Endovascular operations on leg arteries

The paper presents the results color duplex scanning (CDS) diagnosis during 42 endovascular operations (40 balloon angioplasties and 2 stentings) on leg arteries with stenoocclusive changes. The operations were successful in 95.5% of cases, as evidenced by angiography and in 83.3% as shown by CDS; there were 7 (16.7%) cases of hemodynamic events, such as angioplastic site thrombosis, intimal dissection, and residual stenosis. Late follow-ups revealed 6 (16%) cases of hemodynamic events, such as angioplastic area thrombosis and reocclusion. CDS permitted evaluation of the patency of leg arterial endovascular intervention areas, which was 44.96+/-19.77% at a follow-up of up to 60 months (mean follow-up period 18.76+/-2.58). Two stents were patent within 24 months.     

Phaeohyphomicosis by Wangiella dermatitidis in Republic Argentine.

We are presenting the case of a 54 year-old woman, who had a kidney transplant. She came to our laboratory to consult for two cutaneous lesions: a cystic one at the back of her right leg and one localized on dorsum of left forearm. Biopsies of both lesions were performed for a histopathologic study as well as microbiological (both bacteriologic and mycologic) cultures. The histopathologic study showed a lesion compatible with a B type cutaneous lymphoma in the lesion in her leg, while in the mycologic study of the cystic lesion elements compatible with phaeohyphomycosis were observed. Development of Wangiella dermatitidis was obtained in the cultures. The cystic lesion localized on forearm was completely removed by surgery, while the lesion in the leg received oncological treatment. The aim of this paper is to describe the first published case of phaeohyphomycosis, by W. dermatitidis, in the Argentine Republic.     

重组合异种骨治疗股骨非感染性骨不连的长期疗效观察

目的:探讨重组合异种骨治疗股骨非感染性骨不连的长期临床疗效。方法:对2000年1月至2006年9月间我院应用重组合异种骨(RBX)治疗的37例股骨非感染性骨不连患者进行回顾性分析,其中男26例,女11例;年龄4～70岁,平均31.6岁。骨折部位:股骨近端4例,中段30例,远端3例。骨不连类型:肥大型9例,营养不良型6例,萎缩型22例。固定方式:加压钢板24例,髓内钉11例,外固定架2例。结果:37例患者获得51-131个月的随访,平均90.2个月,骨不连一次手术愈合率:94.6%,4例股骨近端骨不连患者采用Harris评分系统评定疗效,优3例,良1例,差0例,优良率100%。3例股骨远端骨不连患者采用美国膝关节协会评分系统(KSS)评定疗效,优1例,例良1例,差1例,优良率66.7%。30例股骨干骨不连患者采用Harris评分系统和KSS评定疗效,优21例,良8例,差1例,优良率96.7。总优良率94.6%。长期观察均无免疫排斥反应表现。结论:RBX用于治疗股骨非感染性骨不连具有材料充足、骨折愈合率高、组织兼容性好长期应用无免疫排斥反应等优点,是一种良好的自体骨替代材料。     

Arthroscopic treatment of localized and diffuse pigmented villonodular synovitis of the knee

Pigmented villonodular synovitis (PVNS) is a rare proliferative synovial disorder of uncertain etiology. Two forms of this disorder, a localized (LPVNS) and diffuse (DPVNS) form, are well differentiated. The therapy of choice for LPVNS is arthroscopic partial synovectomy with excision of the lesion. Total synovectomy, whether done arthroscopically or through an open arthrotomy, is the recommended treatment for DPVNS. During an eight-year period 13 patients, six male and seven female, average age 28 years (range, 16 to 60 years) were treated for PVNS of the knee with arthroscopic synovectomy. Average follow-up was 84 months (range, 28 to 127 months). Four patients were affected by localized PVNS and were subjected to partial arthroscopic synovectomy (two to three portals) with a complete lesion excision. The remaining nine patients presented with the diffuse form of PVNS and all of them underwent total arthroscopic synovectomy (five portals). The diagnosis was confirmed by synovial biopsy. Each patient was evaluated before treatment and at final follow-up. Results were assessed clinically, radiographically and subjectively and were rated as excellent, good, fair, or poor. No complications or recurrences were noted in the LPVNS group, and all four patients were rated as excellent. In the DPVNS group, eight patients were rated as excellent and one patient was rated as fair and it was the patient who suffered the only recurrence in our case series. No relevant complications were encountered. No cases of infection, joint stiffness or neurovascular lesions were seen. Arthroscopy has become the golden standard in treatment of LPVNS, and can undoubtedly give results that are as good as with open synovectomy when treating DPVNS, if performed by an experienced arthroscopic surgeon.     

后侧手术入路、锁定钢板固定治疗胫骨平台后髁骨折的临床疗效

目的：探讨采用膝关节后内和后外侧切口、锁定钢板固定治疗胫骨平台后髁骨折的临床疗效。方法：选取2009年1月～2011年12月来我院治疗的13例胫骨平台后髁骨折患者作为研究对象,所有患者采用后内和后外侧切口、锁定钢板固定治疗,观察术后骨折愈合情况,采用Rasmussen放射学评分评定骨折复位情况,采用HSS评分系统评定膝关节功能疗效。结果：术后随访6～24个月,平均13．6个月,所有患者骨折均于16周内愈合。Rasmussen放射学评分15～18分,平均17．4分,其中优8例,良3例,可2例,优良率为84．7％。末次随访时膝关节功能HSS评分73~97分,平均91．4分,其中获优7例,良5例,可1例,优良率为92．3％。结论：采用膝关节后内和（或）后外侧切口、锁定钢板固定治疗胫骨平台后髁骨折具有操作简单、显露清晰、直视下复位骨折及关节面、固定牢靠、利于早期功能锻炼、临床疗效确切、并发症少等优点。     

Fasciocutaneous island flap based on the medial plantar artery: clinical applications for leg, ankle, and forefoot

Soft-tissue deficits over the plantar forefoot, plantar heel, tendo calcaneus, and lower leg are often impossible to cover with a simple skin graft. The previously developed medial plantar fasciocutaneous island flap has been adapted to cover soft-tissue defects over these areas. This fasciocutaneous flap based on the medial plantar neurovascular bundle is capable of providing sensate and structurally similar local tissue. Application of this fasciocutaneous island flap is demonstrated in 12 clinical cases. Successful soft-tissue cover was achieved on the plantar calcaneus (four patients), tendo calcaneus (four patients), lower leg (two patients), and plantar forefoot (two patients). Follow-up ranged from 6 months to 5 years. All flaps were viable at follow-up. Protective sensation was present in 11 of 12 flaps evaluated at 6 months. In addition, all 11 patients were able to ambulate in normal footwear. The medial plantar island flap seems to be more durable than a skin graft, and the donor site on the non-weight-bearing instep is well tolerated. This study demonstrates that the medial plantar fasciocutaneous island flap should be considered as another valuable tool in reconstructive efforts directed at the plantar forefoot, plantar heel, posterior ankle, and lower leg.     

Longevity of Breeding Sows in Relation to Leg Weakness Symptoms at Six Months of Age

The objective of this study was to evaluate the influence of leg weakness symptoms measured early in life (at 6 months of age) on the longevity of the sows, i.e. the age at culling due to locomotory problems in a Danish pig herd. One hundred and eighty-seven gilts at 6 months of age were selected according to different leg weakness symptoms and were followed until culling and judged for leg weakness once in every gestation using a scale from 1 (normal) to 4 (severe changes). Age at culling, and the main and secondary reasons for culling were recorded. The influence of leg weakness symptoms on longevity was evaluated by survival analysis. Though only 12% of the gilts showed a stiff locomotion half of the sows had suffered from this and nearly one third had been distinctly lame at some time in their life. Buck-kneed forelegs, upright pasterns, legs turned out, standing under position and swaying hindquarters were associated with stiff locomotion or lameness, whereas weak pasterns on hind legs and splayed digits on forelegs were associated with brisk movement (freedom from locomotor problems). The following leg weakness symptoms at the gilt stage were found to have significant negative effects on longevity: buck-kneed forelegs, swaying hindquarters, and standing under position on hind legs.     

可吸收螺钉结合克氏针治疗跟骨骨折

目的评价可吸收螺钉结合克氏针治疗跟骨骨折的疗效。方法采用可吸收螺钉结合克氏针对17例跟骨骨折行切开复位内固定。按Sanders分型[1]:其中Ⅱ型6例,Ⅲ型10例,IV型1例。结果 17例均获得随访,随访时间6～42个月,平均11.6个月,骨折全部愈合。疗效优6例,良8例,可2例,差1例,优良率82.4%。结论可吸收螺钉结合克氏针用于治疗跟骨骨折,值得推广。     

Successful replantation of an amputated leg in a child.

We report the successful replantation of an amputated leg in a 4-year-old boy. Four years after the replantation, skeletal growth and nerve regeneration were good and he had an excellent recovery of function and appearance. This result was undoubtedly enhanced by his youth, the ideal conditions for nerve repair, and the good preservation of the amputated leg in ice water. Replantation of an amputated lower extermity should be tried if the conditions mentioned above are fulfilled.     

Criterion for aerobic biological treatment design

Examples of the aerobic biological reactor treatment design in accordance with generalized model, suggested earlier by the author, are presented. The generalized model is shown to be most adequate to experiments, in a wide range of the level of treatment. The coefficients of the generalized model can be determined graphically. Two simple limiting cases follow from the generalized model corresponding to the rough and high level treatment from complex pollutant. A criterion, which helps to distinguish these two cases, is suggested.     

Prediction of restenosis based on hemodynamical markers in revascularized femoro-popliteal arteries during leg flexion

Endovascular therapy in patients suffering from peripheral arterial disease shows high rates of restenosis. The poor clinical outcomes are commonly explained by the demanding mechanical environment due to leg movements, but the mechanisms responsible for restenosis remain unknown. In this study, we hypothesized that restenosis following revascularization is associated with hemodynamical markers derived from blood flow during leg flexion. Therefore, we performed personalized computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analyses of 20 patients, who underwent routine endovascular femoro-popliteal interventions. The CFD analyses were conducted using 3D models of the arterial geometry in straight and flexed positions, which were reconstructed from 2D angiographic images. Based on restenosis rates reported at 6-month follow-up, logistic regression analyses were performed to predict restenosis from hemodynamical parameters. Results showed that severe arterial deformations, such as kinking, induced by leg flexion in stented arteries led to adverse hemodynamic conditions that may trigger restenosis. A logistic regression analysis based solely on hemodynamical markers had an accuracy of 75%, which showed that flow parameters are sufficient to predict restenosis (p = 0.031). However, better predictions were achieved by adding the treatment method in the model. This suggests that a more accurate image acquisition technique is required to capture the localized modifications of blood flow following intervention, especially around the stented artery. This approach, based on the immediate postoperative configuration of the artery, has the potential to identify patients at increased risk of restenosis. Based on this information, clinicians could take preventive measures and more closely follow these patients to avoid complications.

     

Goblet Cell Carcinoids: Characteristics of a Danish Cohort of 83 Patients

BackgroundAppendiceal goblet cell carcinoids (GCCs) exhibit neuroendocrine and adenocarcinoma features.ResultsMedian age for f/m was 59/58 years, respectively, and similar for localized and disseminated disease. At diagnosis 54 patients had localized appendiceal disease (f/m: 29/25). According to TNM 24% had Stage I, 70% had Stage II and 6% had Stage III. Twenty-nine patients had disseminated disease (f/m: 27/2). Chromogranin A, synaptophysin and p53 were positive in >90%. Serotonin was positive in 70%. Median Ki67 index was 32% (6-75%) and higher in Tang group C (50%) compared to group A (30%; p<0.0001), and group B (30%; p<0.004). All patients had surgery. Sixty-three (76%) had radical resections including all patients with localized disease. Median OS was 83 months. The 1-, 5- and 10-year survival rates were 90%, 58%, and 38%, respectively. For localized disease OS was 164 months and 1-, 5- and 10-year survival rates were 100%, 80%, and 55%, respectively. For disseminated disease OS was 19 months and 1-, 5- and 10-year survival rates were 73%, 18% and 6%, respectively. The 1-, 5- and 10 year-survival rates for f/m were 87%/96%, 49%/76% and 31%/57%, respectively (p = 0.02). According to the Tang classification group A, B, and C OS was 118, 83 and 20 months, respectively (p = 0.0002).ConclusionThe Tang classification was found to be a significant prognostic factor, while the Ki67 index was not. Localized GCCs occurred equally in males and females, while disseminated GCCs were mostly seen in females. Median age of patients with localized disease and disseminated disease was identical. Cox regression analysis found Stage IV, focally positive synaptophysin and non-radical surgery as strongest negative prognostic factors.     

带蒂皮瓣移植在小腿开放性骨折中的临床研究

目的:探讨不同带蒂皮瓣移植术式在小腿开放性骨折中的临床应用效果。方法:35例小腿开放性骨折患者,完善术前准备后,根据小腿皮肤软组织的缺损部位、面积、深度分别选择腓肠神经营养皮(肌)瓣、隐神经营养逆行皮瓣、局部旋转皮(肌)瓣修复创面。结果:所有移植皮瓣中,1处移植失败(坏死面积>1/2),2处皮瓣远端1-2.5cm坏死,经清创换药后愈合,余患者皮瓣均成活。从皮瓣成活的优良率和出血量上对比,三组间无明显差别,从手术时间上对比,局部旋转皮(肌)瓣组优于另两组(P<0.05)。结论:在小腿开放性骨折伴皮肤软组织缺损的治疗中,完善的术前准备及根据皮损形态选择适当的皮瓣是获得满意疗效的基础。     

Distally based sural fasciomuscular flap: anatomic study and application for filling leg or foot defects

Since 1995, the authors have created 32 distally based superficial sural artery flaps based on the vascular axis of the sural nerve. The creation of the first 18 flaps permitted the authors to view perforators that issued from the gastrocnemius muscles to the vascular axis of the sural nerve. This led to the development of an anatomic study involving 25 cadaveric dissections to establish a relationship between the gastrocnemius muscles and the vascular axis of the sural nerve, with two to three constant and direct perforators from the gastrocnemius to the neurovascular axis. In this article, the technique for harvesting this new muscular flap is described. Between June of 1997 and March of 1998, three patients underwent flap operations. Two fasciomyocutaneous flaps and one fasciomuscular flap were created and were followed by uncomplicated postoperative courses in terms of flap viability and donor sites. In all cases, the flap created was designed to fill bone defects of the leg (one case) or of the foot (two cases). The results were considered to be excellent and stable over time, with follow-up periods ranging from 9 months to 18 months in duration.     

复杂胫骨平台骨折18例治疗方法探讨

目的探讨复杂胫骨平台骨折的治疗方法和临床疗效。方法自2006年1月至2008年6月,笔者对复杂胫骨平台骨折进行了手术治疗并获随访的病例共18例,所有病例术前均予X线、CT、MRI检查,并按Schatzker分型：IV型IO例,V型12例,VI型6例。结果平均随访8个半月,均获骨性愈合,无螺钉松动、断裂。根据Merchant标准综合评分：优12例,良4例,可2例。优良率83.3%。结论在良好复位,有效稳固的支撑固定下早期功能锻炼,不仅有利于骨折愈合,还对关节功能的最大恢复起着重要作用。     

Complexities of limb anomalies: the lower extremity in the "prune belly" phenotype

The so-called "prune belly" syndrome (PBS) consists of megalocystis, cryptorchidism, and marked abdominal distension; in addition to these findings, many other abnormalities are commonly present, rarely including severe anomalies of the leg. We report two such individuals, in whom PBS coexisted with abnormal development of the lower extremity. The first, a still-born male fetus, was delivered at 21 weeks gestation; generalized hypoplasia of both legs was present, more marked distally than proximally, and more severe on the left. The second case, a liveborn male infant, was the second of dichorionic twins, delivered at 33 weeks gestation; this infant died at two hours from respiratory insufficiency due to pulmonary hypoplasia. There was severe hypoplasia of the right leg, with gangrenous necrosis of all tissues distal to the knee. Additional findings included a single right umbilical artery, and a small congenital cystic adenomatoid malformation of the right lung. The findings in these cases are compared to other similar cases in the literature, and possible mechanisms for the etiology and pathogenesis of maldevelopment of the leg in PBS are discussed.     

The doctor as patient: an encounter with Guillain-Bárré syndrome.

The author describes the course and treatment of a severe acute illness that began with cranial nerve palsies and ataxia and progressed rapidly to generalized weakness with respiratory embarrassment. There was no sensory loss or elevation of the protein level in the cerebrospinal fluid. The Miller Fisher variant of Guillain-Barré syndrome was diagnosed. At the height of the illness, a period lasting about 2 weeks, the author was almost completely paralysed, retaining only a little motion in some fingers and one foot; she was able to breathe on her own but required suctioning through a tracheostomy, and her eyes had to be taped shut because of her facial paralysis. She remained mentally alert throughout. Proper care of such a helpless patient demands not only excellent technical performance of many nursing procedures but a sensitivity to the patient as a person. The author describes the many shortcomings of the care she received and the value of physiotherapy in her rehabilitation and makes a number of specific recommendations for the care of critically ill conscious patients.     

Cutaneous and Bone Marrow Histoplasmosis After 18 Years of Renal Allograft Transplant

The frequency of histoplasmosis among solid organ transplant (SOT) recipients appears to be low where there are only a few case series, mostly among renal and liver transplant recipients. Herein we report a case of a 44-year-old woman who underwent a living-related renal transplant 18 years prior to evaluation, developed a nodule after followed by ulceration upon her posterior right leg and a second one upon her left leg 3 months and 2 months before her hospitalisation, respectively. The biopsy of lesion revealed the presence of Histoplasma spp. Bone marrow aspiration was performed and also revealed the same organism. She had initially received itraconazole without improvement of lesions, while a new lesion appeared on her left arm. Healing of all lesions could be observed after 40 days of liposomal amphotericin B when she was submitted to skin grafts on the legs and a surgical treatment on the arms, and the myelosuppression improved simultaneously. Histoplasmosis seems to be very uncommon among patients who underwent to organ solid transplantation. Most cases occur within 12–18 months after transplantation, although unusual cases have been presented many years post-transplant. There are cases reported in the literature, occurring from 84 days to 18 years after organ transplantation, but without cutaneous involvement. Our patient developed lesions on limbs and myelosuppression after 18 years of chronic immunosuppression medication. This case suggests that besides cutaneous histoplasmosis is an uncommon infection following iatrogenic immunosuppression and even rarer over a long period after the transplantation. Clinicians who care SOT recipient patients must bear in mind histoplasmosis infection as differential diagnosis in any case of cutaneous injury with prolonged fever and try to use as many tools as possible to make the diagnosis, once this disease presents a good prognosis if it is diagnosed and treated promptly.     

Apparent Efficacy of Food-Based Calcium Supplementation in Preventing Rickets in Bangladesh

To determine whether increased Ca intakes can prevent rickets in a susceptible group of children living in a rickets-endemic area of Bangladesh, we conducted a 13-month long, double-blind, clinical trial with 1-to 5-year-old children who did not present with rickets but ranked in the upper decile of plasma alkaline phosphatase (AP) activity of a screening cohort of 1,749 children. A total of 158 children were randomized to a milk-powder-based dietary supplement given daily, 6 days/week, and providing either 50, 250, or 500 mg Ca, or 500 mg Ca plus multivitamins, iron, and zinc. Upon initial screening, 194 healthy children presented with no rachitic leg signs and had serum AP in the upper decile (>260 u/dl) of the cohort. When 183 of those subjects were re-screened after a 7-month pre-trial period, 23 (12.6%) had developed rachitic leg signs, suggesting an annual risk of 21.5% in this cohort. Of those still not presenting with leg signs and completing 13 months of dietary intervention, none showed rachitic leg signs, none showed significant radiological evidence of active rickets, and all showed carpal ossification normal for age after that intervention. These results are consistent with even the lowest amount of supplemental Ca (50 mg/day) being useful in supporting normal bone development in this high-risk population.     

Reconstruction of short lower leg stumps with the osteomusculocutaneous latissimus dorsi-rib flap

To avoid a more proximal amputation at the distal part of the thigh, and when the knee joint is preserved, it is possible to lengthen short lower leg stumps. The authors report five cases in which the latissimus dorsi-rib flap was used to achieve a satisfactory functional prosthetic result. The bone segment is long enough to both lengthen the stump and allow its extremities to be firmly fixed to the tibia. Depending on the remaining tibia length, one or two ribs were included in the flap. The procedure allowed achievement of a 5-cm to 9-cm lengthening of the tibia. Bone healing time was 5 to 6 months and allowed prosthetic rehabilitation and ambulating 5 to 7 months after surgery. Final range of motion of the knee joint is compatible with normal ambulating, and the prosthesis is well tolerated. This procedure, which provides a large amount of skin, muscle, and bone, is very effective for reconstruction of short lower leg stumps.