[Treatment of sequelae of burns in children]

Abstract

Burn sequelae in children are conveyed in the form of retraction, deformity and growth problems together with dyschromia and trophic disorders. All the plastic surgical procedures can be used to correct them: full thickness or split thickness skin grafts, Z plasty and its derivatives (trident plasty, IC flaps), expansion, flaps, artificial skin, and dermabrasion. In most cases, these procedures will be combined. The aim of surgical treatment coordinated with rehabilitation is to restore the function, correct the deformities induced, improve the morphological aspect and permit normal growth. Good knowledge of the paediatric environment is, however, required to cope with the specificities of the child: treat the severe local inflammation, get the family to participate in the projects of rehabilitation, sometimes with the help of social services, maintain normal schooling, accompany the disorders in body schema, and, finally, prolong follow-up until growth is complete, a challenge in these patients who are often very young at the time of the accident.