title: Does orientation of full-thickness groin grafts affect hyperpigmentation in burn contracture and syndactyly hands?
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Some grafts harvested from the groin area do not become hyperpigmented and in an individual with multiple pieces of grafts, the hyperpigmentation of the pieces may vary. This study evaluates the orientation of the inset of groin grafts according to their donor sites (superior-inferior) and its role in graft hyperpigmentation.
  
  
  METHODS
  Patients with hand burn contracture or syndactyly who required at least 2 pieces of grafts were enrolled. In each patient, one piece of the graft was inset in the same direction of the orientation of the donor site and the other in the opposite direction. Six months after the operation, the pigmentation was scored by a subjective scaling from 1 to 5.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Thirty-four fingers of 15 patients were included. The mean grade of pigmentation in grafts inset in the direction of the donor site was 3.00±1.118 and in those inset in the opposite direction was 2.88±1.409. This was not statistically significant.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our findings revealed that although the grafts inset in the opposite direction of the donor site, they were less pigmented. So orientation of full thickness groin grafts did not affect hyperpigmentation of the grafts in burn contracture and syndactyly hands.
authors.affiliation: Vascular and Endovascular Surgery Research Center, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran;
authors.forename: Mohammad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Motamedolshariati
authors.affiliation: Endoscopic and Minimally Invasive Surgery Research Center, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Iran;
authors.forename: Ezzatollah
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Rezaei
authors.affiliation: Medical student, Faculty of Medicine, Islamic Azad University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran;
authors.forename: Maryam-Sadat
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Shakeri
authors.affiliation: Surgical Oncology Research Center, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.
authors.forename: Arash
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Beiraghi-Toosi
keywords: Full-thickness; Hyperpigmentation; Skin graft