Reconstruction of Post-Electrical Burn Scalp Defect with Exposed Bone: A Case Report

Reconstruction of Post-Electrical Burn Scalp Defect with Exposed Bone: A Case Report

Author Info

Corresponding Author
Rafaela Pais Serras
Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Hospital São José, Lisbon, Portugal

A B S T R A C T

Introduction: Electrical burns are potentially devastating injuries and most often occur at the workplace. Scalp defects following electrical burns are a rare occurrence and usually present as a reconstructive challenge. Case Presentation: Male, 31 years old, suffered a high voltage electrical burn at work that resulted in a scalp defect with exposed bone and a third degree burn in the left leg and foot complicated by a compartment syndrome, which needed an emergent fasciotomy and later an amputation below the knee. The scalp defect was covered by a local transposition flap and a skin graft. At 3 months post-operatively flap survived completely with no necrosis or other complications. A satisfactory cosmesis and preservation of scalp contour were achieved. Conclusion: Reconstructive ladder must be respected in reconstruction of these rare and complex defects. Local transposition flaps, if available, are often an ideal choice for scalp reconstruction in that the adjacent tissue is of similar quality to the original defect tissue with a long-term durability, contour preservation, minimal donor site morbidity and an acceptable cosmesis.

Article Info

Article Type
Case Report
Publication history
Received: Thu 16, Apr 2020
Accepted: Sat 02, May 2020
Published: Thu 07, May 2020
Copyright
© 2023 Rafaela Pais Serras. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Hosting by Science Repository.
DOI: 10.31487/j.JSCR.2020.02.09