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Tissue Characterization after a New Disaggregation Method for Skin Micro-Grafts Generation
Published on: March 4, 2016
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Wound and Short-Term Scar Outcomes of Meek Micrografting Versus Mesh Grafting: An Intra-Patient Randomized Controlled
Danielle Rijpma1,2,3, Karel Claes4,5, Anouk Pijpe1,2,3
1Alliance of Dutch Burn Care, Burn Center Beverwijk, Red Cross Hospital, Vondellaan 13, 1942 LE Beverwijk, The Netherlands.
European Burn Journal
|May 23, 2025
Summary
Mesh grafting demonstrated superior wound healing and scar quality compared to Meek micrografting in smaller wounds. However, Meek micrografting showed advantages in donor site size and patient preference for specific expansion ratios.
Area of Science:
- Dermatology
- Plastic Surgery
- Regenerative Medicine
Background:
- Split-thickness skin grafting is crucial for wound closure.
- Mesh and Meek micrografting are established skin graft expansion techniques.
- Comparing their efficacy in smaller wounds is essential for optimizing outcomes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the effectiveness of Mesh grafting and Meek micrografting at 1:2 and 1:3 expansion ratios in smaller wounds.
- To evaluate wound healing, scar quality, and patient preference between the two techniques.
Main Methods:
- An intra-patient randomized controlled trial was conducted across two burn centers.
- Seventy patients with smaller wounds were included.
- Outcomes assessed included take rate, re-epithelialization, donor site size, Patient and Observer Scar Assessment Scale (POSAS), cutometer, and dermaspectrometer measurements at 3 months post-surgery.
Main Results:
- Mesh grafting showed a significantly higher take rate (87% vs. 79%) compared to Meek micrografting.
- Scar quality, assessed by POSAS, elasticity, and melanin levels, was significantly better with Mesh grafting.
- Patient preference favored Mesh grafting (49%) over Meek micrografting (32%), though Meek was preferred for the 1:3 expansion ratio regarding donor site size.
Conclusions:
- Mesh grafting is superior for most wound healing and short-term scar quality outcomes in smaller wounds.
- Meek micrografting offers benefits in donor site size and patient preference within specific expansion ratios (1:3).
- The choice between Mesh and Meek grafting should consider wound characteristics and patient-specific factors.
