title: The purse-string suture in facial reconstruction.
abstract: Mohs surgical defects in 26 patients were reconstructed utilizing a purse-string suture and a full-thickness graft. The placement of the purse-string suture decreased the surface area of the wound an average of 53%. A full-thickness graft was then placed in the remaining defect. This technique enabled us to repair large wounds of the facial region with a relatively small full-thickness graft. There were no complications in our series. The resultant areas were cosmetically acceptable and resistant to trauma.
authors.affiliation: New England Medical Center, Boston, MA.
authors.forename: J G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Brady
authors.forename: D J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Grande
authors.forename: A E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Katz
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002280:Basal Cell Carcinoma / Q000601:surgery*; D005153:Facial Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015580:Mohs Surgery; D013536:Suture Techniques