Chu CK

[INTRODUCTION] Device manufacturers generally recommend using concordant tissue expanders (TE) and implants during staged implant-based breast reconstruction (IBBR). In practice, discordant pairings may occur due to availability, patient or…

[BACKGROUND] This study explored the surgical management and reconstruction options for augmented breasts in the context of breast conservation therapy (BCT) for breast cancer. The authors hypothesized that there would be no difference in t…

[BACKGROUND] Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) is the highest academic degree awarded by universities in most fields of study. In surgery, it is thought to provide surgeons with skills to conduct high-quality research and advance academically. How…

[BACKGROUND]  Following implant-based breast reconstruction (IBR) infection and explantation, autologous reconstruction is a common option for patients who desire further reconstruction. However, few data exist about the outcomes of seconda…

[UNLABELLED] Although abdominally-based free flaps have long been the gold standard, the profunda artery perforator (PAP) flap has emerged as an important alternative option for autologous breast reconstruction. The aim of this study was to…

[BACKGROUND] Implant-based breast reconstruction infections often require implant explantation. Whereas some plastic surgeons pursue autologous reconstruction following the first implant-based breast reconstruction failure caused by infecti…

An aesthetically pleasing umbilicus is a critical component to the overall cosmesis and resultant patient satisfaction after deep inferior epigastric artery perforator (DIEP) flap breast reconstruction. Because of variables in body habitus,…

[BACKGROUND] Predatory journals have exploited the open access publishing model and are considered as a major threat to the integrity of scientific research. The goal of this study was to characterize predatory publishing practices in plast…

[BACKGROUND] As more plastic surgery clinicians pursue advanced degrees and strive to become stronger physician-scientists, an objective understanding of how such degrees influence careers becomes important. We hypothesized that having a ma…

Chronic inflammation, long implicated in the genesis of malignancy, is now understood to underlie an estimated 25% of all cancers. The most pertinent malignancies, to the plastic surgeon, associated with the degeneration of chronic inflamma…

Over 400,000 women in the United States alone will have breast implant surgery each year. Although capsular contracture represents the most common complication of breast implant surgery, surgeons continue to debate the precise etiology. Gen…

[BACKGROUND] Although the profunda artery perforator flap has gained popularity in breast reconstruction, it has not been well described for reconstruction of head and neck defects. The authors report their experience with free profunda art…

Immediate oncoplastic breast reconstruction performed at the time of breast conserving surgery for the treatment of breast cancer merges the therapeutic goals of complete oncologic extirpation with preservation of breast form and function. …

Autologous fat grafting is an important tool in plastic surgery and is widely used for a variety of applications, both aesthetic and reconstructive. Despite an ever-increasing list of indications and extensive research over many years into …

The progress of biotechnology, medical instruments, and applied sciences contributes to a rapidly expanding space for the advancement of the medical field. Surgeons experience first-hand the limitations of current medical devices and thus h…

[BACKGROUND]  Advancements in three-dimensional (3D) printing have enabled production of patient-specific guides to aid perforator mapping and pedicle dissection during abdominal flap harvest. We present our early experience using this tool…

There are multiple subspecialties that residents can pursue after core plastic surgery training, including 5 major fellowship categories: aesthetic, burn, craniofacial, hand, and microsurgery. Hand surgery remains the only plastic surgery s…

Advances in surgical instruments, magnification technology, perforator dissection techniques, and vascular imaging over the past decades have facilitated exponential growth in the field of microsurgery. With wide application potential inclu…

[BACKGROUND] Postoperative hematoma and venous congestion after free tissue transfer may occur independently or concurrently. We aimed to explore the association between these two events. [METHODS] All free flap reconstructions for head an…

[PURPOSE] The use of two operating microsurgeons has been shown to improve the efficiency and reduce the operative duration of microsurgical breast reconstruction (MSBR). However, the impact of this practice on healthcare cost has not been …

The smaller volume of the profunda artery perforator (PAP) flap relative to that of abdominal flaps limits the size of breast reconstruction that may be achieved. Immediate implant augmentation of abdominal free flaps has been performed, bu…

Autologous fat grafting is an aesthetic and reconstructive procedure in which an individual's own fat is harvested and injected into the soft tissues to correct contour and other abnormalities. Fat graft is considered the ideal soft tissue …

Prior breast augmentation in patients desiring post-mastectomy reconstruction provides a unique opportunity for capsular preservation and immediate, single-step implant reconstruction. We report a case series of a single-surgeon experience …