Use of a multilayered acellular dermal substitute with simultaneous full-thickness skin graft for the one-stage coverage of nasal skin defects.

BACKGROUND

Nasal skin defect closures are challenging because the nose is a complex anatomic structure with several subunits, and the nasal tip and ala represent particularly difficult subunits to reconstruct. The traditional full-thickness skin graft (FTSG) is an easy and well-established method, but often results in undesirable outcomes in terms of the nasal contour caused by a lack of dermal tissue.

AIMS

The purpose of the study is to report the outcomes of the simultaneous application of the acellular dermal substitute (Matriderm ) with FTSG in the treatment of nasal skin defects.

PATIENTS/METHODS: Five patients with various nasal skin defects were treated with multilayered Matriderm grafts followed by FTSGs harvested from the pre- or postauricular region. Graft survival, scar quality, and patient satisfaction were evaluated and compared with 10 patients treated with conventional FTSGs.

RESULTS

One-stage Matriderm-aided FTSGs were well-taken in all cases. Scar quality in the Matriderm group (8.0 ± 1.9) was statistically superior to that in the FTSG only group (10.8 ± 1.7). The Matriderm-aided graft was also superior in patient satisfaction.

CONCLUSIONS

The multilayered application of Matriderm in combination with FTSG is a reliable method for covering nasal skin defects, especially in the thick skin zone of the tip and ala.