[Early preventive pressure therapy in extensive skin grafts on children's face, a comeback of classic methods? A retrospective study on 8 cases].
BACKGROUND
One of the common techniques in the treatment of giant facial naevi is the excision covered by a skin graft. It's functional and esthetic results are not always excellent. Physiotherapy including immediate postsurgical preventive pressure therapy could ameliorate these results and shorten the period of scarring.


OBJECTIVE
Evaluation of scarring results with early pressure therapy in skin grafts of congenital facial naevi.


METHODS
Retrospective study on 8 children being 1 to 9 years old and presenting congenital facial naevi. All of them were treated by excision followed by full thickness skin grafting. The associated physiotherapy was realized by a transparent rigid or elastic mask. The pressure was started after skin graft uncovering between 7 and 20 days. The period for this treatment was depending on the maturing of the scar. Evaluation was established by 3 examinators on: time till scar maturing, trame quality and esthetic quality.


RESULTS
The period till definitive scar maturing was showed to be between 8 and 14 month; trame quality was mostly evaluated as excellent, the esthetic result oscillated between good and medium.


CONCLUSIONS
Physiotherapy seems to be an essential association for the treatment of facial full thickness skin grafts in children. Early pressure therapy could better the functional and esthetic result and accelerate scar maturing. Simple skin grafting could become the first treating option in this indication. Future prospective studies are expected to confirm these results.
Coeugniet
E
E
Service de chirurgie plastique et reconstructrice, CHRU de Lille, 59037 Lille cedex, France. e_coeugniet@hotmail.com
Martinot-Duquennoy
V
V
Gottrand
L
L
Degardin
N
N
Pellerin
P
P
D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005145:Face / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D011312:Pressure; D019651:Plastic Surgery Procedures / Q000379:methods*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016038:Skin Transplantation / Q000379:methods*; D013524:Surgical Flaps