Starplasty for reconstruction of the post burn contractures

Background and objective: Around 180,000 people die from burn injuries annually, which can result from heat, radiation, electricity, friction, or chemicals. Axillary and web post-burn contractures are prevalent and significantly limit the range of motion and quality of life, traditional contracture release procedures can result in donor site morbidity and low functional outcome. Range of motion after Starplasty flap for contractures in different part of the body Methods: A longitudinal study that includes 20 cases selected to undergo Starplasty operation, and then were followed for three months. The study was conducted in three main hospitals in Erbil city (Rizgary Teaching Hospital, Western Emergency Hospital and Emergency Hospital), The investigation started in November 2020 and continued until June 2022. Results: A total of 20 patients, including both children and adults, underwent contracture release surgery using Starplasty. The mean preoperative ROM (range of motion) was 30.5% of the normal value, which was increased to 56.6%, 66.0%, 75.3%, and 88.2% of the normal value, postoperatively (after one week, one month, and three months, respectively). On all follow-up occasions, the mean ROM increased significantly (P <0.001). Conclusion: Starplasty was a successful and safe procedure in treating both Axillary and web space contractures. In the absence of significant complications and graft failure, a response exceeding 50% of the normal range of motion can start as early as one week postoperatively. Keywords: Starplasty; Burn; Contractures.