Primary Necrotizing Fasciitis of the Breast in an Untreated Patient with Diabetes

No abstract available.

Free Flap Reconstruction of Head and Neck Defects after Oncologic Ablation: One Surgeon's Outcomes in 42 Cases

BACKGROUND: Free flap surgery for head and neck defects has gained popularity as an advanced microvascular surgical technique. The aims of this study are first, to determine whether the known risk factors such as comorbidity, tobacco use, obesity, and radiation increase the complications of a free flap transfer, and second, to identify the incidence of complications in a radial forearm free flap and an anterolateral thigh perforator flap. METHODS: We reviewed the medical records of patients with head and neck cancer who underwent reconstruction with free flap between May 1994 and May 2012 at our department of plastic and reconstructive surgery. RESULTS: The patients included 36 men and 6 women, with a mean age of 59.38 years. The most common primary tumor site was the tongue (38%). The most commonly used free flap was the radial forearm free flap (57%), followed by the anterolateral thigh perforator free flap (22%). There was no occurrence of free flap failure. In this study, risk factors of the patients did not increase the occurrence of complications. In addition, no statistically significant differences in complications were observed between the radial forearm free flap and anterolateral thigh perforator free flap. CONCLUSIONS: We could conclude that the risk factors of the patient did not increase the complications of a free flap transfer. Therefore, the risk factors of patients are no longer a negative factor for a free flap transfer.

Ganglion Cyst of the Sternoclavicular Joint in an Adult

Ganglion cysts are most common on the dorsum of the hand or wrist, but they can occur in any part of the body. There have been few papers reporting ganglion cysts originating from the sternoclavicular joint, with most of these cases developing in children. A 76-year-old woman was referred to our department because of a painless mass over the right sternoclavicular joint. The mass was excised along with the portion of the sternoclavicular joint capsule surrounding the stalk. Histopathologic examination showed the cyst wall to be composed of compressed collagen fibers without evidence of an epithelial or synovial lining, which was consistent with ganglion cyst. To our knowledge, this is the first report of such a cyst in an adult. We consider this to be a useful report for surgeons that treat mass lesions occurring in almost any part of the body surface.