[Decompression of the lateral femoral cutaneous nerve of the thigh : Treatment of meralgia paresthetica]. / Operative Dekompression des Nervus cutaneus femoris lateralis : Behandlung der Meralgia paraesthetica.

OBJECTIVE: Treatment of non-responding pain to conservative treatment located at the anterolateral thigh with surgical decompression of the lateral femoral cutaneous nerve of the thigh (LFCN). INDICATIONS: Compression syndrome of the LFCN; patients suffering from the following symptoms: pain (dysesthesia), numbness (paresthesia), hypersensibility to temperature (or temperature changes) along the course of the LFCN located at the anterolateral thigh. CONTRAINDICATIONS: A new or recrudescent hernia with additional pain or recent laparoscopic hernia repair as a supposed iatrogenically induced compression of the LFCN. SURGICAL TECHNIQUE: Dissection and release of the LFCN of connective tissue, scar tissue, bone rims, and retraction located along the passage underneath the inguinal ligament and distally. POSTOPERATIVE MANAGEMENT: Suture removal after 10-14 days, no sports for 2 weeks. Physiotherapy if necessary. Neurography 4 months after surgery (obligatory if symptoms are persistent). The patient should be followed up for about 24 months. RESULTS: Of the patients, 69% had a history of trauma or surgery, which were designated as the onset of pain. Of these patients, 78% had hip prostheses and 22% had previous falls. Postoperatively, a significant reduction of pain of 6.6 points on the numeric rating scale was observed. All other evaluated parameters also improved postoperatively. Patient satisfaction was high, with 86% reporting complete satisfaction, and 14% reporting partial satisfaction.

[Autologous fat grafting in breast surgery : results of a retrospective study]. / Lipofilling in Rahmen der Mammachirurgie : Ergebnisse einer retrospektiven Analyse.

BACKGROUND: Autologous fat has many qualities for an ideal filler and is widely used in reconstructive and aesthetic surgery, especially in the treatment of primary and secondary deformities of the breast. METHODS: From May 2007 to September 2012 298 autologous fat graftings were performed in 199 patients. Fat was harvested using the Tissue-Trans™ (Shippert Medical), Lipivage™ (Polytech) or a self-developed harvesting system and injected without any further processing into subcutaneous and/or intramuscular layers. RESULTS: The mean patient age was 45 years. Main indications were contour deformities and volume loss after breast cancer surgery as well as asymmetry, hypoplasia, Poland syndrome or tuberous breasts. The average volume of grafted fat was 90 ml per surgery. Most patients received one (42 %) or two (31 %) sessions of treatment. The infection rate was 2 % which was further treated with oral antibiotics. CONCLUSION: Autologous fat grafting represents an important tool for the management of deformities of the breast not only by filling deformities and adding volume, but also by improving the quality of scars. It is a simple, fast and effective treatment option with few complications.

[Hand replantation: differences in functional outcome considering patient age and sociomedical aspects]. / Handreplantation: Unterschiede im funktionellen Ergebnis in Anbetracht von Alter und sozialmedizinischem Aspekt.

By presenting 2 cases of successful hand replantation with similar trauma mechanism, level of amputation and ischaemia time of an 18-year-old female patient and a 48-year-old depressive male patient, the influence of age and sociomedical status on the postoperative outcome is discussed. DASH- (disabilities of the arm, shoulder and hand) score and Biometrics E-LINK power and sensitivity measurement were used to evaluate the outcomes.

Anti-CCP: history and its usefulness.

Antibodies directed to cyclic citrullinated peptides (anti-CCP) are highly specific for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and can easily be detected in sera by using commercially available immunoassays. The second version of the anti-CCP test (anti-CCP2) demonstrated high specificity (89-98%) and good sensitivity (41-88%) for RA. Commercially available ELISA methods from three different companies are on the market. All three CCP2 assays show similar results as all CCP2 assays use the same antigen-coated plates. This study was an evaluation of a new automated method for the determination of anti-CCP2 in a routine laboratory setting. Five hundred and forty three serum samples were tested for anti-CCP2 within normal routine diagnostic using a commercially available ELISA and retested with a prelaunch version of a new and fully-automated method (EliA). The results were comparable. The new automated assay is easy to use and demonstrated a diagnostic sensitivity of 80% and specificity of 97%.