Francesca Saldanha

University of Cambridge | Cam

Background Underrepresentation of women in plastic surgery remains a concern. This study investigates gender-related differences in self-confidence and surgical ability among plastic surgery trainees in an effort to work toward gender parity. Methods Residents and fellows were recorded performing up to three cleft lip repairs on a high-fidelity si...

Objective: High-fidelity simulation has a growing role in plastic surgical education. This study tests the hypothesis that cleft lip repair simulation followed by structured debriefing improves performance and self-confidence and that gains are maintained. Design: Prospective, single-blinded interventional study with repeated measures. Trainees...

Background: Demonstrating competency before independent practice is increasingly important in surgery. This study tests the hypothesis that a high-fidelity cleft lip simulator can be used to discriminate performance between training levels, demonstrating its utility for assessing procedural competence. Methods: During this prospective cohort stu...

Background: This study aims to characterize incidental microscopic findings in this population to determine whether there is a benefit to routine histopathologic examination of breast tissue in young women. Methods: A retrospective review of young women who underwent reduction mammaplasty between June of 2010 and May of 2018 was performed at a s...

This final article of the two-part craniofacial series continues to provide the embryologic and developmental foundations necessary to understand congenital craniofacial pathology. Clinical characteristics and molecular genetics needed to make an accurate diagnosis and formulate a treatment plan will be detailed for atypical craniofacial clefts, Mo...

Craniofacial syndromes are a diverse group of congenital disorders primarily affecting structures of the head and face. Recent genetic advances have improved our ability to diagnosis specific syndromes, understand the molecular basis for abnormal embryogenesis, and anticipate future treatment needs. This is the first of a two-part series exploring...

Introduction: The traditions of surgical education have changed little over the years. However, the increasing focus on patient safety and duty hour restrictions mandates that residents start developing complex skill sets earlier to ensure they graduate with procedural competency. Surgical training is poised to exploit high-fidelity simulation tec...

Residents in many surgical disciplines express a strong preference for hands-on learning, but no studies have focused on plastic surgery. This initial study aims to ascertain the learning styles of plastic surgery residents, and identify potential trends that may better guide curriculum development. Methods: Kolb Learning Style Index v. 3.1 was a...

Verrucous venous malformation is a rare vascular anomaly that presents as a deep purple skin stain and evolves into a larger scaly, keratotic lesion that can bleed and cause pain. Because of its similarity to other vascular lesions, it is often misdiagnosed and treated incorrectly. Ten patients with hand verrucous venous malformations evaluated bet...

Simulation is becoming an increasingly important tool for hands-on surgical education in a no-risk environment. Cleft lip repair is a common procedure where precise technique is needed to achieve optimal outcome, making it an ideal candidate for simulation. A digital simulated patient with a typical unilateral complete cleft lip and alveolus was co...

For the past 50 years, the Xenopus amphibian model has been a cornerstone of biomedical research. Studies using this model have lead to many groundbreaking discoveries in areas as diverse as vertebrate embryology, cell and molecular biology, physiology, neurobiology, and endocrinology. These insights have paved the way for important applications ac...

A mouth is present in all animals, and comprises an opening from the outside into the oral cavity and the beginnings of the digestive tract to allow eating. This review focuses on the earliest steps in mouth formation. In the first half, we conclude that the mouth arose once during evolution. In all animals, the mouth forms from ectoderm and endode...

Background: The presence of a branchial fistula with communication both internally and externally: a 'true' branchial fistula is rare, and may arise in the context of autosomal dominant conditions such as branchiootic syndrome and branchiootorenal syndrome. Study: We discuss the case of a true branchial fistula, which recurred after initial surg...