[Mycetoma of the foot: a case report]. / Mycétome actino-mycosique du pied, à propos d'un cas.

Mycetoma is a chronic inflammatory cutaneous and subcutaneous pathology caused by either a fongic (eumycetoma) or bacterial (actinomycetoma) infection, which lead to a granulomatous tumefaction with multiple sinuses. When localized in the foot this infection is named "Madura foot". This infection is endemic to tropical and subtropical regions and rarely occurs in western countries. A historical case in Europe of a foot mycetoma evolving since 20 years without any treatment is presented. A histopathologic diagnosis of actinomycetoma has been done in 1987. The patient presented a severe Staphylococcus aureus chronic osteitis leading to a trans-tibial amputation. This case allows to present this infection which, even if rarely presented in France, can be meet especially among a migrant's population.

[Use of Extensor digitorum brevis flap in routine reconstructive surgery of lower limbs. Report of more than 50 cases]. / Utilisation du lambeau Extensor digitorum brevis en pratique courante de la chirurgie reconstructrice des membres inférieurs. Une expérience de plus de 50 cas.

The authors report their experience about more than 50 patients with soft tissue defects in the area of the lower leg, of the ankle and of the dorsal aspect of the foot and toes, managed with the Extensor digitorum brevis flap. We have most often performed it with a proximal pedicle. Healing was obtained for all case. Infections of malleola have been treated thank to the better delivery of antibiotics. The donor site shows often delayed healing, but in one case, the harvestment area has presented a complete necrosis, which healed with immobilisation of the ankle with external fixator and dressings. At last, we insist on the fast learning of the procedure and the aim to use it in humanitary mission.

[Soft tissue myoepithelioma of the ring finger of the right hand with intraosseous extension: a case report]. / Tumeur myoépithéliale des tissus mous avec extension intraosseuse dans la première phalange de l'annulaire : à propos d'un cas clinique.

Myoepithelial soft tissue tumors represent less than 1% of soft tissue tumors. Diagnosis is based on histology, but clinical and radiological features can orient the practitioner. Myoepithelial tumors do not involve the bone as they are not malignant. In this article, we report a case of a myoepithelioma occuring on the volar aspect of the right ring finger involving the first phalanx.

[Reconstruction of through and through gunshot injuries of the hand with a double skin paddle reverse-flow forearm radial flap. Two case reports]. / Lambeau antébrachial radial à pédicule distal en îlot à double palette cutanée dans la reconstruction des pertes de substance cutanée transfixiantes de la main par traumatisme balistique. A propos de deux cas.

The authors report two cases of gunshot wounds to the hand treated with a double skin paddle reverse-flow forearm flap. The two cases, male and female, were due to a self-inflicted rifle injury. The wounds were severe and extensive with full-thickness palmar and dorsal skin, tendon, muscle, bone, vessel and nerve losses. Treatment was performed in a single stage with skeletal stabilization, bone grafting and nerve and tendon reconstruction. The double palmar and dorsal skin defect was reconstructed with a double skin paddle reverse-flow forearm flap which was routed through the hand wound. The forearm flap is the sole way, free flaps excepted, to achieve reliable hand dorsal and palmar coverage in a single stage. In addition, this technique simplifies the reconstruction by using a local flap and allows better management for healing and rehabilitation as compared to a multiple flap procedure.

[Costochondral autograft as a salvage procedure after failed trapeziectomy in trapeziometacarpal osteoarthritis]. / Autogreffe de cartilage costal après échec d'une trapézectomie-ligamentoplastie.

We report the case of a 48-year-old woman who underwent a revision procedure to insert a costochondral autograft after failed trapeziectomy-ligamentoplasty. Clinical outcome was assessed at 3, 6, 12, and 24 months and compared with the preoperative situation. Pain (VAS), force (key pinch and grasp), writing capacity, use of an ignition key, and range of motion of the trapeziometacarpal joint in abduction and opposition were noted. The VAS demonstrated improvement in pain and the patient was able to use an ignition key but grasp force and joint range of motion remained unchanged. There was no complication at the graft harvesting site. This technique appears to be a useful salvage method after failed trapiezectomy.

[Distally based sural neurocutaneous flap: clinical experience and technical adaptations. Report of 60 cases]. / Expérience clinique et adaptations techniques du lambeau neurocutané sural à pédicule distal. A propos de 60 cas.

The distally based sural neurocutaneous flap (Masquelet et al., 1992) has proved to be a useful technique for lower limb skin defect reconstruction. We report our experience in a 60 case series for the coverage of foot, ankle, and distal third of the leg with success in 58 cases and 2 failures. For one of these, a total necrosis occurred after a technical problem when harvesting the pedicle, while the second failure was due to a severe inferior limb vascular disability. In 14 cases, a partial venous congestion with a slight epidermolysis or a marginal necrosis was observed but it resolved without sequel. Seventeen patients presented with distal vascular impairment and/or neuropathies (i.e. diabetes mellitus, arteriosclerosis, vascular lesions) of the inferior limb and our experience favour a larger pedicle trimming than in normal cases to avoid venous congestion of the skin paddle. In 18 cases, when undermining of skin between the pivot-point and the defect site to be covered was too hazardous, we used an external pedicle either temporary and severed a few weeks after or skin grafted. This is a helpful mean when local condition of the skin to be undermined for pedicle tunnelling may interfere with the final issue. This one-stage simple technique, without major vascular sacrifice and with minor consequences at the donor site, is reliable for the distal third of the inferior limb, ankle, and dorsal foot aspect reconstruction, the heel-bearing zone excepted.

["Opération Smile" missions in Mongolia]. / Missions "opération sourire" en Mongolie.

We report our experience of plastic surgery of the face, limbs and burns in Mongolia. This country is three times as huge as France and has got 2,4 millions of inhabitants of whom almost one million live in the capital city Oulan-Baator, where sanitary and weather conditions are very tough for a large part of the population. The main observed and treated pathologies were sequellae of nerves and vessels lacerations, sequellae of complex hand injuries, sequellae of leg traumas, face, neck and limb burns, lips and palate clefts and pressure shores. The training of Mongol surgeons is far from good in the fields of skin coverage, digits reconstruction, treatment of nerve and vascular injuries and management of burns. Pedicled radial antebrachial, posterior interosseous, inguinal, sural, saphenous and lower limb muscular flaps were performed and taught. Microsurgery is still starting up. Thus we performed the first second toe transfer to reconstruct an amputated thumb. Some clinical cases are presented. This French-Mongolian cooperation should continue in order to match between both countries the knowledge and use of standard techniques in plastic surgery.

[Foreign body reaction in osteoarthrosis of the trapeziometacarpal joint treated with trapezectomy and interposition of a Dacron "anchovy". A series of 5 cases]. / Réaction à corps étranger dans les rhizarthroses traitées par trapézectomie et interposition d'un "anchois" en Dacron. A propos de cinq cas.

Osteoarthritis of the trapeziometacarpal joint is a common pathology. Numerous surgical procedures exist without any of one of them showing an obvious superiority. In our practice, when the trapezium is not big enough to allow use of a Roseland total joint arthroplasty, we used a combination of trapeziectomy and Dacron anchovy interposition. This simple and fast technique gives results similar to others in terms of pain, joint motion and strength. It appeared to be a safe technique until 2000, where an abnormal complication appeared: five implants (11% of the 46 used between 2000 and 2002) displayed a foreign body reaction both clinical and radiological, and three patients underwent revision surgery for ablation of the implant. Histological analysis confirmed this adverse reaction in all of the cases. In view of the delay between surgery and reaction we expect new cases to appear, thereby increasing the current rate. In view of the lack of any other explanation for these findings, the authors have stopped using the Dacron implant, and have instead reverted to a classical tendon interposition.

[Anchovy dacron arthroplasty in the treatment of basal osteoarthritis of the thumb: long term results]. / Les arthroplasties d'interposition par anchois en Dacron[symbol: see text] dans le traitement des rhizarthroses essentielles: résultats à distance.

INTRODUCTION: Fifteen patients were treated for arthritis of the base of the thumb by trapieziumectomy and anchovy interposition using Dacron[symbol: see text]. The results are described. METHODS: The 15 patients were between 42- and 68-years-old at the time of operation. The mean postoperative follow-up was 3 years. Pain, pinch strength, opposition, opening of the first web space and height of the space formerly occupied by the trapezium were clinically and radiologically evaluated. RESULTS: Pain had completely disappeared in more than 80% of the patients. The mean post-surgical opposition was 8.9/10 (Kapandji score). The pinch strength and first web-space opening were improved, whereas the height of the trapezium site was always reduced by 25%. The only complication was one case of reflex sympathetic dystrophy: no case of foreign body reaction was reported. Eleven of the 15 patients were satisfied with the operation, and noted better thumb function in everyday life. DISCUSSION: The treatment of arthritis of the base of the thumb by means of trapieziumectomy and anchovy interposition is effective with respect to pain in all the studies previously published, whatever the technique used. Mobility is preserved, contrary to arthrodesis, and grip strength remains compatible with the patient's daily life. The choice of a synthetic anchovy such as Dacron[symbol: see text] allows a quicker operation and better than the ones involving sacrifice of a tendon at the wrist. Anchovy interposition remains the preferred alternative among other procedures in the treatment of basal osteoarthritis of the thumb.

[Extensor digitorum muscle flap: its position in ankle and foot coverage. Report of 15 cases]. / Place actuelle du lambeau d'extensor digitorum brevis dans la reconstruction des pertes de substance de la cheville et du pied. A propos de 15 cas.

The authors report their experience about a 15 cases series of ankle and foot soft tissues defects reconstruction with the extensor digitorum brevis flap which demonstrates its advantages. The flap was elevated in 9 cases on the tibial artery while the 6 others were raised on the distal dorsalis pedis artery with a retrograde flow. Healing was obtained for all cases with a complete resolution of septic problems for the 8 concerned cases. The outcome was uneventful for all but one which presented with a partial skin donor site secondary necrosis. No functional or trophic problems were noticed in other cases. Elevation of the extensor digitorum brevis flap is simple without note-worthy sequelaes. It is a reliable technique either for skin coverage or osteitis cure at level of the ankle. When raised with a retrograde arterial flow, it also appears as a useful alternative for the fore-foot reconstruction, location recognized difficult to treat by local means.

PS-100 and NF 70-200 double immunolabeling for human digital skin meissner corpuscle 3D imaging.

For detailed study of complex structures such as corpuscular mechanoreceptors, confocal microscopy can be used with multiple immunolabeling that identifies specifically different subcomponents. In addition, anatomic interpretation is enhanced by three-dimensional reconstruction. Confocal laser micrographs, reconstructed from serial images 1 microm thick of human skin Meissner corpuscles simultaneously immunostained for neurofilaments (NF 70-200) and protein S-100 (PS-100), clearly reveal the complex 3D relationship between Schwann-related lamellar cells immunoreactive for PS-100 and the nerve fibers marked by NF 70-200. The nerve fiber, after branching into the corpuscle, divides into several ramifications, presenting discoidal expansions and flattened fringed sections. The mean nerve diameter was 4 microm +/- 1 (2-5 microm) and the mean size of the discoidal expansions was 15 microm +/- 1 (7-30 microm). Corpuscle size varied from 30-140 +/- 1 microm in length and from 20-60 +/- 1 microm in diameter. This study confirms the presence of neural discoidal areas in Meissner's corpuscles, which are probably involved to some extent with the transduction process. Despite the accuracy of immunolabeling and imaging, an extracorpuscular neural network was never observed in the vicinity of corpuscles, thus giving doubt as to their existence. (J Histochem Cytochem 48:295-302, 2000)

The Mantero flexor tendon repair in zone 1.

Mantero and colleagues have reported a modification of the Bunnell pull-out method for the repair of zone 1 flexor digitorum profundus (FDP) lacerations that allows active postoperative mobilization. We report a series of 24 FDP lesions in 20 adult patients treated with this technique. The mean duration of the rehabilitation regimen, which was followed by all patients, was 4.2 months. Functional assessment using Strickland's criteria demonstrated 23 excellent to good results and one poor due to a septic rupture. Nineteen of the 20 patients were satisfied with treatment and all but one of the patients returned to work within an average of 2.6 months after operation. In comparison to other zone 1 repair methods with active mobilization regimens, the Mantero technique gives better functional outcomes and appears to be more reliable.

Merkel complexes of human digital skin: three-dimensional imaging with confocal laser microscopy and double immunofluorescence.

Three-dimensional (3-D) reconstruction of images provided by confocal scanning laser microscopy (CSLM) is a powerful tool in a morpho-functional approach to cutaneous innervation studies. To investigate mechanoreceptors in the hand, a study of Merkel complexes was performed in human finger. A double fluorescent-conjugated immunolabeling with antibodies against neurofilament (NF 200) and cytokeratin (CK 20) on floating, thick cutaneous samples (80 to 100 microm), was used. After acquisition of serial optical planes by CSLM, reconstruction was performed with 3-D reconstruction software tools. Merkel cells were clearly labeled with CK 20, whereas nerve components were only NF 200 reactive. The cells, localized on the basal lamina of the epidermis, were usually arranged in clusters of five to eight cells. Each cell was connected to a nerve process ramification originating from a unique fiber. Quantitative data, compiled from a sample of 25 Merkel complexes, gave a mean cell diameter of 13 +/- 1 microm and a mean nerve fiber size of 3 +/- 1 microm. Surface measurements were done on a single reconstructed cluster with a mean and standard error which only refers to the optical 3-D resolution. It gives a surface of 12 +/- 1 microm2 for the contact zone between cell and nerve fiber and a cluster area of about 500 microm2. The great precision of reconstructed images provides a detailed analysis of spatial relationships between abutting nerve fibers and Merkel cells. Data interpretation is improved with complementary ultrastructural and physiological studies results, and this allows an accurate investigation of cutaneous sensory endings.

Pins and Rubbers Traction System.

The Pins and Rubbers Traction System (PRTS) is a mobile frame created with wires to support elastic traction, which produces a ligamentotaxis effect in the same direction and of the same intensity whatever the position of the joint. This technique has been used in 11 cases of complex PIP joint fractures with eight excellent results. The advantages are simplicity, adaptability, the possibility of immediate mobilization, reasonable cost and relatively small bulk.

Postoperative management of extensor tendon repairs in zones V, VI, and VII.

This paper describes the postoperative management plan for extensor tendon repair in zones V, VI, and VII as conceived by the Grenoble team. This plan includes immediate, postoperative systematic mobilization for all patients with surgical repairs in zones II through VIII. Postoperative mobilization in zones V and VI is performed under the protection of a Levame-type, dorsal steel leaf-blade spring. Depending on lesion location, proximal or distal to juncturae tendinum, Frère's three-finger rule applies. In zone VII, differential tendon gliding between the wrist and finger extensors and surrounding tissue is accomplished with a Tom splint, which gives individual extension assistance to each digit and the wrist while limiting flexion.

[Neurocutaneous flap of the external saphenous nerve. A safe, easy and fast procedure for covering loss of substances of the ankle. A propos of 5 cases]. / Le lambeau neuro-cutané de nerf saphene externe. Un procédé sûr, simple et rapide pour la couverture des pertes de substance de la cheville. A propos de cinq cas.

The distally based sural neurocutaneous flap is another procedure to cover the heel. It is an island flap based on the vascular axis of the sural nerve in the lower two thirds of the leg. The nerve is included in the pedicle after proximal section (it is therefore not a sensitive flap). The size of the flap, length of the pedicle, absence of vascular sacrifice, the simple procedure, and minor consequences at the donor site led us to use this technique five time over on period of four months with success.

[Fractures and luxations of the thumb]. / Fractures et luxations du pouce.

The integrity of the first carpometacarpal column determines the mobility of the thumb in space and thus opposition, a fundamental function of the human hand. Fractures and dislocations of this architecture can jeopardize its function. Joint lesions lead to instability or incongruity and subsequent post-traumatic stiffening arthrosis. Diaphyseal fractures can put out of axis or lead to abnormal rotation which impair the flexion and overall function of the thumb. Great attention should therefore be given to the anatomical reconstruction of these lesions. Open, unstable joint or periosteal fractures should be surgically reduced and a rigid fixation should be used. Dislocations require emergency treatment and in case of postreduction instability should be immobilized.