Facial Donor Restoration: One-Step Technique.

PURPOSE: Successful management of facial allotransplantation requires planning and overcoming a long list of obstacles, not least, the restoration of the donor cadaver (DC).

MATERIALS AND

METHODS

We have presented an innovative single-step facial reconstruction technique for the DC using light-curing material to simplify the infrastructure needs and optimize the time and costs associated with traditional facial restoration techniques reported to date. We also developed a study based on the creation of 7 facial masks over a white male formaldehyde-preserved cadaver head to evaluate the production time of the mask, likeness to the original face, temperature, and adaptation of the mask to the defect.

RESULTS

The average time for the adjustment of the light-curing resin sheets over the DC, photopolymerization, and cosmetic adjustment and application over the facial defect was 5, 4, and 16.4 minutes, respectively, for a global average time of 25.4 minutes. In all cases, the likeness to the original was good, and the average temperature over the donor area was 19.8°C. The adaptation of the mask to the facial defect was accurate in all cases.

CONCLUSIONS

The presented one-step technique proposed for facial restoration of the DC had a short learning curve, low costs, and accurate and predictable results.