Calvitron automated hair transplant system in alopecia treatment: a case report.

The surgical treatment of alopecia is essentially based on minigraft and micrograft techniques in which grafts are inserted into a slit or punch recipient site. To facilitate the transplantation of large numbers of these small grafts, the Calvitron automated hair transplant system has been developed. We report a case of Norwood type V alopecia who received three sessions of hair transplantation (400-500 grafts per session) over 18 months with satisfactory results. During surgery, with one technician operating the machine, one surgeon and an assistant took 3.5 to 4 hours per session to accomplish the whole procedure from harvesting the grafts to implantation and closure of the donor scalp wound. This new automated minigraft and micrograft transplant technique is significantly timesaving for large numbers of grafts per session without altering the aesthetic results. It offers a good choice for hair replacement surgery to save manpower and cost. The use of the Calvitron automated hair transplant system proved to be a practical and effective approach to hair transplantation in this case.