Arterial or venous free flaps for volar tissue defects of the proximal interphalangeal joint: A comparison of surgical outcomes

Background@#For volar soft tissue defects of the proximal interphalangeal (PIP) joint, free flaps are technically challenging, but have more esthetic and functional advantages than local or distant flaps. In this study, we compared the long-term surgical outcomes of arterial (hypothenar, thenar, or second toe plantar) and venous free flaps for volar defects of the PIP joint. @*Methods@#This was a single-center retrospective review of free flap coverage of volar defects between the distal interphalangeal and metacarpophalangeal joint from July 2010 to August 2019. Patients with severe crush injuries (degloving, tendon or bone defects, or comminuted/intra-articular fractures), thumb injuries, multiple-joint and finger injuries, dorsal soft tissue defects, and defects >6 cm in length were excluded from the study, as were those lost to follow-up within 6 months. Thirteen patients received arterial (hypothenar, thenar, or second toe plantar) free flaps and 12 received venous free flaps. Patients’ age, follow-up period, PIP joint active range of motion (ROM), extension lag, grip-strength ratio of the injured to the uninjured hand, and Quick Disabilities of Arm, Shoulder & Hand (QuickDASH) score were compared between the groups. @*Results@#Arterial free flaps showed significantly higher PIP joint active ROM (P=0.043) and lower extension lag (P=0.035) than venous free flaps. The differences in flexion, grip strength, and QuickDASH scores were not statistically significant. @*Conclusions@#The surgical outcomes of arterial free flaps were superior to those of venous free flaps for volar defects of the PIP joint.

Partial second toe pulp free flaps in early childhood

Background@#The introduction of the partial second toe pulp free flap has enabled superior aesthetic and functional results for fingertip reconstruction in adults. Children undergoing fingertip amputation for various reasons have limited options for reconstruction. Conventional treatment could shorten the finger, leading to poor cosmesis and function. We report 18 years of our experiences with fingertip reconstruction using partial second toe pulp free flaps in patients in early childhood. @*Methods@#Medical charts of children who had undergone fingertip reconstruction using partial second toe pulp free flaps from 2001 to 2018 were retrospectively reviewed. The surgical procedures were identical to those for adults, except for the usage of 11-0 nylon sutures. Patients’ demographic data, vessel size, flap dimensions, length of the distal phalanx, and functional outcomes over the course of long-term follow-up were documented. The statistical analysis was performed with the Student t-test, the Mann-Whitney U test, and Pearson correlation analysis. @*Results@#Eighteen toe pulp flaps in 17 patients (mean age, 3.0 years) were identified. All the flaps survived without any major complications. In long-term follow-up, the flap-covered distal phalanges showed growth in line with regular development. There was no donor-site morbidity, and all children adapted to daily life without any problems. In two-point discrimination tests, the fingertip sensation recovered to almost the same level as that in the contralateral finger. @*Conclusions@#Partial second toe pulp free flaps are an excellent option for fingertip reconstruction in young children, as well as in adults.

Clinical Pearls of Venoarterial Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation for Cardiogenic Shock

Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is a technique that uses a pump to drain blood from a body, circulate blood through a membrane lung, and return the oxygenated blood back into the body. Venoarterial (VA) ECMO is a simplified version of the heart-lung machine that assists native pulmonary and/or cardiac function. VA ECMO is composed of a drainage cannula in the venous system and a return cannula in the arterial system. Because VA ECMO can increase tissue perfusion by increasing the arterial blood flow, it is used to treat medically refractory cardiogenic shock or cardiac arrest. VA ECMO has a distinct physiology that is referred to as differential flows. It can cause several complications such as left ventricular distension with pulmonary edema, distal limb ischemia, bleeding, and thromboembolism. Physicians who are using this technology should be knowledgeable on the prevention and management of these complications. We review the basic physiology of VA ECMO, the mechanism of complications, and the simple management of VA ECMO.

Clinical Pearls of Venoarterial Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation for Cardiogenic Shock

Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is a technique that uses a pump to drain blood from a body, circulate blood through a membrane lung, and return the oxygenated blood back into the body. Venoarterial (VA) ECMO is a simplified version of the heart-lung machine that assists native pulmonary and/or cardiac function. VA ECMO is composed of a drainage cannula in the venous system and a return cannula in the arterial system. Because VA ECMO can increase tissue perfusion by increasing the arterial blood flow, it is used to treat medically refractory cardiogenic shock or cardiac arrest. VA ECMO has a distinct physiology that is referred to as differential flows. It can cause several complications such as left ventricular distension with pulmonary edema, distal limb ischemia, bleeding, and thromboembolism. Physicians who are using this technology should be knowledgeable on the prevention and management of these complications. We review the basic physiology of VA ECMO, the mechanism of complications, and the simple management of VA ECMO.

Aorto-Uni-Iliac Stent Grafting and Femoro-Femoral Bypass in a Patient with a Failed and Catastrophic Endovascular Aortic Aneurysm Repair

A 78-year-old man presented at Eulji University Hospital due to an abdominal aortic aneurysm with maximum diameter of 52 mm, which had been increased from 45 mm over 6 months. He underwent embolization of the left internal iliac artery with vascular plug, prior to endovascular abdominal aortic repair with a bifurcated stent graft system. Unfortunately, the inserted vascular plug was maldeployed and protruded into left external iliac artery, and caused acute limb ischemia. Because revascularization of the occluded segment was failed, emergent hybrid approach with aorto-uni-iliac stent grafting and femoro-femoral bypass was done, successfully.

Surgical Experience of Ascending Aorta and Aortic Valve Replacement in Patient with Calcified Aorta

BACKGROUND: The conventional method of aortic cross-clamping is very difficult and increases the risk of cerebral infarct due to embolism of the calcified aorta in these patients. Accordingly, we analyzed our experience with 11 cases of ascending aorta and aortic valve replacement with hypothermic circulatory arrest. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From January 2002 to December 2009, 11 patients had ascending aorta and aortic valve replacement with hypothermic arrest at our hospital. We performed a retrospective study. RESULTS: There were 5 males and 6 females, with a mean age of 68 years (range, 44 to 82 years). Eight patients had aortic stenosis, and 3 patients had aortic regurgitation. An aortic cannula was inserted into the right axillary artery in 3 patients and ascending aorta in 6 patients. Two patients with aortic regurgitation had a remote access perfusion catheter inserted though the right femoral artery. The mean cardiopulmonary bypass time was 180 minutes (range, 110 to 306 minutes) and mean hypothermic circulatory arrest time was 30 minutes (range, 20 to 48 minutes). The mean rectal temperature during hypothermic circulatory arrest was 21degrees C (range, 19degrees C to 23degrees C). No patient had any new onset of cerebral infarct or cardiovascular accident after surgery. There was no hospital mortality. Early complications occurred in 1 patient who needed reoperation due to postoperative bleeding. Late complications occurred in 1 patient who underwent a Bentall operation due to prosthetic valve endocarditis. The mean follow-up duration was 32 months (range, 1 month to 8 years) and 1 patient died suddenly due to unknown causes after 5 years. CONCLUSION: Patients with a calcified aorta can be safely treated with a technique based on aorta and aortic valve replacement under hypothermic circulatory arrest.

Video-Assisted Thoracic Surgery (VATS) Lobectomy for Pathologic Stage I Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: A Comparative Study with Thoracotomy Lobectomy

BACKGROUND: Surgical treatment of stage I non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) can be performed either by thoracotomy or by employing video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS). The aim of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of VATS lobectomy for pathologic stage I NSCLC. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Between December 2003 and December 2007, 529 patients with pathologic stage I NSCLC underwent lobectomies (373 thoracotomy, 156 VATS). Patients in both groups were selected after being matched by age, gender and pathologic stage using propensity score method, to create two comparable groups: thoracotomy and VATS groups, and the overall survival, recurrence-free survival, complication and length of hospitalization were compared between these two groups. RESULTS: After the patients were matched by age, gender and pathologic stage, 272 patients remained eligible for analysis, 136 in each group (mean age of 59.5 years; 70 men, 66 women; 80 stage IA, 56 stage IB). There was no statistical difference in other preoperative clinical characteristics between the two groups. No hospital mortality was observed in both groups. Overall 3-year survival rate was 97.4% in thoracotomy group and 96.6% in VATS groups (p=0.76). During the follow-up, 20 patients (14.7%) developed recurrence in thoracotomy group, including loco- regional recurrence in 7, distant metastasis in 13. In VATS group, 13 patients (9.6%) developed recurrence, including loco-regional recurrence in 4, distant metastasis in 9. Three-year recurrence-free survival rate was 81.8% in thoracotomy group and 85.3% in VATS groups (p=0.43). There was no significant difference in postoperative complications between thoracotomy and VATS groups (30 cases in 22 patients vs. 19 cases in 17 patients, p=0.65, odds ratio=1.19). The mean hospital stay of VATS group was 2 days shorter than that of thoracotomy group (8.8+/-6.5 days vs. 6.3+/-3.3 days, p<0.05). CONCLUSION: VATS lobectomy for pathologic stage I lung cancer is a feasible operation with shorter hospitalization, while surgical outcome is comparable to thoracotomy lobectomy.

Analysis of 1,067 Cases of Video-Assisted Thoracic Surgery Lobectomy

BACKGROUND: Video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) lobectomy has been performed with increasing frequency over the last decade. However, there is still controversy as to its indications, safety, and feasibility. Especially regarding lung cancer surgery, it is not certain whether it can reduce local recurrences and improve overall survival. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed 1,067 cases of VATS lobectomy performed between 2003 and 2009, including the indications, postoperative morbidity, mortality, recurrence, and survival rate. RESULTS: One thousand and sixty seven patients underwent VATS lobectomy for the following indications: non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) (n=832), carcinoid tumors (n=12), metastatic lung cancer (n=48), and benign or other diseases (n=175). There were 63 cases (5.9%) of conversion to open thoracotomy during VATS lobectomy. One hundred thirty one (15.7%) of the 832 NSCLC patients experienced pathologic upstaging postoperatively. The hospital mortality rate was 0.84% (9 patients), and all of them died of acute respiratory distress syndrome. One hundred forty-nine patients (14.0%) experienced postoperative complications. The median follow-up was 22.9 months for patients with NSCLC. During follow-up, 120 patients had a recurrence and 55 patients died. For patients with pathologic stage I, the overall survival rate and disease-free survival rate at 3 years was 92.2+/-1.5% and 86.2+/-1.9%, respectively. For patients with pathologic stage II disease, the overall survival rate and disease-free survival rate at 3 years was 79.2+/-6.5% and 61.9+/-6.6%, respectively. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that VATS lobectomy is a technically feasible and safe operation, which can be applied to various lung diseases. In patients with early-stage lung cancer, excellent survival can be also achieved.

The First Successful Transapical Aortic Valve Implant in Korea

Transcatheter aortic valve implantation is an alternative to open heart surgery in high risk patients with severe aortic stenosis. High mortality and complications related to cardiopulmonary bypass for conventional open heart surgery can be avoided with this new less invasive technique. In case of concomitant severe arterial disease, the transapical approach is recommended rather than transfemoral access. An 80-yr-old man with symptomatic aortic stenosis and who had very high surgical risk factors such as diabetes mellitus, hypertension, a history of stroke, bronchial asthma including poor pulmonary function and hepatocellular carcinoma was treated with a transapical aortic valve replacement. The expected mortality in this patient was 25.4% by Euroscore if we performed the conventional aortic valve surgery. The patient was discharged and was well at the 45 follow-up days. We report the first case of successful transcatheter transapical aortic valve implantation which is available recently in Korea.

Spontaneously Healed Membranous Type Ventricular Septal Defect with Malaligned Interventricular Septal Wall and Double-Chambered Right Ventricle in a 56-Year-Old Patient

A 56-year-old male presented with resting dyspnea and chest discomfort for several years. During transthoracic and transesophageal echocardiography, a spontaneously healed membranous type ventricular septal defect (VSD) with malaligned interventricular septal wall, aneurysmal changes, a subaortic ridge and a double-chambered right ventricle (DCRV) was observed. When combined with DCRV, VSD with malalignment between the outlet and trabecular septa was associated with tetralogy of Fallot. The subaortic ridge was due to turbulent flow caused by the malalignment-type VSD. The VSD with malaligned interventricular septal wall can be developed after aneurismal changes of a perimembranous VSD. We report here in the unusual case of a 56-year-old patient who had a pathology complex comprising DCRV, subaortic ridge, spontaneously healed membranous type VSD with malaligned interventricular septal wall, and survived with surgical treatment.

Postnatal Left Ventricular Outflow Tract Obstruction Caused by Multiple Rhabdomyoma Tumors / 대한흉부외과학회지

Rhabdomyoma is the most common benign cardiac neoplasm in neonates. Most patients with rhabdomyoma experienced spontaneous regression. Yet some of them need surgical therapy because of hemodynamic problems of the heart such as arrhythmia, outflow tract obstruction and valvular dysfunction. We found multiple masses in both ventricles on the patient's fetal echocardiogram. Heart failure caused by severe left ventricular outflow tract obstruction quickly presented after birth. The mass interfering with the outflow tract was resected via the transaortic approach at the first day of birth. Postoperative echocardiography showed complete release of the outflow tract obstruction. He was discharged on the postoperative day 8. During the 3 years of follow up, we found that the sizes of the remnant masses had gradually decreased.

Veno-venous Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation with a Double Lumen Catheter for Pediatric Pulmonary Support / 대한흉부외과학회지

The number of cases of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) has rapidly increased all over Korea since the introduction of peripheral cannulation catheters. However, the application of ECMO to children has been limited due to the shortage of pediatric equipment and difficulty in maintaining an ECMO system with peripheral cannulation. For this reason, there have been only few reports of pediatric ECMO in Korea, and most of them pertained to the veno-arterial type ECMO for supporting the cardiac system in postcardiotomy patients. We report here on the successfully performing veno-venous ECMO, with using a double lumen percutaneous catheter, in a child with acute respiratory distress syndrome.

A Case of Reversible Posterior Leukoencepalopathy Syndrome during Steroid Therapy in a Down Syndrome with Nephrotic Syndrome / 대한신장학회잡지

The reversible posterior leukoencephalopathy syndrome usually includes seizure, headache, altered mental status, and blindness, often associated with hypertension and immunosuppressants. The authors discuss a 16-year-old female with Down syndrome who had nephrotic syndrome with severe headache, intermittent blindness, and seizures, after treated with prednisolone. The patient had a generalized tonic-clonic seizure at 8 days after prednisolone. A CT scan of the head revealed symmetrical multifocal low densities in the subcortical region of both parieto-occipital, frontal, temporal lobe. Magnetic resonance scanning revealed white matter lesions in the subcortices of the parietal, frontal and occipital lobes. The condition improved when prednisolone was discontinued. Follow-up image after 3 weeks shows nearly complete resolution of white matter and gray matter abnormalities on axial T2-weighted MR images. This episode might be caused by prednisolone because the clinical course and laboratory data revealed neither inflammation nor other causative factors.