Intraoperative monitoring of recurrent laryngeal nerve function.

Intraoperative recurrent laryngeal nerve identification is sometimes difficult in reoperative cervical dissection or operation for inflammatory thyroid disorders. Three modalities have been described to intraoperatively assess nerve function: vocal cord visualization with fiberoptic bronchoscopy or direct laryngoscopy, electromyelographic surveillance of arytenoid muscle function, and cord function assessment with an electromyelogram-electrode endotracheal tube. Our study focused on patients requiring cervical dissection for thyroid or parathyroid disease in which intraoperative recurrent laryngeal nerve function was monitored by nerve stimulation with a concentric bipolar probe. Impulses were tracked via a specialized electrode-bearing endotracheal tube with signal transduction to a recording monitor. No operative nerve injuries occurred in the patients of our study group. This surveillance technique's several advantages include use of standard intubation techniques with no increase in operative time, nerve stimulation tracings that are quantifiable and reproducible with production of a permanent record, and less subjectivity due to observer variability. We believe these factors make the electromyelogram-electrode endotracheal tube approach to intraoperative recurrent laryngeal nerve assessment the optimal technique.

The surgical approach to primary malignant melanoma.

Surgical excision is the only curative treatment for malignant melanoma. Excisional biopsy of the suspected lesion allows for adequate tissue diagnosis and microstaging and does not alter ten year survival periods. Wide local excision with a resection margin of 3 centimeters is recommended for all but the most superficial (less than 0.76 millimeters) lesions. Nodal and systemic metastases and long term survival are unaffected by the size of the resection margin. The role of prophylactic lymphadenectomy for Stage I melanoma remains controversial. The results of both prospective and retrospective studies have demonstrated an improved survival after prophylactic lymphadenectomy for patients with intermediate thickness (0.76 to 3.9 millimeters or Clark's level III to IV, or both) lesions. Patients with ulcerated lesions and lesions in the BANS distribution, even when superficial, might benefit from elective lymphadenectomy. At least quarterly follow-up examination is recommended for those patients who undergo wide excision alone. Therapeutic lymphadenectomy is indicated for the treatment of Stage II melanoma. The results of ongoing prospective randomized studies will clarify the role of fascia removal, resection margins and prophylactic lymphadenectomy in the treatment of malignant melanoma.

Brachial plexus injury management through upper extremity amputation with immediate postoperative prostheses.

Management of patients with brachial plexus injuries requires a team approach so that all aspects of their care are addressed simultaneously. This report examines elective amputation and prosthetic rehabilitation in a patient with brachial plexus avulsion of the left arm. The best possibility for good prosthetic rehabilitation is the early application of prosthetic devices with intensive occupational therapy. Using this type of approach, we have achieved significant improvement in amputation rehabilitation of upper extremity amputees treated with immediate postoperative conventional electric and myoelectric prostheses.

Prospective use of xenon Xe 133 clearance for amputation level selection.

Xenon Xe 133 clearance was used to select the most distal amputation level that would allow sufficient blood flow for healing. Capillary blood flow was first measured at the most distal potential amputation level, then at successive proximal levels until an amputation site was found that had a capillary skin blood flow rate greater than or equal to 2.6 mL/min/100 g of tissue. Xenon Xe 133 in saline (100 to 500 mCi) was injected intracutaneously at each level, and flow rates were determined using a gamma camera interfaced with a computer system programmed for the Ketty-Schmidt formula modified for capillary blood flow. There were 45 cases, including one toes, six transmetatarsal, five Syme's, 25 below-knee, four knee disarticulation, three above-knee, and one hip disarticulation amputation. All amputations in patients with flow rates exceeding 2.4 mL/min/100 g of tissue healed, with two exceptions.

Rehabilitation for lower extremity amputation.

The results of rehabilitation for lower-extremity amputation were analyzed to assess the impact of a center that used a coordinated team combined with modern surgical and prosthetic techniques. Data for group 1 patients (amputated between July 1, 1975, and June 30, 1977) demonstrated a healing rate of 63%, a mean rehabilitation time of 128 days, a mean hospitalization time of 68 days, and a rehabilitation rate of 69% for those who could walk prior to amputation. Data for group 2 (amputated between July 1, 1977, and July 30, 1979) demonstrated an amputation healing rate of 97%, an average rehabilitation time of 30.8 days, a mean hospitalization time of 38 days, and a rehabilitation rate of 100% for those patients who could walk before amputation. There was no difference between groups 1 and 2 in surgical mortality; all other variables, however, showed significant improvement for group 2 patients. Comparison within the same institution of the results of rehabilitation for lower-extremity amputation before and after the initiation of a dedicated amputation center clearly demonstrated the superiority of the center concept.