Rib stabilization: lessons learned.

INTRODUCTION: The management of rib fractures and flail chest has changed considerably over the past century, and recently there has been a renewed interest in operative rib stabilization for these injuries. Despite numerous reports suggesting improved outcomes with rib stabilization, there are not well-defined indications and the approach remains somewhat controversial. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The authors reflect on their experience of performing rib stabilization in over 100 patients with rib fractures and flail chest. CONCLUSION: The authors offer their opinions on this operation with respect to rationale, indications, timing, technique, and postoperative care.

Physical examination plus chest radiography in penetrating periclavicular trauma: the appropriate trigger for angiography.

BACKGROUND: To determine the role of physical examination, chest radiography, and angiography in the management of periclavicular penetrating trauma. METHODS: A retrospective review of the last 100 patients who suffered periclavicular penetrating trauma was performed. Patients with hard signs of vascular injury went either directly to the operating room or first to the angiography suite depending on their hemodynamic stability. All others underwent angiography and subsequent intervention if needed. The results were examined to determine the role of arteriography in the absence of hard signs of vascular injury. RESULTS: Of the 100 patients in the study, there were 81 without hard signs of vascular injury. All underwent angiography, with 11 "occult" injuries discovered. Each of these patients exhibited some physical examination or chest radiographic finding that may have predicted the presence of vascular injury. Using clinical criteria, physical examination was found to have a sensitivity of 82%, a specificity of 91%, a positive predictive value of 60%, and a negative predictive value of 96%. When coupled with the chest radiographic findings, these numbers were 100%, 80%, 44%, and 100%, respectively. Using these criteria would have eliminated the need for angiography in 56 (69%) patients and would not have missed any injuries. CONCLUSIONS: In patients with periclavicular penetrating trauma, a normal physical examination and chest radiographic excludes vascular injury. Proximity alone does not warrant angiography, although the test may be useful for therapeutic interventions or to plan operative approaches. A prospective study is essential to validate these findings.

Retrograde jejunogastric intussusception.

Retrograde gastrointestinal intussusception is a rare entity, most commonly reported after gastric resection and gastrojejunostomy. Its occurrence in the absence of previous gastric resection is extremely unusual, with only four cases reported. All cases were associated with previously placed gastrostomy tubes and implicated these as the inciting factor. We present a fifth case and review the literature. The mechanism of this phenomenon is described and recommendations to prevent this potentially fatal complication are made.