Objective:To compare the clinical outcomes of immediate breast reconstruction using latissimus dorsi flap with implant versus mesh with implant based on BREAST-Q evaluation.Methods:From the clinical database of the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, the patients who underwent immediate breast reconstruction after total mastectomy from January 2020 to December 2023 were selected as the research subjects. All breast reconstruction surgeries were performed by the same surgeon. Patients were divided into two groups according to surgical methods: the latissimus dorsi muscle flap combined with implant immediate breast reconstruction group (LD group) and the mesh combined with implant immediate breast reconstruction group (mesh group). Patients were followed up in outpatient clinics or by telephone one year after surgery. The BREAST-Q was used to evaluate the surgical outcomes of both groups from four dimensions: psychosocial well-being, sexual well-being, chest-physical well-being, and breast satisfaction. The score range for each dimension was 0-100, with higher scores indicating greater patient satisfaction with quality of life and surgical outcomes. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS 22.0 software. Normally distributed measurement data were expressed as Mean ± SD, and comparisons between the two groups were performed using independent sample t-test. Count data were expressed as number of cases and percentages, and comparisons between groups were performed using chi-square test or Fisher’s exact test. P<0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results:A total of 123 patients were included, with 59 patients in the LD group and 64 patients in the mesh group. In the LD group, the mean age was (37.7±7.0) years, body mass index (BMI) was (22.6±2.6) kg/m 2, and clinical tumor staging showed 2, 22, 30, and 5 cases for stages 0, Ⅰ, Ⅱ, and Ⅲ, respectively. In the mesh group, the mean age was (39.1±7.0) years, BMI was (22.6±2.8) kg/m 2, and clinical tumor staging showed 1, 25, 38, and 0 cases for stages 0, Ⅰ, Ⅱ, and Ⅲ, respectively. There were no statistically significant differences between the two groups in baseline characteristics including age, BMI, and clinical tumor staging (all P>0.05). One year after surgery, the BREAST-Q result showed no statistically significant differences between the LD group and mesh group in psychosocial well-being [(83.0±19.8) points vs. (80.8±19.3) points] and sexual well-being [(62.1±30.4) points vs. (65.8±25.6) points] (all P>0.05). However, the LD group had lower chest-physical well-being scores than the mesh group [(40.6±9.7) points vs. (45.1±9.6) points, P<0.05], while breast satisfaction scores were higher in the LD group than in the mesh group [(68.0±17.8) points vs. (59.8±12.6) points, P<0.01]. Conclusion:Immediate breast reconstruction by both latissimus dorsi flap with implant and mesh with implant can improve patients’ psychosocial and sexual well-being by enhancing breast appearance. However, LD technique provides better breast satisfaction, while the mesh technique offers advantages in physical well-being of the chest wall and upper body. Surgeons should select the most appropriate breast reconstruction technique based on patients’ anatomical conditions, treatment history, and individual needs to optimize postoperative quality of life and satisfaction.

Objective:To compare the clinical outcomes of immediate breast reconstruction using latissimus dorsi flap with implant versus mesh with implant based on BREAST-Q evaluation.Methods:From the clinical database of the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, the patients who underwent immediate breast reconstruction after total mastectomy from January 2020 to December 2023 were selected as the research subjects. All breast reconstruction surgeries were performed by the same surgeon. Patients were divided into two groups according to surgical methods: the latissimus dorsi muscle flap combined with implant immediate breast reconstruction group (LD group) and the mesh combined with implant immediate breast reconstruction group (mesh group). Patients were followed up in outpatient clinics or by telephone one year after surgery. The BREAST-Q was used to evaluate the surgical outcomes of both groups from four dimensions: psychosocial well-being, sexual well-being, chest-physical well-being, and breast satisfaction. The score range for each dimension was 0-100, with higher scores indicating greater patient satisfaction with quality of life and surgical outcomes. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS 22.0 software. Normally distributed measurement data were expressed as Mean ± SD, and comparisons between the two groups were performed using independent sample t-test. Count data were expressed as number of cases and percentages, and comparisons between groups were performed using chi-square test or Fisher’s exact test. P<0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results:A total of 123 patients were included, with 59 patients in the LD group and 64 patients in the mesh group. In the LD group, the mean age was (37.7±7.0) years, body mass index (BMI) was (22.6±2.6) kg/m 2, and clinical tumor staging showed 2, 22, 30, and 5 cases for stages 0, Ⅰ, Ⅱ, and Ⅲ, respectively. In the mesh group, the mean age was (39.1±7.0) years, BMI was (22.6±2.8) kg/m 2, and clinical tumor staging showed 1, 25, 38, and 0 cases for stages 0, Ⅰ, Ⅱ, and Ⅲ, respectively. There were no statistically significant differences between the two groups in baseline characteristics including age, BMI, and clinical tumor staging (all P>0.05). One year after surgery, the BREAST-Q result showed no statistically significant differences between the LD group and mesh group in psychosocial well-being [(83.0±19.8) points vs. (80.8±19.3) points] and sexual well-being [(62.1±30.4) points vs. (65.8±25.6) points] (all P>0.05). However, the LD group had lower chest-physical well-being scores than the mesh group [(40.6±9.7) points vs. (45.1±9.6) points, P<0.05], while breast satisfaction scores were higher in the LD group than in the mesh group [(68.0±17.8) points vs. (59.8±12.6) points, P<0.01]. Conclusion:Immediate breast reconstruction by both latissimus dorsi flap with implant and mesh with implant can improve patients’ psychosocial and sexual well-being by enhancing breast appearance. However, LD technique provides better breast satisfaction, while the mesh technique offers advantages in physical well-being of the chest wall and upper body. Surgeons should select the most appropriate breast reconstruction technique based on patients’ anatomical conditions, treatment history, and individual needs to optimize postoperative quality of life and satisfaction.

Objective To investigate the influencing factors for rebleeding after gastroscopy in patients with liver cirrhosis and esophagogastric variceal bleeding. Methods A retrospective analysis was performed for the clinical data of the patients with liver cirrhosis and esophagogastric variceal bleeding who were hospitalized in Tianjin Third Central Hospital from January 1, 2017 to December 31, 2018, and according to the presence or absence of rebleeding and bleeding time, the patients were divided into non-bleeding group ( n =148) and bleeding group ( n =119). The risk factors for rebleeding after gastroscopy were analyzed. The t -test or the Mann-Whitney U test was used for comparison of continuous data between two groups, and the chi-square test was used for comparison of categorical data between two groups. The Cox regression model was used for univariate and multivariate analyses. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to evaluate the accuracy of Child-Turcotte-Pugh (CTP), fibrosis-4 (FIB-4), and albumin-bilirubin (ALBI) scores in predicting rebleeding after gastroscopy, and MedCalc was used to compare the area under the ROC curve (AUC). Results A total of 267 patients with liver cirrhosis and esophagogastric variceal bleeding were enrolled, among whom 53 (19.9%) had liver cancer. A total of 119 patients suffered from rebleeding, with an overall rebleeding rate of 44.6% and a median time to rebleeding of 11.0 (0-39.0) months. The univariate Cox regression analysis showed that liver cancer (hazard ratio [ HR ]=0.377, P < 0.001), aspartate aminotransferase (AST) ( HR =1.002, P =0.025), serum Na ( HR =0.935, P =0.004), and FIB-4 ( HR =1.030, P =0.049) were associated with rebleeding, and the multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that liver cancer ( HR =0.357, P < 0.001), AST ( HR =1.003, P =0.030), prothrombin time (PT) ( HR =0.196, P =0.001), CTP score ( HR =1.289, P =0.014), FIB-4 ( HR =1.062, P =0.033), and ALBI score ( HR =0.433, P =0.011) were independent risk factors for rebleeding. CTP, FIB-4, and ALBI scores had an AUC of 0.711 (95% confidence interval [ CI ]: 0.647-0.776), 0.705 (95% CI : 0.640-0.770), and 0.730 (95% CI : 0.667-0.793), respectively, in predicting rebleeding. There was no significant difference in AUC between CTP, FIB-4, and ALBI scores ( P > 0.05). Conclusion Liver cancer, AST, PT, CTP score, FIB-4 score, and ALBI score are associated with rebleeding after gastroscopy in patients with liver cirrhosis and esophagogastric variceal bleeding, among which CTP, FIB-4, and ALBI scores have a good value in predicting rebleeding outcome, while there is no significant difference in predictive ability between them.

ObjectiveTo investigate the clinical features of patients with severe alcoholic hepatitis (AH) with different underlying liver diseases and the influencing factors for short-term prognosis. MethodsA retrospective analysis was performed for the clinical data of 170 patients with severe AH who were admitted to Tianjin Third Central Hospital from August 2004 to August 2018, and according to the underlying liver disease, they were divided into group A (27 patients without liver cirrhosis), group B (52 patients with compensated liver cirrhosis), and group C (91 patients with decompensated liver cirrhosis). Related scores were calculated, including Maddrey’s discriminant function (MDF) score, Chronic Liver Failure-Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (CLIF-SOFA) score, Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) score, age-bilirubin-international normalized ratio-creatinine (ABIC) score, and Glasgow alcoholic hepatitis score (GAHS). An analysis of variance or the Kruskal-Wallis H test was used for comparison of continuous data between multiple groups, and the chi-square test was used for comparison of categorical data between multiple groups. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses were used to screen out the independent influencing factors for the short-term prognosis of patients with severe AH. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to plot survival curves, and the log-rank test was used for comparison of survival rate between groups. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to calculate the area under the ROC curve (AUC) and 95% confidence interval (CI), sensitivity, and specificity for each predictive model, and the DeLong method was used for comparison. ResultsThe 28-day survival rates of patients in groups A, B, and C were 88.9%, 80.8%, and 51.6%, respectively, with a significant difference between the three groups (χ2=1983, P＜0.001). The AUCs (95% CIs) of MELD score, MDF score, GAHS score, ABIC score, and CLIF-SOFA score were 0.584 (0.493-0.676), 0.696 (0.605-0.786), 0.644 (0.554-0.735), 0.745 (0.662-0.827), and 0.795 (0.726-0.863), respectively, in predicting 28-day mortality rate, and there were significant differences between CLIF-SOFA score and MDF, MELD, and GAHS scores (all P＜0.05); CLIF-SOFA score had a sensitivity of 79.0% and a specificity of 67.9% at the optimal cut-off value of 850 points in predicting 28-day mortality rate. Different underlying liver diseases (hazard ratio ［HR］=2.296, 95% CI: 1.356-3887, P=0.002) and hepatic encephalopathy (HR=1.911, 95% CI: 1.059-3.449, P=0.031) at disease onset were risk factors for 28-day prognosis. ConclusionPatients with severe AH with different underlying liver diseases have different clinical features and short-term prognoses. Different underlying liver diseases and hepatic encephalopathy at disease onset are closely associated with the 28-day prognosis of patients with severe AH. CLIF-SOFA score can predict the 28-day prognosis of patients with severe AH.

Objective To investigate the value of spleen stiffness measured by transient elastography (FibroScan,FS) for diagnosing esophageal-gastric varices in liver cirrhosis patients.Methods A total of 259 cirrhotic patients in Tianjin Third Central Hospital from Apr 2011 to Apr 2012,and 30 healthy controls were enrolled.All the patients and controls were evaluated for spleen and liver stiffness by FS and 201 cirrhotic patients also underwent gastroscopy for the diagnosis of esophageal-gastric varices.By using gastroscopy as the gold standard,the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves of three parameters including spleen stiffness,liver stiffness and platelet/thickness of spleen were delineated for different disease stage.The areas under curves (AUC) were used to evaluate the value of these parameters in the diagnosis of esophageal-gastric varices.Results The spleen and liver stiffness values in cirrhotic patients were (44.64 ± 22.27) kPa and (24.27 ±18.89) kPa,respectively,while those in healthy controls were (20.94± 14.78) kPa and (6.12±5.77) kPa,respectively,which were both lower than cirrhotic patients (P＜0.05).The stiffness values of liver and spleen both increased with higher Child-Pugh scores.And the liver stiffness values were different among groups (F=0.068,P =0.000),while the spleen stiffness values in patients with Child-Pugh A and B were different from that in patients with Child-Pugh C (P＜0.05).In patients with moderate or serious esophageal-gastric varices,the spleen and liver stiffness values were significantly higher.The ROC curve analysis showed that the AUC of spleen stiffness,liver stiffness and platelet/thickness of spleen in the patients with moderate to serious esophageal-gastric varices were 0.918,0.749 and 0.743,respectively.The corresponding optimal cut-off values were 50.7 kPa,20.1 kPa and 1.65.The AUC,sensitivity and specificity of spleen stiffness were all higher than liver stiffness and platelet/thickness of spleen.Conclusion Spleen stiffness measured by transient elastography is a valuable parameter for non-invasive diagnosis of esophageal-gastric varices in cirrhotic patients.

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the repairing methods of bulky tissue defect of forearm with flaps.

METHODSTwenty-one burned patients with wounds in the forearm were enrolled in this study. The injury causes were high-voltage electricity, hot press or crush injury. After local debridement, the forearm defects were repaired with pedicled complex flaps, latissimus dorsi musculocutaneous island flaps or large thoraco-abdominal flaps immediately.

RESULTSAll the flaps survived very well with satisfactory results except for 1 patient in whom local ischemic necrosis and sub-flap infection at the distal end of the flap occurred.

CONCLUSIONEarly debridement followed by skin flaps with pedicles or musculocutaneous flaps transfer could be simple, safe and reliable treatment strategies in the management of bulky tissue defects of the forearm due to burn, electric injury, or other devastating injuries.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Child ; Female ; Forearm Injuries ; surgery ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Pectoralis Muscles ; transplantation ; Skin Transplantation ; methods ; Surgical Flaps ; Time Factors ; Wound Healing