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Philip J. Miller, MD; Daniel Grinberg, MD; Marc Zimbler, MD

Arch Facial Plast Surg. 1999;1:316-319.

Endoscopic equipment and specially designed elevators and dissecting instruments provide access to the forehead and scalp region through minimal incisions. This technique is now widely accepted for aesthetic forehead and browlifts. To our knowledge, however, it has not previously been used in reconstructive forehead and scalp surgery. We carried out a retrospective review of 5 cases involving patients who underwent reconstructive scalp and frontal bone defect surgery: 2 patients had frontal defects that were contoured with expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (Gore-Tex; WL Gore & Assoc, Phoenix, Ariz) inserted endoscopically; 2 patients had scalp soft tissue defects that were treated with wide subgaleal undermining and endoscopically guided galeotomies that resulted in primary closure; and 1 patient was treated for facial paralysis to improve the aesthetic result. We conclude that aesthetic endoscopic surgical techniques and equipment can be used in reconstructive therapy for patients with bony and soft tissue defects of the scalp and forehead.

From the Department of Otolaryngology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY.