plastic surgery

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plastic surgery,

surgical repair of congenital or acquired deformities and the restoration of contour to improve the appearance and function of tissue defects. Development of this specialized branch of surgery received impetus from the need to repair gross deformities sustained in World War IWorld War I,
1914–18, also known as the Great War, conflict, chiefly in Europe, among most of the great Western powers. It was the largest war the world had yet seen.
..... Click the link for more information. . By the grafting of tissue or the use of artificial materials such as siliconesilicone,
polymer in which atoms of silicon and oxygen alternate in a chain; various organic radicals, such as the methyl group, CH₃, are bound to the silicon atoms.
..... Click the link for more information. , some remarkable restorations have become possible. Severe burns and the removal of fairly extensive skin cancersskin cancer,
malignant tumor of the skin. The most common types of skin cancer are basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, and melanoma. Rarer forms include mycosis fungoides (a type of lymphoma) and Kaposi's sarcoma.
..... Click the link for more information. leave scars that must be covered by skin grafts; breast reconstruction after mastectomymastectomy
, surgical removal of breast tissue, usually done as treatment for breast cancer. There are many types of mastectomy. In general, the farther the cancer has spread, the more tissue is taken.
..... Click the link for more information. is another application.

In addition to correcting a disfigurement, plastic surgery is often needed to restore vital movement and function of tissues that have been destroyed. It is also performed for purely cosmetic purposes, such as improving the shape of a nose, bringing outstanding ears closer to the head, or lifting the skin to erase wrinkles, and the term cosmetic surgery is often used to refer to such surgical procedures. Modern plastic surgeons often employ CAT scansCAT scan
[computerized axial tomography], X-ray technique that allows relatively safe, painless, and rapid diagnosis in previously inaccessible areas of the body; also called CT scan.
..... Click the link for more information. to produce computer-generated images that are used to plan or simulate complex reconstructive surgeries, and 3D printers3D printer,
computerized device that produces a three-dimensional object by creating it as a series of thin layers. The object is created from a model stored in computer-aided design file; the model is sliced into hundreds or thousands of very thin horizontal layers using
..... Click the link for more information. have been used to create implants for such surgeries.

Surgery, Plastic

(also reconstructive surgery), a branch of surgery devoted to the restoration of the function and shape of partially or completely detached organs, correction of congenital or acquired abnormalities and deformities, and elimination of cosmetic defects. The biological basis of plastic surgery is the ability of flap tissue (for example, skin and skin-muscle-bone) and organs (for example, a kidney) transplanted on a pedicle or free from their original base to grow in new sites. Besides the patient’s own tissues, tissues from another person or an animal, cadaver tissue, and various inorganic materials (plastic and metal) may be used.

In the broad sense of the term, plastic surgery is employed in all surgical specialties: heart surgery (for example, valve prosthesis), surgery on digestive organs (for example, repair of the esophagus with tissue from the small intestine), traumatology and orthopedics (for example, replacement of tendons, osteoplasty), urology (for example, restoration of the penis and urethra), maxillofacial surgery (for example, operations for congenital harelip and cleft palate), otorhinolaryngology (for example, operations to improve hearing in otosclerosis), and ophthalmology (for example, corneal transplant).

In the narrow sense of the term, plastic surgery refers to operations on the body surface involving the transplantation of skin flaps, the repair of skin with a free skin flap, or the construction of a circular skin pedicle (V. P. Filatov’s rope flap); such operations make it possible to cover tissue defects with skin flaps transplanted from another part of the body. Operations on the body surface usually have a cosmetic aim as well. Some operations are performed solely for cosmetic purposes, for example, removal of wrinkles from the face and neck, skin folds from the abdomen, pigment spots, and deformities due to scars. The shape of the nose, lips, and ears may also be altered for cosmetic purposes. Noncosmetic plastic surgery is performed in general surgical or specialized medical institutions, whereas cosmetic surgery is performed in specialized hospitals or institutes of cosmetic surgery.

REFERENCES

Shimanovskii, Iu. Operatsii na poverkhnosti chelovecheskogo tela. Kiev, 1865.
Kartashev, Z. I. Vosstanovitel’naia khirurgiia litsa. Rostov-on-Don, 1935.
Eitner, E. Kosmeticheskie operatsii. Moscow-Leningrad, 1936. (Translated from German.)
Bogoraz, N. A. Vosstanovitel’naia khirurgiia, 2nd ed. Moscow, 1949.
Rauer, A. E., and N. M. Mikhel’son. Plasticheskie operatsii na litse, 2nd ed. Moscow, 1954.
Khitrov, F. M. Plasticheskoe zameshchenie defektov litsa i shei filatovskim steblem. Moscow, 1954.
Blokhin, N. N. Kozhnaia plastika. Moscow, 1955.
Peškova, H. Plasticheskie operatsii pri kosmeticheskikh defektakh. Prague, 1971. (Translated from Czech.)
Povstianoi, N. E. Vosstanovitel’naia khirurgiia ozhogov. Moscow, 1973.
Kol’gunenko, I. I. Osnovy gerontokosmetologii. Moscow, 1974.

R. I. KVASNOI

plastic surgery

[′plas·tik ′sər·jə·rē] (medicine) Surgical repair, replacement, or alteration of lost, injured, or deformed parts of the body by transfer of tissue.

plastic surgery

the branch of surgery concerned with therapeutic or cosmetic repair or re-formation of missing, injured, or malformed tissues or parts

plastic surgery

Note: This page may contain terms or definitions that are offensive or inappropriate for some readers.

plastic

[plas´tik] 1. tending to build up tissues or to restore a lost part.2. capable of being molded.3. a high-molecular-weight polymeric material, usually organic, capable of being molded, extruded, drawn, or otherwise shaped and then hardened into a form.4. material that can be molded.plastic surgery surgery concerned with the restoration, reconstruction, correction, or improvement in the shape and appearance of body structures that are defective, damaged, or misshapen by injury, disease, or anomalous growth and development. This kind of surgery has been practiced for thousands of years. Artificial noses and ears have been found on Egyptian mummies. Medical records show that the ancient Hindus reconstructed noses by using skin flaps lifted from the cheek or forehead—a technique that was often practiced, since it was a custom to mutilate the noses of persons who broke the laws.Skin Grafting. This is the most common procedure of plastic surgery, consisting of the replacement of severely damaged skin in one area with healthy skin from another area of the patient's body or from the body of a skin donor. (See further discussion at grafting.) With the advent of microsurgery, much of the inconvenience and lengthy waiting necessary for successful grafting of skin flaps has been eliminated.
The transplanting of tissues other than skin also is possible through microsurgery. Free-bone grafts can be used to provide rapid replacement of long bone defects, and free muscle transfers permit restoration of muscle function.Repairing Mouth and Other Defects. Among common defects that can be corrected by plastic surgery are cleft lip and cleft palate. Others are webbed fingers and toes, protruding or missing ears, receding chins, and injured noses. In addition, the shape of various types of noses can be altered for the sake of appearance. rhytidectomy is another common type of plastic surgery, done on the face to improve the aging patient's appearance. It is popularly known as a face lift.Facial Reconstruction. In facial reconstruction, missing bone and muscle, and sometimes skin, are replaced by substitutes. Sometimes the reconstruction is made with bone or cartilage taken from another part of the body, or sometimes it is made by artificial means.Use of Prostheses. Often the substitute for missing tissue is a prosthesis, a replacement not made from living tissue. It may be inserted beneath the skin (such as to build out a receding chin) or attached to the skin surface (for example, to replace an ear). Prostheses attached to, not inserted beneath, the skin frequently are employed to fill out depressed or missing facial areas, the aftereffects of accidents, cancer, or war injuries. In building such a replacement, the surgeon first makes an impression of the face and a plaster cast of the impression. The substitute part is molded in wax or clay in the plaster cast, and from this model the actual replacement part is made. Such parts, molded and painted to match the texture and color of the skin, have been used to replace many structures, including missing ears and noses.Use of Cartilage, Skin, and Bone. Noses and ears also have been reconstructed with rib cartilage and skin grafts. Eyebrows have been made by the use of skin grafts from the scalp, and chest deformities repaired by the use of bone chips from other parts of the body.
Sometimes a nose is remodeled to correct a hump or hook, or a saddle nose (a depression on the ridge), or a twisted nose. Incisions are made inside to avoid causing outside scars, and the surgeon either removes excess cartilage or bone, or inserts it, according to the improvement wanted. Cartilage and bone may be obtained from other parts of the body, usually the ribs or hip. After the operation, the skin over the nose adapts to the new structure.Dermabrasion. Skin blemishes such as acne scars and pits can be “sandpapered” or planed. This technique, called dermabrasion, seeks to correct superficial blemishes and to remove superficial accumulations of pigment. However, as dermabrasion can occasionally cause increased scarring or introduce variation in skin color and texture, such treatment is infrequently performed today.

surgery

[sur´jer-e] 1. the branch of health science that treats diseases, injuries, and deformities by manual or operative methods.2. the place where operative procedures are performed.3. in Great Britain, a room or office where a doctor sees and treats patients.4. the work performed by a surgeon; see also operation and procedure. adj., adj sur´gical.ambulatory surgery any operative procedure not requiring an overnight stay in the hospital; it must be carefully planned to ensure that all necessary diagnostic tests are completed prior to admission. Discharge instructions must place a high priority on patient safety. Called also day surgery.bench surgery surgery performed on an organ that has been removed from the body, after which it is reimplanted.day surgery ambulatory surgery.maxillofacial surgery oral and maxillofacial s.minimal access surgery (minimally invasive surgery) a surgical procedure done in a manner that causes little or no trauma or injury to the patient, such as through a cannula using lasers, endoscopes, or laparoscopes; compared with other procedures, those in this category involve less bleeding, smaller amounts of anesthesia, less pain, and minimal scarring.open heart surgery surgery that involves incision into one or more chambers of the heart, such as for repair or palliation of congenital heart defects, repair or replacement of defective heart valves, or bypass" >coronary artery bypass.oral surgery oral and maxillofacial s.oral and maxillofacial surgery that branch of dental practice that deals with the diagnosis and the surgical and adjunctive treatment of diseases, injuries, and defects of the human mouth and dental structures. Called also maxillofacial or oral surgery.orthopedic surgery orthopedics.plastic surgery see plastic surgery.stereotaxic surgery the production of sharply localized lesions in the brain after precise localization of the target tissue by use of three-dimensional coordinates.

plas·tic sur·ger·y

the surgical specialty or procedure concerned with the restoration, construction, reconstruction, or improvement in the form, function, and appearance of body structures that are missing, defective, damaged, or misshapen. Encompasses both reconstructive and aesthetic surgery.

plastic surgery

n. Surgery to remodel, repair, or restore the appearance and sometimes the function of body parts. It includes reconstructive surgery such as skin grafts and repair of congenital defects as well as cosmetic surgery.

plastic surgeon n.

plas·tic sur·ge·ry

(plas'tik sŭr'jĕr-ē) The surgical specialty or procedure concerned with the restoration, construction, reconstruction, or improvement in the shape and appearance of body structures that are missing, defective, damaged, or misshapen.

plastic surgery

Any surgical procedure designed to repair or reconstruct injured, diseased or malformed tissue so as to restore normal appearance and function. Compare COSMETIC SURGERY.

Plastic surgery

The restoring and reshaping of the skin and its appendages to improve their function and appearance.Mentioned in: Peyronie's Disease

plas·tic sur·ge·ry

(plas'tik sŭr'jĕr-ē) The surgical specialty or procedure concerned with the restoration, construction, reconstruction, or improvement in the shape and appearance of body structures.

plastic surgery

plastic surgery

plastic surgery

plas′tic sur′gery

plastic surgery

plastic surgery

plaster

plastic surgery

plastic surgery

plastic surgery,

Surgery, Plastic

REFERENCES

plastic surgery

plastic surgery

plastic surgery

plastic

surgery

plas·tic sur·ger·y

plastic surgery

plas·tic sur·ge·ry

plastic surgery

Plastic surgery

plas·tic sur·ge·ry

plastic surgery

Synonyms for plastic surgery

noun cosmetic surgery

Synonyms

Synonyms for plastic surgery

noun surgery concerned with therapeutic or cosmetic reformation of tissue

Synonyms

Related Words