Egyptian Board Plastic Surgery key terms

A local flap technique that transposes two triangular flaps to lengthen a scar contracture, change scar orientation, and redistribute tension; the classic design uses 60-degree limbs, which can add roughly 75 percent length.

A scar revision method in which the scar is excised and closed in a zigzag broken-line pattern so the final scar reflects light less obviously and blends with relaxed skin tension lines.

Lines on the skin along which collagen bundles run and skin is least stretched at rest; incisions placed parallel to them heal with thinner, less conspicuous scars.

A three-dimensional block of skin and underlying tissue supplied by a single source artery and its branches; angiosome mapping underpins the design of perforator and axial pattern flaps.

A reduced-caliber vessel connection between adjacent angiosomes that limits blood flow under normal conditions but can dilate over time; it explains why flap territory can be extended by delay or preconditioning.

A staged procedure in which part of a flap's blood supply is divided before transfer, allowing choke vessels to dilate and improving survival of the distal segment.

A flap raised on a named perforating vessel that pierces muscle or fascia to supply skin and fat, preserving the underlying muscle; examples include the deep inferior epigastric and anterolateral thigh flaps.

Transfer of tissue from a donor site to a distant recipient site with microvascular anastomosis of its artery and vein to recipient vessels, allowing single-stage reconstruction of large or composite defects.

Clot formation at a microvascular anastomosis that occludes flow and threatens flap survival; causes include technical error, vessel trauma, kinking, hypotension, and hypercoagulable states, and it usually requires urgent re-exploration.

Serial clinical and adjunctive assessment of a flap's perfusion after surgery, using color, capillary refill, temperature, pinprick bleeding, handheld Doppler, or implantable venous monitors to detect compromise early.

Impaired outflow from a flap causing dusky color, brisk dark bleeding, swelling, and eventually arterial compromise; it is the most common cause of free flap failure and requires prompt correction of the venous anastomosis or drainage.

A graft comprising epidermis and part of the dermis, harvested from a donor site that re-epithelializes; it survives by plasmatic imbibition and inosculation and contracts more than a full-thickness graft.

A graft containing the entire epidermis and dermis, usually closed primarily at the donor site; it provides better color match, less contraction, and more durable coverage than a split-thickness graft but has limited size.

The process by which a skin graft becomes vascularized, occurring through plasmatic imbibition, inosculation, and capillary ingrowth over roughly the first week; failure results from hematoma, seroma, infection, shear, or inadequate bed vascularity.

Healing of an open wound by granulation tissue formation, wound contraction, and re-epithelialization from the margins, leaving a larger scar than primary closure but useful for contaminated or infected wounds.

New vascular connective tissue rich in capillaries, fibroblasts, and macrophages that fills an open wound during the proliferative phase of healing and provides a bed for re-epithelialization or grafting.

The sequential but overlapping stages of hemostasis, inflammation, proliferation, and remodeling through which injured tissue is repaired, each mediated by distinct cells and cytokines and each vulnerable to systemic or local interference.

A raised, erythematous scar confined to the original wound boundary that develops from excessive collagen deposition during remodeling and often improves with pressure, silicone, or intralesional steroid.

A benign fibroproliferative scar that extends beyond the original wound margins and rarely regresses; it is more common in darker skin and in certain body sites such as the sternum and earlobe.

Shortening and tightening of scar tissue, especially after burns or secondary intention healing, that can restrict joint movement or distort nearby structures and often requires surgical release.

A rapid method for estimating total body surface area burned by assigning 9 percent each to the head, each arm, each leg, the anterior trunk, and the posterior trunk, with 1 percent for the perineum.

A resuscitation guide giving 4 mL of crystalloid per kilogram body weight per percent total body surface area burned in the first 24 hours, with half given in the first 8 hours from the time of injury.

Classification of thermal injury as superficial, superficial partial, deep partial, or full thickness based on appearance, capillary refill, sensation, and blanching, which determines whether the wound heals spontaneously or needs excision and grafting.

Congenital failure of fusion of the facial and palatal processes producing a defect of the lip, alveolus, or palate that affects feeding, speech, and dental development and is repaired in staged operations during infancy and childhood.

Inadequate closure of the velopharyngeal port during speech, causing hypernasality and nasal air escape; it may follow cleft palate repair and is assessed by speech evaluation, nasendoscopy, or videofluoroscopy.

A cranially or caudally based flap of posterior pharyngeal wall sutured to the soft palate to narrow the velopharyngeal port and correct hypernasal speech in selected patients.

Placement of autogenous bone, commonly from the iliac crest, into a cleft alveolar defect, usually before canine eruption, to provide bony support for the tooth and close an oronasal fistula.

Compression neuropathy of the median nerve at the wrist causing nocturnal numbness and tingling in the thumb, index, and middle fingers, thenar weakness, and wasting; diagnosis uses clinical tests and nerve conduction studies.

A tingling sensation elicited by tapping over a peripheral nerve, indicating regenerating axons or nerve irritation; it helps localize compression or assess recovery after nerve repair.

A mixed nerve of the brachial plexus supplying forearm flexors and thenar muscles and sensation to the radial palm and first three and a half digits; it is vulnerable at the wrist and elbow.

Fibroproliferation of the palmar fascia producing nodules and cords that cause progressive flexion contracture, most often of the ring and little fingers, and is treated by fasciectomy or needle aponeurotomy.

Breast reduction surgery that removes glandular tissue and skin and repositions the nipple-areola complex to relieve symptoms of macromastia; pedicle choice determines nipple sensation and viability.

The nipple and surrounding pigmented areola, a key aesthetic landmark whose position, projection, and sensation must be preserved or reconstructed in breast and chest wall surgery.

Drooping of the breast with the nipple-areola complex below the inframammary fold, graded by the relationship of the nipple to the fold and breast volume, and corrected by mastopexy with or without augmentation.

The ethical and legal process of disclosing a procedure's nature, risks, benefits, alternatives, and likely outcomes in understandable terms, confirming the patient's understanding and voluntary agreement before surgery.

A collaborative process in which clinician and patient exchange information about options, benefits, and personal values to reach a jointly agreed treatment plan, supporting autonomy and realistic expectations.

The shared attitudes, behaviors, and systems within a clinical team that prioritize error prevention, open reporting, and learning from adverse events rather than individual blame.

A structured verbal checklist completed before induction, before incision, and before the patient leaves theater to confirm identity, site, allergies, antibiotic prophylaxis, equipment, and specimen handling, reducing avoidable harm.

A hierarchical ranking of study design strength, from systematic reviews and randomized trials at the top to case reports and expert opinion at the bottom, used to judge how much confidence a clinical recommendation deserves.

An experimental study in which participants are randomly allocated to intervention or control groups to minimize selection bias and support causal inference about treatment effects.

Systematic assessment of a study's validity, results, and applicability to answer whether its methods are sound, its findings are meaningful, and its conclusions transfer to one's own patients.