title: Surgical corner. Modified buried suture technique for the scalp.
abstract: Large surgical defects on an actinically damaged scalp are notoriously difficult to close primarily. Not only is the skin weak and friable, but the underlying bone often limits the size of "bite" that the surgeon can take with their deep suture. We describe a technique that maximizes the ability to grasp adequate deep tissue with the suture, decreasing the likelihood of tearing through the tissue when the wound edges are brought together.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, Iowa, City, IA, USA. phillip-hocwalt@uiowa.edu
authors.forename: Phillip C
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Hochwalt
authors.forename: Adam
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Asarch
authors.forename: John C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Selby
authors.forename: Marta
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: VanBeek
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D012535:Scalp / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D013536:Suture Techniques; D013537:Sutures