Complications of nonbreast tissue expansion: 9Years experience with 44 adult patients and 119 pediatric patients

Complications of tissue expansion in the head and neck

“…Complications of tissue expanders placed throughout the body are reported between 0 and 48% in the literature . A recent meta‐analysis of tissue expanders placed throughout the entire body reported an overall complication rate of 17.44%, higher than the overall head and neck complication rate of 8.73% (616/7058) reported in the current review .…”

“…Patients of all ages were pooled together in the current review since several studies did not report complications by age, therefore rendering a subgroup analysis for pediatric patients unfeasible. Of note, previous studies have reported that age does not impact complication rates in tissue expansion . A systematic review of studies published between 1986 and 2017 assessing tissue expansion in the head and neck in a pediatric population could not extract and compare complications due to varying reporting styles from different authors.…”

“…Furthermore, tissue expansion is not always well tolerated due to temporary disfigurement, discomfort, and the numerous visits required for expansion . Complications arising from tissue expansion are reported between 0% and 48% in the literature . In the head and neck, tissue expanders are commonly used notably for burns, ear reconstruction, and congenital defects or nevi .…”

Tissue Expansion in Children

“…Although implants with external ports show high rates of bacterial colonization due to their confluence with the outside world, their increased risk of complications compared with internal ports has been disputed. 15,[17][18][19] Internal ports have the downside of requiring injection through the skin, but this experience can be made less unpleasant for the child with the use of an anesthetizing cutaneous cream. 18 Expanders may have rigid or soft bases, resulting in unidirectional versus multidirectional expansion, respectively.…”

“…15,[17][18][19] Internal ports have the downside of requiring injection through the skin, but this experience can be made less unpleasant for the child with the use of an anesthetizing cutaneous cream. 18 Expanders may have rigid or soft bases, resulting in unidirectional versus multidirectional expansion, respectively. Often, the tissue expander must be placed against solid tissue such as bone or cartilage to ensure that expansion occurs in the desired direction.…”