[Skin Wrinkling on Hands and Feet: Theory and Practice]. / Skin wrinkling an Händen und Füßen ­ Theorie und Praxis.

The wrinkling of the skin on hands and feet when submersed in water is a well-known phenomenon. However, the explanation for this is not quite trivial. The peripheral nervous system seems to have an influence. In case of nerve injuries, it is often observed that skin wrinkling does not occur. In this report, three cases are presented in which wrinkling of the hand was absent after a nerve injury. In addition, we provide an overview of the studies on this topic.

Enhanced Recovery after Surgery (ERAS) in DIEP-Flap Breast Reconstructions-A Comparison of Two Reconstructive Centers with and without ERAS-Protocol.

Enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) is established for autologous breast reconstruction. ERAS leads to a shortened hospital stay and improved outcome after elective surgery. In this retrospective, two-center case−control study, we compared two different treatment regimens for patients undergoing a DIEP-flap breast reconstruction from two centers, one with an established ERAS protocol and one without. All patients with DIEP breast reconstructions over the period of 12 months were included. The primary outcome measure was the length of hospital stay (LOS) in days. A total of 79 patients with 95 DIEP-flaps were analyzed. In group A (ERAS) 42 patients were operated with DIEP flaps, in group B (non-ERAS) 37 patients. LOS was significantly reduced in the ERAS group (4.51 days) compared to the non-ERAS group (6.32; p < 0.001). Multivariate analysis showed that, in group A, LOS is significantly affected by surgery duration. BMI in the ERAS group had no effect on LOS. In group B a higher BMI resulted in a significantly higher LOS. In multivariate analysis, neither age nor type for surgery (primary/secondary/after neoadjuvant therapy, etc.) affected LOS. In both groups, no systemic or flap-related complications were observed. Comparing two reconstructive centers with and without implemented ERAS, ERAS led to a significantly decreased LOS for all patients. ERAS implementation does not result in an increased complication rate or flap loss. Postoperative pain can be well managed with basic analgesia using NSAID when intraoperative blocks are applied. The reduced use of opioids was well tolerated. With implementation of ERAS the recovery experience can be enhanced making autologous breast reconstructions more available and attractive for various patients.

Intraluminal Monitoring of Micro Vessels. A Surgical Feasibility Study.

Objective: Monitoring of vessel perfusion is of high clinical importance in vascular anastomosis of free flaps. Current sensor systems are based on different principles and show limitations in validity and accuracy. Fiber optic pressure sensors exhibit high accuracy and are small in size. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the surgical feasibility of intraluminal pressure (ILP) measurements with a fiber optic pressure sensor in an animal model. Methods: In a microsurgical setting we sedated 10 Wistar rats with weight adapted phenobarbital, xylazine, and fentanyl. We performed a surgical approach to A. carotis communis and V. jugularis and introduced a 600 µm fiber optic pressure sensor into the vessels followed by measuring the ILP. The sensor was stabilized by the surrounding tissue, and the vessels were closed. Results: In all cases, surgical placement was uneventful. Measurement of intra-venous and intra-arterial pressure was possible and stable over the whole measurement period of an hour. Conclusion: Fiber optic pressure measurement in microvessels is possible and surgically feasible. An application to monitor the perfusion of free flaps seems possible.

[End-to-side venous anastomosis with a coupler device in microvascular free flaps]. / Die venöse End zu Seit Anastomose mit einem Coupler Device bei freien mikrovaskulären Lappenplastiken.

The aim of this study was to describe our results and experience with end-to-side venous anastomosis using a coupler device in microvascular free flaps.

[Smartphone-based thermography for perforator localisation in microvascular breast reconstruction]. / Die Smartphone-basierte Thermographie zur Lokalisation von Perforatoren bei der mikrovaskulären Brustrekonstruktion.

BACKGROUND: Thermography permits non-invasive examination and presentation of cutaneous temperature differences. When planning microvascular flaps, thermography may illustrate these differences and may portray patterns of blood circulation near to perforators. As an additional tool, thermography may enhance quality and diversity in free flaps. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In this prospective study, we examined 10 patients with 13 free DIEP-flaps for breast reconstruction. With smartphone-based thermography, we analysed preoperative abdominal "hot spots" of skin circulation (entrance of perforators). The results were compared with preoperative computed tomographic angiography (CTA) and intraoperative anatomical findings. RESULTS: Thermography was succesfully performed on all patients. Areas of perfusion were reliably shown in the raised area ("hot spot"). Each perforator selected by thermography was also selected for the DIEP free flap on the basis of intraoperative findings. Moreover, the identified main perforators were identical to perforators found at the CTA. CONCLUSION: Smartphone-based thermography provides an easy, rapid and non-invasive method to present cutaneous differences in temperature. "Hot spots" can reliably illustrate the entrance of perforators. When selecting a suitable perforator, thermography provides additional information for imaging perforator-based flaps.

The transverse myocutaneous gracilis muscle flap: a fast and reliable method for breast reconstruction.

BACKGROUND: Autologous breast reconstruction is predominantly performed using free transverse rectus abdominis musculocutaneous or deep inferior epigastric perforator flaps. However, some patients are not suitable candidates for flaps from the lower abdomen. The transverse skin island of the gracilis muscle presents an additional option, as it includes tissue from the posterior upper thigh/lower buttock and thus delivers the amount of tissue necessary for breast reconstruction. METHODS: In 2007, the authors' unit performed 73 free flaps for breast reconstruction subsequent to carcinoma, implant-related capsular fibrosis, and breast asymmetry. The transverse myocutaneous gracilis flap was used 32 times. The ventral margin was the greater saphenous vein, and the posterior margin was the midline of the inferior gluteal fold. The skin island could be harvested to a width of up to 30 cm and a height of up to 10 cm. The donor site was closed primarily. RESULTS: Thirty-two flaps were performed in 20 patients. Mean follow-up was 6 months. Mean operating time was 220 minutes for unilateral and 325 minutes for bilateral cases. All flaps and donor sites healed uneventfully. An initially described "tight feeling" at the thigh ceased after 2 to 3 weeks. Persistent hypesthesia of the dorsal thigh was not noted. A major asymmetry of the thigh in unilateral transplantations was not apparent. After 6 months, all flaps were soft. CONCLUSIONS: The transverse myocutaneous gracilis flap is a safe, fast flap for reconstruction after benign and malignant breast disease. It combines a constant vascular pedicle with soft subcutaneous tissue that has breast-like characteristics.

Reconstruction of peripheral nerves using acellular nerve grafts with implanted cultured Schwann cells.

The bridging of nerve gaps is still one of the major problems in peripheral nerve surgery. The present experiment describes our attempt to engineer different biologic nerve grafts in a rat sciatic nerve model: cultured isogenic Schwann cells were implanted into 2-cm autologous acellular nerve grafts or autologous predegenerated nerve grafts. Autologous nerve grafts and predegenerated or acellular nerve grafts without implanted Schwann cells served as controls. The regenerated nerves were assessed histologically and morphometrically after 6 weeks. Predegenerated grafts showed results superior in regard to axon count and histologic appearance in comparison to standard grafts and acellular grafts. The acellular nerve grafts showed the worst histologic picture, but axon counts were in the range of standard grafts. The implantation of Schwann cells did not yield significant improvements in any group. In conclusion, the status of activation of Schwann cells and the stadium of Wallerian degeneration in a nerve graft might be key factors for regeneration, rather than total number of Schwann cells. Predegenerated nerve grafts are therefore superior to standard grafts in the rat model. Acellular grafts are able to bridge nerve gaps of up to 2 cm in the rat model, but even the addition of cultivated Schwann cells did not lead to results as good as in the group with autologous nerve grafts.