Simulation of plastic surgery and microvascular procedures using perfused fresh human cadavers.

INTRODUCTION: Surgical simulation models are often limited by their lack of fidelity, which hinders their essential purpose, making a better surgeon. Fresh cadaveric tissue is a superior model of simulation owing to its approximation of live tissue. One major unresolved difference between dead and live tissue is perfusion. Here, we propose a means of enhancing the fidelity of cadaveric simulation through the development of a perfused cadaveric model whereby simulation is further able to approach life-like surgery and teach one of the more technically demanding skills of plastic surgery: microsurgery. METHOD: Fresh tissue human cadavers were procured according to university protocol. Perfusion was performed via cannulation of large vessels, and arterial and venous pressure was maintained by centrifugal circulation. Skin perfusion was evaluated with incisions in the perfused regions and was evaluated using indocyanine green angiography. Surgical simulations were selected to broadly evaluate applicability to plastic surgical education. RESULT: Surgical simulation of 38 procedures ranging in complexity from skin excisions to microsurgical cases was performed with high priority given to the accurate simulation of clinical procedures. Flap dissections included perforator flaps, muscle flaps, and fasciocutaneous flaps. Effective perfusion was noted with ICG angiography and notable bleeding vessels. Microsurgical flap transfer was successfully performed. CONCLUSION: We report the establishment of a high fidelity surgical simulation using a perfused fresh tissue model in a realistic environment akin to the operating room. We anticipate utilization of this model prior to entering the operating room will enhance surgical ability and offer a valuable resource in plastic surgical education.

Urinary bladder matrix for the treatment of recalcitrant nonhealing radiation wounds.

Chronic wounds in previously radiated tissue are challenging to treat. In this article, the authors describe 3 such wounds that failed to heal despite multiple treatments with traditional wound healing methods. Treatment with porcine urinary bladder matrix, an extracellular matrix material, was initiated to facilitate epithelialization and promote wound healing. MatriStem powder (ACell, Inc, Columbia, Maryland), MatriStem (ACell, Inc) sheet, and DuoDerm (ConvaTec, Skillman, New Jersey) were applied biweekly and resulted in complete wound closure within 3 weeks of initial application for all 3 cases. All wounds remained closed 9 months following treatment, suggesting a role for urinary bladder matrix in the management of chronic wounds in the setting of irradiated tissue.

Incidence of surgical-site infection is not affected by method of immediate breast reconstruction.

BACKGROUND: To date, few large-scale studies have reported the incidence of surgical-site infection in women undergoing mastectomy with respect to the various methods of immediate breast reconstruction. This study assessed whether the reconstruction method was associated with the risk of surgical-site infection in these patients. METHODS: Using the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database, 9230 female patients undergoing mastectomy with immediate reconstruction from 2005 to 2009 were identified. Reconstruction was classified as autologous, prosthetic, or hybrid. The primary outcome was the incidence of surgical-site infection within 30 days of operation. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to derive the unadjusted and adjusted risk of surgical-site infection according to reconstruction method. RESULTS: The overall rate of surgical-site infection was 3.53 percent (95 percent CI, 3.15 to 3.94 percent), with individual rates of 3.33 percent (95 percent CI, 2.93 to 3.76 percent) for prosthetic reconstruction, 4.88 percent (95 percent CI, 3.48 to 6.11 percent) for autologous reconstruction, and 2.19 percent (95 percent CI, 0.88 to 4.45 percent) for hybrid reconstruction. The adjusted odds ratio of surgical-site infection was 1.14 (95 percent CI, 0.83 to 1.58; p = 0.42) for autologous versus prosthetic methods and 0.59 (95 percent CI, 0.27 to 1.27; p = 0.18) for hybrid versus prosthetic methods. CONCLUSIONS: Although the risk of surgical-site infection in patients undergoing immediate reconstruction is highest with autologous and lowest with hybrid methods of reconstruction, the difference in infection risk was not statistically significant after adjustment for confounding factors. Thus, all methods of reconstruction are viable options with regard to risk for surgical-site infection. CLINICAL QUESTION/LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Risk, III.

rhBMP-2 with a demineralized bone matrix scaffold versus autologous iliac crest bone graft for alveolar cleft reconstruction.

BACKGROUND: Secondary alveolar cleft reconstruction using autologous iliac crest bone graft is currently the standard treatment for alveolar clefts. Although effective, harvesting autologous bone may result in considerable donor-site morbidity, most commonly pain and the potential for long-term sensory disturbances. In an effort to decrease patient morbidity, a novel technique using recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein (rhBMP)-2 encased in a demineralized bone matrix scaffold was developed as an alternative to autografting for secondary alveolar cleft reconstruction. METHODS: A chart review was conducted for the 55 patients who underwent secondary alveolar cleft reconstruction over a 2-year period with a mean follow-up of 21 months. Of these, 36 patients received rhBMP-2/demineralized bone matrix scaffold (including 10 patients with previously failed repairs using iliac crest bone grafting) and 19 patients underwent iliac crest bone grafting. Postoperatively, bone stock was evaluated using occlusal radiographs rated according to the Bergland and Chelsea scales. RESULTS: Alveolar clefts repaired using rhBMP-2/demineralized bone matrix scaffold were 97.2 percent successful compared with 84.2 percent with iliac crest bone grafting. Radiographically, initial repairs with rhBMP-2/demineralized bone matrix scaffold were superior to iliac crest bone grafting according to both Bergland and Chelsea scales, and significantly more patients in the rhBMP-2/demineralized bone matrix scaffold group had coronal bridging. The postoperative intraoral infection rate following iliac crest bone grafting was significantly greater than for rhBMP-2/demineralized bone matrix scaffold. The cost of rhBMP-2/demineralized bone matrix scaffold products was offset by cost savings associated with a reduction in operative time averaging 102 minutes. CONCLUSIONS: rhBMP-2 encased in a demineralized bone matrix scaffold appears to be a viable alternative for secondary alveolar cleft repair. Patients are spared donor-site morbidity and achieve excellent results, decreasing operative time, and increasing operating room use. CLINICAL QUESTION/LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Therapeutic, III.

Scalp erosion in ankyloblepharon-ectodermal defect-cleft lip and/or palate (AEC syndrome): treatment with acellular dermal matrix.

Ankyloblepharon-ectodermal defect-cleft lip and/or palate (AEC syndrome, also known as Hay-Wells syndrome) is an autosomal dominant disease caused by mutation in the p63 gene that is primarily characterized by facial clefting, presence of ankyloblepharon, ectodermal dysplasia, and scalp erosion. Scalp erosion is perhaps the most debilitating manifestation of AEC due to its problematic treatment that is fraught with failure given the underlying pathology of the p63 mutation causing dysfunctional wound healing. Management is often targeted in a stepwise fashion, beginning with daily baths, light debridement, and emollients and progressing to extensive skin excision. Skin grafting has limited success and, inevitably, infections requiring aggressive debridement and antibiotic therapy result from dysfunctional healing. The use of acellular dermal matrix for treatment of scalp erosion is a novel approach attempted in a patient with severe scalp disease. Here we report her case and the failure of treatment, along with possible explanations and suggestions for future therapy.

Metastasis of hepatocellular and renal cell carcinoma to the hand.

SUMMARY: Malignant carcinoma metastasis to the skeleton is the third most common site of metastasis after lung and liver, usually involving the axial skeleton and the proximal ends of long bones, ribs, and vertebrae. Acrometastasis, metastasis to hands or feet, comprises only 0.1% of all metastases. Here, we present 2 cases of acrometastasis, one from hepatocellular carcinoma and the other from renal cell carcinoma. We describe the presentation, radiographs, surgical treatment, and outcomes for each patient. Patients presented with swelling and pain at the tumor sites and were treated with amputations. The second patient's disease progressed resulting in death shortly after amputation indicating acrometastasis may be a poor prognostic indicator of survival. We review the literature and discuss the importance of disease process recognition and prognosis.

Vector control in internal midface distraction using temporary anchorage devices.

Le Fort III and monobloc distraction osteogenesis serve as the primary surgical treatment for children with severe midface hypoplasia. The orbital retrusion and class III malocclusion of patients with midface hypoplasia is best addressed with bodily advancement of the midface segment parallel to the cephalometric Frankfort horizontal plane. Use of internal distraction devices allows for advancement of the midface without extensive external hardware but comes at the cost of less vectorial control, resulting in a distraction vector that can cause a clockwise rotation of the entire midface or frontofacial component creating hollow appearing orbits. To counteract this clockwise rotation, we have developed a technique using orthodontic microimplants to anchor interarch class III relationship elastics. We report our experiences with this technique on a cadaveric model and as a case series of 17 patients who underwent midface distraction. A Le Fort III distraction procedure was carried out on a cadaver, and the orbital height was measured at 0-, 10-, and 20-mm distraction advancement with and without elastics in a class III relationship. Improvement of both subjective hollow appearance of the orbits and objective measurement of the orbital height with class III relationship elastics demonstrated the efficacy of class III relationship elastics in counteracting the clockwise rotation of the midface segment. A review of 17 patients with midface or frontofacial hypoplasia treated with Le Fort III or monobloc distraction with simultaneous microimplant anchored class III relationship elastics revealed correction of malocclusion and improved midface projection without significant increase in vertical height of the orbits.

Optimal Alignment novel software procedure for 3D reconstruction of electronmicroscopic serial sections.

3D reconstruction from electronmicroscopic (EM) serial sections substantially differs from modeling body parts by linking convoluted planes delivered by CT and NMR. Namely, variations both in relative X-Y position and rotation of the target elements between the adjacent images and also additional problems caused by deformed, deteriorated or missing sections can only be overruled by an aligning paradigm, which exploits all the pixel-level information, and results in an optimal fitting with selected precision. This paper presents a complex computer program called Optimal Alignment, which performs the precise elaboration of X-Y shift and relative rotation of two consecutive images. The required searching process will be customized by setting four independent parameters which relate the span and density of the pixel-scanning basic process. Optimalization of fitting accuracy versus running time can be achieved by a rather short training period. The potential precision of Optimal Alignment based on complex algorithms is far superior to manual aligning of EM photographs with the eye-wrist-mouse facility. The resulted database of alignment orientation parameters can serve as an advanced source for the 3D reconstructing programs. Optimal Alignment software tool (supported by Hungarian Space Office grant TP 138) will be demonstrated on a basal forebrain NPY+ axonal reconstruction, performed in L. Záborszky's laboratory (supported by NIH grant NSO23945).