Introduction

Plastic surgery techniques, developed over the preceding 5,000 years, outline the chapters in the second edition of this original book, along with patient considerations. Chapters address the assessment of the defect, the preoperative factors in addressing the problem at hand, the influence of medical or adjuvant therapy, the pathology of the defect, the role of trauma in operative repair, and the correct marriage of donor to recipient tissue. Contributors also address operative indications, operative room setup, and postoperative care and details of pertinent dressings. Plastic surgery has evolved from the transfer of local, pedicle, and free flaps to the understanding of the requirements for angiogenesis and the physiology of tissue molding. Future discoveries will open new avenues for treatment and care.