Thirty-eight patients with venous malformations of the face, neck, and tongue underwent percutaneous sclerotherapy with direct puncture and instillation of sodium tetradecyl sulphate (Sotradecol) (33-67% solution, mixed with contrast material) into the lesions. Each patient underwent from one to seven treatment sessions (mean 2.2), followed by reconstructive surgery in three cases. Of the 34 patients who responded to the follow-up questionnaire, the late results were excellent or good in 23 patients (68%), moderate in eight, unchanged in three, and were worse in one. Compared with our previous experience of embolisation of such malformations with ethanol, the results with Sotradecol were slightly worse. There was one serious complication, unilateral loss of vision in a patient with a large malformation that extended to the orbit. In conclusion, percutaneous sclerotherapy with Sotradecol is effective treatment for venous malformations of the head and neck. Careful planning is essential to reduce the risks of the treatment.
Based on the principle of skin vascularization through perforating branches along intermuscular septa, a new distally based fasciocutaneous flap from the sural region is presented. Its use in reconstruction of defects in the middle and lower third of the leg is demonstrated by the clinical application in our sample of 3 cases. The limits of the extent and the exact basis of its vascularity have to be determined by further investigations.
Vascular malformations are errors of vascular morphogenesis, and must be differentiated from vascular tumours such as haemangiomas, because the natural history and treatment are different. Vascular malformations may be arteriovenous with high blood flow, or venous with low blood flow. Venous vascular malformations grow among soft tissues and are difficult to delineate at operation. Direct puncture under fluoroscopy with injection of contrast medium is one method of visualising the cavities of a venous malformation. Instillation of concentrated alcohol directly into such cavities is a possible treatment. Forty-four patients with venous malformations of the head or neck have been treated since 1984, of whom 31 responded to a follow up questionnaire. Twenty-three responded to injection of ethanol alone, and eight also required reconstructive surgery; 26 of the 31 described the result as "good" or "excellent" (84%).
Twenty-one patients with revascularized/replanted amputated parts of the upper limb were studied for an evaluation of hand function. Two patients had been injured at the lower arm to wrist level, four between the wrist and MCP joint, three distal to the MCP joints in thumbs and/or fingers, and twelve in the thumb only. Hand function was measured as grip and pinch strength, range of movement (ROM), sensibility (two point discrimination), and Sollerman test score. Cold sensitivity as related to circulatory changes in the replanted limb was evaluated in six patients using the critical opening test (COP). Twelve of 17 initiated replantations (71%), and 11 of 12 revascularizations (92%), were successful. Hand function was restricted in patients with amputations at the lower arm to wrist level, fair in replanted midhands, good, but with wide variations after replantations at the MCP or distal II-V fingers, and best of all in replanted thumbs. Sensibility was poor in a majority of the patients. Three out of six of the patients who were COP-tested had significantly reduced blood pressure in the replanted part. The test results (grip, ROM, Sollerman score) in three patients with amputated thumbs were not found to differ greatly from those with replanted thumbs. These results raise the question of whether the Sollerman test underestimates the importance of the thumb or whether the thumb is overestimated in hand function.
Background/Aims: To evaluate the functional outcome of a reconstruction by a free vascularized jejunal transplant combined with a voice prosthesis after chemoradiotherapy and surgery for proximal oesophageal or hypopharyngeal cancer. Methods: Seven patients (6 men, mean age 52 years, range 28–70) with squamous cell cancer in the proximal oesophagus (n = 6) or the hypopharynx received preoperative chemoradiotherapy (40.8 Gy, cisplatinum and 5-FU) followed by a circumferential pharyngolaryngectomy and resection of the proximal oesophagus. A single-stage reconstruction was carried out with a free jejunal transplant using a microsurgical technique. A tracheojejunal puncture and insertion of a voice prosthesis (Provox I) was performed after 3 months in suitable cases. Results: All operations had a per- and postoperative uneventful course. Five patients were alive after a mean follow-up time of 5 years and 7 months after surgery (range 3 years 4 months to 7 years 10 months), while 2 patients died from metastases within 2 years after surgery. Postoperative examination showed histopathological down-staging in all cases. Relief of dysphagia was achieved in most cases. Good or average speech was recorded in 3 patients. Conclusion: Reconstruction after radical resection for proximal oesophageal and hypopharyngeal cancer can be carried out with low mortality, acceptable morbidity and a promising functional outcome.
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