Microsurgical replantation of a traumatic total scalp avulsion
Case report published in BMJ Case Rep (2023)
Abstract
We present a rare case of microsurgical replantation of a total scalp avulsion. A woman in her mid-60s was renovating a tractor when her hair was caught in a column drill resulting in traumatic scalp avulsion. The avulsed scalp involved the eyebrows and the entire hair-covered part of the scalp. The prehospital management and the conservation packing of the scalp was very effective. Microsurgical replantation was achieved with anastomoses of the left superficial temporal artery and one temporal vein on each side. The combination of the prehospital treatment and our university hospital setup made it possible to reattach the scalp with an ischaemia time of approximately 5 hours. A functional and aesthetically pleasing outcome was achieved, and the patient was discharged 6 days postoperatively with a vital scalp and no complaints. Five months postoperatively, she has no sign of alopecia and is regaining sensation and function of the scalp.A woman in her mid-60s was renovating a tractor when her hair was caught in a column drill resulting in traumatic scalp avulsion. The avulsed scalp involved the eyebrows and the entire hair-covered part of the scalp. The prehospital management and the conservation packing of the scalp was very effective.
Abstract sourced from PubMed (NCBI) for the cited record. See the original publication for the authoritative version.
Summary
Total scalp avulsion successfully replanted via microsurgical vascular anastomosis with postoperative supportive care.
Why This Matters for Hirudotherapy
This case report describes the microsurgical replantation of a total scalp avulsion in a woman in her mid-60s whose hair was caught in a column drill, with anastomoses of the superficial temporal artery and temporal veins and an ischemia time of approximately 5 hours yielding a successful functional and aesthetic outcome. For ASH's domain, the article is relevant only tangentially—microsurgical replantation is a setting in which medicinal leech therapy is sometimes employed adjunctively to salvage venous congestion—but the abstract does not mention leeches or hirudotherapy. The report focuses entirely on surgical technique and prehospital management. No direct evidence regarding leech therapy or the leech secretome is provided.
Citation
Microsurgical replantation of a traumatic total scalp avulsion.
Madsen et al. · BMJ case reports, 2023
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