Radial longitudinal deficiency, also known as radial club hand, is a congenital deformity of the upper extremity which can present with a spectrum of upper limb deficiencies. The typical hand and forearm deformity in such cases consists of significant forearm shortening, radial deviation of the wrist and hypoplasia or absence of a thumb. Treatment goals focus on the creation of stable centralized and functionally hand, maintenance of a mobile and stable wrist and preservation of longitudinal forearm growth. Historically centralization procedures have been the most common treatment method for this condition; unfortunately centralization procedures are associated with a high recurrence rate and have the potential for injury to the distal ulnar physis resulting in a further decrease in forearm growth. Here we advocate for the use of a vascularized second metatarsophalangeal joint transfer for stabilization of the carpus and prevention of recurrent radial deformity and subluxation of the wrist. This technique was originally described by the senior author in 1992 and he has subsequently been performed in 24 cases with an average of 11-year follow-up. In this paper we present an overview of the technique and review the expected outcomes for this method of treatment of radial longitudinal deficiency.
Forearm/abnormalities/*surgery ; Hand Deformities, Congenital/*surgery ; Humans ; Joints/*transplantation ; Metatarsophalangeal Joint/surgery ; Radius/abnormalities/*surgery

Radial longitudinal deficiency, also known as radial club hand, is a congenital deformity of the upper extremity which can present with a spectrum of upper limb deficiencies. The typical hand and forearm deformity in such cases consists of significant forearm shortening, radial deviation of the wrist and hypoplasia or absence of a thumb. Treatment goals focus on the creation of stable centralized and functionally hand, maintenance of a mobile and stable wrist and preservation of longitudinal forearm growth. Historically centralization procedures have been the most common treatment method for this condition; unfortunately centralization procedures are associated with a high recurrence rate and have the potential for injury to the distal ulnar physis resulting in a further decrease in forearm growth. Here we advocate for the use of a vascularized second metatarsophalangeal joint transfer for stabilization of the carpus and prevention of recurrent radial deformity and subluxation of the wrist. This technique was originally described by the senior author in 1992 and he has subsequently been performed in 24 cases with an average of 11-year follow-up. In this paper we present an overview of the technique and review the expected outcomes for this method of treatment of radial longitudinal deficiency.
Forearm/abnormalities/*surgery ; Hand Deformities, Congenital/*surgery ; Humans ; Joints/*transplantation ; Metatarsophalangeal Joint/surgery ; Radius/abnormalities/*surgery

OBJECTIVE: To describe a 2010 outbreak of nine cases of measles in Australia possibly linked to an index case who travelled on an international flight from South Africa while infectious.

METHODS: Three Australian state health departments, Victoria, Queensland and New South Wales, were responsible for the investigation and management of this outbreak, following Australian public health guidelines. Results: An outbreak of measles occurred in Australia after an infectious case arrived on a 12-hour flight from South Africa. Only one of four cases in the first generation exposed to the index case en route was sitting within the two rows recommended for contact tracing in Australian and other guidelines. The remaining four cases in subsequent generations, including two health care workers, were acquired in health care settings. Seven cases were young adults. Delays in diagnosis and notification hampered disease control and contact tracing efforts.

CONCLUSION: Review of current contact tracing guidelines following in-flight exposure to an infectious measles case is required. Alternative strategies could include expanding routine contact tracing beyond the two rows on either side of the case’s row or expansion on a case-by-case basis depending on cabin layout and case and contact movements in flight. Releasing information about the incident by press release or providing generic information to everyone on the flight using e-mail or text messaging information obtained from the relevant airline, may also be worthy of consideration. Disease importation, inadequately vaccinated young adults and health care-related transmission remain challenges for measles control in an elimination era.

Bladder acontractility affects several thousand patients in the United States, but the available therapies are limited. Latissimus dorsi detrusor myoplasty (LDDM) is a therapeutic option that allows patients with bladder acontractility to void voluntarily. Our goal was to conduct a systematic review of the literature to determine whether LDDM is a better option than clean intermittent catheterization (CIC) (standard treatment) in patients with bladder acontractility. On January 17, 2020, we conducted a systematic review of the PubMed/MEDLINE, Cochrane Clinical Answers, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Embase, and ClinicalTrials.gov databases, without time frame limitations, to identify articles on the use of LDDM for bladder acontractility. Of 75 potential articles, 4 fulfilled the eligibility criteria. The use of LDDM to treat patients with bladder acontractility was reported in four case series by the same group in Europe. Fifty-eight patients were included, and no comparison groups were included. The most common cause of bladder acontractility was spinal cord injury (n=36). The mean (±standard deviation) operative time was 536 (±22) minutes, postoperative length of hospital stay ranged from 10 to 13 days, and follow-up ranged from 9 to 68 months. Most patients had complete response, were able to void voluntarily, and had post-void residual volume less than 100 mL. Although promising outcomes have been obtained, evidence is still weak regarding whether LDDM is better than CIC to avoid impairment of the urinary tract among patients with bladder acontractility. Further prospective studies with control groups are necessary.

Bladder acontractility affects several thousand patients in the United States, but the available therapies are limited. Latissimus dorsi detrusor myoplasty (LDDM) is a therapeutic option that allows patients with bladder acontractility to void voluntarily. Our goal was to conduct a systematic review of the literature to determine whether LDDM is a better option than clean intermittent catheterization (CIC) (standard treatment) in patients with bladder acontractility. On January 17, 2020, we conducted a systematic review of the PubMed/MEDLINE, Cochrane Clinical Answers, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Embase, and ClinicalTrials.gov databases, without time frame limitations, to identify articles on the use of LDDM for bladder acontractility. Of 75 potential articles, 4 fulfilled the eligibility criteria. The use of LDDM to treat patients with bladder acontractility was reported in four case series by the same group in Europe. Fifty-eight patients were included, and no comparison groups were included. The most common cause of bladder acontractility was spinal cord injury (n=36). The mean (±standard deviation) operative time was 536 (±22) minutes, postoperative length of hospital stay ranged from 10 to 13 days, and follow-up ranged from 9 to 68 months. Most patients had complete response, were able to void voluntarily, and had post-void residual volume less than 100 mL. Although promising outcomes have been obtained, evidence is still weak regarding whether LDDM is better than CIC to avoid impairment of the urinary tract among patients with bladder acontractility. Further prospective studies with control groups are necessary.

BACKGROUND: Acute traumatic tendon injuries of the hand and wrist are commonly encountered in the emergency department. Despite the frequency, few studies have examined the true incidence of acute traumatic tendon injuries in the hand and wrist or compared the incidences of both extensor and flexor tendon injuries. METHODS: We performed a retrospective population-based cohort study of all acute traumatic tendon injuries of the hand and wrist in a mixed urban and rural Midwest county in the United States between 2001-2010. A regional epidemiologic database and medical codes were used to identify index cases. Epidemiologic information including occupation, year of injury, mechanism of injury and the injured tendon and zone were recorded. RESULTS: During the 10-year study period there was an incidence rate of 33.2 injuries per 100,000 person-years. There was a decreasing rate of injury during the study period. Highest incidence of injury occurred at 20-29 years of age. There was significant association between injury rate and age, and males had a higher incidence than females. The majority of cases involved a single tendon, with extensor tendon injuries occurring more frequently than flexor tendons. Typically, extensor tendon injuries involved zone three of the index finger, while flexor tendons involved zone two of the index finger. Work-related injuries accounted for 24.9% of acute traumatic tendon injuries. The occupations of work-related injuries were assigned to major groups defined by the 2010 Standard Occupational Classification structure. After assigning these patients' occupations to respective major groups, the most common groups work-related injuries occurred in construction and extraction occupations (44.2%), food preparation and serving related occupations (14.4%), and transportation and material moving occupations (12.5%). CONCLUSIONS: Epidemiology data enhances our knowledge of injury patterns and may play a role in the prevention and treatment of future injuries, with an end result of reducing lost work time and economic burden.
Acute Disease ; Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Female ; Hand ; Hand Injuries/*epidemiology ; Humans ; Incidence ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Minnesota/epidemiology ; Retrospective Studies ; Rural Population ; Tendon Injuries/*epidemiology ; Urban Population ; Wrist ; Young Adult