PubMed HealthSearch

Biomedical subjects

J W Futrell

Publications and source records attributed to J W Futrell.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Improved chest wall fixation for correction of pectus excavatum.

Pectus excavatum, the most common congenital chest wall abnormality, is manifested by deformity of the costal cartilages resulting in a depressed and often rotated sternum. Although there are conflicting data to support and reject the concept that physiologic improvement can be a consequence of surgical repair, correction is frequently indicated for aesthetic improvement alone. The most popular current repair involves resection of abnormal costal cartilages, sternal osteotomy and mobilisation, followed by fixation of the sternum in the corrected position. Improved fixation techniques have evolved, but generally have not employed current concepts of rigid fixation. The correction of pectus excavatum using reconstruction plates incorporates the benefits of rigid fixation, while allowing custom chest wall contouring and sternal reorientation. Reconstruction plate fixation of the sternum should be considered during correction of pectus excavatum in adult and adolescent patients.

Adult

Evaluation of facial fat distribution using magnetic resonance imaging.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) provides noninvasive images of facial and neck fat for a variety of conditions. It accurately maps the soft tissues pre- and postoperatively, enabling surgeons to precisely and objectively assess results of soft tissue facial contouring and fat transplantation. The risks of MRI are few. It has the potential to provide aesthetic surgeons with a more "scientific" means of comparing various techniques of fat contouring.

Adipose Tissue

The buccinator myomucosal island pedicle flap: anatomic study and case report.

The buccinator myomucosal island pedicle flap is a useful means of introducing relatively large amounts of vascularized mucosa into the oral cavity. Using cadaver dissections and clinical cases, the anatomy and clinical relevance of this tissue are defined. Emphasis is placed on the technical caveats and pitfalls of the procedure.

Adult

Biologic determinants of tumor growth in healing wounds.

The morphologic characteristics of a scar may render it an "immunologically privileged site" providing fertile ground for tumor occurrence and growth. We sought to extend this concept and to determine the effect of different stages of wound healing on tumor occurrence. Syngeneic strain-2 guinea pigs and a methylcholanthrene-induced liposarcoma (MCA-2) were used. Incisional flank wounds were created at appropriate intervals such that at the time of tumor inoculation each group of animals had a sequentially aged wound which was a) acute, b) three weeks old, c) nine weeks old, d) 11 weeks old, e) created one week after tumor injection, or f) no wound. Wounds which were three, nine, or 11 weeks old consistently caused a significant increase in tumor growth rate following inoculation of a single cell tumor suspension (<.001). The delayed wounds, or those created following after tumor injection, and the acute wounds did not promote increased tumor growth. This study demonstrates that the ability of a wound to amplify or retard tumor growth may vary with its age. As a postulate we suggest that the relative paucity of lymphatic regeneration within scar tissue may render it an "immunologically privileged site" such that early recognition and destruction of tumor cells within the scar may be delayed long enough for the tumor to grow to a "critical size." Subsequent to this regardless of the host's immunocompetence the tumor can no longer be destroyed by an immune mechanism. The general lack of progressive growth of tumor cells placed in acute wounds suggests that they were not protected from immunocompetent cells and were destroyed by the ongoing inflammatory response to injury. Therefore, different biologic characteristics of a surgical scar are important in potentiating or retarding tumor growth. Variations in such factors may account for the local recurrence of cancer in operative wounds.

Animals

Antibiotic penetration into normal and inflamed tissues as reflected by peripheral lymph.

The concentration of antibiotic in peripheral lymph reflects the tissue levels. Following microsurgical cannulation of the right lymphatic duct in 28 healthy rabbits, either penicillin-G, nafcillin, erythromycin, or cefazolin was given intramuscularly, and lymph and serum samples obtained at frequent intervals. Penicillin or nafcillin was administered to 14 additional rabbits with cellulitis of the right upper extremity. A serum sample drawn between one and two hours after an intramuscular injection, in general, reflects the peak lymph antibiotic concentration and hence the peak tissue concentration of the drug. After two hours the lymph level remains equal to or greater than the simultaneous serum level. The presence of inflammation did not alter the peak antibiotic levels. However, nafcillin required longer for equilibration in the inflamed state than in the uninflamed state, whereas penicillin-G equilibrated more rapidly in the presence of inflammation.

Animals

Bowen's disease of the plantar arch.

Bowen's disease has previously been associated with the development of other malignancies particularly in patients with a history of arsenic exposure. A review of the literature is combined with a discussion of current theories regarding arsenic exposure, lesion differentiation, and prognostic implications. This report of a bowenoid lesion of the plantar arch emphasizes the importance of close follow-up of patients with Bowen's disease, especially on unexposed surfaces.

Arsenic

Rupture of a renal cell carcinoma in a child: five-year tumor-free survival and literature review.

The third case of presumably spontaneous rupture of a hypernephroma in a child is reported. This patient remains free of disease more than 5 years following radical nephrectomy, radiation and chemotherapy. Although renal adenocarcinoma in children remains a rare disease, more than 80 cases have appeared in the literature, making it necessary now to consider this tumor in the differential diagnosis of all childhood abdominal masses. Equally significant is the observation that presentation as an acute abdominal crisis in a child can occur, making it important that diagnostic considerations in such situations include hypernephroma, as well as Wilms' tumor. Review of the literature shows that occasional cures from spontaneous retroperitoneal rupture of hypernephromas have been reported in adults, but not in children, although this child has survived in spite of tumor spillage in the free peritoneal cavity.

Abdomen, Acute

Platysma myocutaneous flap for intraoral reconstruction.

Fourteen patients were treated for intraoral epidermoid carcinoma with a single stage reconstructive technic employing a myocutaneous flap based upon the platysma muscle. This flap carries on its distal tip a portion of isolated cervical skin to be used for intraoral replacement of the resected tissue. The flap has proved to be highly reliable and has significant benefits over many other technics commonly employed for head and neck reconstruction.

Carcinoma, Squamous Cell

Immediate correction of sagittal synostosis.

A technique for correction of sagittal synostosis with achievement of an immediately pleasing cosmetic result is presented. Even with replacement of bone and no attempt to inhibit bone union, premature reclosure does not occur. Moss' theory of dural tensions is discussed to explain the effect.

Humans

Craniofacial surgery in children: concepts and questions.

Craniofacial surgery is an exciting new subspecialty of medicine. It is strictly a team project that will function well only in a tertiary medical center. Particular coordination is needed among the plastic surgeon, neurosurgeon, anesthesiologist, and pediatrician. This article considers many of the potential advantages and some of the disadvantages of performing craniofacial surgery on infants. It is difficult or impossible, based on current knowledge, to predict the ultimate limits of such new techniques. The history of surgical evolution, however, continues to demonstrate that what "at first observation" was thought to be impossible or undesirable often evolves, with more understanding, to be the desired course of action. It was entirely appropriate that the initial craniofacial surgical efforts be generally confined to adult-type patients, but the currently available technical refinements have developed such procedures to the point where they now have a definite place in infant surgery as well. Continued clinical investigative research will provide further information regarding the eventual benefits and perhaps will lead to surgical techniques in neonates that will actually prevent the development of certain predictable deformities.

Bone Diseases, Developmental

Differences in potentiation of melanoma growth by absorbable and nonabsorbable suture.

This study demonstrates that various suture materials have different influences on tumor take and growth. When used in an area containing 10(5) or greater tumor cells, all suture types studied potentiated tumor growth. At subclinical tumor cell doses- that is, 1,000 or fewer cells that do not normally grow to a clinically detectable tumor- silk and steel increased tumor occurrence. In comparison, monofilament nylon, polyglycolic acid, and chromic suture did not potentiate tumor growth. This phenomenon of increased tumor growth associated with certain suture types appears to be related to the physical characteristics of the suture involved, although the interaction of the chemical breakdown products of the suture material with the local tumor cells is under investigation. The type of suture material used may play a significant role in the subsequent development of local recurrence of cancer.

Animals

The regional lymph node question. To treat or not to treat: the pros and cons.

The question of whether or not to extend treatment to the regional lymph nodes when treating malignant disease remains unanswered. The clinician must individually approaise the pros and cons and derive a satisfactory treatment plan for each patient. Six reasons which are generally stated as indications for regional lymphadenectomy and seven potential arguments against lymphadenectomy are presented.

Humans

Scar contracture after neck dissection. Causes, prevention, and treatment.

Every effort should be made to employ neck incisions that allow for the accomplishment of surgical extirpative goals and at the same time provide maximal functional and aesthetic rehabilitation. Incisions parallel to the normal skin tension lines best fulfill these criteria. When vertical incisions are used, they should be anteriorly directed so as to cross the skin crease lines at an acute angle rather than a perpendicular angle. Such incisions perpendicular to the normal skin crease lines usually result in the greatest degree of scar contracture. Significant improvement in both major and minor scar contractures can be achieved with conventional Z-plasty technics to redistribute the skin tension. A wide resection of the subcutaneous cicatrix in such cases is imperative for a successful result.

Cicatrix

External stabilization of a replanted upper extremity: case report.

A case replantation of the upper extremity is presented using external fixation as the method to achieve bony stability. Although internal fixation may remain the method of choice for stabilization of a replanted limb, external fixation can also provide bony stability where more conventional methods are not applicable.

Adult