title: The coriotome--a new hand-held device for trimming of skin grafts.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Skin grafts require a meticulous removal of subcutaneous fat from their underside to ensure their survival at the recipient site. Often a dermal layer is trimmed as well to improve the take of a skin graft or to adapt its thickness to the depth of a defect.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The authors present a new hand-held surgical device, the coriotome, that permits trimming a skin graft more evenly and in a considerably shorter period of time than by applying the conventional method using surgical scissors or a scalpel.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 154 skin grafts (98 from preauricular, 45 from supraclavicular, and 11 from inguinal donor sites) were trimmed with the coriotome to a desired thickness. In 2 cases minor lacerations (<3 mm) of skin grafts occurred as a result of an inappropriate use.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The coriotome permits a fast and safe trimming of skin grafts.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Klinikum Ludwigshafen, Ludwigshafen, Germany. kastenr@klilu.de
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kasten
authors.forename: Volker
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Voigtländer
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D016038:Skin Transplantation / Q000295:instrumentation*; D013525:Surgical Instruments