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Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Research

The Saint Louis University Division of Plastic Surgery fosters a culture of innovation and academic progress by providing residents with a wide variety of research opportunities.

The Division of Plastic Surgery fosters a culture of innovation and academic progress by providing residents with a wide variety of research opportunities. Residents are required to work on clinical research on an annual basis, and encouraged to submit projects for publication. Resident presentations at regional and national conferences are sponsored by the department. Fresh cadaver and basic science labs are available through the SLU School of Medicine and a fully equipped microsurgery lab is available for resident use.

Abstracts are regularly presented at:

  • The American Association of Plastic Surgeons (AAPS) Annual Meeting
  • The Plastic Surgery Research Council (PSRC) Annual Meeting
  • The American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) Annual Meeting
  • The American Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Association (ACPA) Annual Meeting
  • The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (ASAPS) Annual Aesthetic Meeting
  • The American Society for Reconstructive Microsurgery (ASRM) Annual Meeting
  • The Missouri Chapter of the American College of Surgeons (MO - ACS) Annual Chapter Meeting
  • The Saint Louis University Graduate Medical Education (SLU - GME) Resident Research Forum

Recent Grants

  • The Plastic Surgery Foundation (PSF) 2020 National Endowment for Plastic Surgery Grant. Investigating
    Crowdsourcing of Cleft Speech. Principal Investigator: Dr. Alexander Y. Lin
  • The Plastic Surgery Foundation (PSF) 2013 National Endowment for Plastic Surgery Grant. BMP-2 Alveolar Bone Reconstruction in the Growing Facial Skeleton. Principal Investigator: Dr. Alexander Y. Lin. 

Recent Publications (Five Years)

Frojo G, Castro O, Tadisina KK, Xu KY. Lymphovenous Bypass Using Indocyanine Green Mapping for Successful Treatment of Penile and Scrotal Lymphedema. Plast Reconstr Surg Glob Open. 2020;8(7):e2938. Published 2020 Jul 24.

Francoisse CA, Sescleifer AM, King WT, Lin AY. Three-dimensional printing in medicine: a systematic review of pediatric applications [published online ahead of print, 2020 Jun 5]. Pediatr Res. 2020;10.1038/s41390-020 0991-6.

Sescleifer AM, Francoisse CA, Webber JC, Rector JD, Lin AY. Transforming assessment of speech in children with cleft palate via online crowdsourcing. PLoS One. 2020;15(1):e0227686. Published 2020 Jan 9.

Kareh AM, Xu KY. Surgical Management of Lymphedema. Mo Med. 2020;117(2):143-148.

Yee A, Padovano WM, Rowe AG, et al. The Effect of Surgical Video on Resident Performance of Carpal Tunnel
Release: A Cadaveric Simulation-Based, Prospective, Randomized, Blinded Pilot Study. Plast Reconstr Surg.
2020;145(6):1455-1463.

Torabi R, Bourn L, Veith J, et al. Population-Based Health Utility Assessment of Migraine Headache Symptoms
before and after Surgical Intervention. Plast Reconstr Surg. 2020;145(1):210-217.

Walters J, Bourn L, Tessler O, Patterson C, Khoobehi K. Single Staged Mastopexy With Autologous Fat Grafting: An Alternative to Augmentation Mastopexy With Implants. Aesthet Surg J. 2020;40(4):NP152-NP158.

Sarhaddi D, Xu K, Wisbeck A, Deigni O, Kaswan S, Prada C, Lund H. Fondaparinux Significantly Reduces
Postoperative Venous Thromboembolism After Body Contouring Procedures Without an Increase in Bleeding
Complications. Aesthet Surg J. 2019 Oct 15;39(11):1214-1221.

Frojo G, Tadisina KK, Kaswan S, Doston A, Lin AY. Preparing for the Plastic Surgery In-Service Exam: Evidence- Based Essentials for the Plastic Surgery Resident. Plast Reconstr Surg. 2019;143(1):256e-257e.

Frojo G, Dotson A, Christopher K, Kaswan S, Lund H. Facelift Performed Safely With Local Anesthesia and Oral
Sedation: Analysis of 174 Patients. Aesthet Surg J. 2019;39(5):463-469.

Lopez CD, Kumar A, Lin AY, et al. Demystifying the "Triple Point: " Technical Nuances of the Fronto-Orbital Advancement. J Craniofac Surg. 2018;29(3):796-799.

Ngaage LM, Elegbede A, Tadisina KK, et al. Panniculectomy at the time of living donor renal transplantation: An 8- year experience. Am J Transplant. 2019;19(8):2284-2293.

Xu KY, Watt AJ. The Pedicled Anterolateral Thigh Phalloplasty. Clin Plast Surg. 2018;45(3):399-406.

Sescleifer AM, Francoisse CA, Lin AY. Systematic Review: Online Crowdsourcing to Assess Perceptual Speech
Outcomes. J Surg Res. 2018;232:351-364.

Kurta AO, Sarhaddi D, Sheikh UA, Bernstein M, Walen S, Armbrecht ES, Maher IA. Do Patterns of Reconstruction Choices After Mohs Surgery Vary by Specialty? A Pilot Study of Mohs Surgeons and Facial Plastic Surgeons. Dermatol Surg. 2018 Nov;44(11):1396-1401.

Tchanque-Fossuo CN, Donneys A, Deshpande SS, et al. Radioprotection With Amifostine Enhances Bone Strength and Regeneration and Bony Union in a Rat Model of Mandibular Distraction Osteogenesis. Ann Plast Surg. 2018;80(2):176-180.

Kwiecien GJ, Gharb BB, Tadisina KK, et al. Quantity of Lymph Nodes in the Vascularized Lymph Node Transfer
Influences Its Lymphaticovenous Drainage. J Reconstr Microsurg. 2018;34(1):41-46.

Duraes EFR, Madajka M, Frautschi R, Soliman B, Cakmakoglu C, Barnett A, Tadisina K, Liu Q, Grady P, Quintini C, Okamoto T, Papay F, Rampazzo A, Bassiri Gharb B. Developing a protocol for normothermic ex-situ limb perfusion. Microsurgery. 2018 Feb;38(2):185-194.

Frautschi RS, Duraes EF, Tadisina KK, Couto RA, Zins JE. Apparent Age is a Reliable Assessment Tool in 20 Facelift Patients. Aesthet Surg J. 2018;38(4):347-356.

Behrens J, Ho DSK, Frojo G, Tadisina KK, Kraemer BA. Neurofibromas on the Hands. Eplasty. 2018;18:ic8.
Published 2018 Mar 19. 

Frojo G, Lund H. Response to "Facelift Under Local Anesthesia With Oral Sedation". Aesthet Surg J.
2018;38(12):NP230.

Xu KY, Vidal C, Slutsky J, Fosko SW, Plikaitis CM. Modified Slow Mohs Technique for Treatment of Cellular
Neurothekeoma of the Lip in a Pediatric Patient. Dermatol Surg. 2017;43(3):446-449.

Tadisina KK, Lin AY. Squamosal Craniosynostosis: Defining the Phenotype and Indications for Surgical
Management. Annals of Plastic Surgery. 2017 Sep 26. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 28953518.

Jacobs CA, Lin AY. A New Classification of Three-Dimensional Printing Technologies: Systematic Review of
Three-Dimensional Printing for Patient-Specific Craniomaxillofacial Surgery. Plast Reconstr Surg. 2017
May;139(5):1211-1220. Review. PMID: 28445375

Frojo G, Tadisina KK, Pressman Z, Lin AY, Kraemer BA. The Plastic Surgery Match: An Analysis of Applicant
Impressions from the Interview Visit. Annals of Plastic Surgery. Ann Plast Surg. 2016 Dec;77(6):587-591. PMID:
27740953.

Tamber MS, Nikas D, Beier A, Baird LC, Bauer DF, Durham S, Klimo P Jr, Lin AY, Mazzola C, McClung-Smith
C, Mitchell L, Tyagi R, Flannery AM. Congress of Neurological Surgeons Systematic Review and Evidence-Based
Guideline on the Role of Cranial Molding Orthosis (Helmet) Therapy for Patients With Positional Plagiocephaly.
Neurosurgery. 2016 Nov;79(5):E632-E633. PMID: 27776089.

Kraemer BA, Geiger SE, Deigni OA, Watson JT. Management of Open Lower Extremity Wounds With
Concomitant Fracture Using a Porcine Urinary Bladder Matrix. Wounds. 2016 Nov;28(11):387-394. PMID:
27861131

Tadisina KK, Frojo G, Plikaitis CM, Bernstein ML. Basics of Bra Sizing: Essentials for the Plastic Surgery
Resident. Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. 2016 Oct;138(4):780e-1e. PMID: 27314938.

Geiger SE, Deigni OA, Watson JT, Kraemer BA. Management of Open Distal Lower Extremity Wounds With
Exposed Tendons Using Porcine Urinary Bladder Matrix. Wounds. 2016 Sep;28(9):306-316. PMID: 27701126.

Tadisina KK, Orra S, Gharb BB, Kwiecien G, Bernard S, Zins JE.Applying to Integrated Plastic Surgery Residency
Programs: Trends in the Last Five Years of the Match. Plast Reconstr Surg. 2016 Jan 7.

Maclin MM 2nd, Deigni OA, Bengtson BP. The Laminated Nature of the Pectoralis Major Muscle and the
Redefinition of the Inframammary Fold: Clinical Implications in Aesthetic and Reconstructive Breast Surgery. Clin Plast Surg. 2015 Oct;42(4):465-79. 

Gowda AU, Tadisina KK, Chopra K, Singh DP. Submission bias and the rise of open access journals. Aesthet Surg
J. 2015 Nov;35(8):NP275-6.

Tadisina KK, Chopra K, Mohan R, Singh DP. Nationwide incidence, cost, and epidemiologic trends in facial
rhytidectomy: an examination of inpatient facelifts using the Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS) database. AesthetSurg J. 2015 Nov;35(8):NP266-8.

Tadisina KK, Chopra K, Singh DP. The "weekend effect" in plastic surgery: analyzing weekday versus weekend admissions in body contouring procedures from 2000 to 2010. Aesthet Surg J. 2015 Nov;35(8):995-8.

Nguyen DC, Patel KB, Skolnick GB, Skladman R, Grames LM, Stahl MB, Marsh JL, Woo AS.Progressive
Tightening of the Levator Veli Palatini Muscle Improves Velopharyngeal Dysfunction in Early Outcomes of
Primary Palatoplasty. Plast Reconstr Surg. 2015 Jul;136(1):131-41.

Namin A, Starnes SE, Plikaitis CM. Pediatric craniofacial pseudoaneurysm with a variable history of antecedent
trauma. J Craniofac Surg. 2015 May;26(3):796-9.