Journal of

Background and Aim: According to the limited clinical observations and researches on cutaneous complications and hair growth changes of donor's site extremities, this study aimed to compare hair growth changes and cutaneous complications of donor's site extremity in patients who underwent coronary artery bypass graft between diabetic and non-diabetic patients.

Methods: Patients who attended the heart surgical clinic for routine follow-up 3-6 months after CABG (coronary artery bypass grafting) were evaluated. Their donor's sites in both extremities were compared with each other. Cutaneous changes were assessed and recorded by a dermatologist. After recording data, the incidence of these complications and the differences between diabetic and non-diabetic patients were evaluated.

Results: From the 97 participants of this study, 77 were male and 20 were female. Of these patients 29 were diabetic. Ten had hypertrichosis, 3 had hair loss in donor's site extremity, 16 had hyperpigmentation changes, 21 had itches, 26 had colloid scar changes, 3 had dermatitis, and 9 had wound site infection. In this study there was no statistically significant difference regarding the incidence of complications in diabetic patients compared to non-diabetic patients (P>0.05).

Conclusion: The cutaneous complications in this study were similar to previous studies and the only significant finding was the incidence of hypertrichosis in donor's site extremity. In order to determine the prevalence and persistence of the complications more accurately, further studies on larger populations including follow-up of complications are warranted.

Background and aim: Macular amyloidosis (MA) is a form of primary localized cutaneous amyloidosis (PLCA), characterized by amyloid deposits in the papillary dermis. This study aimed to compare the biophysical properties of MA lesions with those of adjacent uninvolved skin.
 

Methods: We measured several parameters in active MA lesions of 22 patients, including stratum corneum (SC) hydration, transepidermal water loss (TEWL), surface friction, pH, sebum, melanin, erythema, temperature, elasticity parameters (R0, R2, and R5), as well as epidermal and dermal thickness and echo-density using ultrasonography. Measurements from the lesions were compared with those from healthy skin adjacent to the lesions, serving as controls. Statistical analysis was performed using the paired t-test, with P-values less than 0.05 considered significant.
 

Results: Compared to adjacent normal skin, MA lesions demonstrated significantly lower SC hydration and surface friction, while TEWL, pH, erythema index, melanin content, and epidermal thickness were significantly increased. No significant differences were found in sebum levels, temperature, elasticity parameters, or dermal thickness and echo-density.
 

Conclusion: MA lesions exhibit distinct biophysical and ultrasonographic changes consistent with their histopathological features. These characteristic alterations may serve as useful, non-invasive markers for the early diagnosis of cutaneous macular amyloidosis.