Cosmetic repair of chronic head restraint defects.

Surgically implanted head restraint devices have been used in nonhuman primate research for more than a decade. Superficial scalp defects are created by the implantation procedures and remain after the devices are removed, a factor that occasionally hinders continued use of the animals by investigators on esthetic grounds. A technique is described whereby the scalp defects are surgically repaired, resulting in a good cosmetic appearance and effectively increasing the potential for reuse of these animals.