Biomedical subjects

Wen-Dong Xu

Publications and source records attributed to Wen-Dong Xu.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2005

Comparative clinic study on vascularized and nonvascularized full-length phrenic nerve transfer.

In order to understand whether the vascularizing procedure has any clinical value in nerve transfer and grafting, we compared nonvascularized and vascularized full-length phrenic never transfers in patients with a brachial plexus injury. Full-length phrenic nerve transfer to the musculocutaneous nerve had been conducted by the technique of video-assisted thoracic surgery in 15 patients. Three kinds of procedures were carried out. The first involved retaining the initial point of the phrenic nerve and dissecting the full-length distal nerve. The second involved keeping the cervical segment and isolating the thoracic segment of the phrenic nerve. The last involved vascularized phrenic nerve transfer. All these phrenic nerves were sutured to musculocutaneous nerves. After 28-35 months, the results of electrophysiology and function of the biceps brachii muscle were compared. All three procedures had no significant differences and led to the same functional recovery of the biceps brachii muscle after at least 28 months of follow-up. In conclusion, the vascularizing procedure had little clinical value, not only in full-length phrenic nerve transfer, but also in nerve grafting irrespective of the length of the gap, when the recipient bed had normal vascularity.

Adult↗

PubMed2005

Pulmonary function after complete unilateral phrenic nerve transection.

OBJECT: The status of pulmonary function following phrenic nerve transfer surgery is still largely unknown because of the high degree of variability in the accessory phrenic nerve that may be involved. In the present study, pulmonary functions were assessed in patients before and after full-length phrenic nerve transfer surgery, in whom the phrenic nerve was severed at a location just before its entry into the diaphragm. METHODS: Fifteen patients (average age 27.4 years) with complete brachial plexus palsy underwent full-length phrenic nerve transfer. The phrenic nerve was harvested from the thoracic cavity by means of video-assisted thoracic surgery and then transferred to the musculocutaneous nerve. Postoperative pulmonary functions were retrospectively analyzed. Patients underwent follow-up evaluation for 42 to 48 months; four patients were eventually lost to follow up. Although no patient experienced pulmonary problems following the surgery, all sustained varying degrees of diaphragmatic paralysis and elevation (for 1-1.5 intercostal spaces) on the surgically treated side as seen on chest x-ray films. Pulmonary functional parameters, including vital capacity, vital capacity in percentage of predicted values, residual volume, total lung capacity, forced vital capacity, and forced expiratory volume in 1 second, recovered to preoperative levels by 1 year postsurgery. In contrast, the postoperative maximal inspiratory pressure value was significantly decreased compared with the predicted values (average decrease approximately 20%) in all of the patients, even at 4 years after the surgery. CONCLUSIONS: In young patients with healthy lung function, unilateral phrenic nerve transection surgery can cause unilateral diaphragmatic paralysis and reduce the inspiration muscle force; however, most pulmonary function parameters gradually recover to preoperative levels within 1 year.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2002

Full-length phrenic nerve transfer by means of video-assisted thoracic surgery in treating brachial plexus avulsion injury.

Phrenic nerve transfer has been widely used in treating brachial plexus avulsion injury. However, the present method crosses the thoracic part of the phrenic nerve, and nerve graft is needed, resulting in a long period of regeneration and partly irreversible muscle atrophy. We present our early experience of using video-assisted thoracic surgery to harvest a full length of phrenic nerve for transfer. Fifteen patients (mean age, 28 years) were treated. The thoracic part of the phrenic nerve was freed by means of video-assisted thoracic surgery and taken out of the thoracic cavity, and a full-length phrenic nerve was transferred to the musculocutaneous nerve to recover elbow flexion. The patients were followed. Another 29 patients with long-term follow-up who underwent traditional cervical phrenic nerve to musculocutaneous nerve transfer in our institute between 1994 and 1997 were selected. The period of newborn potential appearing in the biceps and the period for biceps to achieve M3 between two groups were compared. The operation was safe and no complications occurred. The additional length of phrenic nerve was 12.3 +/- 4.5 cm. Eleven patients received sufficient follow-up. Eight patients achieved biceps recovery to M3 (elbow flexion against gravity), and mean time was 198.8 +/- 36.0 days, much earlier than that of the traditional method (p < 0.01). Pulmonary function recovered to the preoperative level 9 months after operation. This new method is safe and minimally invasive. The result of full-length phrenic nerve transfer is much better than that of the traditional method. It obviously shortens the time required for nerve reinnervation, and offers a promising method for patients who have had a long interval from injury to operation and for forearm muscle reconstruction by phrenic nerve transferred to the median nerve or combined with free-muscle transfer.

Adolescent↗