Lee BT

[BACKGROUND] Deep inferior epigastric perforator (DIEP) flaps are the gold standard in autologous breast reconstruction (ABR) despite being associated with significant abdominal donor-site morbidity. Some surgeons place mesh during abdomina…

[LEARNING OBJECTIVES] After studying this article, the participant should be able to: 1. Understand operative techniques for harvesting several different types of free flaps with sensory innervation. 2. Describe options for donor nerves for…

Although deep inferior epigastric artery perforator (DIEP) flaps are a common option for breast reconstruction, there are limited data on outcomes in patients with a history of abdominal liposuction. Liposuction is one of the most popular a…

[BACKGROUND] Health literacy is an understudied topic among published Spanish resources. Research focused on resources written in English demonstrates that content exceeds the recommended reading level for patients. Given the prevalence of …

[PURPOSE] Numeracy, the ability to understand numerical concepts, is a key component of health literacy. This study examines rates of innumeracy and its association with demographics to inform patient education strategies in plastic surgery…

[PURPOSE] A recent TikTok trend of users reporting nasal size reduction after oral isotretinoin has conflated this acne medication as a nonsurgical rhinoplasty option, termed "Accutane rhinoplasty". We conducted a systematic review of studi…

 The purpose of this review is to characterize themes among the five reconstructive microsurgery articles achieving the highest Relative Citation Ratios (RCRs) published in the past 20 years in the top journals. In doing so, researchers may…

[BACKGROUND]  Postoperative free tissue transfer reexploration procedures are relatively infrequent but associated with increased overall failure rates. This study examines the differences between flaps requiring takeback versus no takeback…

[BACKGROUND]  Plastic and reconstructive surgeons are often presented with reconstructive challenges as a sequela of complications in high-risk surgical patients, ranging from exposure of hardware, lymphedema, and chronic pain after amputat…

[BACKGROUND] The integration of frailty assessments into preoperative evaluation protocols is essential for enhancing surgical procedure safety. As autologous breast reconstruction (ABR) increases in popularity, it is critical to stratify r…

[BACKGROUND] Closed-incision negative pressure therapy (ciNPT) has been shown to reduce complication rates in breast reconstruction (BR). This study aimed to evaluate postoperative outcomes in deep inferior epigastric perforator (DIEP) dono…

[INTRODUCTION] The parascapular free flap (PFF), primarily harvested as a fasciocutaneous flap, is perfused by the parascapular branch of the circumflex scapular artery. Its anatomy enables modification and combination with other flaps. How…

[OBJECTIVES] Deep Inferior Epigastric Perforator (DIEP) flaps are a preferred type of autologous breast reconstruction because of their relatively low rate of donor site complications. Comorbidities, such as cardiovascular disease (CVD) and…

Heparin is frequently used to mitigate the risk of thrombosis in microsurgical free tissue transfer. Although rare, heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) is a severe, life-threatening complication that can arise in patients exposed to hepa…

[BACKGROUND] Despite advancements in the surgical treatment and prevention of lymphedema, there are no standards for reporting outcomes of lymphatic surgery. Developing consensus on a minimum standard set of outcome measures for lymphatic s…

[BACKGROUND] The incidence of psychiatric disorders, particularly major depressive disorder, is increasingly observed among patients undergoing plastic surgery procedures. This trend has raised concerns about the impact of serotonergic anti…

[BACKGROUND] Most deaths after outpatient plastic surgery are because of thromboembolic events, particularly pulmonary embolism (PE). The effectiveness of QUAD A deep vein thrombosis (DVT) safety measures after recent policy changes remains…

[BACKGROUND] Decreased nipple sensation following reduction mammoplasty can negatively affect a variety of patient-centered outcomes. This observational study examined the impact of dermoglandular pedicle type on subjective postoperative ni…

The purpose of this study was to evaluate epidemiologic characteristics and postoperative complications among nonbinary, transgender, and cisgender adults undergoing mastectomy or breast augmentation. Comparable postoperative complication r…

[BACKGROUND] Macromastia negatively affects the quality of life and has led to increased demand for breast reduction surgery. With the growing use of non-tobacco nicotine products, such as vapes, concerns have emerged about their potential …

[BACKGROUND] Improving diversity within plastic and reconstructive surgery (PRS) trainees is a crucial step to reduce inequities at the provider level. Trends in minority representation among independent program match applicants are underst…

[PURPOSE] United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) Step 1 Pass/Fail grading has increased the emphasis of research productivity as a quantitative metric in residency applications. Quantifying discrepancies between self-reported a…

[BACKGROUND] With the rise of social media as a knowledge sharing resource, patients increasingly obtain information regarding plastic surgery online. Publicly shared posts may influence active users' desire to undergo procedures and misinf…

[BACKGROUND] Alcohol-based surgical hand scrubs are a safe, environmentally friendly, and cost-effective alternative to traditional water-based hand antisepsis, supported by the World Health Organization (WHO). These advantages make alcohol…

[OBJECTIVE] An increasing number of women are choosing careers in the field of plastic and reconstructive surgery (PRS). These evolving surgeon demographics have highlighted the need for parental leave policies, lactation accommodations, an…

[BACKGROUND] Patients with breast cancer living in rural areas are less likely to undergo breast reconstruction. Further, given the additional training and resources required for autologous reconstruction, it is likely that rural patients f…

[BACKGROUND] Recent CMS billing changes have raised concerns about insurance coverage for deep inferior epigastric perforator (DIEP) flap breast reconstruction. This study compared the costs and utilization of transverse rectus abdominis my…

[BACKGROUND] The scapular free flap (SFF) is essential in complex reconstructive surgery and often indicated in complex defects with compromised or poor local tissue integrity. This review aims to assess the versatility and reliability of t…

[BACKGROUND] Gender disparities in plastic surgery authorship have been previously described in the literature. The relative citation ratio (RCR) index is a new metric that normalizes citation rates for field and time, which can be utilized…

[BACKGROUND] There exists an increasing array of treatments proposed to prevent, alleviate, and abort symptoms of a migraine; however, for patients who undergo reconstructive microsurgery, caution must be taken to preserve vascular integrit…