The results of this pilot study show that IPCFC improves walking distance in patients with stable intermittent claudication. A significant increase in ICD and ACD was seen at 4 and 6 months of treatment, respectively, and the improvement was sustained at 1 year. The combination of IPCFC with other treatment such as risk-factor modification and daily exercise may prove useful in patients with peripheral arterial occlusive disease. It may be a useful first line of therapy in patients with disabling claudication who are unfit for major reconstructive surgery. Improved walking on long-term follow-up and experience from different centers may establish a role for this treatment modality in the future.
A new technique is described that preserves trapezius muscle function in radical neck surgery while cutting that part of the spinal accessory nerve which courses through the sternocleidomastoid muscle. The technique takes advantage of the little-know fact that, in humans, the trapezius muscle has dual innervation. The C2-3-4 motor root is joined to the distal portion of the spinal accessory nerve to give motor function to the trapezius muscle. This procedure will save shoulder mobility in the majority of patients who undergo radical neck dissection. The technique is accomplished rapidly with the use of the gastrointestinal stapler in the scalene fat pad.
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