Fondazione Maugeri – Tecar in Plastic Surgery

TECAR in Plastic Surgery: Preliminary Results

What is TECAR® therapy ?
Trasferimento Energetico CApacitivo e Resistivo
( CApacitive and Resistive Energy Transfer )

• Electromedical device
• Principle of the condenser
• 0,5 MHz Frequency (Radio)

Physical Principle: the condenser

• Mobilizes the endogenous ionic charges
• No irradiation of energy from the device
• Interacts with high resistance tissues:
  Bones – Tendons – Scars

Capacitive and Resistive Mode

Capacitive electrode

• Superficial action concentrated near the electrode
• Operator driven selective action

Resistive electrode

• Deeply distributed action proportional to tissues specific resistance / stiffness
• Deep thermal rise without risk of burns on overlying skin

Biological Effects

The Scar in Plastic Surgery

Rationale for TECAR Treatment

• Increase of blood flow in the soft tissues in order to speed up the physiological wound healing processes
• Reduction of edema after surgical trauma
• Reduction of the stiffness in cutaneous scars
• Reduction of the compactness of deep scars
• Reduction of secondary soft tissues contracture.

Pilot Trial

Goals:
• Testing the device safety in plastic surgery practice
• Determining working parameters
• Evaluation of patients compliance

Methods:
• Treatment of recent skin scars
• Treatment of hyperthrophic scars
• Treatment of deep scars contracture
• Treatment of post-operative chronic edema in flap surgery

Clinical Results

Conclusions

• Safe on the skin
• Easy to learn and manage
• Good patients compliance
• Useful in the treatment of late scarring complications

Controlled and Randomized Trial