Clinical Significance of Internal Mammary Lymph Node Biopsy during Microsurgical Breast Reconstruction: Review of 264 Cases.

BACKGROUND: Despite the knowledge of alternate lymphatic draining patterns of the breast, routine evaluation of the internal mammary lymph node basin is still not considered standard of care. The advent of microsurgical breast reconstruction using the internal mammary vessels as recipients, however, has allowed sampling of internal mammary lymph nodes with technical ease, thus revisiting their role in breast cancer management. In the present study, the authors reviewed their experience with this practice. METHODS: A retrospective analysis of patients who underwent internal mammary lymph node biopsy at the time of autologous breast reconstruction using the internal mammary vessels between 2004 and 2012 was performed. Parameters of interest included patient age, timing of reconstruction (immediate versus delayed), disease stage, and pathologic findings of internal mammary lymph nodes. RESULTS: A total of 264 autologous breast reconstructions using the internal mammary vessels were performed in 204 patients with a median age of 44.5 years. The majority of reconstructions were immediate [n = 211 (79.9 percent)]. Seventy-two percent of patients had either stage I [72 patients (35.3 percent)] or stage II disease [75 patients (36.8 percent)]. Six patients were found to have internal mammary lymph node metastasis. Stage migration and alteration in adjuvant therapy occurred in all patients. CONCLUSION: Internal mammary lymph node sampling at the time of autologous breast reconstruction using the internal mammary system should become routine practice, as the morbidity associated with internal mammary lymph node harvest is low and the impact in cases of nodal involvement is quite substantial. CLINICAL QUESTION/LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Therapeutic, IV.

Surgical management of silicone mastitis: case series and review of the literature.

BACKGROUND: Free silicone injection for breast augmentation, which became widespread in the 1960s and continues illicitly to this day, has well-known adverse effects. In this retrospective chart review of 14 patients treated for silicone mastitis from 1990 to 2002, we present our experience with the surgical management of patients with silicone mastitis. METHODS: All the patients were women, ranging in age from 49 to 76 years old (mean age = 58.8). Patients presented to us a mean of 29.9 years after their free silicone breast injection. Treatment modalities were analyzed, and, specifically, methods of breast reconstruction involving autologous tissue transfers, implants, or a combination were evaluated. RESULTS: The majority of patients (12 of 14) required mastectomies for extensive silicone-infiltrated tissues. The remaining two patients had focal areas of disease and were successfully treated with excision and local breast parenchyma flaps. Autologous reconstruction was performed with a total of 20 flaps, including 12 free transverse rectus abdominis myocutaneous flaps, 4 free superior gluteal artery perforator (SGAP) flaps, and 4 pedicled latissimus dorsi (LD) flaps. Two patients had bilateral implant-based breast reconstruction. CONCLUSION: A variety of reconstructive options are available for patients presenting with silicone mastitis. Once an appropriate breast cancer workup has been performed, the surgical goal is to excise as much of the silicone-infiltrated tissues as possible before reconstruction. To our knowledge, this is the first reported series that incorporates the use of SGAP and LD flaps as a means of autologous tissue reconstruction for silicone-infiltrated breasts. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE IV: This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266 .

Emergency surgical treatment of an ulcerative and hemorrhagic congenital/infantile fibrosarcoma of the lower leg: case report and literature review.

Fibrosarcomas are rare malignant soft-tissue tumors occurring mostly in infants younger than 1 year of age. Fibrosarcomas can ulcerate and cause various complications, which could threaten a fetus in utero or a child in the early neonatal period. We report a unique case of congenital infantile fibrosarcoma of the lower leg, its treatment and pathology. The large expansive and destructive lesion was not appreciated on routine prenatal ultrasound exams at 20 and 33 weeks gestation. The newborn required immediate emergency surgical intervention after delivery to prevent death by hemorrhagic shock. Initial debulking of the tumor was performed and hemostasis was attained on the day of birth. The child was resuscitated and definitive treatment of the leg was deferred until a pathologic diagnosis was obtained. Given the extent of the fibrosarcoma, the lower leg was not salvageable and the patient received a through-the-knee amputation in the neonatal period. The patient is free of disease at 2 years of age.

Robotic-assisted unicompartmental knee arthroplasty in a patient with combined medial compartment arthritis and subchondral defect of the medial femoral condyle.

Subchondral defects, or severe osteoarthritic changes, of the medial compartment may complicate component positioning and require proper planning and exact placement to ensure adequate and stable fixation and proper postoperative kinematics. This is a case report on our experience with a CT-based robotic tactile guidance system for unicompartmental knee replacement in a patient with combined medial compartment degenerative joint disease and subchondral defect of the medial femoral condyle. Using the TGS in this case, an exact burring process of the femoral cavity adjacent to the subchondral defect resulted in accurate burring of the cavity depth and width, while preservation of the surrounding supporting bony boundary was possible.

Host defense peptides as effector molecules of the innate immune response: a sledgehammer for drug resistance?

Host defense peptides can modulate the innate immune response and boost infection-resolving immunity, while dampening potentially harmful pro-inflammatory (septic) responses. Both antimicrobial and/or immunomodulatory activities are an integral part of the process of innate immunity, which itself has many of the hallmarks of successful anti-infective therapies, namely rapid action and broad-spectrum antimicrobial activities. This gives these peptides the potential to become an entirely new therapeutic approach against bacterial infections. This review details the role and activities of these peptides, and examines their applicability as development candidates for use against bacterial infections.