Conservative therapy significantly reduces patients' chronic venous disease symptoms: A Caribbean insight into the VEIN Act Program.

OBJECTIVES: We sought to determine the baseline demographic and clinical characteristics of patients with Chronic Venous Disease (CVD) across the Caribbean, and to evaluate patients' compliance to conservative therapy and the effectiveness of such therapy in reducing patients' CVD symptoms. METHOD: Patients were enrolled into the VEIN Act Program, and their demographic data, CVD symptoms (and their intensity) and CEAP C-classification was recorded at the first visit. Patients were prescribed conservative therapy, and symptom intensity and patient compliance and satisfaction evaluated at a follow-up visit. RESULTS: We enrolled 193 patients into the study, most of which (76%) were female, between 39-78 years (80%) and within the C2-C4a classes (56.1%). Pain (61.1%) and heaviness (58.5%) were the most common symptoms. Patient compliance to the prescribed treatment was relatively high for all modalities (>75%) and most patients (92.1%) were at least somewhat satisfied with their treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Patient compliance to conservative therapy for management of CVD is high across the Caribbean, and such therapy is effective in reducing intensity of CVD symptoms.

Chronic Bilateral Symmetric Anterior Shoulder Dislocation Secondary to Seizures in Chikungunya Encephalitis.

Bilateral shoulder dislocations are a rare occurrence and can be categorized as either symmetric (both humeral heads dislocate in the same direction) or asymmetric (wherein the humeral heads dislocate in different directions). Shoulder dislocations may be overlooked if they are the result of systemic injury; if diagnosed >21 days after occurring, they are considered chronic dislocations. We describe the case of a 31-year-old male who presented with an eight-week history of bilateral shoulder pain. His onset of pain coincided with a seizure secondary to Chikungunya encephalitis. Clinical and radiological examination demonstrated bilateral symmetric anterior shoulder dislocation with associated greater tuberosity fractures and extensive callus formation bilaterally. Open surgical management was performed first on the left shoulder via the deltopectoral approach. The callus was removed, the greater tuberosity fragment lifted off, reattached to the original position, and held in place with sutures and proximal humeral locking plates. The right shoulder was reduced six weeks after the left shoulder due to patient preference; the reduction utilized the same approach as with the left shoulder. Post-operatively the patient was immobilized, and physiotherapy commenced. He achieved a satisfactory range of motion four months post-operation. Physicians should be cognizant that shoulder pain after a convulsive seizure may signify shoulder dislocation. Thorough clinical and radiological examinations are warranted in such an instance. There exists no consensus on the treatment of chronic shoulder dislocations, but it is recommended that closed reduction only be attempted up to six weeks post-dislocation due to the high risk of iatrogenic fractures and neurovascular damage beyond this time.

En bloc Surgical Excision of an Arteriovenous Malformation in the Foot: A Case Report and Review of the Literature.

Introduction: Arteriovenous malformations (AVM) are developmental vascular malformations consisting of abnormal arteriovenous shunts surrounding a central nidus. These lesions are relatively uncommon, comprising just 7% of all benign soft-tissue masses. Most AVMs occur in the brain, neck, pelvis, and lower extremity and rarely manifest in the foot. When they do form in the foot, non-specific pain and the absence of clinical features contribute to the high rate of misdiagnosis on initial presentation. Although surgical excision combined with embolotherapy has emerged as the preferred treatment for large AVM, controversy exists over the best treatment for small lesions in the foot. Case Presentation: A 36-year-old Afro-Caribbean man was referred to the clinic with a 2-year history of increasing pain in his forefoot, affecting his ability to stand or walk comfortably. There was no history of trauma, and despite changing his footwear, the patient continued to have significant pain. Clinical examination was unremarkable except for mild tenderness over the dorsum of his forefoot, and radiographs were normal. A magnetic resonance scan reported an intermetatarsal vascular mass but could not exclude malignancy. Surgical exploration and en bloc excision confirmed the mass to be an AVM. One year post-surgery, the patient remains pain-free with no evidence of recurrence. Conclusions: The rarity of AVM in the foot, combined with normal radiographs and non-specific clinical signs, contributes to the long delay in diagnosing and treating these lesions. Surgeons should have a low threshold for obtaining magnetic resonance imaging in cases of diagnostic uncertainty. En bloc surgical excision is an option for treating small suitably located lesions in the foot.

Distal-to-Snuffbox Arteriovenous Fistula.

The dogma for optimal arteriovenous fistula (AVF) creation is based on starting as distally as possible on the upper limb and progressing proximally. We herein present our findings of an AVF that is as distal as possible on the hand. To document primary patency rates of the distal-to-snuffbox AVF. A 10-year prospective study (2006-2016) involving 31 patients whose distal cephalic vein diameter was ≥3 mm with a normal Allen's test was conducted. Patients were excluded if the radial artery in the wrist was highly calcified, the cephalic vein did not dilate more than 3 mm with proximal compression, and there was previously failed AVF of the limb or previous trauma to the limb. The procedure was performed under local anesthetic, and the anastomosis performed with a 6.0 polypropylene suture in an end-to-side fashion. Thirty-one patients with end-stage renal disease underwent distal vascular access using the distal-to-snuffbox (Hitchhiker's) AVF (HAVF). During follow-up, eight patients died with an adequately functioning HAVF. The primary patency rates at 12, 24, 48, and 60 months were 90, 87, 85, and 82%, respectively. Failure occurred in six (19%) cases over the follow-up period, two in the first 2 weeks and four over a span of 60 months. Conclusion The creation of radiocephalic AVFs in the first web space, distal to the tendon of the extensor pollicis longus, serves as a viable option with acceptable success rates. This allows the surgeon more options with proper patient selection for this procedure.