The comparison of fully-covered self-expandable metal stent and plastic stent on the treatment of post liver transplantation anastomotic biliary stricture / 中华肝胆外科杂志

Objective:To investigate the effectiveness and safety of fully-covered self-expandable metal stent (FCSEMS) with plastic stent over the treatment of post liver transplantation anastomotic biliary stricture (AS).Methods:The clinical data of AS patients after liver transplantation admitted to the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University from January 2014 to April 2018 was collected for the retrospective study. According to different implanted stents, patients were divided into FCSEMS group and plastic stent group. The general information of the two groups of patients, surgical success rate, postoperative complications, the number of endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP), the number of indwelling stents and other indicators were compared and analyzed.Results:A total of 54 patients were enrolled, including 41 males and 13 females, with a median age of 48 (34-65) years. A total of 23 cases were included in the FCSEMS group and 31 cases were included in the plastic stent group. The overall technical success rate of the operation was 98.3% (176/179). In the FCSEMS group, there were 21 patients recovered and 2 patients were relieved; in the plastic stent group, 29 patients were recovered, 1 case was relieved, and 1 case failed. There were no statistically significant differences in the efficacy and complication rate between the two groups (all P>0.05). The median stent indwelling time, ERCP times, and the number of indwelling stents in the FCSEMS group were 5.9 months, 2 times, and 1, respectively, and in the plastic stent group were 9.5 months, 4 times, and 8 respectively. There were statistical differences between the two groups (all P<0.05). Conclusions:FCSEMS for treatment of AS showed less duration of stenting, numbers of stents and endoscopic treatment sessions with the similar efficacy as plastic stents. It’s indicated that it’s necessary to pay attention to the probability of stent migration and pancreatitis.

Surgical strategy for postburn cervical scar contracture / 中华烧伤杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To explore the surgical strategy for postburn cervical scar contracture.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Sixty-five patients with scar contracture as a result of burn injury in the neck were hospitalized from July 2013 to July 2014. Release of cervical scar contracture was conducted according to different demands of the 3 anatomic subunits of neck, i.e. lower lip vermilion border-supramaxillary region, submaxillary region, and anterior region of neck. After release of contracture, platysma was released. For some cases with chin retrusion, genioplasty with horizontal osteotomy was performed. The coverage of wound followed the principle of similarity, i.e. the skin tissue covering the wound in the neck should be similar to the characters of skin around the wound in terms of color, texture, and thickness. Based on this principle, except for the preschool children in whom skin grafting was performed, the wounds of the other patients were covered by local skin flaps, adjacent skin flaps, or free skin flaps.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>All patients underwent release of scar and platysma, while 9 patients underwent genioplasty with horizontal osteotomy. Wounds were covered with local skin flaps in 32 patients, with adjacent skin flaps in 7 patients, with free skin flaps in 11 patients, and with skin grafts in 15 patients. All skin grafts and flaps survived. Good range of motion was achieved in the neck of all patients, with the cervicomental angle after reconstruction ranging from 90 to 120°. All patients were followed up for 6 to 24 months. Six patients who had undergone skin grafting were found to have some degrees of skin contracture, while none of the patients who had undergone flap coverage showed any signs of contracture recurrence.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Restoration of the cervicomental angle is critical in the treatment of postburn cervical scar contracture, and the release of scar contracture should conform to the subunit principle. The coverage of wound should be based on the principle of similarity, with repair by skin flaps as the first choice, and skin grafting as the second choice. Satisfactory effect of repair would be achieved by following the above surgical principles.</p>

Recent Developments in the Use of Intralesional Injections Keloid Treatment

Keloid scars are often considered aesthetically unattractive and frustrating problems that occur following injuries. They cause functional and cosmetic deformities, displeasure, itching, pain, and psychological stress and possibly affect joint movement. The combination of these factors ultimately results in a compromised quality of life and diminished functional performance. Various methods have been implemented to improve keloid scars using both surgical and non-surgical approaches. However, it has proven to be a challenge to identify a universal treatment that can deliver optimal results for all types of scars. Through a PubMed search, we explored most of the literature that is available about the intralesional injection treatment of hypertrophic scars and keloids and highlights both current (corticosteroid, 5-fluorouracil, bleomycin, interferon, cryotherapy and verapamil) and future treatments (interleukin-10 and botulinum toxin type A). The reference lists of retrieved articles were also analysed. Information was gathered about the mechanism of each injection treatment, its benefits and associated adverse reactions, and possible strategies to address adverse reactions to provide reliable guidelines for determining the optimal treatment for particular types of keloid scars. This article will benefit practitioners by outlining evidence-based treatment strategies using intralesional injections for patients with hypertrophic scars and keloids.