Relapse in fronto-orbital advancement: a pilot study.

Our unit policy in fronto-orbital advancement (FOA) and remodeling has been initial overcorrection to improve the ultimate aesthetic outcome of surgery. To assess relapse of anteroposterior (AP) correction in patients with cranial synostosis undergoing FOA and remodeling, a retrospective pilot study identified patients from the unit database. Serial AP calvarial measurements were used to record surgical and postsurgical changes. Patients showing a change in measurements toward preoperative values were considered to have relapsed. Associated factors were recorded, and statistical analysis was carried out using SPSS.Thirty-one patients (female n = 10, male n = 21) with a median age at surgery of 17 months and a mean weight of 11 kg were included in the study. The mean hospital stay was 7 days. The mean advancement was 13 (SD, 4) mm, and relapse occurred in 65% (20/31). Mean AP relapse at 5 months was 6.2 mm. No patient required subsequent FOA. No significant correlation was found between relapse and age, weight, hospital stay, and syndromic status. Anteroposterior relapse of the fronto-orbital segment occurred in two thirds (65%) of our cohort at 5 months. A prospective study is now under way to analyze this further. The results of this pilot study suggest that strategies to minimize or to compensate for relapse may enhance the ultimate surgical result.

Traumatic neuroma: a late complication of otoplasty.

We report on the development of traumatic ear lobe neuromas as a late complication of bilateral otoplasty performed 16 years previously. To our knowledge, this is the first and only described case of traumatic neuromas arising as a late complication of otoplasty in the English literature. Traumatic neuroma should be considered in the differential diagnosis of any nodular lesions that develop within the external ear in patients who have had otoplasty or any other form of external ear surgery or trauma.

The assessment of fatigue in primary Sjögren's syndrome.

OBJECTIVE: Disabling fatigue is a prominent feature of primary Sjögren's syndrome (PSS). We evaluated a number of questionnaires for their ability to discriminate fatigue in PSS from that in other rheumatic disorders and healthy controls. METHODS: 33 female caucasian patients with PSS, 45 with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), 16 with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and 30 controls completed self-administered questionnaires including; Visual Analogue Scales (VAS), the Chalder Fatigue Scale (CFS), the Nottingham Health Profile (NHP) and the Medical Outcomes Short Form 36 Questionnaire (SF-36). RESULTS: All patient groups scored significantly worse than controls on the 'Energy' dimension of the NHP, the fatigue VAS and the 'Vitality' domain of the SF-36. No significant differences were observed between PSS patients and controls using the CFS. CONCLUSIONS: The NHP. VAS and SF-36 are useful in identifying fatigue in these rheumatic disorders. Further work is required to identify the characteristic features of fatigue in these conditions.