Predictability in Lip Repositioning with Botulinum Toxin for Gummy Smile Treatment: A 3-Year Follow-up Case Series.

The aim of this case series was to describe the successful treatment of excessive gingival display (EGD) using a lip repositioning technique (LRT) and botulinum toxin injections (BTIs) for long-term stability. Eight patients diagnosed with EGD were enrolled. A partial-thickness horizontal incision was made from the right first molar to the left first molar along the mucogingival line, leaving the midline frenum intact. The next day, all patients received BTIs. Mean reductions in gingival display between baseline and 3, 6, 12, 18, 24, and 36 months after surgery were considered. BTIs prevent movement of the upper lip during the healing phase of the LRT, improving the results and offering long-term outcomes with a follow-up period of 3 years.

Evaluation for Heart Transplantation and LVAD Implantation: JACC Council Perspectives.

Timely referrals for transplantation and left ventricular assist device implantation play a key role in favorable outcomes in patients with advanced heart failure. Nonetheless, evaluation usually occurs at advanced heart failure centers and is obscured from referring physicians. The purposes of this review are to explain the decision-making process for candidacy for advanced therapies and to describe the potential impact of the new organ allocation algorithm on center decision making. The document first addresses the signs of advanced heart failure, specifically focusing on the importance of the syndrome of low cardiac output as a key feature of advanced heart failure, and then summarizes the evaluation as a 3-step process addressing the following questions: 1) Is transplantation or durable assist device placement indicated? 2) Are there contraindications to either intervention? 3) How can one choose between transplantation and left ventricular assist device implantation if advanced therapies are indicated and not contraindicated?

Examination of Age-Related Differences on Clinical Tests of Postural Stability.

BACKGROUND: The modified Balance Error Scoring System (mBESS) and Y-Balance Test are common clinical measurements of postural control, but little is known about the effect of age on performance of these tasks. The purpose of this study was to examine how healthy child and adolescent athletes perform on 2 common clinical measurements of postural control. HYPOTHESIS: Younger athletes would demonstrate poorer postural control compared with older athletes. STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level 3. METHODS: Three hundred eighty-nine athletes between the ages of 10 and 18 years underwent an evaluation of postural control. Each participant completed the mBESS in the double-leg, single-leg, and tandem stances as well as the Y-Balance Test. Postural stability data were analyzed between age groups (10-12, 13-15, and 16-18 years) using univariate analyses of covariance. RESULTS: The youngest athletes (10-12 years) had a greater mean number of errors in the single-leg stance of the mBESS than the 13- to 15-year-old and 16- to 18-year-old athletes (3.8, 3, and 2.5 errors, respectively; P < 0.01). They also had greater right to left asymmetry compared with the 16- to 18-year-old athletes on the Y-Balance Test in the posterolateral (6.8 and 3.8 cm, respectively; P = 0.006) and posteromedial (5.3 and 3.6 cm, respectively; P = 0.014) directions of movement. CONCLUSION: Athletes between the ages of 10 and 12 years performed worse on the single-leg stance of the mBESS and demonstrated more asymmetry on the Y-Balance Test in the posterolateral and posteromedial directions compared with older athletes. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: In the absence of a baseline balance test for athletes younger than the age of 13 years, caution should be used in interpreting postural stability assessments, as age may be a modifying factor in performance.