Cleft Lip & Palate
Description: Congenital splits or openings in the upper lip and the roof of the mouth.
Symptoms: Visible split in lip/palate, difficulty feeding, speech nasalization, recurrent ear infections.
Causes: Genetic and environmental factors during early fetal development.
Risk Factors: Family history, maternal smoking or diabetes during pregnancy.
Diagnosis: Prenatal ultrasound or physical exam at birth.
Treatment: Surgical cheiloplasty (lip repair) and palatoplasty (palate repair).
Post-Burn Scar Contracture
Description: Tightening of skin and underlying tissues following burn injuries, restricting joint movement.
Symptoms: Rigid, thickened scar tissue, reduced joint range of motion, chronic pain.
Causes: Excessive collagen deposition during the healing of deep second or third-degree burns.
Risk Factors: Inadequate initial burn management, deep thermal or chemical burns.
Diagnosis: Physical assessment of scar mobility and joint range.
Treatment: Contracture release, skin grafting, local tissue flaps, Z-plasty, physical therapy.
Microtia (Ear Deformity)
Description: A congenital deformity where the external ear is underdeveloped or completely absent.
Symptoms: Small, malformed or absent ear structure, associated conductive hearing loss.
Causes: Reduced blood supply to the developing ear in utero, genetic syndromes.
Risk Factors: Maternal diet low in folic acid, family history.
Diagnosis: Physical examination at birth, temporal bone CT scan.
Treatment: External ear reconstruction using rib cartilage grafts or synthetic implants.
Basal Cell Carcinoma Defects
Description: Skin defects remaining after the surgical removal of basal cell carcinoma, requiring reconstruction.
Symptoms: Open wounds or raw areas on the face or body following tumor excision.
Causes: Surgical removal of skin cancer.
Risk Factors: Chronic sun exposure, fair skin, advanced age.
Diagnosis: Histopathology confirming clear tumor margins.
Treatment: Local advancement flaps, transposition flaps, full-thickness skin grafts.
Gynaecomastia
Description: Abnormal enlargement of breast tissue in males, requiring surgical correction.
Symptoms: Swollen male breast tissue, tenderness, breast asymmetric enlargement.
Causes: Imbalance in estrogen and testosterone hormones, certain medications.
Risk Factors: Puberty, aging, anabolic steroid use, liver or kidney disease.
Diagnosis: Clinical examination, hormone levels, ultrasound.
Treatment: Surgical excision, liposuction, gland resection.
Keloid Scars
Description: Firm, rubbery lesions or shiny fibrous nodules that grow beyond the boundaries of an original wound.
Symptoms: Lumpy or ridged skin scar that grows over time, itching, pain or tenderness.
Causes: Overproduction of collagen during wound healing.
Risk Factors: Darker skin pigmentation, age between 10 and 30, family history.
Diagnosis: Visual inspection, skin biopsy.
Treatment: Surgical excision with intralesional steroid injections, silicone gel sheets, pressure therapy.
Pressure Ulcer (Stage IV)
Description: Deep tissue breakdown extending into muscle or bone due to prolonged pressure, requiring flap reconstruction.
Symptoms: Deep open wound exposing muscle/tendon/bone, foul odor, drainage.
Causes: Unrelieved pressure on bony prominences (heels, sacrum) restricting blood flow.
Risk Factors: Immobility, sensory loss, poor nutrition, fecal or urinary incontinence.
Diagnosis: Visual inspection, wound culture, bone biopsy (if osteomyelitis suspected).
Treatment: Surgical debridement, rotational muscle or fasciocutaneous flaps.
Deviated Nasal Septum
Description: A displacement of the nasal septum, requiring septoplasty to restore nasal airflow.
Symptoms: Difficulty breathing through one or both nostrils, nasal congestion, nosebleeds, snoring.
Causes: Congenital defect, trauma or injury to the nose.
Risk Factors: Contact sports, physical trauma.
Diagnosis: Nasal endoscopy, CT of paranasal sinuses.
Treatment: Septoplasty, rhinoseptoplasty.
Carpal Tunnel Release Defect
Description: Complicated hand wounds or nerve deficits following carpal tunnel release.
Symptoms: Persistent hand pain, scar sensitivity, hand weakness, non-healing incision.
Causes: Scar tissue adhesion, superficial branch nerve injury.
Risk Factors: Diabetes, chronic inflammation.
Diagnosis: Clinical hand exam, electrodiagnostic studies.
Treatment: Surgical scar release, nerve grafting, local fat grafting.
Dupuytren's Contracture
Description: A hand deformity where fingers bend toward the palm and cannot be fully straightened.
Symptoms: Nodules or cords under the skin of the palm, bending of fingers (usually ring and pinky).
Causes: Thickening of the palmar fascia.
Risk Factors: Age over 50, male gender, northern European ancestry, diabetes, family history.
Diagnosis: Clinical hand examination.
Treatment: Surgical fasciectomy, needle aponeurotomy, collagenase injection.
Hypospadias
Description: A congenital condition where the opening of the urethra is on the underside of the penis.
Symptoms: Opening of urethra not at the tip, downward curve of the penis (chordee), abnormal spraying of urine.
Causes: Hormonal imbalances or genetic factors during fetal penile development.
Risk Factors: Maternal age over 35, exposure to endocrine disruptors in utero, IVF.
Diagnosis: Physical examination at birth.
Treatment: Urethroplasty (surgical reconstruction) usually performed in infancy.
Facial Nerve Palsy
Description: Loss of facial muscle movement due to nerve damage, requiring nerve or muscle transfer.
Symptoms: Inability to close one eye, drooping of the mouth, loss of facial expression on one side.
Causes: Bell's palsy, trauma, tumor resection, congenital anomalies.
Risk Factors: Diabetes, upper respiratory infection, pregnancy.
Diagnosis: Clinical exam, electromyography, brain MRI.
Treatment: Nerve grafting (cross-facial nerve graft), muscle transfer (gracilis free flap).
Abdominal Wall Defect
Description: Weakness or large hernia defect in the abdominal wall, requiring reconstructive mesh repair.
Symptoms: Abdominal bulge, pain or pulling sensation, risk of bowel incarceration.
Causes: Incisional hernia, trauma, congenital abdominal wall weakness.
Risk Factors: Multiple prior abdominal surgeries, obesity, wound infection.
Diagnosis: Abdominal CT scan, ultrasound.
Treatment: Components separation technique, laparoscopic reconstruction with mesh.
Tendon Laceration (Hand)
Description: A cut or tear in the flexor or extensor tendons of the hand, requiring micro-surgical repair.
Symptoms: Inability to bend or straighten a finger, pain, numbness in fingers.
Causes: Sharp cuts (knife, glass) or crush injuries to the hand.
Risk Factors: Occupations involving sharp tools, manual labor.
Diagnosis: Functional hand examination, X-ray.
Treatment: Micro-surgical primary tendon repair followed by early active motion therapy.
Rhinoplasty Correction
Description: Surgical reconstruction of the nose to restore structure and airflow after prior trauma or malformation.
Symptoms: Nasal asymmetry, breathing difficulties, structural collapse.
Causes: Nasal fractures, congenital nasal defects, poor healing.
Risk Factors: Trauma, history of nasal surgery.
Diagnosis: Nasal endoscopy, 3D photography analysis.
Treatment: Open rhinoplasty with autologous cartilage grafting (septal or rib cartilage).
