Immediate versus delayed reconstruction following surgery for breast cancer.

BACKGROUND: Breast cancer is the most prevalent cancer in women and has a lifetime incidence of one in nine in the UK. Curative treatment requires surgery, and may involve adjuvant and neo-adjuvant therapy. In many women, post-mastectomy breast reconstruction is essential to restore body image and improve quality of life. Timing of reconstruction may be immediately at the time of mastectomy or delayed until after surgery. Outcomes such as psychosocial morbidity, aesthetics and complications rates may differ between the two approaches. OBJECTIVES: To assess the effects of immediate versus delayed reconstruction following surgery for breast cancer. SEARCH STRATEGY: We searched the Cochrane Breast Cancer Group (CBCG) Specialised Register on 22 July 2010, MEDLINE from July 2008 to 26 August 2010, EMBASE from 2008 to 26 August 2010 and the WHO International Clinical Trials Registry Platform (ICTRP) on 26 August 2010. SELECTION CRITERIA: Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) comparing immediate breast reconstruction versus delayed or no reconstruction in women in any age group and stage of breast cancer. We considered any recognised methods of reconstruction to one or both breasts undertaken at the same time as mastectomy or at any time following mastectomy. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Two review authors independently screened papers, extracted trial details and assessed the risk of bias in the one eligible study. MAIN RESULTS: We included only one RCT that involved that involved 64 women.We judged this study as being at a high risk of bias. Post-operative morbidity and mortality were not addressed, and secondary outcomes of patient cosmetic evaluations and psychosocial well-being post-reconstruction were inadequately reported. Based on limited data there was some, albeit unreliable, evidence that immediate reconstruction compared with delayed or no reconstruction, reduced psychiatric morbidity reported three months post-operatively. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: The current level of evidence for the effectiveness of immediate versus delayed reconstruction following surgery for breast cancer was based on a single RCT with methodological flaws and a high risk of bias, which does not allow confident decision-making about choice between these surgical options. Until high quality evidence is available, clinicians may wish to consider the recommendations of relevant guidelines and protocols. Although the limitations and ethical constraints of conducting RCTs in this field are recognised, adequately powered controlled trials with a focus on clinical and psychological outcomes are still required. Given the paucity of RCTs in this subject, in future versions of this review we will look at study designs other than RCTs specifically good quality cohort and case-controlstudies.

Evaluating optimal superficial limb perfusion at different angles using non-invasive micro-lightguide spectrophotometry.

BACKGROUND: It is common practice to elevate the limbs postoperatively to reduce oedema and hence optimise perfusion and facilitate rehabilitation. However, elevation may be counterproductive as it reduces the mean perfusion pressure. There are no clear data on the optimal position of the limbs even in normal subjects. METHODS: The optimal position of limbs was investigated in 25 healthy subjects using a non-invasive micro-lightguide spectrophotometry system "O2C", which indirectly measures skin and superficial tissue perfusion through blood flow, oxygen saturation and relative haemoglobin concentration. RESULTS: We found a reduction in skin and superficial tissue blood flow of 17% (p=0.0001) on arm elevation (180° shoulder flexion) as compared to heart level and an increase in skin and superficial tissue blood flow of 25% (p=0.02) on forearm elevation of 45°. Lower limb skin and superficial tissue blood flow decreased by 15% (p=0.004) on elevation to 47 cm and by 70% on dependency (p=0.0001) compared to heart level. However, on elevation of the lower limb there was also a 28% reduction in superficial venous pooling (p=0.0001) compared to heart level. CONCLUSIONS: In the normal limb, the position for optimal superficial perfusion of the upper limb is with the arm placed at heart level and forearm at 45°. In the lower limb the optimal position for superficial perfusion would be at heart level. However, some degree of elevation may be useful if there is an element of venous congestion.

Olanzapine and pulmonary embolism, a rare association: a case report.

Venous thromboembolism is a very common pathological process for which there are many well known (and less well-known) predisposing factors. Likewise, olanzapine is a commonly used anti-psychotic medication.We present the case of a young Somali gentleman who developed venous thromboembolic disease after an overdose of olanzapine. The diagnosis was only made 48 hours after admission, due to the non-specific presentation of the pulmonary embolus and the fact that the link between olanzapine and pulmonary embolus was not previously widely described and therefore it did not immediately figure in the differential diagnosis. The patient made a full recovery.There is an increasing body of circumstantial evidence linking olanzapine to pulmonary embolus. Clinicians should bear this possible association in mind when prescribing the drug and when faced with clinical situations where venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a possible diagnosis. VTE has occasionally been described in therapeutic dose olanzapine therapy, but never in the context of an acute overdose. Khat, a recreational drug, has been linked to arterial, but not venous thrombosis.It is hoped that this case report will further encourage research into these associations, which remain to be proven and quantified.In the context of changing population demographics and increasing global migration, a greater awareness of the potential effects of endemic practices and their potential consequences is essential to the modern-day doctor working in a multi-cultural society.

An unusual "hernia": losing a stone is not always a good thing!

A 42-year-old woman presented to the surgical outpatient department with what appeared to be a strangulated recurrent paraumbilical hernia. She was taken to theatre, where exploration revealed an unexpected diagnosis: an abdominal wall abscess that had formed around what appeared to be a gallstone dropped at the umbilical port site of a laparoscopic cholecystectomy performed 10 years previously. The abscess was incised and drained and a connection with the abdominal cavity excluded. The patient made a full recovery. Complications relating to spilled gallstones are rare, but can present in a variety of ways and sometimes many years after the original surgery. They should always be considered in a patient with a history of cholecystectomy presenting with an abdominal wall mass. There is no clear evidence of the best imaging modalities to be used for investigation. Methods for reducing the risk of such complications and the principles of different treatments are discussed.