Palliative care in Parkinson disease and related disorders.

Although neuropalliative care is a relatively new field, there is increasing evidence for its use among the degenerative parkinsonian syndromes, including idiopathic Parkinson disease, progressive supranuclear palsy, multiple system atrophy, dementia with Lewy bodies, and corticobasal syndrome. This chapter outlines the current state of evidence for palliative care among individuals with the degenerative parkinsonian syndromes with discussion surrounding: (1) disease burden and needs across the conditions; (2) utility, timing, and methods for advance care planning; (3) novel care models for the provision of palliative care; and 4) end-of-life care issues. We also discuss currently unmet needs and unanswered questions in the field, proposing priorities for research and the assessment of implemented care models.

Delays to essential surgery at four faith based hospitals in rural Sub-Saharan Africa.

BACKGROUND: Data regarding delays for emergency surgery in Sub-Saharan Africa is limited. We have therefore decided to undertake an evaluation of delays in patients seeking care, reaching care and receiving care for emergency surgery at four rural faith-based hospitals in this region over a 3 month period. METHODS: This is a cross-sectional, multi-center, international study at four rural faith-based hospitals in Madagascar, Gabon, Cameroon and Burundi. All patients presenting at these hospitals between 10 February and 1 May 2020 for one of the three Bellwether procedures (caesarean delivery, emergency laparotomy, management of open fracture) were to be enrolled in this study. Data was collected in the form of a questionnaire administered to the patient or the patient's caregiver within 24 h of admission to the hospital. RESULTS: After analysis of data for 148 patients, we found that the median [quartiles] delay in seeking care overall was 3.5 [0.5, 17.6] h, in reaching care 7.6 [2.3, 33.6] h and in receiving care 3.6 [1.7, 6.8] h. In 72% (107/148) of cases, the second delay was more than 2 h. Sixty-five percent of patients who were delayed reported that their delay was because care was sought elsewhere before arrival at one of our Bellwether-capable sites. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that the majority of patients needing emergency surgical care in the rural areas of Sub-Saharan Africa where our study was conducted are frequently delayed, with the largest delay being in reaching care. Further investigations into the reasons for these delays should be conducted.

Occlusal Classification in Relation to Original Cleft Width in Patients With Unilateral Cleft Lip and Palate.

OBJECTIVE: To determine a correlation between the width of the cleft palate measured at the time of lip adhesion, definitive lip repair, and palatoplasty and the subsequent occlusal classification of patients born with unilateral cleft lip and palate. DESIGN: Retrospective, observational study. SETTING: Referral, urban, children's hospital Participants : Dental models and records of 270 patients were analyzed. INTERVENTIONS: None. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Angle occlusion classification. RESULTS: The mean age at which occlusal classification was determined was 11 ± 0.3 years. Of the children studies, 84 were diagnosed with Class I or II occlusion, 67 were diagnosed with Class III occlusion, and 119 were lost to follow up or transferred care. Mean cleft widths were significantly larger in subjects with Class III occlusion for all measures at time of lip adhesion and definitive lip repair (P < .02). At time of palatoplasty, cleft widths were significantly greater at the alveolus (P = .025) but not at the midportion of the hard palate (P = .35) or posterior hard palate (P = .10). CONCLUSION: Cleft widths from the lip through to the posterior hard palate are generally greater in children who are diagnosed with Class III occlusion later in life. Notably, the alveolar cleft width is significantly greater at each time point for patients who went on to develop Class III occlusion. There were no significant differences in cleft widths between patients diagnosed later with Class I and Class II occlusions.

Are endoscopic and open treatments of metopic synostosis equivalent in treating trigonocephaly and hypotelorism?

BACKGROUND: Patients with metopic craniosynostosis are traditionally treated with fronto-orbital advancement to correct hypotelorism and trigonocephaly. Alternatively, endoscopic-assisted treatment comprises narrow ostectomy of the fused suture followed by postoperative helmet therapy. Here we compare the preoperative and 1-year postoperative results in open versus endoscopic repairs. METHODS: We reviewed preoperative and 1-year postoperative three-dimensional reconstructed computed tomography scans of patients treated for nonsyndromic metopic craniosynostosis by either open (n = 15) or endoscopic (n = 13) technique. Hypotelorism was assessed by interzygomaticofrontal distance and intercanthal distance. Trigonocephaly was assessed by 2 independent angles: first, an axial-plane two-dimensional angle between zygomaticofrontal suture bilaterally and the glabella (ZF(R)-G-ZF(L)); second, an interfrontal angle (IFA) between the most anterior point from a reconstructed midsagittal plane and supraorbital notch bilaterally. Age-matched scans of unaffected patients (n = 28) served as controls for each postoperative scan. RESULTS: Patients with open repair (9.5 ± 1.8 months) were older at time of surgery than patients with endoscopic repairs (3.3 ± 0.4 months) (P = 0.004). Male-to-female ratios were equivalent at roughly 7:3 in both groups. Preoperatively, the endoscopic group had worse hypotelorism and ZF(R)-G-ZF(L) than the open group (P ≤ 0.04). After accounting for preoperative differences, all of the postoperative measurements (ie, interzygomaticofrontal distance, intercanthal distance, ZF(R)-G-ZF(L) angle, IFA) of the 2 groups were statistically equivalent (P ≥ 0.135). Trigonocephaly was significantly improved after repair in both the open (8 degrees [ZF(R)-G-ZF(L)] and 18 degrees [IFA]) and endoscopic (13 degrees [ZF(R)-G-ZF(L)] and 16 degrees [IFA]) groups (P < 0.001). Postoperative measures in both groups were equivalent to controls (0.12 < P < 0.89). Intrarater reliability ranged from 0.93 to 0.99 for all measurements. CONCLUSION: Our retrospective series shows that endoscopic and open repairs of metopic craniosynostosis are equivalent in improving hypotelorism and trigonocephaly at 1-year follow-up. Additional studies are necessary to better define minor differences in morphology, which may result from the different techniques.

Delayed synostoses of uninvolved sutures after surgical treatment of nonsyndromic craniosynostosis.

BACKGROUND: Craniosynostosis causes significant cranial deformity in the pediatric population. Open and endoscopic-assisted surgeries have led to increasingly successful management of this condition. Following surgical reconstruction, subsequent development of postnatal synostosis of previously patent sutures have been described and noted to be most frequently associated with multisuture synostosis patients with syndromic diagnoses. Very rarely, postsurgical new sutural fusion has been identified in nonsyndromic patients who initially present with isolated single-suture synostosis. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the incidence of new synostosis among patients who had undergone craniosynostosis reconstruction with either the open or endoscopic technique. METHODS: Patients undergoing open and endoscopic surgery for nonsyndromic craniosynostosis were reviewed. Preoperative and postoperative imaging and clinical information were reviewed, and cases showing progressive cranial deformity were identified. RESULTS: Three (2.1%) of 145 patients undergoing open craniosynostosis surgery and 2 (1.7%) of 121 patients undergoing endoscopic surgery developed delayed fusion of an additional suture during follow-up. This was identified at a median of 16.4 months after initial surgery in the open group and 15.25 months after surgery in the endoscopic group. In patients undergoing open surgery, each patient developed new sagittal synostosis after initial presentation of coronal synostosis in 1 patient and metopic synostosis in 2 patients. In patients undergoing endoscopic surgery, each patient developed new coronal synostosis after sagittal repair. CONCLUSIONS: Management of craniosynostosis has evolved over time with increasing availability of effective and safe treatments. During long-term follow-up, a small number of patients may develop premature closure of a different suture that did not undergo surgical manipulation. In our case, series, we identified 3 patients undergoing open surgery and 2 patients undergoing endoscopic surgery for nonsyndromic, single-suture craniosynostosis. This finding supports the necessity of long-term clinical follow-up and the utility of delayed imaging when clinical suspicion indicates.

Acute nasal reconstruction with forehead flap after dog bite.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to describe immediate nasal reconstruction using a forehead flap after dog bite injuries. BACKGROUND: Dog bites to the nose can avulse multiple aesthetic subunits, making primary repair difficult, inadvisable, or impossible. Microsurgical replantation and composite grafting of the nose have been reported, but this assumes the avulsed nasal segments are salvageable even after the animal's attack. METHODS: We present 2 cases of dog bites to the nose with loss of multiple aesthetic subunits. The avulsed portions of the nose were not recovered. A search of the literature (OVID MEDLINE) was also performed, reviewing acute reconstruction of nasal defects after animal bites. RESULTS: Acute forehead flaps were used as part of a first-stage operation to reconstruct the nasal defects. Second- and third-stage operations were performed to thin and divide the flap, respectively. Although the defects involved the full thickness of the nose, only the skin and nasal lining were acutely reconstructed. Acute cartilage grafts were not used due to concern of wound contamination; however, some resultant collapse of the nasal vestibule was noted and selectively addressed with subsequent cartilage grafting. DISCUSSION: Dog bites to the face can create immediately disfiguring injuries that may initially seem devastating. Nonetheless, soft tissue damage often can be primarily repaired, leading to roughly linear scars that can be revised later. However, nasal injuries from dog bites can be more challenging if multiple subunits are irreparably lost. Acute forehead flap reconstruction after dog bite-concomitant with initial debridement-is a reliable method of reconstruction. It remains to be seen whether acute cartilage grafts would be useful during the first-stage reconstructive operation for better long-term outcomes.

Hospital-based plastic surgery volunteerism: a resident's international experience.

The purpose of this presentation is to describe an American plastic surgery resident's experience working for an academic year in a district-level general hospital in rural Kenya. The operative experience, educational value, and cultural adaptation over the custom-designed year are discussed. Furthermore, the logistics and ethics of picking a location, adjusting to the milieu, and treating patients are evaluated. The importance of a qualified, supportive, and perceptive mentor is emphasized. International volunteerism in plastic surgery beyond the more typical 1- or 2-week short-term trips can be extremely beneficial to a resident's experience, although long-term benefit to the served population should not be overestimated. A careful understanding of plastic surgery in relation to the global burden of disease highlights the fact that plastic surgery, although valuable, is limited in its role within international medical volunteerism. Not unexpectedly, obstetric, orthopedic, and general surgical skills are vital in the management of the most common surgical maladies.

Infectious keratitis after LASIK.

PURPOSE: To report the clinical course, management, and outcomes of culture-proven infectious keratitis in 15 eyes of 13 subjects after LASIK. DESIGN: Retrospective, noncomparative, interventional case series. PARTICIPANTS: Fifteen eyes of 13 subjects who underwent LASIK and developed culture-positive keratitis. INTERVENTION: Infectious keratitis was encountered in the operative eyes between 1 day and 450 days. Cultures were obtained, and topical antibiotic therapy was administered in all cases. Some cases required flap lifting, irrigation, and soaking of the bed with antibiotics, flap amputation, or further surgical intervention. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Time periods from onset to diagnosis, from clinical diagnosis to clinical resolution, final acuities, microbiologic profiles, and medical and surgical interventions were reviewed. RESULTS: Onset of symptoms of infection varied, depending on the infectious organism. Bacterial organisms tended to present earlier, whereas mycobacterial and fungal organisms had a later mean onset of presentation. Furthermore, the atypical organisms such as mycobacteria, fungus, and acanthamoeba also had a more delayed diagnosis, resulting in a prolonged disease course. CONCLUSIONS: Infectious keratitis after LASIK is a potentially vision-threatening complication. Onset of symptoms varies depending on causative agents. Furthermore, atypical organisms in the interface or beneath the flap can pose both diagnostic and therapeutic dilemmas. Location in the interface can make it more difficult to culture the organisms and prevent adequate penetration of topical antibiotics.