Application of arthroscopies in placement of scalp tissue expanders

Objective To review clinical experiences in application of arthroscopies in placement of scalp tissue expanders.Methods Arthroscopies were used to place tissue expanders in 16 patients under the scalp and 36 tissue expanders were placed.The incision was small,vertical and far away from the area that was to be expanded.Arthroscopies were used when the dissection of the expander pocket,insertion of expander,negative pressure drainage was performed with expander pot outside.Then,the expander was inflated intraoperatively with a volume of 1/4 to 1/2 of the expander capacity,and routine injection was carried out since the second day after the operation.It needed time to observe the skin distention and complication.Results The scalp distention needed 1 to 1.5 months.The complications including haematoma,disruption of wound and exposure of tissue expander were not found.The results were satisfactory in all the patients.Conclusion The advantages of applying the arthroscopies in the placement of scalp tissue expander are that they will produce small wound,bleed with small amount,reduce the incidence of complications and shorten the time that scalp distention needs.