Uses of a Silk-Derived Biological Scaffold for Static Facial Suspension: A Case Series of a New Technique Pages 22-26

Rachel Ford, Jane Dhillon, Ioana Danci and Subhas Gupta

Department of Plastic Surgery, Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, California, USA

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.12970/2311-9888.2015.03.02.3

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Abstract: Introduction: Static facial suspension has been traditionally approached with autologous tissues.
Objective: We report the use of a new technique for static facial suspension that utilizes Seri® surgical scaffold (Allergan, Irvine, CA), a silk-derived biological matrix.

Participants: Patients with upper lid, brow or midface ptosis, ectropion, or oral incompetence, who previously had autologous suspension procedures with incomplete correction.

Results: Six patients were included in this case series. One patient had upper lid ptosis from cranial nerve 3 palsy. One patient exhibited ectropion and midface ptosis from cranial nerves 6 and 7 palsies. Two patients displayed lower lid ectropion from various etiologies. One patient had undergone congenital nevus excision resulting in ectropion and brow ptosis, while the final patient had oral incompetence from burn contracture. All patients showed early clinical improvement, without complications.

Conclusion: This case series highlights the versatility of a new technique for static facial soft tissue suspension. Seri® surgical scaffold is ready-to-use, easy to secure, provides no donor site morbidity, and no foreign body is present long-term. It has proven to be a useful tool for revisionary procedures where anatomical structures are believed to be either scarred or too lax to provide strong suspension.

Keywords: Facial suspension, static facial suspension, facial nerve palsy, Seri® surgical scaffold.
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