title: Wedge-shaped excision and modified vertical mattress suture fully buried in a multilayered and tensioned wound closure.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  A successful deep multilayered wound suture should provide a firm tension-relieving closure, good wound-edge eversion, hemostasis, and minimal intradermal extraneous materials. However, this is not always achieved with a single standard technique. The authors describe their modification of a wound closure method that can rapidly and reliably achieve these results.
  
  
  METHODS
  A wedge-shaped excision was adopted to obtain a trapezoid pattern transect, after which a modified fully buried vertical mattress suture technique was used to close the wound. These techniques were compared with the standard excision and suture techniques used for the same patient at different times after surgery.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The wedge-shaped excision can facilitate good wound-edge eversion, and the modified fully buried vertical mattress suture can provide firm tension relief and optimal apposition. Compared with conventional excision and suture techniques, the described techniques brought about a better outcome in terms of hypertrophic scar prevention.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The described modified technique seems to be more efficient than conventional procedures used to prevent hypertrophic scar formation.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Plastic Surgery, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China.
authors.forename: Xi
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Jian-Sheng
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Diao
authors.forename: Shu-Zhong
authors.initials: SZ
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Han
authors.forename: Yu-Feng
authors.initials: YF
authors.lastname: Ai
authors.forename: Xian-Hui
authors.initials: XH
authors.lastname: Zeng
authors.forename: Li-Wen
authors.initials: LW
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Mao-Guo
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Shu
mesh_terms: D017439:Cicatrix, Hypertrophic / Q000517:prevention & control; D006488:Hemostasis, Surgical; D006801:Humans; D050151:Subcutaneous Fat / Q000601:surgery; D013536:Suture Techniques; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000601:surgery*