Local Flaps in Facial Reconstruction, Second Edition

Local Flaps in Facial Reconstruction, Second Edition By Shan R. Baker. Pp. 820. Mosby, St. Louis, Mo. 2007. Price: $270. Ear, nose, and throat surgeon Shan R. Baker has written another excellent textbook on soft-tissue facial reconstruction. This text is the most complete edition to date and is a greatly updated version of the original published in 1995, and it incorporates significant components from his textbook on nasal reconstruction titled Principles of Nasal Reconstruction. This text joins several other recent editions on soft-tissue facial reconstruction, including Ian Jackson's Local Flaps in Head and Neck Reconstruction and dermatologist Chad Penington's excellent Local Flap Reconstruction. The text of Dr. Shan R. Baker's second edition has more than 770 pages and is designed to be a complete textbook encompassing soft-tissue facial reconstruction. Although Dr. Baker edited the entire textbook himself, there are numerous contributing authors. The book is divided into three general sections: section 1, “Fundamentals”; section 2, “Reconstruction of Facial Structures”; and section 3, “Adjunctive Surgery.” “Fundamentals” is composed of 16 separate chapters, of which Dr. Baker has written or contributed to nine. It encompasses anatomy and physiology of the skin, as well as biomechanics of skin flaps and surgical care of the Mohs patient. The remaining chapters of this section cover flap classification and design, with scientific analysis as well as photographic examples of specific flaps, including rotation, transposition, advancement, Z-plasty, bilobed, rhombic, melolabial, and paramedian forehead flaps. The remaining chapters discuss the use of skin and composite grafts. Section 2 addresses reconstruction of specific facial structures, and these sections are all written by contributing authors, with the exception of chapter 18, “Reconstruction of the Nose,” which was written solely by Dr. Baker. Specific facial structures covered include the eyelids, nose, lips, cheek, forehead, auricle, congenital auricular, and scalp. Section 3, “Adjunctive Surgery,” is composed of four chapters discussing tissue expansion, management of complications, scar revision and flap refinement, and, finally, management of vascular abnormalities of the face. This textbook reflects on 30 years of meticulous surgery with attention to details and subsequent excellent results. The text is well written and very insightful. The photographs and operative results echo this. This textbook has been on my desk for the last 9 months, and I have used it frequently and learned a great deal from the clinical techniques presented. The book is also accompanied by a CD-ROM that loads easily and has 19 clinical examples. Some of these examples stand alone and some are covered in the text. This text plus Dr. Menick's newest book on nasal reconstruction would be a sufficient two-volume set for any serious practitioner of soft-tissue facial reconstruction.FigureJames Thornton, M.D.