Mingli Z, Dawei W, Lan H
Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Changhai Hospital, China.
Plast Reconstr Surg. 1995 Dec;96(7):1600-7. doi: 10.1097/00006534-199512000-00013.
In recent years, the universally used internal expansion by implanting a silicone elastomer balloon into the soft tissue under the skin has shown certain disadvantages, i.e., certain complications associated with the operation, high cost, and the fact that the materials cannot be recycled. That the materials are used only once adds to the operating cost. In view of these disadvantages, we have designed and developed a kind of mechanical external skin expander, which is composed of (1) an adjustable tractor, (2) preserving splints, and (3) a traction frame. The tractor is used to grip the contracted skin in order to make the soft tissue of the skin expand with the lapse of time and increase in traction weight. The external skin expansion has the following advantages compared with internal expansion: avoiding the complications caused by implanting the soft-tissue expander beneath the skin; simplicity and efficiency of operation; and the fact that the equipment can be reused, reducing the operating which is suitable for these basic units. The data of the expanded skin area can be calculated through the computer. Since June of 1993, a satisfactory curative effect has been obtained in 44 patients suffering from advanced postburn scars. Thirty-two patients among them were treated for more than half a year, with the scar becoming normal in both appearance and function. External skin expansion provides a new method for expansion of skin soft tissue. It has a bright future in its clinical application.
近年来，普遍采用的通过将硅橡胶弹性体球囊植入皮下软组织进行内部扩张已显示出某些缺点，即与手术相关的某些并发症、成本高以及材料不可回收。材料仅使用一次增加了手术成本。鉴于这些缺点，我们设计并开发了一种机械性皮肤外扩张器，它由（1）一个可调节的牵引器、（2）固定夹板和（3）一个牵引架组成。牵引器用于夹住挛缩的皮肤，以便随着时间的推移和牵引重量的增加使皮肤的软组织扩张。与内部扩张相比，皮肤外扩张具有以下优点：避免了在皮肤下植入软组织扩张器引起的并发症；操作简单且高效；并且设备可重复使用，降低了手术成本，适用于这些基本单位。扩张皮肤面积的数据可通过计算机计算得出。自1993年6月以来，44例晚期烧伤后瘢痕患者获得了满意的疗效。其中32例患者接受治疗半年以上，瘢痕的外观和功能均恢复正常。皮肤外扩张为皮肤软组织扩张提供了一种新方法。它在临床应用中具有广阔的前景。
