ORIGINAL PAPERS
Surgical treatment of aplasia cutis congenita of the scalp

Aplasia cutis congenita (ACC) most commonly affects the apex of the scalp, but can also be seen on the trunk or extremities. After birth the lesion appears as an ulceration that changes into a scar. ACC is occasionally associated with absence of bone and dura mater. Sometimes ACC may be combined with other systemic anomalies. Aetiopathogenesis is still unknown, but external and genetic factors have been implicated. Medical treatment depends on the depth and size of the defect. In subjects with absent bone and dura mater early surgical management is required. However, when considering aesthetic aspects, the scar of the scalp is corrected at pre-school age or later. We analysed 28 patients with ACC aged between 2 and 46 years who underwent surgical management at the Department of Plastic Surgery, Medical University of Łódź, between 1981 and 2007. Pathomorphology of this anomaly, coexistence of other developmental disorders and various methods of local scalp flaps are presented. No aetiopathogenetic factors were indicated. Histopathological evaluation of specimens obtained from patients operated on for ACC revealed the characteristics of the scar. In the presented cases, aesthetic results of surgical management were assessed as good.