Objective To evaluate the locating effects of a portable ultrasound for leg perforator flaps,and the clinical effects of leg perforator flaps for the wounds of the extremities.Methods Since December 2009 to March 2011,thirty-one cases of soft tissue defects of the extremities were treated with free vascularized leg perforator flaps in our center.A portable ultrasound were used for the locating of the perforator arteries of the leg before the operations.These flaps include 24 cases of the fibular artery perforator flaps (4 with simultaneous fibula transfer),three cases of the posterior tibia artery perforator flap,two cases of the medial gastrocnemius artery perforator flap,and 2 cases of the lateral gastrocnemius artery perforator flap.The flap size ranged from 15.0 cm × 8.0 cm to 1.0 cm × 1.5 cm.The caliber diameter of the perforator artery ranged from 0.2 mm to 1.8 mm.The wounds included 21 cases of the hand,five cases of the forearm,and 5 cases of the leg.Results The coincidence rate intraoperatively of the portable ultrasound was 96.8％.All the flaps survived and the wounds healed uneventfully.The donor site of the flaps were either closed directly or closed with partial split-thickness skin graft.Conclusion The portable ultrasound is an effective,reliable and accurate instrument for locating the leg perforator flaps.The leg perforator flaps have the advantages of convenient harvest,satisfactory thickness,less donor site morbidity,and high survival rate.

Objective To study the anatomy basis and biomechanical stability of euthyphoria reduction and percutaneous cannulated screw fixation for sacroiliac dislocation,and to evaluate the primary clinical efficacy of this method.Methods The distances from the anterior branches of the nerve roots at L4,and L5 and obturator nerve on the superior border of sacral ala to the sacroiliac joint were measured on 12 adult cadavers (24 sides) fixed and preserved by formalin.Models of sacroiliac dislocation were made on six pelvic specimens of fresh cadavers.A comparison of stability was made on the six models between the fixation studied here and the traditional fixations by posterior percutaneous sacroiliac screws and by anterior sacroiliac joint plates.At the same time,17 patients with type C Tile fracture were treated with our method.The clinical efficacy was analyzed for the 17 patients.Results The distances from the anterior branches of the nerve roots at L4,and L5 and obturator nerve on the superior border of sacral ala to the sacroiliac joint were 20.24?1.20mm,23.80?1.43mm,and 16.26?2.07 mm respectively. There was no statistically significant difference in stability between our method and the traditional fixation by posterior percutaneous sacroiliac screws,though ours seemed better.Follow-ups for the 17 cases averaged 2.2 years,re- vealing fine functional recovery in all according to Matta scoring.Conclusions Euthyphoria reduction and per- cutaneous cannulated screw fixation can lead to sufficient biomechanical stability for the sacroiliac joint and effec- tively avoid nervous injuries.In addition,our method is simple and clinically effective,It is recommendable for small and middle-sized hospitals.

BACKGROUNDTo analyze clinicopathological correlation of detection of lung cancer micrometastasis in regional lymph nodes (LNs) by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR).

METHODSRegional LNs (n=261) were obtained from 40 patients with lung cancer who underwent lobectomy. Each LN was bisected. Half of each LN was subjected to histological examination (HE) and the other half was subjected to RT-PCR amplification of CK19 mRNA.

RESULTSIn 18 of 40 patients, the metastasis in regional LNs was found by both HE and RT-PCR. Of 22 N0 diseases diagnosed by HE, 6 (27%) were found to express CK19 mRNA in regional LNs. According to the results of regional LNs metastasis in 40 patients by CK19 RT-PCR, the presence of the CK19 product in LNs was related to tumor size (Chi-square=5.76, P < 0.025), the presence of tumor vascular invasion (Chi-square=3.88, P < 0.05), cell differentiation of the tumor (Chi-square=7.08, P < 0.01) and P-TNM stages (Chi-square=7.42, P < 0.01). In the histologically node-negative patients, lymph node micrometastasis was significantly related to tumor size (P=0.038, exact test) and P-TNM stage (P=0.01, exact test). However, the results of routine histological examination did not show the above clinicopathological correlation (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONSThe RT-PCR method is superior to routine histological examination in detecting metastasis in LNs. The micrometastasis in LNs can be detected accurately by RT-PCR. It is helpful for screening the patients in whom the early subclinical metastasis exists and disclosing the intrinsic rule of malignancy metastasis.

Objective:To investigate the clinical efficacy of low-set perforating branch propeller flap of fibular artery for repairing calcaneal soft tissue defects.Methods:A retrospective case series study was conducted on 28 patients with calcaneal soft tissue defects admitted to 920th Hospital of Joint Logistics Support Force of PLA from January 2013 to December 2019. There were 19 males and 9 females，aged 13-69 years［（33.8±13.7）years］. The size of soft tissue defects ranged from 5 cm×2 cm to 18 cm×12 cm，and the size of flaps ranged from 12 cm×4 cm to 24 cm×10 cm. The soft tissue defects were repaired with the low-set fibular artery perforator propeller flap after emergency debridement or flap transplantation at the second stage after debridement according to the wound surface conditions. The survival of the flap，wound healing at the recipient and donor sites and complications were recorded. The function of the affected ankle was assessed according to American Orthopedic Foot and Ankle Society（AOFAS）ankle-hindfoot score before operation and at the final follow-up. The degree of satisfaction of flap appearance was assessed by Thankappan flap appearance satisfaction score at the final follow-up.Results:All patients were followed up for 2-40 months［（17.4±5.9）months］. All flaps survived and wounds at both donor and recipient sites were healed well，with satisfactory color and texture of the flaps，without thinning operation performed. Three patients experienced numbness on both sides of the incision at donor sites within 1 week after operation and returned to normal on their own about 2 months after operation，with all flaps restoring partial light pain sensation 1 year after operation. No complications occurred such as blood flow disorder of the affected limb or compartment syndrome. The AOFAS ankle-hindfoot score was 56-95 points［（82.3±15.2）points］at the final follow-up，significantly higher than the preoperative score of 17-68 points［（35.7±13.4）points］（ P<0.01）. The results were excellent in 21 patients，good in 5 and fair in 2，with excellent and good rate of 93%.The appearance satisfaction score was 4-10 points［（7.6±2.9）points］according to Thankappan flap appearance satisfaction score. The results were excellent in 6 patients，good in 15 and fair in 7，with the excellent and good rate of 75%. Conclusions:The low-set perforating branch propeller flap of fibular artery for reconstruction of calcaneal soft tissue defects has advantages of reliable blood supply and high survival rate of the flap as well as good restoration of the appearance and function of the affected limb.