Coronary bypass graft disease and occlusion are common after coronary artery bypass grafting and increase with time. They are major determinants of clinical prognosis, specifically measured by reoperation rate and survival. Intraoperative graft atheroembolism was a major reoperation hazard. Reoperation is definitely worthwhile but entails identifiable risks that must be dealt with.

Dupuytren’s disease (DD) is a common progressive fibrotic condition affecting the palmar and digital fascia. Although its management is undertaken by hand surgeons, it is commonly seen by other doctors as an incidental finding. In many cases it is believed to be associated with other medical conditions, although the evidence for such associations is not always clear. This review considers the evidence behind these associations and discusses the aetiology of DD. By doing so, it is hoped that this review will permit a better understanding of the relevance of DD as a clinical sign.

Lipomas are extremely common benign soft tissue tumours that are usually subcutaneous and asymptomatic. Occasionally, lipomas can occur in deeper soft tissue planes and when adjacent to the neck of the radius they can cause compression of the posterior interosseous nerve. Five such cases are described. An anterior approach to excision of the lipoma is recommended.

We have reviewed a series of 14 angioleiomyomas of the hand. Unlike angioleiomyomas elsewhere, those occurring on the hand are less commonly painful, have an equal sex distribution and are not predominantly of the solid type as seen in the lower limb. We were unable to find a strong association between histological appearance and clinical presentation. We were able to demonstrate nerve fibres within angioleiomyomas, which have not been reported previously.

We report three cases of interdigital pilonidal sinus including a case of a woman with this condition. Previous reports that surgical excision is curative in all cases are not supported by our experience.

Six patients who developed de Quervain's disease during pregnancy or within 12 months of childbirth were treated surgically. Histopathological examination of the tendon sheaths using alcian blue stain showed that myxoid degeneration was responsible for the thickening observed in the sheath. Characteristic intramural deposits of mucopolysaccharides were present, predominantly in the subsynovial region. Acute or chronic inflammatory changes were not seen. These findings were the same as those described in patients with de Quervain's disease unrelated to pregnancy or childbirth.

Acute traumatic dislocation of the trapezio-metacarpal joint is not invariably associated with instability of the joint after reduction and the injury should not be considered simply as a "Bennett's fracture without a fracture".

We reviewed 22 patients who had undergone either carpal tunnel decompression or release of Dupuytren's contractures while anticoagulated with warfarin. All patients continued with their usual anticoagulant regime over the period of operation, provided that the international normalized ratio (INR) was 3 or less. There was no abnormal intraoperative or postoperative bleeding in any patient. Journal of Hand Surgery (British and European volume, 2004).