title: [Investigation on skin retrograde degeneration after tissue expansion].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To study the effects of tissue expansion on tissue damage and retrograde degeneration.
  
  
  METHODS
  9 cases of conventional intermittent tissue expansion (CITE) and 9 cases of continuous pressure-controlled tissue expansion (CPTE) were chosen for the study. In creating of the expanded flaps, tissue samples were taken for histopathology, molecular biology and transmission electron microscope (TEM) examinations.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Capillary bleeding, elastic and reticular fiber proliferation, arteriole thrombosis, fibroblast apoptosis and collagenolysis were observed after expansion. Retrograde degeneration was obvious in CITE group and acute lesion was obvious in CPTE group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Expansion stimulation induces tissue damage and retrograde degeneration, which indicates that the time for conventional intermittent expansion should be shortened and too fast continuous expansion is harmful.
authors.affiliation: Plastic Surgery Center, Xijing Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an 710032, China.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ai
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D012183:Retrograde Degeneration; D012867:Skin / Q000294:innervation / Q000473:pathology*; D015626:Tissue Expansion