Spontaneous breast hematoma as a complication of anticoagulation therapy requiring angiography and embolization.

Spontaneous breast hematoma is a rare complication of therapeutic anticoagulation therapy with few cases reported in the literature. We present a case of spontaneous breast hematoma resulting in hypotension and symptomatic anemia. Angiography demonstrated multiple sites of hemorrhage within the breast, which was treated with gelatin sponge embolization. This case highlights the role of interventional radiology in the treatment of breast hematoma, as well as reviews the arterial vascular anatomy of the breast.

Effects of vascular endothelial growth factor on survival of surgical flaps: a review of experimental studies.

Partial or complete necrosis of skin flaps remains a significant problem in plastic and reconstructive surgery. Growth factors have shown promise in improving flap survival through increased angiogenesis and blood supply to the flap. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is the most widely investigated and successful one. But the mechanisms of the effects are still not very clear. In the course of a series of experiments, we indicated that tissue survival of surgical flaps could be improved by both preoperative (sustained phase effect) and intraoperative (acute phase effect) application of VEGF. We reviewed both experimental and clinical investigations on the use of VEGF with surgical flaps to summarize the evidence of both phases of VEGF activity in promotion of flaps survival in detail. With the combinations of acute and sustained phases of effects, VEGF protein and gene, VEGF morphologic actions, and VEGF histochemical modulations suggest a pattern of VEGF activity that can be superimposed on classic descriptive mechanisms of tissue survival of flaps.

Clinical application of cultured epithelial autografts on acellular dermal matrices in the treatment of extended burn injuries.

Achieving permanent replacement of skin in extensive full-thickness and deep partial-thickness burn injuries and chronic wounds remains one of the fundamental surgical problems. Presently, split-thickness skin grafts are still considered the best material for surgical repair of an excised burn wound. However, in burns that affect greater than 50% of total body surface area, the patient has insufficient areas of unaffected skin from which split-thickness skin grafts can be harvested. The use of cultured epithelial (or epidermal) autografts (CEAs) has achieved satisfactory results. But the take rate of CEAs is poor in full-thickness bed or in chronically infected area. Providing temporary cover with allograft skin, or a more permanent allodermis, may increase clinical take. This review aims to (1) describe the use of CEAs in the regeneration of the epidermis, (2) introduce the application of the acellular dermal matrices (ADMs) in the clinics, and (3) enhance understanding of the CEAs applied with ADM as an appropriate strategy to treat the extended burn injuries. The current evidence regarding the cultured epithelial cell or keratinocyte autograft and dermal grafts applied in the treatment of burn injuries was investigated with an extensive electronic and manual search (MEDLINE and EMBASE). The included literature (N=136 publications) was critically evaluated focusing on the efficacy and safety of this technique in improving the healing of the deep dermal and full-thickness burn injuries. This review concluded that the use of ADM with CEAs is becoming increasingly routine, particularly as a life-saving tool after acute thermal trauma.