title: Single-stage approach to skin grafting the exposed skull.
abstract: Four patients are presented who suffered full-thickness loss of the scalp, exposing the skull. Removal of the outer table, immediate application of a split-thickness skin graft, and treatment with the VAC for 3 to 4 days resulted in approximately 100 percent graft take in each case without complications. When compared with the usual two-stage approach to skin grafting the exposed skull, this method spares the patient a longer hospital stay and a second operative procedure, and it results in a significant cost savings.
authors.affiliation: Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27157-1075, USA. jmolnar@wfubmc.edu
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Molnar
authors.forename: A J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: DeFranzo
authors.forename: M W
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Marks
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002056:Burns / Q000601:surgery; D002280:Basal Cell Carcinoma / Q000601:surgery; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011182:Postoperative Care; D012535:Scalp / Q000293:injuries / Q000601:surgery*; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery; D016038:Skin Transplantation; D014945:Wound Healing / Q000502:physiology