Nikolaos A Papadopulos

Alexandroupoli University Hospital, Democritus University of Thrace · Dept. of Plastic Surgery and Burns

Background: Our previous retrospective study indicates that esthetic surgery in general results in a significant improvement in Quality of life (QoL). This is the first indication-specific prospective evaluation of QoL after blepharoplasty using standardized and validated questionnaires. Objectives: To report changes in QoL after blepharoplasty...

The lack of meticulous knowledge concerning the topographical anatomy of the deep branch of the ulnar nerve (DUN) may pose difficulties, leading to a delay or a misdiagnosis of a DUN injury. Identification of the DUN is quite difficult without precise anatomical landmarks as reference points. The current study investigates the topography of the DUN...

Background There is a lack of data concerning the prevalence of eating disorders in patients requesting aesthetic surgery in spite of a large body of literature on the psychopathology of these patients. This may mostly be due to insufficient diagnostic assessment instruments. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of eatin...

Zusammenfassung Hintergrund Bei Personen mit Geschlechtsinkongruenz wird eine Verminderung der Lebensqualität durch zahlreiche Studien belegt. Die hohe psychische Belastung führt zu depressiven Erkrankungen, Angststörungen und gegenüber der Normbevölkerung erhöhter Suizidalität. Auch soziale Limitationen führen zu verminderter Lebensqualität. Die M...

Axonal count is the base for efficient nerve transfer; despite its capital importance, few studies have been published on human material, most research approaches being performed on experimental animal models of nerve injury. Thus, standard analysis methods are still lacking. Quantitative data obtained have to be reproducible and comparable with pu...

As our previous studies have shown, cosmetic surgery has a positive correlation with postoperative well-being. The aim of this study was to prospectively examine the postoperative changes in quality of life (QoL) after a rhinoplasty. Thirty-four patients who underwent septorhinoplasty performed by a single surgeon from July 2015 to October 2018 rep...

Background: Partly as a result of the increasing attention directed toward transgender individuals and despite much research work on the topic of quality of life (QOL) of transgender, there is still a lack of studies using standardized questionnaires in their evaluation. Aims: We designed a survey to evaluate the influence of surgery after phall...

Background Lumbrical muscles originate in the palm from the 4 tendons of the flexor digitorum profundus and course distally along the radial side of the corresponding metacarpophalangeal joints, in front of the deep transverse metacarpal ligament. The first and second lumbrical muscles are typically innervated by the median nerve, and third and fou...

The affiliation of the editor in the Front matter was published with an error. This has been corrected now as mentioned below.

The advanced melanoma is a redoubtable disease which doesn’t give the choice of “sentinel nodes” resection. This surgery is performed widely, with resections of all the vessels above the femoral artery and vein, and the fatty tissue containing the superficial lymphatic vessels and nodes, plus the deep inguinal nodes when the melanoma does affect th...

It is well documented that skin cancer has the highest incidence among malignancies in humans. The most common skin cancer as analytically portrayed in the following sections of this chapter is basal cell carcinoma (BCC) followed by squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). Despite the fact that skin cancer is effectively treated promptly when medical consult...

The parotid gland is the largest salivary gland, located in the preauricular area extending towards the angle of the mandible and the cheek. Parotid gland surgery remains a challenge even for the experienced surgeon due to the diversity of lesions and conditions that may potentially involve the gland as well as because of its location and anatomic...

Lymphoedema is a chronic progressive disease caused by the accumulation of lymph in the interstitial space, which leads to subcutaneous swelling. Since lymph fluid is rich in proteins, it can generate chronic inflammation, proliferation and eventually fibrosclerosis of the affected tissue. The reason for this lymphostatic disease is a mechanical fa...

IntroductionLymphedema is associated with irreversible changes in the lymphatic system. For this reason, it is difficult to develop a radical treatment due to the dermal sclerosis and the volume increase of fibrous and adipose tissues. Complex decongestive therapy (CDT) is the gold standard in every therapeutic protocol. However, in cases that conv...

This book describes and illustrates the reconstructive surgical techniques appropriate in patients with skin cancer and melanoma, according to anatomic region, with a view to enabling readers to perform these techniques optimally. An extensive introductory section discusses skin cancer and melanoma from the points of view of dermatology, oncology,...

Das SMAS-Facelift ist eine etablierte Methode zur Verjüngung des Gesichtes. Abgesunkene Bindegewebs- und Muskelstrukturen im Wangen-, Kinn- und Halsbereich werden angehoben und verankert sowie überschüssige Hautareale entfernt. Jedoch wird erst mit der Integration der Eigenfettinjektion auch die Atrophie des Unterhautfettgewebes therapiert. Erst so...

Background: There are few studies evaluating depression, self-esteem, and mental health after gender confirming treatment of transgender women. Most of these studies include different surgical techniques and nonvalidated questionnaires. With our survey, we are aiming to assess psychopathologies and mental health as well as sexuality among a group...

Background: The authors' previous research suggested the hypothesis that aesthetic surgery in general has a positive impact on quality of life (QoL). This prospective study aimed to investigate the indication-specific effect on QoL in patients undergoing aesthetic liposuction. To our knowledge, no other prospective study has been conducted using s...

Adipose tissue contains an abundant population of mesenchymal stromal cells (= adipose stromal cells [ASC]) with multilineage differentiation, immunomodulatory and trophic potential promising for cell-based therapies. Although intensely investigated in pre- and clinical studies, little is known about the impact of donor characteristics on the viabi...

Introduction It has been theorized that there are 2 subgroups within the male-to-female (MtF) transgender population: individuals who are predominantly androphilic and those who are predominantly gynephylic or interested in both male and female partners. Aim To explore the role of a dichotomous distribution of age at dysphoria onset in individuals...

Background: In our previous retrospective study, we detected an increased quality of life after aesthetic abdominoplasty. In this survey, we analyzed quality of life, self-esteem, emotional stability, and mental health before and after aesthetic abdominoplasty prospectively. Methods: Twenty-two female patients were surveyed before and six months...

Background The aim of the current study is to investigate the first and second lumbrical nerves as potential fibers donors to the deep motor branch of the ulnar nerve to avoid intrinsic atrophy in high ulnar nerve injuries. Methods Sixteen fresh frozen cadaveric hands were dissected, the radial lumbrical nerves accessed, and a coaptation, either i...

Background: Several studies have been conducted evaluating psychological effects following aesthetic surgery, however few of them following blepharoplasty! Purpose: To determine whether blepharoplasty affects quality of life and satisfaction as well as, emotional stability and self-esteem in patients who underwent only blepharoplasty. Design:...

Nipple-sparing mastectomy is the latest evolution in mastectomy technique, providing superior cosmetic results without compromising oncological safety. A potential complication of the procedure is the malposition of the nipple in the reconstructed breast which is mainly either lateral displacement of the nipple or the so-called high-riding nipple-a...

Background: Currently available patient-reported outcome measures are limited in the field of sex reassignment surgery (SRS). Standardized questionnaires deliver high evidence data on satisfaction of male-to-female (MTF) transgender patients but do not allow any modification in their clinical application. We therefore designed a prospective study...

Our study group has researched for >10 years in the field of Quality of Life after plastic, aesthetic, and reconstructive surgery, asking the following questions: “Does aesthetic surgery improve the Quality of Life?” and “Can a higher Quality of Life offset the risk of surgical procedures.” As part of our series of studies examining the correlation...

Background: The authors' previous research showed that various plastic surgical procedures can increase a patient's quality of life in its different aspects. In a prospective setting, they evaluated whether sex reassignment surgery has similar effects for male-to-female transgender patients compared to baseline data before sex reassignment surgery...

Background Several therapy options exist for male-to-female (MTF) transgenders desiring sex reassignment. Surgery includes numerous different procedures. Of those, vaginoplasty is predominant and aims at providing attractive aesthetics and fully functional genitals.The goal of this study was to present the surgical results of our modified combined...

Background: Surveys on quality of life (QOL) of male-to-female (MTF) transsexuals have found low QOL scores before and increased satisfaction scores after sex-reassignment surgery (SRS). To our knowledge, many of them lack standardized questionnaires and comparisons with normative data to evaluate different vaginoplasty techniques. Aim: To analy...

Breast reconstruction initially was created to reduce complications of mastectomy and to diminish chest wall deformities while preserving patient safety and health. Now, however, it is well known that reconstruction also improves the psychosocial well-being and quality of life (QoL) of patients who have breast cancer. Choosing the suitable method o...

Background: In previous studies, our research group already evaluated the impact of aesthetic surgery on "quality of life" (QoL). This study evaluates QoL factors and perceptions of well-being after otoplasty as a single indication. Methods: Eighty-one patients who underwent otoplasty were divided into three age groups: Youth 1 (Y1) = 8-12 years...

Silicone injections in the breast for augmentation and aesthetic reasons began after the second world war and became a common procedure in the 60s and 70s. Many complications arose due to the type of silicone used and the nonexperienced personnel who performed these interventions. The case of a middle-aged woman treated after receiving injected sil...

Background Although breast augmentation is a common intervention in esthetic surgery, there aren’t enough reports evaluating accurately patients’ satisfaction retrospectively. In a previous study, we evaluated the quality of life in patients undergoing esthetic surgery. In the present study, we split up the operative indication and examined the qu...

The diagnostic use of computer tomography angiography (CTA) to identify perforating blood vessels for abdominal free-flap breast reconstruction was extended to estimate the three-dimensional (3D) preoperative flap volume and to compare it with the real intraoperative flap weights in order to (1) evaluate the accuracy of CTA-based 3D flap volume pre...

Liposuction is a most common surgical procedure in aesthetic surgery that aims at the local fat reduction. The obtained adipose tissue is currently used as a biocompatible filler. Autologous fat transplantation, also known as lipofilling, has become an attractive treatment method in the field of aesthetic facial surgery and scar tissue reconstructi...

One major objective of all types of breast reduction procedures is to achieve a long-lasting, stable and aesthetically pleasing three-dimensional (3-D) breast shape, but current surgical outcome evaluation is limited. This study compares the extent of soft-tissue oedema and breast tissue migration related to 3-D breast morphology changes after inve...

Indication for fetal surgery. The widespread use of high-resolution ultrasound in prenatal diagnosis allows nowadays an accurate and early diagnosis of congenital malformations. Some of these can be corrected surgically. In certain cases intrauterine surgery could present functional and aesthetic advantages or be even lifesaving. Due to the extreme...

Introduction: The aim of this study was to investigate the intraoperative findings, postoperative complications, donor site morbidity and patients' Quality of Life in order to evaluate the usefulness of the free osteofasciocutaneous fibula flap in the reconstruction or construction of a mandibula, neophallus, lower leg or forearm. Materials and m...

Prediction of resection weight (RW) in reduction mammaplasty is helpful in achieving breast symmetry and in fulfilling the stringent reimbursement requirements of health insurance companies. Current breast volume estimations are largely based on surgeon's experience, which are partially unreliable and often cumbersome to obtain. Therefore, this stu...

Objective: To conduct objective quantitative and qualitative evaluations of the long-term result in endoscopic forehead-lift. Methods: Medical charts of 143 patients who underwent endoscopic forehead-lift between 1994 and 2007 were reviewed for postoperative complications and the duration of complaints. Patients received a questionnaire to evalu...

In a previous prospective study, the authors evaluated the quality of life in patients undergoing aesthetic surgery. In this survey, the authors split up the operative indication and analyzed quality of life, self-esteem, and emotional stability after abdominoplasty alone. Sixty-three patients participated in the study. The testing instrument consi...

Three-dimensional (3-D) surface imaging has gained clinical acceptance, especially in the field of cranio-maxillo-facial and plastic, reconstructive, and aesthetic surgery. Six scanners based on different scanning principles (Minolta Vivid 910®, Polhemus FastSCAN™, GFM PRIMOS®, GFM TopoCAM®, Steinbichler Comet® Vario Zoom 250, 3dMD DSP 400®) were u...

Currently, postoperative outcome analysis in breast augmentation is essentially subjective, and objective evaluation of treatment efficacy is lacking. This study evaluates the influence of anatomic and round implant parameters on breast contour changes after subpectoral breast augmentation using three-dimensional (3D) surface imaging. 3D surface br...

In this report we highlight the use of PET scan in plastic and reconstructive surgery. PET scanning is a very important tool in plastic surgery oncology (melanoma, soft-tissue sarcomas and bone sarcomas, head and neck cancer, peripheral nerve sheath tumors of the extremities and breast cancer after breast esthetic surgery), as diagnosis, staging, t...

In this report we highlight the use of PET scan in plastic and reconstructive surgery. PET scanning is a very important tool in plastic surgery oncology (melanoma, soft-tissue sarcomas and bone sarcomas, head and neck cancer, peripheral nerve sheath tumors of the extremities and breast cancer after breast esthetic surgery), as diagnosis, staging, t...

Conventional nerve conduits lack cellular and extracellular guidance structures critical for bridging larger defects. In this study, an exogenous matrix for axonal regeneration was provided by pretreated muscle tissue. In 24 rats, 14-mm sciatic nerve segments were resected and surgically reconstructed using one of the following methods: autograft (...

This study develops an objective breast symmetry evaluation using 3-D surface imaging (Konica-Minolta V910(®) scanner) by superimposing the mirrored left breast over the right and objectively determining the mean 3-D contour difference between the 2 breast surfaces. 3 observers analyzed the evaluation protocol precision using 2 dummy models (n = 60...

This study explores the quality of life in 118 patients following severe and major hand injury with a Hand Injury Severity Score >50. Each patient answered five different validated outcome measures (DASH (Disability of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand), FLZ(M) ('Fragen zur Lebenszufriedenheit'), HADS (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Score), BDDE-SR (Bod...

Subcutaneous mastectomy in female to male transsexuals is one first important step in gender adjustment. Beside proper surgical technique, operative management of mastectomy procedures is important to allow for an optimised process of gender transformation including all necessary individual operations. 126 female-to-male transsexuals were prospecti...

Changes in breast-morphology occur after all types of breast surgery, but a systematic and objective surgical result assessment is currently lacking. Three-dimensional (3-D) surface imaging offers the ability to quantitatively evaluate breast contour, shape, surface and volume changes after surgery. This study evaluates 3-D breast contour and volum...

In the last decades, several surgical approaches have been used to improve the appearance and quality of life of female Poland syndrome patients. The aim of this study was to analyze the women's quality of life and long-term outcome after breast reconstruction. Forty-nine women with Poland syndrome who were treated surgically between 1974 and 2007...

BACKGROUND/AIM: Our aim was to evaluate the impact of in vitro cultured amnion cells, injected and/or seeded in different scaffolds, on in vivo fetal membrane repair. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Amnion cells, isolated from allogeneic fetal membranes, were cultured on three different scaffolds for 14 to 21 days. In 33 mid-gestational rabbits, fetoscopic...

Our aim was to evaluate the impact of in vitro cultured amnion cells, injected and/or seeded in different scaffolds, on in vivo fetal membrane repair. Amnion cells, isolated from allogeneic fetal membranes, were cultured on three different scaffolds for 14 to 21 days. In 33 mid-gestational rabbits, fetoscopic access sites were randomly allocated to...

Herein, we present our latest protocol of following three operative stages for complete phalloplasty, applied in 37 female-to-male transsexuals: first, mastectomy, ovariohysterectomy, urethral lengthening, vaginectomy, colpocleisis, and neourethra prelamination; second, neophallus creation with free sensate osteofasciocutaneous fibula (n = 31) or r...

To date, the dominant blood supply to the head of the fibula and to the growth plate is known to be the anterior tibial artery. The peroneal artery had been used before, among other donor pedicles, for microvascular transfers of this epiphyseal region. This study presents the long-term results of this now obsolete pedicle and compares them to other...

Hintergrund: Die Behandlung vulgärer Warzen ist schwierig. Die Wirksamkeit einer im Neuen-Rezeptur-Formularium gelisteten Dithranol(Anthralin)-Salizylsäure-haltigen Warzensalbe wurde bisher noch nicht prospektiv untersucht. Patienten und Methoden: In einer Anwendungsbeobachtung wurden über einen Zeitraum von 12 Monaten 30 Patienten mit vulgären War...

To investigate the influence of several magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) sequences on amniotic fluid temperature and intrauterine sound pressure. Temperature and sound pressure measurements during MRI (1.5 T) in pregnant ewes were done. Linear levels and third octave band spectra were compared. No significant changes in the temperature of amniotic...

The aim of this study was to present our latest modified protocol on neophallus construction that we have applied in 32 female-to-male transsexuals. The applied protocol consisted of neourethra prelamination with split skin thickness grafting at the lateral donor lower leg, and neophallus construction after 6 months with the free, prelaminated, and...

The aim of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of the free osteofasciocutaneous fibular flap in mandible reconstruction in 23 patients. We reviewed their clinical records and asked the subjects to answer a questionnaire, as well as to attend our hospital for a clinical and radiological examination. The mean follow up was 1.3 years. In 15 pati...

The final outcome of severe hand injuries is not solely determined by the residual functional impairment, but is also a function of non-functional criteria, including the sequelae of the accompanying psychological trauma. This paper reviews the literature with respect to the psychological impact of severe hand injuries, including the special impact...

Differences in breast volume and contour are subjectively estimated by surgeons. 3D surface imaging using 3D scanners provides objective breast volume quantification, but precision and accuracy of the method requires verification. Breast volumes of five test individuals were assessed using a 3D surface scanner. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) refe...

Myelomeningocele is a common dysraphic defect leading to severe impairment throughout the patient's lifetime. Although surgical closure of this anomaly is usually performed in the early postnatal period, an estimated 330 cases of intrauterine repair have been performed in a few specialized centers worldwide. It was hoped prenatal intervention would...

Muscle reconstruction during the primary surgical management of the cleft lip is a technique which may contribute to the functional and esthetic repair of cleft lips. Aim of this comprehensive review is to present the most contemporary views concerning the anatomy of the nasolabial area and the various surgical techniques for the cleft lip, based o...

To explore a surgical plug formed from decellularized term human amnion membrane for fetoscopic closure of iatrogenic defects in fetal membranes in a rabbit model. The study was performed in eight rabbit does. Punctures were created at midgestational day 23 by 14-gauge needle fetoscopy on surgically exposed rabbit amniotic sacs. The entry sites wer...

Striking inconsistencies between the results of morphometric and electrophysiologic examinations of the regenerating nerve were observed in a previous study featuring the bridging of a 14 mm gap in the rat sciatic nerve. To shed light on this dichotomy, seven further rats were subjected to permanent sciatic nerve transection and assessed electrophy...

Hintergrund: Die Wirksamkeit einer Anthralin-Salicylsäure-haltigen Salbe bei der Therapie kutaner Warzen wurde retrospektiv analysiert. Material und Methoden: Patienten-Akten aus den Jahren 2003 und 2004 wurden gesichtet, die aufgrund klinisch gesicherter kutaner Warzen mit einer Anthralin-Salicylsäure-haltigen Warzensalbe behandelt wurden. Die Erg...

Three-dimensional (3D) imaging technology currently is used by various commercial industries as a method for analyzing objects and shapes. Recent work from our group and others offer data to support the use of D imaging as a valuable tool in aesthetic and reconstructive breast surgery. We have developed a system for creating 3D breast models that p...

The severe functional deficits in patients suffering from traumatic peripheral nerve damage underline the necessity of an optimal therapy. The development of microsurgical techniques in the sixties contributed significantly to the progress in nerve repair. Since then, no major clinical innovation has become established. However, with an increased u...

In the last few decades, several surgical techniques have been presented to decrease the symptoms of breast hypertrophy by removing a specific amount of breast tissue and reshaping the breast. Reliable and objective breast volume determination could be a helpful pre- and intraoperative assistance for the surgeon to achieve an aesthetic result, espe...