the patients of the ZP group were tending to suffer from fewer post-surgical complications than the ones of the SE group. In a conclusion, we hold the point view that the surgical procedure of ZP can lead a better outcome than SE because it demonstrated shortened LOS and fewer post-surgical complications.

BACKGROUND: Cervicofacial flaps are commonly used in the reconstruction of skin defects in regions such as the medial cheek and lower eyelid. However, their drawbacks include long flap incision, extensive undermining, and a high possibility of postoperative complications including distal flap necrosis and lower eyelid ectropion.
METHODS: Nine cases of reconstruction of skin defects in the medial cheek and adjacent areas were performed using a lateral cheek rotation flap in combination with Z-plasties between October 2009 and August 2014. In the surgery, the defect was trimmed into a downward-pointing triangle, with the flap incision line starting from the bottom edge of the defect and extending outward in the lateral orbital direction in an arc until before the sideburn. After the flap was undermined, double or quadruple Z-plasties were performed along the lateral orbital incision line to elongate the flap.
RESULTS: All flaps survived without the occurrence of complications such as hematoma, wound infection, distal flap necrosis, and lower eyelid ectropion. During the follow-up period, the flaps exhibited good color and texture. A natural looking cheek was restored without obvious scars.
CONCLUSIONS: A lateral cheek rotation flap in combination with Z-plasty is an optimal method for reconstruction of skin defects in the medial cheek and lower eyelid region. Compared to conventional cervicofacial flaps, the lateral cheek rotation flap was shown to have a variety of advantages, including a simpler operation, shorter flap incision, minimal undermining, and effective prevention of complications such as lower eyelid ectropion and distal flap necrosis.