Objective:To investigate the outcomes of applying microvascular anastomotic coupling de-vices in solitary upper extremity artery injury repairs and to optimize parameters for optimal clinical out-come.Methods:From March to September 2013,19 injured arteries from 18 male patients who presen-ted at Department of Hand Surgery,Beijing Jishuitan Hospital with traumatic arterial lacerations of their upper extremities went through rapid repair procedures.COUPLER,a microvascular anastomotic coupling device was applied in these artery injury repair operations.The 19 repaired arteries included 3 brachial arteries,6 ulnar arteries and 10 radial arteries.After the procedures,all the 18 patients were then fol-lowed up by clinical specialists and examined with color doppler flow imaging for the effective recovery of artery circulation and upper extremities functionality.Results:The average time of artery repairs for all the 19 damaged arteries among the 18 patients was 278 s and the average follow-up time was (71.5 ± 40.9)d with the longest follow-up time as 116 d and shortest as 14 d.No patient returned to the opera-ting room after the procedures and after being dismissed from the hospital.None of the 18 cases were re-ported to have problems with circulation and thrombosis formation in their upper extremities.Color Doppler imaging showed that the arterial anastomotic site for all the 19 repaired arteries were unobstructed with artery blood spectrum at both ends.Three patients with radial artery repairs complained about mild pressure pain at the site of vascular anastomosis;while the other 15 patients all expressed satisfactory outcomes of the surgery and recovery.These evidences indicated that the outcomes of our initial evalua-tion for the solitary upper extremity artery injury repairs by using anastomotic coupling devices were posi-tive.Conclusion:Our observations have showed that microvascular anastomotic coupling devices can be used for repairing of solitary upper extremity artery injures.The procedures are quick,effective and safe. The clinical application of this microvascular anastomotic coupling device in artery injures is promising, however,additional evidences through further clinical investigation with more cases are warranted.

Objective:To investigate the validity and the outcome of a new surgery method that utilizes lateral great toe flap to decoratively reconstruct the thumb pulp loss.Methods:From Jan.2009 to Jan. 2014 , 22 cases with unilateral thumb pulp defect were included, for whom, lateral great toe flap was de-ployed to reconstruct the thumb.Blood circulation was re-established by the anastomosis of the digital vessels of toes and fingers in 18 cases, the other 4 cases were conducted by a dorsal metatarsal artery and vein anastomosed to the deep branch of the radial artery and the dorsal metacarpal vein respectively; as for the nerve repair, toe-to-finger digital nerve anastomosis was performed.The donor sites were covered by full-thickness inguinal skin grafts.Results:All the 22 flaps survived without complications.With 6 to 12 months follow-up, the surviving fingers all presented aesthetically pleasant appearance with vivid loops and whorls.Normal functions like sweating were restored as well, and the two-point-discrimination ranged 3.0 to 6.0 mm (4.2 mm in average).The skin grafts to the donor sites healed uneventfully, the appearance and functions of the feet were unaffected.Conclusion: Lateral toe flap should be the first-line choice for reconstructing thumb defect, as it conveniently restores both functions and outlook.

OBJECTIVETo explore a surgical model of utilizing consecutive free scapular flap and adjacent pedicled flap transfer for repairing massive soft tissue defects on the dorsum of the hand while minimizing the donor site morbidity.

METHODSSix patients with massive soft tissue injuries on the opisthenar and forearm were treated with free scapular flaps. Afterwards, a pedicled flap adjacent to the donor site was transferred to cover the donor site defect by direct closure.

RESULTSAll six free scapular flaps survived without signs of infection. Three adjacent pedicled flaps presented minor signs of insufficient blood flow on the distal apex, which resolved after six weeks with only conservative therapy. All the incisions healed without other complications. At six-month follow-up, the patients regained full shoulder function.

CONCLUSIONWith the assistance of an adjacent pedicled flap, the scapular flap is a highly applicable approach in repairing massive soft tissue defects in the opisthenar. It can achieve positive outcomes in both reconstructive and aesthetic aspects.

Adult ; Arm Injuries ; surgery ; Debridement ; Drainage ; Female ; Hand Injuries ; surgery ; Humans ; Male ; Reconstructive Surgical Procedures ; methods ; Scapula ; blood supply ; Soft Tissue Injuries ; surgery ; Surgical Flaps ; blood supply ; Treatment Outcome

To introduce the surgical procedure of orthopaedic robot-assisted vascularised fibular grafting for the treatment of ANFH and report the short-term result. Methods From September, 2016 to November, 2018, 17 patients (21 hips) with ANFH had undergone robot-assisted free fibular grafting. There were 14 males and 3 females, of which, 8 cases were associated with the right side, 5 cases the left side, and 4 cases with both sides. The average age was 35 (ranged from 17 to 55) years. There were 7 patients suffered from idiopathic ischemic necrosis of femoral head, 4 patients who had cannulated screws fixed after a femoral neck fracture, 4 patients who had a history of alcohol consumption, 1 patient who had taken corticosteroids for 6 months to treat nephritis, and 1 patient who had a history of alcohol consumption and had also taken corticosteroids. Seventeen hips were in Ficat stage II, and 4 hips were in Ficat stage III. The orthopaedic surgical robot workstation was used to plan the entry point and target of the guide pin during the operation, to place a cannula in the optimal position. Then a bone window was created and the fibula was placed into the bone tunnel.Using fluoroscopy to monitor each step of the procedure and verify the position of the fibula. Finally, the vessels were anastomosed. The patient remain in bed completely for a week with the use of vasodilator. The follow-up was accomplished with phone call and outpatient clinic, and Harris score was evaluated. Results All 21 surgical procedures were successful. The guide pins and fibula were accurately placed according to the robot’s plan, and the tips of the fibula were placed at the centre of the load-bearing region of the femoral heads, 4 to 6 mm from the articular surface. Conventional anticoagulant, anti-infective therapy was performed after the pro-cedure. Ten patients were followed-up postoperatively more than 1 year, with an average of 15 (from 12 to 24) months. The function of the hip joint recovered smoothly for 9 patients.Frontal and lateral X-ray and CT scans showed that the tips of the fibula were placed at the centre of the load-bearing region, 4 to 6 mm from the articular surface.One patient suffered from bilateral femoral head necrosis and the right side recovered smoothly after operation.However, joint move-ment was restricted for the left hip and the pain was significant.An arthroscopic examination was performed 1 month after the operation and did not identify any problems such as intraarticular incular infection or articular surface of the femoral head was protruded by the tip of the fibula.The symptoms were alleviated after removing the osteophytes at the rim of the acetabulum.The Harris score was 62.4±13.6 before operation, and 84.5±4.5 at the last time of followed-up after opera-tion.The difference in Harris scores was statisticly significant (P＜0.05). Conclusion With the assistance of an or-thopaedic robot system, the guide pin can be accurately positioned, thereby allowing the tip of the fibula to be inserted in-to the optimal anatomical position and maximising its mechanical efficacy.In theory, it is the best choice for performing fibular bone transplantation in ANFH.And the early effect of treatment is good.

Objective:To seek any correlation between and prognosis and hospitalization costs of stroke survivors with dysphagia.Methods:The records of 1370 stroke survivors admitted to the rehabilitation departments of 3 public hospitals in Weifang were studied. Of them, 499 (36.4%) were diagnosed with dysphagia and 871 were not. Binary logistic regression and multiple linear regression were employed to analyze the correlation between dysphagia and the occurrence of pneumonia, modified Rankin Scale (mRS) scores, modified Barthel index (MBI) scores, length of stay and total hospitalization cost.Results:After adjusting for confounding factors, the risk of pneumonia in the dysphagia group was 2.4 times higher. At discharge, the risk of an mRS≥3 was 3.3 times greater and that of an MBI score <60 was 1.7 times greater with dysphagia. Multiple stepwise linear regression showed that dysphagia was significantly associated with higher mRS scores at discharge, lower MBI scores, and longer hospital stays. The standardized regression coefficients predict that after the length of stay, dysphagia is the strongest predictor of the cost of hospitalisation, followed by ADL ability, pneumonia, supratentorial, haemorrhagic stroke and CCI.Conclusions:Dysphagia is a significant predictor of the hospitalization costs of stroke patients. It is recommended to identify and treat dysphagia as early as possible to improve the prognosis of such patients and reduce the economic burden.

Objective: To investigate the efficacy and the technical details of utilizing a long segment of vein graft to bridge the vascular defect when a free flap is used to repair extensive injuries in lower extremities. Methods: For the reconstruction of extensive leg defect caused by serious composite injury, a local flap is unavailable or cannot fulfill the requirements. The main vessels of the leg could be damaged. It is challenging work to find an ideal recipient vessels for a free flap. The saphenous vein was harvested from the contralateral lower extremities and utilized to bridge the vascular gap between the recipient vessels and flap pedicle vessels. A latissimus dorsi myocutaneous or anterolateral thigh free flap was used to reconstruct the leg defect. The distal end of the grafted vein was anastomosed to the superficial femoral artery in an end-to-side fashion, and the proximal end to the artery of flap pedicle in an end-to-end fashion. When a vein insufficiency was present, the proximal and distal ends of the additional grafted vein were anastomosed to the recipient vein and vein of flap pedicle in an end-to-end fashion. Results: From July 2010 to April 2019, 27 patients underwent reconstruction of leg using the above-mentioned method. There were 20 males and 7 females. The patients′ age ranged from 16 to 54 years with an average of 30.6 years. There were 19 latissimus dorsi myocutaneous flaps and eight anterolateral thigh flaps. The grafted saphenous vein was used to bridge the arterial gap in 21 cases and to bridge both the arterial and venous gaps in 6 cases. The length of the grafted vein for arterial and venous defects was ranged from 14 cm to 43 cm (mean, 24.8 cm) and 5 cm to 12 cm (mean, 8.6 cm), respectively. 26 flaps completely survived after surgery. Venous congestion occurred in the remaining one flap and the flap eventually lost. The patient eventually opted for amputation. All patients were followed up for 3 to 14 months with an average of 9 months. Functional and aesthetic outcomes were obtained in both the recipient and donor sites. No obvious edema of lower extremities was observed. Conclusions For patients with a severe and large soft-tissue defect of the leg, fining an ideal recipient vessels for a free flap is crucial for a successful reconstructive surgery. It is a reliable and an additional option to choose the superficial femoral artery and/ or saphenous vein as the recipient vessels by using the grafted vein to bridge the vascular gaps.

Objective: To present the clinical result of a procedure using pedicle posterior interosseous perforator adipofascial flaps for the treatment of congenital proximal radioulnar synostosis (CPRUS). Methods: Eight forearms (from eight patients) with CPRUS were treated by the operation during December 2013 to January 2018 at Beijing Jishuitan Hospital. The average age of the children are seven years old (range: five years old to twelve years old). There were six boys and two girls. Seven forearms were classified as the Cleary type Ⅲ, and one forearm was classified as the Cleary type Ⅱ. Five children were suffered with bilateral CPRUS, and three children were unilateral. The average fixed forearm pronation angle was 43° (range: 0° to 80°). The operating procedure: a dorsal incision from olecranon to the distal 1/3 part of the middle axial of forearm was designed. Then the pedicle posterior interosseous perforator adipofascial flap was harvested. Elevated the anconeus muscle retrogradely, and the location of the osseous synostosis was exposed. Then the radial volar Henry incision just below the elbow joint crease was designed, the insertion part of the biceps brachii was exposed and elevated. The osseous synostosis was exposed and removed with the help of burr at the dorsal side. The cartilage part of the radial head was remolded. A trapeziform osteotomy was made at the site of radial tubercle due to the deformity angle of the radial shaft to reduce the dislocated radial head, then the distal and proximal part of radius was reduced and fixed with plate and screw. The pronator quadratus and the adipofascial flap were pulled to the volar side, and sutured to the deep fascia. The tendon of the biceps brachii was pulled dorsally and reattached to the radial tubercle. Postoperatively, an above-the-elbow splint was applied to keep the elbow in 90° of flexion and the forearm in 80° of supination. Three days later, the other splint was used to keep the forearm in 80° of pronation. Two splints were worn every other day alternatively. At four weeks after the operation, the ROM exercises were initiated both actively and passively, with the splints worn every other night alternatively. The splint was worn for six months. Results: All patients received follow-up, the average duration of follow-up was 27 months (average: 6-48 months). The space of the proximal radioulnar joint could be seen clearly in seven patients, without the sign of recurrence of the synostosis. The synostosis was occurred in one child. Removed the synostosis part and the implant six months after operation, and placed an allograft tendon ball as the interposition tissue simultaneously. The problem was resolved successfully after that. Fingers extension weakness was happened in two patients, and recovered spontaneously and completely in three months. Limitation of elbow extension was occurred in two patients (range: 15° and 20°). The average pronation was 32.5° (range: 10°-65°), and the average supination was 31.9° (range: 10°-70°). Conclusions Using the perforator adipofascial flap pedicled with posterior interosseous vessels to treat the CPRUS is an easier method compared with classical Kanaya method . It could prevent the recurrence of synostosis effectively, and the treatment result is satisfied. The possibility of injury of the deep branch of radial nerve may be the potential problem.