The effect of sarcopenic obesity and muscle quality on complications after DIEP-flap breast reconstruction.

Introduction: The aim of this study was to evaluate whether sarcopenic obesity and muscle quality as expressed by skeletal muscle radiodensity (SMD) are associated to postoperative complications in women undergoing DIEP-flap breast reconstruction (BR). Methods: All patients who underwent DIEP-flap BR at our tertiary center between 2010 and 2018 were asked to sign informed consent for the use of their electronic medical records and images. By outlining anatomical skeletal muscle contours on the preoperative abdominal CT-scan at lumbar level L3, SMD and skeletal muscle indices (SMI) were measured by two observers independently. Using logistic regression analyses, the association between sarcopenic obesity (BMI >25 & SMI <39), low SMD (<40HU), and Clavien-Dindo (CD) grade ≥ II complications was evaluated. In this way odds ratios (OR) and adjusted odds ratios (ORadjusted) were provided. Results: Out of the 103 patients included in this study, 36% had CD grade ≥ II complications within 30 days of surgery. Twenty patients (19%) suffered from sarcopenic obesity of whom eleven patients (55%) had CD grade ≥ II complications (OR = 2.7, p = 0.05). In a multivariate analysis, sarcopenic obesity was not significantly related to a higher complication rate (ORadjusted = 2.2, p = 0.14) but women with SMD below average and those with prior radiotherapy had a higher risk for grade ≥ II complications (ORadjusted = 2.9, p = 0.02 and ORadjusted = 2.7, p = 0.02 respectively). Conclusion: Below average SMD (<40HU) was found to be associated with the development of postoperative CD grade ≥ II complications in women undergoing DIEP-flap BR. Future research should evaluate whether improving SMD reduces the complication incidence in this patient group.

Satisfaction with cosmetic outcomes of breast reconstruction: Investigations into the correlation between the patients' Breast-Q outcome and the judgment of panels.

OBJECTIVES: We aimed to determine the relation between breast reconstruction method, patient satisfaction, and surgeon reported cosmetic outcome among women who underwent breast reconstruction after mastectomy. STUDY DESIGN: A cross-sectional study of patients treated between 2006 and 2010. MAIN OUTCOME: Women's satisfaction with cosmetic outcomes after breast reconstruction. MEASURES: Cosmetic outcomes were evaluated by (1) women using the Breast-Q to rate satisfaction with breasts outcomes, and (2) an independent panel using the Strasser score. The relationships between the Breast-Q rating, Strasser scores, and breast reconstruction methods, including laterality and timing, were evaluated by Mann-Whitney U tests, Spearman's rank correlations, and Wilcoxon signed-rank tests. RESULTS: Ninety-four women were included. Patients were more satisfied with their breasts if they had undergone autologous, unilateral, or secondary breast reconstruction compared with those who underwent alloplastic, bilateral, or primary breast reconstruction (p-values 0.008, 0.011, and 0.001, respectively). The Strasser system did not reveal significant cosmetic differences, with all breast reconstructions graded as mediocre or poor. CONCLUSIONS: Patient satisfaction with breast outcomes, as measured by the Breast-Q, was described as mediocre or poorly reflected by the Strasser score. If doctors are to support patients to make informed decisions on the optimal method of breast reconstruction, we need a more sensitive, comprehensive tool reflecting patients' cosmetic outcomes.

The Effect of Smoking and Body Mass Index on The Complication Rate of Alloplastic Breast Reconstruction.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of smoking and body mass index on the occurrence of complications after alloplastic breast reconstruction. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A consecutive series of 56 patients treated with immediate or delayed alloplastic breast reconstruction, including six cases combined with latissimus dorsi flap, at three hospitals between 2012 and 2018 were included. Complications were scored and defined according to Clavien-Dindo. To evaluate the impact of smoking, body mass index, and other potential risk factors on the occurrence of any and severe complications, univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were applied to estimate odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals. RESULTS: In 56 patients, 22 patients had a complication. As much as 46% of smokers had severe complications compared to 18% of non-smokers. Of patients with body mass index ⩾ 25, 40% had severe complications compared to 10% with body mass index < 25. Smokers had eight times more chance of developing severe complications than non-smokers (ORadjusted = 8.0, p = 0.02). Patients with body mass index ⩾ 25 had almost 10 times more severe complications compared to patients with body mass index ⩽ 25 (ORadjusted = 9.9, p = 0.009). No other risk factors were significant. CONCLUSION: Smoking and body mass index ⩾ 25 both increased the complication rate to such an extent that patients should be informed about their increased risk for complications following alloplastic breast reconstruction and on these grounds surgeons may delay alloplastic breast reconstruction. It is an ethical dilemma whether one should deny overweight and obese patients and those who smoke an immediate alloplastic breast reconstruction. For both life style interventions, adequate guidance should be made available.

Insight in Information Provision Prior to Obtaining Surgical Informed Consent-by Audiotaping Outpatient Consultations.

BACKGROUND: Literature suggests that patient-informing process prior to obtaining surgical informed consent (SIC) does not function well. This study aimed to provide insight into the current practice of SIC in the Netherlands. METHODS: This is a prospective, observational, and multicenter study, conducted in one academic and two non-academic teaching hospitals in the Netherlands. Audio recordings were made during outpatient consultations with patients presenting with Dupuytren Disease. The recorded informing process was scored according to a checklist. Written documentation of the SIC process in the patient's chart was compared to these scored checklists. Time spent on SIC during the consultations was also recorded. RESULTS: A total of 41 outpatient consultations were included in the study. Consultations were conducted by 25 plastic surgeons and their residents. Average time spent on SIC was 55.6% of the total consultation time. Considerable variation was observed concerning the amount and type of information given and discussed. In 59% of the consultations, discrepancies were observed between written documentation of consultations and audio recordings. Information on treatment risks, the postoperative period, and the operating surgeon was addressed the least. CONCLUSION: Despite a relatively large part of the consultation time being spent on SIC, patients received scarce information concerning treatment risks, postoperative period, and who their operating surgeon would be. Discrepancies were observed between the written documentation of SIC and information recorded on the audio recordings. This occurred predominantly in one hospital that used a pre-made list of 'discussed information' in its digital patient chart.

Surgery for extra-articular trismus: a systematic review.

The aim of this systematic review was to identify operations that are used to improve mouth opening in patients with extra-articular trismus (caused by cancer and its treatment, oral submucous fibrosis, or noma) and to find out if they work. We searched the electronic databases PubMed, Embase, Cinahl, and the Cochrane collaboration, and then systematically selected papers before we assessed their quality, extracted the data, and did a meta-analysis. We analysed 32 studies that included 651 patients, the median (IQR) size of which was 11 (7-26). The quality of the methods used and of reporting were relatively low. Median (IQR) duration of follow-up was 12 (8-22) months. Operations resulted in a weighted mean (SD) increase in mouth opening of 19.3 (6.3) mm. None of the operations was better than the others for the improvement of mouth opening. We conclude that operations can improve mouth opening in extra-articular trismus, but the evidence is of moderate quality and there is a need for further research.

Body mass index, chronological age and hormonal status are better predictors of biological skin age than arm skin autofluorescence in healthy women who have never smoked.

BACKGROUND: As life expectancy is increasing and healthy ageing becomes more and more important, skin ageing is a growing topic of interest from both a medical and a commercial point of view. The urgency to unravel the causes of skin ageing is rising. However, there is a lack of objective, simple, noninvasive methods to assess biological skin age - a term introduced to describe how old someone looks, covering both the appearance and function of the skin. A rapid, noninvasive assessment of biological skin age would greatly facilitate the execution of the studies required to find the causes of skin ageing. OBJECTIVES: To find an objective, easy-to-apply method to assess biological skin age. METHODS: Skin age score (SAS) was compared with skin autofluorescence, a measure of advanced glycation end products in the skin, and several subject characteristics in 32 healthy, white women with little sun-exposed skin and no history of smoking. RESULTS: A moderate, positive correlation (R(2) = 0·32, P = 0·001) between SAS and skin autofluorescence-based biological skin age was found. However, the variation in biological skin age according to SAS could be explained better by body mass index, chronological age and hormonal status (R(2) = 0·86, P < 0·001). CONCLUSIONS: In the current setting skin autofluorescence did not contribute better to the prediction of biological skin age than chronological age. Biological skin age was best predicted by body mass index, chronological age and hormonal status, and this approach provides a considerable simplification of the application of biological skin age.

The anatomy and function of Cleland's ligaments.

The cutaneous ligaments of the digits have been recognized by anatomists for several centuries, but the best known description is that of John Cleland. Subsequent varying descriptions of their morphology have resulted in the surgical community having an imprecise view of their structure and dynamic function. We micro-dissected 24 fresh frozen fingers to analyze the individual components of Cleland's ligamentous system. Arising from the proximal interphalangeal (PIP) joint, proximal, and sometimes middle phalanx, we found strong ligaments that ran proximally (PIP-P) and distally (PIP-D). On each side of each finger there was a PIP-P ligament present, which passed obliquely from the lateral side of the proximal and sometimes middle phalanx towards its insertion into the skin at the level of the proximal phalanx. The distal (PIP-D) ligaments were found to pass obliquely distally on the radial and ulnar aspects of the digit towards cutaneous insertions around the middle phalanx. A similar arrangement exists more distally with fibres originating from the DIP joint and middle phalanx (the DIP-P pass obliquely proximally, and the DIP-D, distally). Each individual PIP ligament consisted of three different layers originating from fibres overlying the flexor tendon sheath, periosteum or joint capsule, and extensor expansion. Ligaments arising at the DIP joint had two layers equivalent to the anterior two layers of the proximal ligaments. Cleland's ligaments act as skin anchors maintaining the skin in a fixed relationship to the underlying skeleton during motion and functional tasks. They also prevent the skin from 'bagging', protect the neurovascular bundle, and create a gliding path for the lateral slips of the extensor tendon.

Early outcome of noma surgery.

INTRODUCTION: Reconstructive noma surgery is performed on many short-term medical missions. The treatment outcome, however, has rarely been studied. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We studied complications and clinical outcome of reconstructive noma surgery performed during four short-term medical missions. Logistic regression analysis was used to determine which factors influenced treatment outcome. RESULTS: A total of 74 treatments were performed on 63 patients. We found a complication rate of 64% (n=47) and a success percentage of 59% (n=44). Complexity of treatment procedure and occurrence of complete trismus were independent significant factors negatively influencing the outcome. Only 14 of the 36 complex procedures had a good outcome. CONCLUSIONS: Our study is one of the first to evaluate the early clinical outcome of reconstructive noma surgery in short-term medical missions. It shows that the outcome is not always favourable, particularly in complex reconstructions and in the subgroup of patients with complete trismus.

Bell's palsy before Bell: Evert Jan Thomassen à Thuessink and idiopathic peripheral facial paralysis.

Bell's palsy is the eponym for idiopathic peripheral facial paralysis. It is named after Sir Charles Bell (1774-1842), who, in the first half of the nineteenth century, discovered the function of the facial nerve and attracted the attention of the medical world to facial paralysis. Our knowledge of this condition before Bell's landmark publications is very limited and is based on just a few documents. In 1804 and 1805, Evert Jan Thomassen à Thuessink (1762-1832) published what appears to be the first known extensive study on idiopathic peripheral facial paralysis. His description of this condition was quite accurate. He located several other early descriptions and concluded from this literature that, previously, the condition had usually been confused with other afflictions (such as 'spasmus cynicus', central facial paralysis and trigeminal neuralgia). According to Thomassen à Thuessink, idiopathic peripheral facial paralysis and trigeminal neuralgia were related, being different expressions of the same condition. Thomassen à Thuessink believed that idiopathic peripheral facial paralysis was caused by 'rheumatism' or exposure to cold. Many aetiological theories have since been proposed. Despite this, the cold hypothesis persists even today.

[Plastic surgery in patients with facial palsy]. / Plastische chirurgie bij patiënten met een aangezichtsverlamming.

In short-term irreversible paralysis caused by facial nerve problems the aim is to re-innervate the paralysed facial musculature. Whenever a paralysis remains untreated for longer than 12-18 months successful re-innervation is unlikely. In longer-term paralysis the symmetry of the face at rest can be restored by a static procedure, a skin resection or a fascial suspension for example. Restoration of movement in the paralysed side of the face is possible by means of a dynamic procedure. For many years the temporal muscle and the masseter muscle have been used to improve the position of the mouth and closure of the eye. Spontaneous laughter can again be made possible by using a muscle from elsewhere in the body (e.g. the gracilis or possibly pectoralis minor) and attaching it to the nerve supply of the opposite side of the face.

Percutaneous needle fasciotomy in dupuytren's disease.

The aim of this study was to examine our results of 74 percutaneous needle fasciotomies for Dupuytren's contracture. Pre-operative and postoperative total passive extension deficit was measured. Patients were seen at the outpatient clinic at 32 months for final follow-up. Extension deficit and sensibility were measured and flexor tendon function assessed. Recurrence, defined as an increase of the passive extension deficit of 30 degrees or more compared to the immediate postoperative measurement, and other complications were also noted. Immediate outcome was excellent with an average improvement of 77%. After 32 months, we reviewed 55 rays. Their recurrence rate was 65%. Two patients experienced a slightly diminished sensibility on one side of the finger. There were no flexor tendon injuries. This procedure has a good short-term effect. It may be suitable for patients who want a minimally invasive treatment and to whom long-term results are less important. It may also have a place in delaying fasciectomy.

Gracilis muscle neosphincter for treating urinary incontinence.

The purpose of this study was to test the anatomical and functional feasibility of using a gracilis muscle free flap to create a urinary sphincter. Anatomical studies were performed in 12 human cadavers and short-term (n = 7) and long-term (n = 8) functional studies were performed in dogs. In the short-term functional studies, the left gracilis muscle was transferred into the pelvis and wrapped around the urethra and the right gracilis muscle was wrapped around a stent. A cuff electrode was placed on the muscle's nerve pedicle and used to stimulate the neosphincter while peak pressure, fatigue rate, and perfusion measurements were performed. In the long-term functional studies, intramuscular electrodes were inserted into the neosphincter to stimulate the flap. The flaps were wrapped around the urethra and dogs were followed for 16 weeks, during which time urodynamic measurements were performed. Our anatomical studies demonstrated that the gracilis muscle free flap could be transferred into the pelvis to create a urinary neosphincter. Our short-term functional study demonstrated that gracilis muscle free-flap function and perfusion were not compromised by transfer. In our long-term functional study, all neosphincters provided bladder outlet resistance pressures consistent with continence. Our anatomical, short-term, and long-term functional studies indicate that a gracilis muscle free-flap neosphincter is an effective procedure for treating urinary incontinence.