INSERIMENTO DI ESPANSORI CUTANEI CON TECNICHE VIDEO-ENDOSCOPICHE

A new technique for the insertion of skin expanders by videoendoscopy is herein described. The skin expander is inserted via a pouch previously prepared above the fascia. Such pouch, obtained by videoendoscopy, has a very precisely fitting size and is less gravated by complications. We have performed 22 such operations on 19 patients (10 men and 9 women). Among the advantages are the avoidance of extensive subcutaneous undermining, of incisions too close to the pouch with subsequent exposure of the expander and a better control of bleeding. Furthermore, up to 50-60% of the device can be filled intraoperatively thus reducing post-operative filling time and patient's discomfort. The infection rate is the same as for traditional techniques. In our patient, we observed a 22.7% complication rate. A peculiar complication was seen in a young woman with a burn scar, namely compression of the median nerve. The disadvantages of this method include the high costs of the equipment and the necessity for specific training.