From Laboratory to Operating Room: Innovative Use of Manual Blood Cell Counting Machine for Counting Follicular Grafts
January 2018
in “
Journal of The American Academy of Dermatology
”
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Studysummary This study reports various methods used by hair transplant surgeons to count and manage follicular grafts during follicular unit extraction hair restoration, including manual counting and the use of automated or digitalized graft counters. Our plain-language summary of this paper — not a Tressless recommendation.
In 2018, Dr. Vikas Pathania presented an innovative solution for counting follicular grafts during hair restoration surgery by repurposing a manual blood cell counter, a device traditionally used by pathologists for reporting differential leucocyte counts. This method was found to be user-friendly and economical, with the counter's keys relabeled to represent different types of follicular grafts. The main limitation noted was the counter's three-digit display, which resets after 999, necessitating an additional note for accurate tallying of grafts beyond this number. This approach exemplifies the creative adaptation of an older, underutilized technology for use in hair transplant procedures, particularly beneficial in settings with limited resources.
