This Article  • Full text  • PDF  • Send to a friend  • Save in My Folder  • Save to citation manager  • Permissions  Citing Articles  • Citing articles on Web of Science (4)  • Contact me when this article is cited  Related Content  • Similar articles in this journal  Topic Collections  • Dermatology  • Dermatologic Procedures  • Dermatologic Surgery  • Alert me on articles by topic  Social Bookmarking   What's this?

Variations and the Eccentric Parallelogram

Leonard H. Goldberg, MD, FRCP; Murad Alam, MD

Arch Dermatol. 2004;140:176-180.

Background  The elliptical (fusiform) excision is a basic tool of cutaneous surgery.

Objective  To assess the design, functionality, ease of construction, and aesthetic outcomes of the ellipse.

Design  A systematic review of elliptical designs and their site-specific benefits and limitations. In particular, we consider the (1) context of prevailing relaxed skin tension lines and tissue laxity; and (2) removal of the smallest possible amount of tissue around the lesion and in the "dog-ears." Attention is focused on intuitive methods that can be reproducibly planned and executed.

Results  Elliptical variations are easily designed and can be adapted to many situations. The eccentric parallelogram excision is offered as a new technique that minimizes notching and focal tension in the center of an elliptical closure.

Conclusion  The elliptical (fusiform) excision is an efficient, elegant, and versatile technique that will remain a mainstay of the cutaneous surgical armamentarium.

From DermSurgery Associates and The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Tex (Dr Goldberg); and the Section of Cutaneous and Aesthetic Surgery, Department of Dermatology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, Ill (Dr Alam). The authors have no relevant financial interest in this article.

CiteULike    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter     What's this?