Full- or Split-Thickness Skin Grafting in Scalp Surgery? Retrospective Case Series

BACKGROUND Closure of skin defects after scalp surgery may be accomplished by grafting; either split- or full-thickness. Both methods are used in Denmark, and the optimal approach on scalp defects without exposed bone is not known. This study aimed to investigate if the two methods were equal regarding graft take as primary outcome and as secondary outcomes complications and number of outpatient visits/ number of days from surgery until the last outpatient visit for the recipient site (as a proxy for time to healing), hypothesizing that they were. METHODS The present retrospective single-center case series reported our experience using the two types of skin grafts after scalp surgery in the inclusion period from 1.1.2014 to 30.09.2015. Data were analyzed according to graft type with a full-thickness skin graft (FTSG-group) or a split-thickness skin graft (STSG-group). RESULTS In the inclusion period, 106 patients had surgery (28 with a FTSG and 78 with a STSG). Irrespectively of which skin graft that was used, we found no statistically significant difference regarding percentage of adherence, complications or number of outpatient visits and time from operation until last outpatient visit regarding the recipient site (p>0.05). CONCLUSION Our findings supported that use of either FTSG or STSG in scalp lesions were equal choices.