MCQS on tissue expansion
- What is the most important principle governing the design of a tissue-expander pocket?
A. The pocket should be smaller than the expander
B. The pocket should exactly match the expander dimensions
C. The pocket should extend beyond the expander dimensions
D. Pocket dimensions do not influence expansion
Answer: C
2. When should routine postoperative tissue expansion generally begin after expander insertion?
A. Immediately after surgery
B. Within 24–48 hours
C. After adequate wound healing, generally around 2 weeks
D. Only after 6 weeks
Answer: C
3. Which factor is particularly important when selecting the size of a tissue expander?
A. Expander volume alone
B. Dimensions of the defect and available adjacent tissue
C. Patient body weight
D. Thickness of the expander shell
Answer: B
4. Which finding during an expansion session should prompt cessation of further inflation?
A. Mild transient discomfort
B. Blanching of the overlying skin
C. Increased expander projection
D. Palpability of the filling port
Answer: B
5. What is a major reconstructive advantage of tissue expansion?
A. It eliminates the need for additional operations
B. It provides adjacent tissue with similar colour, texture and characteristics
C. It produces tissue without additional scars
D. Expanded tissue undergoes no histological changes
Answer: B
6. What is the fundamental biological stimulus responsible for generating additional tissue during expansion?
A. Intermittent cooling
B. Sustained mechanical stretch
C. Tissue ischemia
D. Denervation
Answer: B
7. Which epidermal change occurs in response to tissue expansion?
A. Epidermal thinning
B. Epidermal necrosis
C. Epidermal thickening
D. Complete loss of rete ridges
Answer: C
8. What generally happens to the dermis during tissue expansion?
A. It initially becomes thinner
B. It becomes progressively calcified
C. Its thickness remains completely unchanged
D. It undergoes full-thickness necrosis
Answer: A
9. What develops around an implanted tissue expander?
A. Cartilaginous shell
B. Fibrous capsule
C. Synovial membrane
D. Bony capsule
Answer: B
10. Where should the filling port ideally be positioned?
A. Directly over the expander
B. Immediately beneath the incision
C. At a separate, easily accessible site away from the expander
D. Outside the skin in every case
Answer: C
11. Why should the injection port not be placed directly over the expander whenever avoidable?
A. It reduces tissue growth
B. Needle misplacement can puncture the expander
C. It prevents capsule formation
D. It causes immediate infection
Answer: B
12. Which incision strategy is generally desirable during expander placement?
A. Place the incision directly over the point of maximum future expansion
B. Design the incision to minimize tension and avoid compromising the expanded flap
C. Always place the incision through the centre of the defect
D. Incision position has no reconstructive significance
Answer: B
13. Which of the following is an important consideration when choosing the shape of an expander?
A. Only the manufacturer’s preference
B. The geometry of the defect and the planned reconstruction
C. Patient age alone
D. Skin pigmentation alone
Answer: B
14. What is the principal danger of excessive inflation during a single expansion session?
A. Hyperpigmentation
B. Compromised perfusion of the overlying tissue
C. Increased hair growth
D. Loss of sensation in every patient
Answer: B
15. What does blanching of the skin during expansion most directly indicate?
A. Adequate neovascularisation
B. Excessive pressure affecting cutaneous perfusion
C. Successful completion of expansion
D. Infection of the expander pocket
Answer: B
16. Which of the following is considered a major complication of tissue expansion?
A. Temporary tightness during inflation
B. Expander exposure
C. Palpability of the device
D. Temporary discomfort after filling
Answer: B
17. Which complication may necessitate premature termination of the expansion process?
A. Mild temporary discomfort
B. Major infection or expander exposure
C. Visible expansion of the skin
D. Formation of a capsule
Answer: B
18. Why is careful haemostasis important during expander insertion?
A. A haematoma can compromise the wound and increase the risk of infection/exposure
B. It prevents all capsule formation
C. It accelerates epidermal mitosis
D. It increases expander capacity
Answer: A
19. Why is tissue expansion particularly attractive for reconstruction of hair-bearing regions such as the scalp?
A. Expansion creates new hair follicles
B. Adjacent expanded tissue retains its native hair-bearing characteristics
C. Expansion converts non-hair-bearing skin into hair-bearing skin
D. Expanders stimulate transplanted follicles
Answer: B
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