To investigate the clinical effect of water-jet excision combined with skin graft in the treatment of giant congenital melanotic nevus.

The patients with giant nevus who were admitted to the Department of Plastic Surgery, Chinese PLA General Hospital from January 2015 to May 2019 were retrospectively analyzed. All patients were treated by layer-by-layer cutting of giant nevus with water-jet, preserving the subcutaneous fascial layer and part of the dermis as much as possible, then following by skin graft transplantation. The patients visited the hospital 1-2 years after operation. The postoperative scar of skin graft area was scored by Patient and Observer Scar Assessment Scale (POSAS), and the satisfaction of skin graft area was evaluated by digital scoring method (1-10 points). The recurrence of nevus pigmentosus and implantation metastasis were observed. Descriptive method were used for statistical analysis.

A total of 7 children were included, 2 males and 5 females, aged 4 to 14 years. There were 3 cases on the trunk and 4 cases on the extremities. Giant nevi accounted for (7.4 ± 3.1)% of the body surface area. Then skin graft survived well after surgery in all 7 children. During the 1-year follow-up after operation, the POSAS score of skin graft scar showed that the sum of 1-3 points in the scores of scar pain, itching, hardness and thickness by the patients or their families was 6, 4, 4 and 5 cases, respectively, and the sum of 4-10 points in the pigmentation and irregularity was 5 and 5 cases, respectively. None of the 7 patients had functional limitation in the skin graft area; the physicians’, scores for vascularity, pigmentation, thickness, and flexibility of the scars in the skin graft area were low, with a sum of 6, 3, 4, and 4 for the number of cases with 1-3 points and 2 and 4 for the number of cases with 1-3 points and 4-6 points in the flatness score, respectively. The satisfaction of both doctors and patients (sum of 7-10 points) was 4 and 5 cases, respectively. 7 cases were reexamined 1 year after operation, with recurrence of 2 punctate nevus pigmentosus(less than 1 mm in diameter) in only one case. No implantation metastasis in the skin graft area of nevus pigmentosus happened.

Water-jet excision combined with skin graft in the treatment of giant nevus is simple and only one procedure required. The donor site only needs to cut a split-thickness skin graft. The postoperative scar is not obvious and the skin elasticity is better. Patients were relatively satisfied with the postoperative effect. It is suitable for the resection of nevus pigmentosus in the trunk especially the nevus pigmentosus with good texture and lighter color but not for the lesion at articular area of limbs.

Nevus, pigmented; Nevus, giant; Reconstructive surgical procedures; Autografts; Skin transplantation; Cicatrix; Patient satisfaction; Water-jet