Grants We Funded
Grant applicants for the 2023 cycle requested a total of nearly $4 million dollars. The PSF Study Section Subcommittees of Basic & Translational Research and Clinical Research evaluated nearly 140 grant applications on the following topics:
The PSF awarded research grants totaling over $1 million dollars to support nearly 30 plastic surgery research proposals.
ASPS/PSF leadership is committed to continuing to provide high levels of investigator-initiated research support to ensure that plastic surgeons have the needed research resources to be pioneers and innovators in advancing the practice of medicine.
Research Abstracts
Search The PSF database to have easy access to full-text grant abstracts from past PSF-funded research projects 2003 to present. All abstracts are the work of the Principal Investigators and were retrieved from their PSF grant applications. Several different filters may be applied to locate abstracts specific to a particular focus area or PSF funding mechanism.
Functional Imaging of Lymphatic Malformations in the Pediatric Population
Principal Investigator
Matthew Greives MD
Matthew Greives MD
Year
2017
2017
Institution
The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston
The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston
Funding Mechanism
Pilot Research Grant
Pilot Research Grant
Focus Area
Fat Grafting, General Reconstructive
Fat Grafting, General Reconstructive
Abstract
Lymphatic malformations are congenital anomalies of the lymphatic vessels that predominantly affect the head and neck region in children. These malformations can be extremely deforming and require extensive surgeries or radiology procedures, such as sclerotherapy, to reduce their size and dysfunction. Overall, we have very little information about how the lymphatic fluid moves in these lesions or even how they are related the adjacent tissue in the child's “normal” lymphatic system. Our current treatment algorithms are based on static imaging, including MRI's, or small window views, such as ultrasound, and neither gives a clear, real-time view of the functioning and flow of these lymphatic malformations.
Our study proposes to use Near Infra-Red Fluorescent Lymphatic Imaging (NIRFLI) to view the flow of lymphatic fluid in real time in these lymphatic malformations. NIRFLI uses military grade night vision technology to view the movement of injected indocyanine green in the lymphatic system in real time. While this technology has been used in adult patients for lymphedema studies and lymphatic mapping for oncologic resections, it has previously had only limited applications in children, and never previously to evaluate congenital lymphatic malformations. NIRFLI can provide live video of lymphatic pulsations, flow, and anatomy which we believe can be used to better plan our sclerotherapy interventions or surgical resections. Also, compared to traditional MRI imaging, NIRFLI can be performed in an awake, non-sedated child, obviating the need for anesthesia with its concomitant risks.
The specific aims of this proposal are to use NIRFLI to evaluate the anatomy and function of lymphatic malformations prior to and following sclerotherapy. We will correlate the images obtained with the concurrent gold standard, MRI, to evaluate the precision of the NIRFLI in identifying the anatomy and extent of the malformations. We also will use these live video images to identify potential sites of lymphatic flow as targets for sclerotherapy, something that static imaging cannot do. By performing two imaging sessions in each patient, one prior to sclerotherapy and one after sclerotherapy, and comparing them to the MRIs from those time points, we hope to show that NIFRLI is equivalent to the gold standard MRIs. We also will show that this procedure is safe and effective to perform in awake, non-sedated children in the clinic setting.
Lymphatic malformations are congenital anomalies of the lymphatic vessels that predominantly affect the head and neck region in children. These malformations can be extremely deforming and require extensive surgeries or radiology procedures, such as sclerotherapy, to reduce their size and dysfunction. Overall, we have very little information about how the lymphatic fluid moves in these lesions or even how they are related the adjacent tissue in the child's “normal” lymphatic system. Our current treatment algorithms are based on static imaging, including MRI's, or small window views, such as ultrasound, and neither gives a clear, real-time view of the functioning and flow of these lymphatic malformations.
Our study proposes to use Near Infra-Red Fluorescent Lymphatic Imaging (NIRFLI) to view the flow of lymphatic fluid in real time in these lymphatic malformations. NIRFLI uses military grade night vision technology to view the movement of injected indocyanine green in the lymphatic system in real time. While this technology has been used in adult patients for lymphedema studies and lymphatic mapping for oncologic resections, it has previously had only limited applications in children, and never previously to evaluate congenital lymphatic malformations. NIRFLI can provide live video of lymphatic pulsations, flow, and anatomy which we believe can be used to better plan our sclerotherapy interventions or surgical resections. Also, compared to traditional MRI imaging, NIRFLI can be performed in an awake, non-sedated child, obviating the need for anesthesia with its concomitant risks.
The specific aims of this proposal are to use NIRFLI to evaluate the anatomy and function of lymphatic malformations prior to and following sclerotherapy. We will correlate the images obtained with the concurrent gold standard, MRI, to evaluate the precision of the NIRFLI in identifying the anatomy and extent of the malformations. We also will use these live video images to identify potential sites of lymphatic flow as targets for sclerotherapy, something that static imaging cannot do. By performing two imaging sessions in each patient, one prior to sclerotherapy and one after sclerotherapy, and comparing them to the MRIs from those time points, we hope to show that NIFRLI is equivalent to the gold standard MRIs. We also will show that this procedure is safe and effective to perform in awake, non-sedated children in the clinic setting.
Biography
Dr. Matthew R. Greives earned his medical degree from New York University School of Medicine during which he completed a year-long research fellowship in the Laboratory for Microvascular Research and Tissue Engineering. He went on to complete an Integrated Plastic Surgery residency at the University of Chicago and subsequently completed a fellowship in Craniofacial and Pediatric Plastic Surgery at the Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh. He joined the faculty at the McGovern Medical School at the University of Texas Health Sciences Center at Houston in 2014. He was promoted to Associate Professor in 2020 and currently holds the Thomas D. Cronin Chair of the Division of Plastic Surgery.
Dr. Greives has published over 50 papers in various leading scientific journals and has authored 3 book chapters on plastic surgery. He is the director of the Texas-Cleft-Craniofacial Center (TCCC), overseeing the care of over 1000 patients with cleft lip and palate including nearly 50 new patients annually. His clinical research interests include outcomes for patients with cleft lip and palate. Dr. Greives’s research team was one of the first to publish on the use of Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) pathways in patients following cleft palate repair. These pathways aim to minimize narcotic usage and hospital length of stay while providing adequate pain control.
Dr. Matthew R. Greives earned his medical degree from New York University School of Medicine during which he completed a year-long research fellowship in the Laboratory for Microvascular Research and Tissue Engineering. He went on to complete an Integrated Plastic Surgery residency at the University of Chicago and subsequently completed a fellowship in Craniofacial and Pediatric Plastic Surgery at the Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh. He joined the faculty at the McGovern Medical School at the University of Texas Health Sciences Center at Houston in 2014. He was promoted to Associate Professor in 2020 and currently holds the Thomas D. Cronin Chair of the Division of Plastic Surgery.
Dr. Greives has published over 50 papers in various leading scientific journals and has authored 3 book chapters on plastic surgery. He is the director of the Texas-Cleft-Craniofacial Center (TCCC), overseeing the care of over 1000 patients with cleft lip and palate including nearly 50 new patients annually. His clinical research interests include outcomes for patients with cleft lip and palate. Dr. Greives’s research team was one of the first to publish on the use of Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) pathways in patients following cleft palate repair. These pathways aim to minimize narcotic usage and hospital length of stay while providing adequate pain control.