Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to R T Manktelow.
We report a case of severe painful triggering in the thumb caused by intermittent locking of the interphalangeal joint by a sesamoid bone. The triggering was corrected by excision of the interphalangeal joint sesamoid bone.
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Children are particularly prone to developing moderate to severe Volkmann's ischemic contracture following a supracondylar fracture of the humerus or its treatment. In order to treat such contractures, intensive hand therapy and a gracilis free muscle transfer to the digital flexors were used in 8 patients at an average age of 6 years 2 months. All transfers were successful. At follow-up (1 to 8 years, average 3 years), despite limited wrist extension in 5/8 patients and mean grip and pinch strengths between 22 and 43% of normal for age and dominance, all patients regained considerable finger flexor excursion (tip to crease distances of 0 to 5.0 cms, average 1.68 cms). Although fine motor assessment using the M.A.N.D. battery of tests placed the patients in the moderate disability range, 7/8 patients became independent in the tested activities of daily living with the exception of buttoning a cuff with the involved hand, which was difficult for 5/8 subjects. Quantifiable measurements underestimated the renewed importance of the operated hand. Compensatory motion at the shoulder allowed positioning the hand which changed from being nearly useless to becoming a functionally non-dominant hand well integrated into daily life.
Patients with facial palsy present with a multitude of different problems to which individual solutions must be carefully tailored. Although numerous surgical options exist, the results of reconstruction are rarely ideal. This article discusses different surgical procedures for reconstruction of the eye and mouth with special emphasis on the newer technique of microsurgical transfer of muscle tissue for reanimation.
Free tissue transfer offers two-stage augmentation of the facial soft tissues. Nevertheless, it is not unusual to require additional touch-up procedures. An accurate assessment of the preoperative facial deficit will allow for appropriate flap selection and predictable surgical results.
Thirty-five consecutive patients treated with the radial forearm flap were reviewed. This flap was used in head and neck reconstruction in 25 patients, soft-tissue cover of an extremity in 9 patients, and as a new technique for penile reconstruction in 1 patient. Osteocutaneous flaps were used for mandibular reconstruction in 13 patients. In 6 patients innervated flaps were used to provide sensation on the dorsum of the hand or on the weight-bearing surface of the foot. There was only one total flap failure and no partial failures. Recipient-site complications were few, with prompt healing and very acceptable appearance. Donor-site complications included partial loss of the skin graft with tendon exposure in 10 patients (33 percent), an unsatisfactory appearance in 5 patients (17 percent), and one case of radial fracture (8 percent). On functional testing, there was no significant loss of strength or joint mobility in the donor extremity in 19/20 patients. The authors recommend measures to reduce donor-site morbidity and conclude that, with an acceptable donor site, this flap is valuable in a variety of reconstructive applications.
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Total laryngopharyngectomy results in a considerable degree of morbidity. Although many advances have been made over the past 10 years, the restoration of speech remains an unsolved problem. Herein, we present three patients who underwent both neoglottic and neopharyngeal reconstruction using a free vascularized segment of jejunum. All three patients were able to swallow and two were able to speak. We believe that this method of reconstruction restores speech after total laryngopharyngectomy.
A major problem for the patient with Möbius' syndrome is the inability to smile. With the development of vascularized muscle transplantation, the possibilities for improved facial animation were explored. Muscle transplantation was carried out in 7 patients; innervation was provided by the hypoglossal nerve, the motor nerve to the masseter muscle, or in 1 patient a transfacial nerve graft. In this article the technical aspects of the procedure as well as the results are described in detail.
Functioning muscle can be transferred from one location to another using microneurovascular anastomoses. Reinnervation and useful muscle contraction are produced by suturing an appropriate motor nerve in the recipient area to the motor nerve of the transplanted muscle. Clinical experience and experimental investigations have led to an understanding of some of the important principles in extremity muscle transplantation. Successful deltoid and biceps reconstruction are reported.
Sixty vascularized iliac crest free-tissue transfers were used for oromandibular reconstruction, 46 as osteocutaneous and 14 as osseous flaps. Forty-one patients had preoperative radiotherapy, and 8 had failed previous attempts at reconstruction. Forty-nine of the 60 reconstructions were carried out primarily, most commonly following ablative surgery for radiorecurrent squamous carcinoma. Ages ranged from 19 to 85 years, and follow-up ranged from 2 months to 5 years. Flap survival was 95 percent. Eight-six percent of patients returned to their previous activities. There were 2 perioperative deaths, and 31 patients were alive at follow-up. Horizontal defects from 5 to 16 cm were reconstructed, and in 22 patients, both oral lining and skin coverage were replaced. Radiographic evidence of bone union was noted in 96 percent of synostoses, and clinical union was seen in all but one patient. One patient required bilateral hemimandibular reconstructions for sequential primaries at different operative sittings. Functional and cosmetic results were generally satisfactory and were excellent in bone-only reconstructions. Several surgical principles evolved to minimize bulk and eliminate the need for intermaxillary fixation or external fixation postoperatively. To improve results in large or more lateral through-and-through defects, an accessory pectoralis musculocutaneous flap proved advantageous. Cosmetic and functional results depend largely on three factors: the extent of the surgery, the leanness of the patient, and his or her position on the surgical learning curve.
With the aid of microneurovascular anastomoses, functioning muscle may be transferred to damaged extremities to provide useful function. The gracilis muscle has been particularly useful for the reconstruction of finger flexion or finger extension.
Two patients underwent subtotal pharyngo-oesophageal reconstruction using jejunum transferred by means of microvascular anastomosis. In both cases, two sets of vascular anastomoses were required, one in the lower neck and the other at the mid-sternal level. In the first patient, a continuous length of jejunum was employed but this led to great redundancy of the bowel on account of coiling as a result of its mesenteric attachment. In the second case, two isolated loops were employed with minimal redundancy. An anatomical study on three fresh cadavers indicated that the maximum defect which can be bridged by a single loop of jejunum lies between 15 and 20 cm. No particular part of the jejunum or ileum seems particularly advantageous in terms of its ability to span large defects.
The free jejunal graft with microvascular anastomosis offers the head and neck surgeon a reliable, single-stage method of repair for small cervical defects and also for more extensive pharyngoesophageal defects where one or more loops of jejunum can successfully be used. If microvascular expertise is available, this method of reconstruction offers early alimentary rehabilitation and a physiologic repair. The free jejunal graft is a reliable method of reconstruction not only after failed gastric pull-up or when that procedure is not feasible, but also, where the facilities exist, as a primary method of pharyngoesophageal reconstruction.
The dorsalis pedis free flap is an excellent reconstructive tool for thin remote mucosal defects, for heel and hand defects where innervation is critical, and as an osteocutaneous flap with unique application to mandibular and floor of mouth reconstruction. The major criticism with this flap is related to its uncertain vascularity and the donor defect. We have found in our series of 45 cases that the vascular anatomy is exceedingly reliable. Problems with the donor defects are all related to technique. With care in flap elevation and foot closure, which we describe in detail, an acceptable donor site with minimal complications can be achieved. The clinical applications of this flap are illustrated by three case reports. Our experience with the donor site has not been problem-free. However, we do believe that with meticulous technique primary healing will occur without functional disability and with minimal cosmetic deformity.
Fifty-nine patients underwent free flap osteocutaneous reconstruction that consisted of flaps of the dorsum of the foot in 26 patients and iliac crest flaps in 33 with a success rate of 92 percent and a mortality rate of 1.6 percent. These flaps, which require the expertise of microvascular surgeons, are time-consuming and complicate operating room and time management, but they represent a remarkable advance in reconstruction that can facilitate cosmetic and functional recovery of the patient. In particular, they promote healing in radiation-recurrent oral cancer and represent a definitive form of management for established radionecrosis of the mandible. The large volume of tissue available with iliac crest osteocutaneous grafts permits the management of patients with extensive cancer involving the skin, mucosa, and bone, but cancer control may still be disappointing and there is a need for improved adjuvant chemotherapy protocols. This technique appears to be a dependable, repeatable, and significant advance in management of the patient with head and neck cancer.