ABSTRACTS


Aesthetic Surgery Journal

Official Publication of
the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery
May/June 1998
volume 18 number 3
Copyright © by the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery

Balloon-assisted Endoscopic Brow Lift: Preliminary Experience

Lawrence S. Bass, MD; Nolan S. Karp, MD; and Sherrell J. Aston, MD Balloon dissectors are inexpensive, disposable devices originally designed to provide rapid, atraumatic development of the work space needed for endoscopic hernia repair. We sought to evaluate the utility of these devices for endoscopic brow lift. Cadaver testing (n = 5) was followed by clinical use with assessment of flap loss, dissection time, completeness of dissection, and, more subjectively, amount of bleeding and tissue trauma. Dissection time over the forehead was less than 3 minutes in all cases; the remainder of the procedure was completed in times ranging from 20 to 35 minutes. No partial or total flap loss was experienced (n = 12). Bleeding after dissection was minimal. Dissection was possible in either the subperiosteal (n = 7) or subgaleal plane (n = 5), creating a smooth optical cavity. Dissection advanced to nearly the orbital rims, leaving only nerve identification, muscle removal, and flap elevation/fixation to complete the brow lift. Balloon dissection devices allow rapid mobilization of tissue planes with a minimum of effort. The feasibility of using balloon devices to speed and simplify endoscopic brow lift dissection has been demonstrated. Their full utility must await the results of outcome studies in a larger clinical series and must be balanced against their cost.

Author and Reprint Information


From the Center for Minimally Invasive Plastic Surgery, Institute of Reconstructive Plastic Surgery, NYU Medical Center; Department of Plastic Surgery, Manhattan Eye, Ear and Throat Hospital, New York, NY.
Presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, Orlando, FL, April 1996.
Accepted for publication Feb. 19, 1998.
Reprint info Reprint requests: Lawrence S. Bass, MD, 3 E. 74th St., New York, NY 10021.

Copyright © 1998 by Mosby, Inc. 
Manuscript number: 70/1/89774 
Copyright Clearance Center number: 190-820x/98/$5.00 + 0  
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