Relative Pain Reduction and Duration of Nerve Block Response Predict Outcomes in Headache Surgery: A Prospective Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND: Experts agree that nerve block (NB) response is an important tool in headache surgery screening. However, the predictive value of NBs remains to be proven in a prospective fashion. METHODS: Pre-NB and post-NB visual analogue pain scores (0 to 10) and duration of NB response were recorded prospectively. Surgical outcomes were recorded prospectively by calculating the Migraine Headache Index (MHI) preoperatively and postoperatively at 3 months, 12 months, and every year thereafter. RESULTS: The study population included 115 patients. The chance of achieving MHI percentage improvement of 80% or higher was significantly higher in subjects who reported relative pain reduction of greater than 60% following NB versus less than or equal to 60% [63 of 92 (68.5%) versus 10 of 23 (43.5%); P = 0.03]. Patients were more likely to improve their MHI 50% or more with relative pain reduction of greater than 40% versus 40% or less [82 of 104 (78.8%) versus five of 11 (45.5%); P = 0.01]. In subjects with NB response of greater than 15 days, 10 of 13 patients (77.0%) experienced MHI improvement of 80% or greater. Notably, all of these patients (100%) reported MHI improvement of 50% or greater, with mean MHI improvement of 88%. Subjects with a NB response of 24 hours or more achieved significantly better outcomes than patients with a shorter response (72.7% ± 37.0% versus 46.1% ± 39.7%; P = 0.02). However, of 14 patients reporting NB response of less than 24 hours, four patients had MHI improvement of 80% or greater, and seven, of 50% or greater. CONCLUSIONS: Relative pain reduction and duration of NB response are predictors of MHI improvement after headache surgery. NBs are a valuable tool to identify patients who will benefit from surgery. CLINICAL QUESTION/LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Risk, III.

Artificial intelligence-enabled simulation of gluteal augmentation: A helpful tool in preoperative outcome simulation?

BACKGROUND: While the buttock region is considered an esthetic hallmark, the Brazilian butt lift (BBL) remains controversially discussed in the plastic surgery community. This is due to its contentious safety profile. Thus, informed consent and patient education play a key role in preoperative planning. To this end, we aimed to program an easy-to-use, widely accessible, and low-budget algorithm that produces reliable outcome simulations. METHODS: The conditional generative adversarial network (GAN) was trained using pre- and postoperative images from 1628 BBL patients. To validate outcome simulation, 25 GAN-generated images were assessed deploying 67 Amazon Mechanical Turk Workers (Mturks). RESULTS: Mturks could not differentiate between GAN-generated and real patient images in approximately 49.4% of all trials. CONCLUSION: This study presents a free-to-use, widely accessible, and reliable algorithm to visualize potential surgical outcomes that could potentially be applied in other fields of plastic surgery.

The Rise of Facial Palsy on Social Media Over the Last 5 Years.

BACKGROUND: Social media (SoMe) has become a powerful platform for distributing health information. Facial palsy (FP) results in functional and social impairment and lowers quality of life. Social media may help to raise awareness of FP sequalae. This study aims to determine the FP information growth on SoMe platforms and parameters that influence user engagement on FP content. METHODS: Five commonly used SoMe platforms (Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, and Reddit) were analyzed. Data on 18 FP hashtags and their social interaction parameters (posts, likes, reaches, comments, shares, language, and country of origin) over the past 5 years (July 31, 2016, to July 31, 2021) were collected. In-depth account analysis was performed on the 5 most popular Instagram profiles associated with FP. RESULTS: The annual growth curve was positive on each platform. Facial Palsy Awareness Week 2021 trended best on TikTok. Facebook accumulated 315,411 likes and 1,922,678 reaches on 8356 posts. On Instagram, 24,968 posts gathered 4,904,124 likes and 9,215,852 reaches. TikTok users interacted on 3565 posts, accumulating 4,304,155 likes and 4,200,368 reaches. The implementation of reels ( P <0.001) and the profile host interacting with their followers by liking ( P <0.001) and replying ( P <0.001) to users' comments significantly increased the engagement rate. CONCLUSIONS: Facial palsy is of increasing interest on SoMe. Facial palsy surgeons may post reels, interact with their community, and engage into FPAW to promote user engagement.

Evidence-Based Patient Selection in Headache Surgery: Impact of Preoperative Radiofrequency Ablation on Surgical Outcomes.

BACKGROUND: Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) of the greater occipital nerve (GON) is a minimally invasive treatment option commonly used in patients with occipital neuralgia. Patients who undergo occipital surgery for headaches after failed RFA treatment present a unique opportunity to evaluate RFA-treated occipital nerves and determine the impact on headache surgery outcomes. METHODS: Of 115 patients who underwent headache surgery at the occipital site, 29 had a history of RFA treatment. Migraine Headache Index, Pain Self- Efficacy Questionnaire, and Pain Health Questionnaire-2 outcome scores were recorded preoperatively and at follow-up visits. Intraoperative macroscopic nerve damage and surgical outcomes were compared between RFA-treated and non-RFA-treated patients. RESULTS: RFA-treated patients had a higher rate of macroscopic nerve damage (45%) than non-RFA-treated patients (24%) ( P = 0.03), and they were significantly more likely to require a second operation at the site of primary decompression (27.6% versus 5.8%; P = 0.001) and GON transection (13.8% versus 3.5%; P = 0.04). Outcome scores at the last follow-up visit showed no statistically significant difference between RFA-treated and non-RFA-treated patients ( P = 0.96). CONCLUSIONS: RFA-treated patients can ultimately achieve outcomes that are not significantly different from non-RFA-treated patients in occipital headache surgery. However, a higher number of secondary operations at the site of primary decompression and nerve transection are required to treat refractory symptoms. RFA-treated patients should be counseled about an increased risk of same-site surgery and possible GON transection to achieve acceptable outcomes. CLINICAL QUESTION/LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Therapeutic, III.

Artificial Intelligence-Enabled Evaluation of Pain Sketches to Predict Outcomes in Headache Surgery.

BACKGROUND: Recent evidence has shown that patient drawings of pain can predict poor outcomes in headache surgery. Given that interpretation of pain drawings requires some clinical experience, the authors developed a machine learning framework capable of automatically interpreting pain drawings to predict surgical outcomes. This platform will allow surgeons with less clinical experience, neurologists, primary care practitioners, and even patients to better understand candidacy for headache surgery. METHODS: A random forest machine learning algorithm was trained on 131 pain drawings provided prospectively by headache surgery patients before undergoing trigger-site deactivation surgery. Twenty-four features were used to describe the anatomical distribution of pain on each drawing for interpretation by the machine learning algorithm. Surgical outcome was measured by calculating percentage improvement in Migraine Headache Index at least 3 months after surgery. Artificial intelligence predictions were compared with clinician predictions of surgical outcome to determine artificial intelligence performance. RESULTS: Evaluation of the data test set demonstrated that the algorithm was consistently more accurate (94%) than trained clinical evaluators. Artificial intelligence weighted diffuse pain, facial pain, and pain at the vertex as strong predictors of poor surgical outcome. CONCLUSIONS: This study indicates that structured algorithmic analysis is able to correlate pain patterns drawn by patients to Migraine Headache Index percentage improvement with good accuracy (94%). Further studies on larger data sets and inclusion of other significant clinical screening variables are required to improve outcome predictions in headache surgery and apply this tool to clinical practice.

A Synopsis of Artificial Intelligence and its Applications in Surgery.

Artificial intelligence (AI) has made steady in-roads into the healthcare scenario over the last decade. While widespread adoption into clinical practice remains elusive, the outreach of this discipline has progressed beyond the physician scientist, and different facets of this technology have been incorporated into the care of surgical patients. New AI applications are developing at rapid pace, and it is imperative that the general surgeon be aware of the broad utility of AI as applicable in his or her day-to-day practice, so that healthcare continues to remain up-to-date and evidence based. This review provides a broad account of the tip of the AI iceberg and highlights it potential for positively impacting surgical care.

Migraine Headaches in Patients with Upper Extremity Compressive Neuropathy.

BACKGROUND: Upper extremity nerve compression syndromes and migraines caused by nerve entrapment have many similarities, including patient presentation, anatomical findings, and treatment by surgical decompression of affected nerves. Parallels between the two conditions point toward the possibility of shared predisposition. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between migraine and upper extremity nerve compression. METHODS: Nine thousand five hundred fifty-eight patients who underwent nerve decompression surgery of the upper extremity (median, ulnar, and radial nerves and thoracic outlet syndrome) as identified by CPT and International Classification of Diseases codes were included in the analysis. International Classification of Diseases codes for migraine and comorbidities included as part of the Elixhauser Comorbidity Index were identified. Bivariate and multivariable logistic regression was performed. RESULTS: Median nerve decompression (OR, 1.3; 95 percent CI, 1.0 to 1.8; p = 0.046) and multiple nerve decompressions (OR, 1.7; 95 percent CI, 1.2 to 2.5; p = 0.008) were independently associated with higher rates of migraine compared to ulnar nerve decompression and thoracic outlet syndrome. Older age and male sex had a negative association with migraine. History of psychiatric disease, rheumatoid arthritis/collagen vascular diseases, hypothyroidism, hypertension, and chronic pulmonary disease were independently associated with migraine headache. CONCLUSIONS: Patients who undergo median and multiple nerve decompression are more likely to experience migraine headache. It is important to recognize this overlap and provide comprehensive patient screening for both conditions. This shared predisposition and better understanding of a common disease mechanism and genetics may provide greater insight into the pathogenesis and therefore treatment of these clinical problems. CLINICAL QUESTION/LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Risk, III.

Open Versus Laparoscopic Surgical Management of Rectus Diastasis: Systematic Review and Pooled Analysis of Complications and Recurrence Rates.

BACKGROUND: Rectus diastasis (RD) is defined as widening of the linea alba and laxity of the abdominal muscles. It can be treated via a wide array of both conservative and surgical modalities. Due to the quickly evolving nature of this field coupled with the multiple novel surgical modalities described recently, there is a need for an updated review of surgical techniques and a quantitative analysis of complications and recurrence rates. METHODS: A systematic review of PUBMED and EMBASE databases was preformed to retrieve all clinical studies describing surgical management of RD. Pooled analyses were preformed to assess recurrence and complication rates after both open and laparoscopic RD repairs (after controlling for herniorrhaphy). RESULTS: A total of 56 papers were included in this review. In patients who underwent both an RD and a herniorrhaphy, there was no significant difference in recurrence rates between open (0.86%) and laparoscopic repairs (1.6%) (p > 0.05). Similarly, in patients who underwent RD repair without a herniorrhaphy, there was no significant difference in recurrence rates between open (0.89%) and laparoscopic repairs (0%) (p > 0.05). The most common complications reported were seroma, skin dehiscence, hematoma/post-operative bleeding, and infection. After controlling for a herniorrhaphy, there were no significant difference in total complication rates between open and laparoscopic RD repair. The total complication rates in patients who underwent an open RD repair with a herniorrhaphy were 13.3% compared to 14.5% in patients who underwent laparoscopic repairs (p > 0.05). Similarly, the total complication rates in patients who underwent RD repair without a herniorrhaphy were 11.8% in patients who underwent open repairs compared to 16.2% in their counterparts who underwent laparoscopic repairs (p > 0.05). CONCLUSION: Both open and laparoscopic approaches are safe and effective in repairing RD in patients with and without concurrent herniorrhaphy. Future research should report patient reported outcomes to better differentiate between different surgical approaches.

"Locoregional perforator flaps in breast reconstruction: An anatomic review & quadrant algorithm".

BACKGROUND: Plastic surgeons' firm grasp of perforator anatomy allows them to be increasingly mindful of esthetic outcomes, patient satisfaction, and donor-site function when approaching breast reconstruction. Mindfulness of these outcomes has contributed to the widespread use of locoregional perforator flaps in post-mastectomy and post-BCS reconstruction. METHODS: A literature search of the PubMed database was performed to identify relevant studies reporting the use of locoregional perforator flaps in post-mastectomy breast reconstruction. Selected manuscripts were analyzed and grouped by pedicled flap category. Articles were additionally assessed for the advantages and disadvantages of each flap and reported complications. RESULTS: Following three rounds of review, 30 of 101 (29.7%) articles were retained as specifically pertinent to the use of locoregional flaps in breast reconstruction surgery. They were categorized by locoregional perforator flap used (TDAP, LICAP, AICAP, LTAP, or IMAP). In total, the included studies reported on the use of perforator flaps in 829 patients, with complications occurring in 73 of 418 patients (17.5%). Commonly reported complications across all included studies were hematomas (n = 10), infection (n = 7), fat necrosis/steatofibrosis (n = 31), extruded expanders (n = 1), dehiscence (n = 2), seroma (n = 2), required cosmetic correction of the donor area (n = 5), flap congestion (n = 11), flap failure (n = 2), poor esthetic outcome (n = 4), grade II capsular contracture (n = 3, all of whom received postoperative radiation), and keloid scars(n = 1). CONCLUSIONS: Though the available literature remains anecdotal, locoregional flap-based reconstruction may provide some benefit in post-BCS reconstruction by sparing donor-site musculature and nerve supply and by minimizing adverse events.

BreastGAN: Artificial Intelligence-Enabled Breast Augmentation Simulation.

BACKGROUND: Managing patient expectations is important to ensuring patient satisfaction in aesthetic medicine. To this end, computer technology developed to photograph, digitize, and manipulate three-dimensional (3D) objects has been applied to the female breast. However, the systems remain complex, physically cumbersome, and extremely expensive. OBJECTIVES: The authors of the current study wish to introduce the plastic surgery community to BreastGAN, a portable, artificial intelligence (AI)-equipped tool trained on real clinical images to simulate breast augmentation outcomes. METHODS: Charts of all patients who underwent bilateral breast augmentation performed by the senior author were retrieved and analyzed. Frontal before and after images were collected from each patient's chart, cropped in a standardized fashion, and used to train a neural network designed to manipulate before images to simulate a surgical result. AI-generated frontal after images were then compared with the real surgical results. RESULTS: Standardizing the evaluation of surgical results is a timeless challenge which persists in the context of AI-synthesized after images. In this study, AI-generated images were comparable to real surgical results. CONCLUSIONS: This study features a portable, cost-effective neural network trained on real clinical images and designed to simulate surgical results following bilateral breast augmentation. Tools trained on a larger dataset of standardized surgical image pairs will be the subject of future studies.

Using Big Data to Assess Legitimacy of Plastic Surgery Information on Social Media.

BACKGROUND: The proliferation of social media in plastic surgery poses significant difficulties for the public in determining legitimacy of information. This work proposes a system based on social network analysis (SNA) to assess the legitimacy of information contributors within a plastic surgery community. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to quantify the centrality of individual or group accounts on plastic surgery social media by means of a model based on academic plastic surgery and a single social media outlet. METHODS: To develop the model, a high-fidelity, active, and legitimate source account in academic plastic surgery (@psrc1955, Plastic Surgery Research Council) appearing only on Instagram (Facebook, Menlo Park, CA) was chosen. All follower-followed relationships were then recorded, and Gephi (https://gephi.org/) was used to compute 5 different centrality metrics for each contributor within the network. RESULTS: In total, 64,737 unique users and 116,439 unique follower-followed relationships were identified within the academic plastic surgery community. Among the metrics assessed, the in-degree centrality metric is the gold standard for SNA, hence this metric was designated as the centrality factor. Stratification of 1000 accounts by centrality factor demonstrated that all of the top 40 accounts were affiliated with a plastic surgery residency program, a board-certified academic plastic surgeon, a professional society, or a peer-reviewed journal. None of the accounts in the top decile belonged to a non-plastic surgeon or non-physician; however, this increased significantly beyond the 50th percentile. CONCLUSIONS: A data-driven approach was able to identify and successfully vet a core group of interconnected accounts within a single plastic surgery subcommunity for the purposes of determining legitimate sources of information.

A Correlation between Upper Extremity Compressive Neuropathy and Nerve Compression Headache.

BACKGROUND: Compressive neuropathies of the head/neck that trigger headaches and entrapment neuropathies of the extremities have traditionally been perceived as separate clinical entities. Given significant overlap in clinical presentation, treatment, and anatomical abnormality, the authors aimed to elucidate the relationship between nerve compression headaches and carpal tunnel syndrome, and other upper extremity compression neuropathies. METHODS: One hundred thirty-seven patients with nerve compression headaches who underwent surgical nerve deactivation were included. A retrospective chart review was conducted and the prevalence of carpal tunnel syndrome, thoracic outlet syndrome, and cubital tunnel syndrome was recorded. Patients with carpal tunnel syndrome, cubital tunnel syndrome, and thoracic outlet syndrome who had a history of surgery and/or positive imaging findings in addition to confirmed diagnosis were included. Patients with subjective report of carpal tunnel syndrome/thoracic outlet syndrome/cubital tunnel syndrome were excluded. Prevalence was compared to general population data. RESULTS: The cumulative prevalence of upper extremity neuropathies in patients undergoing surgery for nerve compression headaches was 16.7 percent. The prevalence of carpal tunnel syndrome was 10.2 percent, which is 1.8- to 3.8-fold more common than in the general population. Thoracic outlet syndrome prevalence was 3.6 percent, with no available general population data for comparison. Cubital tunnel syndrome prevalence was comparable between groups. CONCLUSIONS: The degree of overlap between nerve compression syndromes of the head/neck and upper extremity suggests that peripheral nerve surgeons should be aware of this correlation and screen affected patients comprehensively. Similar patient presentation, treatment, and anatomical basis of nerve compression make either amenable to treatment by nerve surgeons, and treatment of both entities should be an integral part of a formal peripheral nerve surgery curriculum.

Letter to the Editor: The Case for Publicly Funded Headache Surgery in Germany.

Headache surgery has become a considerable therapeutic option in headache treatment and is of rising interest in the German medical sector. This viewpoint outlines the need for reimbursement of headache surgery in the German healthcare system and demonstrates its cost-effectiveness. Using state-of-the-art patient selection algorithms, the authors found headache surgery to be cost-effective within 7.2 to 6.3 years. Of note, the approach presented is not limited to the German healthcare system.

Tendon: Principles of Healing and Repair.

Tendon stores, releases, and dissipates energy to efficiently transmit contractile forces from muscle to bone. Tendon injury is exceedingly common, with the spectrum ranging from chronic tendinopathy to acute tendon rupture. Tendon generally develops according to three main steps: collagen fibrillogenesis, linear growth, and lateral growth. In the setting of injury, it also repairs and regenerates in three overlapping steps (inflammation, proliferation, and remodeling) with tendon-specific durations. Acute injury to the flexor and extensor tendons of the hand are of particular clinical importance to plastic surgeons, with tendon-specific treatment guided by the general principle of minimum protective immobilization followed by hand therapy to overcome potential adhesions. Thorough knowledge of the underlying biomechanical principles of tendon healing is required to provide optimal care to patients presenting with tendon injury.

ChartSweep: A HIPAA-compliant Tool to Automate Chart Review for Plastic Surgery Research.

Retrospective chart review (RCR) is the process of manual patient data review to answer research questions. Large and heterogeneous datasets make the RCR process time-consuming, with potential to introduce errors. The authors therefore designed and developed ChartSweep to expedite the RCR process while remaining faithful to its methodological rigor. ChartSweep is an open-source tool that can be customized for use with any electronic health record system. ChartSweep was developed by the authors to extract information from electronic health records using the Python coding language. As proof-of-concept, the tool was tested in three studies: RCR1-Identification of subjects who underwent radiofrequency ablation in a cohort of patients who had undergone headache surgery (n = 172); RCR2-Identification of patients with a diagnosis of thoracic outlet syndrome in patients who underwent peripheral neuroplasty (n = 806); RCR3-Identification of patients with a history of implant illness or breast implant-associated anaplastic large cell lymphoma in patients who had undergone implant-based breast augmentation or reconstruction (n = 1133). Inter-rater reliability was assessed. ChartSweep reduced the time required to conduct RCR1 by 1315 minutes (21.9 hours), RCR2 by 1664 minutes (27.7 hours), and RCR3 by 2215 minutes (36.9 hours). Inter-rater reliability was uncompromised (k = 1.00). Open-source Python libraries as leveraged by ChartSweep significantly accelerate the RCR process in plastic surgery research. Quality of data review is not compromised. Further analyses with larger, heterogeneous study populations are required to further validate ChartSweep as a research tool.

Muscle Fascia Changes in Patients with Occipital Neuralgia, Headache, or Migraine.

SUMMARY: In an ongoing effort to understand the pathogenesis of occipital neuralgia/headache/migraine, it is critical to describe the anatomical/tissue changes encountered during surgery. Greater occipital nerve anatomical studies mainly focus on the greater occipital nerve course through muscle/fascial planes and interaction with the occipital vessels. However, structural soft-tissue changes have not been described in detail. Anecdotally, trapezius fascia is thickened at the greater occipital nerve trigger site. This study further investigates this observation. Patients undergoing greater occipital nerve decompression surgery were enrolled prospectively in this observational study (n = 92). Tissue changes were recorded intraoperatively. The resulting data were examined. Trapezius fascia was more than 3 mm thick and appeared fibrotic in 86 patients (94 percent), whereas semispinalis muscle appeared normal in all subjects. The greater occipital nerve was macroscopically abnormal, defined as edematous, flattened, and discolored in 29 cases (32 percent). The occipital artery interacted significantly with the greater occipital nerve in 88 percent of cases. The authors conclude that the tissue structure is abnormal in patients undergoing greater occipital nerve decompression surgery. This is the first study that describes the prevalence of thickened and fibrotic appearing trapezius fascia at the occipital trigger site, a phenomenon encountered in the vast majority of patients (94 percent). This structural anomaly has a resemblance to thickened fascial tissues seen in other nerve compression syndromes, and could be related to microtrauma/overuse or actual trauma in the head and neck region.

Insta-Grated Plastic Surgery Residencies: 2020 Update.

BACKGROUND: Recent evidence shows accelerating worldwide adoption of social media and suggests a commensurate increase in social media use by integrated plastic surgery residency programs in the United States. Programs nationwide are now making strides to include a longitudinal social media component in their plastic surgery curriculum. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to investigate the use of Instagram by plastic surgery residency programs and to describe trends in adoption, volume, and content. METHODS: Current active Instagram accounts affiliated to integrated plastic surgery residency programs were surveyed to identify date of first post, number of posts, number of followers, number of followings, engagement rate, most-liked posts, and content of posts. All data were collected on May 12, 2020. RESULTS: Sixty-nine out of 81 (85.2%) integrated plastic surgery residency programs had Instagram accounts, totaling 5,544 posts. This represents an absolute increase in program accounts of 392% since 2018. The 100 most-liked posts were categorized as: promotion of the program/individual (46), resident life (32), promotion of plastic surgery (14), and education (8). CONCLUSIONS: Instagram use by plastic surgery residency programs has drastically increased since it was first evaluated in 2018. This trend will continue as we reach near saturation of residency programs with accounts. We remain steadfast in our belief that the advantages of social media use by plastic surgeons and trainees are far outweighed by the potential community-wide impacts of violations of good social media practice on peers, patients, and the general public.