Abstract
In this study we report a consecutive series of thirty cases in which intraoperative scalp expansion by Foley catheter was applied. A 30 ml balloon was used as the standard expander and was expanded by several sessions of injecting saline for 5 minutes and deflating for 3 minutes in a cyclic loading manner. All of the scalp wounds were primarily closed with no skin flap necrosis. The most common reason for the procedure was excision of sebaceous nevi in 12 cases. This method was also effective for repair of auricular deformities, as in a partial defect of the helix, which could be successfully restored by 2ml- balloon expansion of both surfaces of the auricular skin without bony support underneath. Because changes in the expanded skin such as blanching might lead to epidermal necrosis, expansion should be discontinued when sweat-like excretion is seen. Extrusion of the expanded balloon was another problem encountered, and this could be prevented by expanding adjacent skin through an intralesional or marginal skin incision before the lesions were completely excised. Transient alopecia occurred in several cases around the hair whorl, but conservative treatment ensured that hair was restored within 6 months. Our results suggested that this method is safe and markedly effective for scalp or auricular restoration.
