Failed tissue expansion in a patient with osteogenesis imperfecta.

This is a report of a failure of tissue expansion in a 43-year-old patient suffering from a mild form of osteogenesis imperfecta tarda. Filling of the expander was not possible. Skin histology showed thrombosis of the blood vessels and vessel wall necrosis. This finding supports the theory that tissue expansion does not depend as much on mechanical skin laxity as on the proliferative potential of the skin.