Authors : İsmail Işık; Sait Demirci; Dr. İbrahim Alişan

Volume/Issue : Volume 11 - 2026, Issue 8 - August

Google Scholar : https://tinyurl.com/mw49sd3c

DOI : https://doi.org/10.38124/ijisrt/26aug1596

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Abstract : Background: Follicular unit extraction (FUE) is now the predominant technique in surgical hair restoration, yet the relationship between severity of androgenetic alopecia (AGA), classified by the Norwood-Hamilton (NH) scale, and post-procedural graft survival has not been well characterised in adequately sized clinical cohorts. Stage-stratified survival estimates would support more precise pre-operative counselling and surgical planning.  Methods: We conducted a stratified retrospective analysis of 386 consecutive male FUE patients treated at Vera Clinic (İstanbul, Turkey) between January 2020 and December 2025, stratified by NH stage (III, III Vertex, IV, V, VI, VII). The primary outcome was graft survival rate assessed by calibrated trichoscopy at 12 months. Between-group differences were assessed by one-way ANOVA with post-hoc Tukey HSD; the stage-survival association was assessed with Spearman's rank correlation (ρ). This association was not adjusted for patient age, which co-varies with NH stage; a sensitivity analysis quantifying this co-variation is reported separately.

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