Preputial skin can be used in all boys with burns requiring grafting.
BACKGROUND
In patients with extensive burns, all unburned areas can be used as donor sites. In male patients with small burns, preputial skin graft may be a good choice in order to avoid donor site problems.


METHODS
We retrospectively reviewed 12 patients treated in our burn center from January 1997 to August 2007 with preputial skin grafting.


RESULTS
In three patients, preputial skin was the only graft source. In nine patients, other donor sites were also used for split-thickness graft harvesting. In two patients, preputial skin graft was used for periareolar grafting where hyperpigmented healing was preferred. In the rest of the patients, preputial skin graft was used on various parts of the body. Overall success rate for preputial skin graft was 100%. There was no early donor site morbidity.


CONCLUSIONS
Preputial skin is a full-thickness, highly elastic and easy-to-harvest graft that should be considered in all burned male children in whom grafting is needed.
Doğrul
Ahmet Bülent
AB
Department of General Surgery, Hacettepe University Faculty of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey.
Aytaç
Ozgür
O
Kiliç
Yusuf Alper
YA
Konan
Ali
A
Yorganci
Kaya
K
D000293:Adolescent; D002056:Burns / Q000601:surgery*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002944:Circumcision, Male; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D010413:Penis / Q000601:surgery; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016038:Skin Transplantation / Q000379:methods*; D020858:Tissue and Organ Harvesting; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014945:Wound Healing / Q000502:physiology*