Minimally invasive partial fasciectomy for Dupuytren contractures.

Treatment options for the Dupuytren contractures vary from percutaneous needle aponeurotomy, open fasciotomy or fasciectomy, dermofasciectomy, and more recently, injectable collagenase. Although utilization of injectable collagenase avoids a formal surgical procedure, not all patients are eligible and some patients do not feel comfortable with an enzyme injection or the associated risks, which may include hematoma, wound dehiscence, or tendon rupture. This study describes the technique and early results of partial fasciectomy through a mini-incision approach as an additional treatment option for Dupuytren contractures. We found that this procedure results in contracture correction with a low rate of complications and thus provides the surgeon with an alternative treatment option to offer patients.

Proximal row carpectomy combined with wrist hemiarthroplasty.

Proximal row carpectomy (PRC) combined with distal radius hemiarthroplasty is a relatively novel procedure that rivals total wrist arthrodesis and offers a new surgical treatment option for select patients with painful, end-stage wrist disease. We present our early experience with this procedure. A retrospective chart review was conducted for nonrheumatoid patients diagnosed with wrist arthritis and subsequently treated with wrist hemiarthroplasty combined with PRC. The minimum follow-up duration was 12 months. Preoperative and postoperative flexion, extension, and grip strength were recorded. Postoperative radiographic findings were assessed. The Patient-Rated Wrist Evaluation (PRWE) questionnaire was administered to gauge postoperative pain and function. The records of 10 patients were reviewed. The mean age was 64 years and the mean postoperative follow-up duration was 19 months. Postoperative flexion, extension, and grip strength were all found to be less than the preoperative levels. The mean postoperative PRWE score for pain and function were 26 and 23, respectively. The complications were diverse and occurred at a relatively high rate. PRC combined with distal radius hemiarthroplasty is a novel procedure that offers a potential surgical option for the treatment of wrist arthritis in select patients. Our early experience has lead us to modify our technique with regard to the implant material, and at this stage, the surgical technique and the most appropriate implant may require further optimization. The level of evidence for this study is IV (therapeutic).

Lack of neuroprotection against experimental glaucoma in c-Jun N-terminal kinase 3 knockout mice.

To determine if the absence of c-Jun N-terminal kinase 3 (JNK3) in the mouse retina would reduce retinal ganglion cell (RGC) loss in mice with experimental glaucoma. C57BL/6 mice underwent experimental intraocular pressure (IOP) elevation with a bead/viscoelastic injection into one eye. One-half of the mice were Jnk3 homozygous knockouts (KO) and were compared to wild type (WT) mice. IOP was measured under anesthesia with the TonoLab, axial length was measured post-mortem with calipers after inflation to 15mmHg, and RGC layer counts were performed on retinal whole mount images stained with DAPI, imaged by confocal microscopy, and counted by masked observers in an image analysis system. Axon counts were performed in optic nerve cross-sections by semi-automated image analysis. Both WT and Jnk3(-/-) mice had mean elevations of IOP of more than 50% after bead injection. Both groups underwent the expected axial globe elongation due to chronic IOP elevation. The absence of JNK3 in KO retina was demonstrated by Western blots. RGC layer neuron counts showed modest loss in both WT and Jnk3(-/-) animals; local differences by retinal eccentricity were detected, in each case indicating greater loss in KO animals than in WT. The baseline number of RGC layer cells in KO animals was 10% higher than in WT, but the number of optic nerve axons was identical in KO and WT controls. A slightly greater loss of RGC in Jnk3(-/-) mice compared to controls was detected in experimental mouse glaucoma by RGC layer counting and there was no protective effect shown in axon counts. Counts of RGC layer cells and optic nerve axons indicate that Jnk3(-/-) mice have an increased number of amacrine cells compared to WT controls.

Differential susceptibility to experimental glaucoma among 3 mouse strains using bead and viscoelastic injection.

The purpose of this experiment was to test the susceptibility to retinal ganglion cell (RGC) axon loss and RGC layer cell loss from experimental glaucoma among 3 mouse strains, and between younger and older mice. We obstructed the mouse aqueous outflow channels by injecting 2 microL of 6 mum diameter, polystyrene beads followed by 3 microL of viscoelastic solution into the anterior chamber with a glass micropipette. We evaluated intraocular pressure (IOP) and damage to RGC as measured by optic nerve axon counts and RGC layer neuron counts in 3 strains of young mice (2 month old C57BL/6, DBA/2J, and CD1) and 10 month C57BL/6 mice. Bead and viscoelastic injection produced IOP elevation at >or=1 time point in 94.1% of eyes (112/119), with mean IOP difference from fellow eyes of 4.4 +/- 3.0 mmHg. By 6-12 weeks, injected eyes were 10.8% longer and 7.6% wider (p < 0.0001). Young DBA/2J and C57BL/6 eyes increased axial length significantly more than young CD1 or older C57BL/6 (all p