Use of negative-pressure dressings and split-thickness skin grafts following penile shaft reduction and reduction scrotoplasty in the management of penoscrotal elephantiasis

• Published in: Annals of plastic surgery Vol. 56; no. 6; pp. 649 - 653
• Main Authors: STOKES, Tracey H, FOLLMAR, Keith E, SILVERSTEIN, Ari D, WEIZER, Alon Z, DONATUCCI, Craig F, ANDERSON, Everett E, ERDMANN, Detlev
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Hagerstown, MD Lippincott Williams & Wilkins 01-06-2006
• Subjects: Bandages; Biological and medical sciences; Blood and lymphatic vessels; Cardiology. Vascular system; Combined Modality Therapy; Diseases of the lymphatic vessels; Elephantiasis - surgery; Elephantiasis - therapy; Genital Diseases, Male - surgery; Genital Diseases, Male - therapy; Humans; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Penile Diseases - surgery; Penile Diseases - therapy; Penis - surgery; Postoperative Care; Pressure; Reconstructive Surgical Procedures; Scrotum - surgery; Skin Transplantation; Surgery (general aspects). Transplantations, organ and tissue grafts. Graft diseases; Vacuum; Elephantiasis; Use; Cardiovascular disease; Plastic surgery; Negative pressure; Lymphatic vessel disease; Thickness; Dressing; Reduction; Clinical management; Treatment; Penis; Graft; Skin
• ISSN: 0148-7043; 1536-3708
• DOI: 10.1097/01.sap.0000202826.61782.c9

From 1988 to 2005, 8 men who presented with penoscrotal elephantiasis underwent penile shaft degloving and reduction scrotoplasty, followed by transplantation of a split-thickness skin graft (STSG) to the penile shaft. The etiology of elephantiasis in these patients included self-injection of viscous fluid and postsurgical obstructive lymphedema. In the 6 most recent cases, negative-pressure dressings were applied over the STSG to promote graft take, and STSG take rate was 100%. The results of our series corroborate those of a previous report, which showed circumferential negative-pressure dressings to be safe and efficacious in bolstering STSGs to the penile shaft. Furthermore, these results suggest that the use of negative-pressure dressings may improve graft take in this patient population.