The “Jacobsen Flap” Technique: A Safe, Simple Surgical Procedure to Treat Dupuytren Disease of the Little Finger in Advanced Stage

The "Jacobsen flap" technique: a safe, simple surgical procedure to treat Dupuytren disease of the little finger in advanced stage. Tripoli M, Cordova A, Moschella F. Source Chirurgia Plastica e Ricostruttiva, Dipartimento di Discipline Chirurgiche ed Oncologiche, Università degli Studi di Palermo, Italy. matripoli@yahoo.it Abstract The surgery for advanced stages of Dupuytren disease of the little finger is controversial. In the literature, several techniques have been described with variable reported results and postoperative complications. Percutaneous needle fasciotomy, McCash technique, and dermofasciectomy are often performed for surgical treatment but they present significant complic…

The use of triamcinolone combined with surgery in major ear keloid treatment: a personal two stages approach

Background: Keloid is a fibroproliferative disorder characterized by an abnormal deposition of collagen within a wound. Despite an increased understanding of wound healing and collagen metabolism, the exact cause, the clinical behavior, and gold standard of treatment for keloids remain an enigma. There is no one right way of treatment, the results are variable, and the management of ear keloids can be difficult and frustrating both for patients and physicians. Traditional techniques include intralesional steroids, topical applications of silicone, vitamins, and segmental excision by lasers or surgery. The purposes of this article are to review the literature concerning the current therapies…

Malattia di Dupuytren

La malattia di Dupuytren ancora oggi rimane avvolta nel mistero: è incerta la paternità della sua prima descrizione, sebbene, e con molte polemiche, da centoottantuno anni è storicamente legata all’illustre chirurgo francese Guillaume Dupuytren. Un enigma per gli studiosi è anche la sua eziopatogenesi, in cui fattori ambientali, comportamentali, genetici, e biomolecolari, in parte ancora sconosciuti, interagiscono a più livelli, generando reazioni biochimiche a cascata che portano alla ben nota iperproliferazione dei fibroblasti e alla conseguente deposizione di collagene. Essa rappresenta inoltre una sfida per il chirurgo che deve districarsi tra tecniche operatorie differenti in relazione…

The “Jacobsen Flap” for the Treatment of Stages III–IV Dupuytren’s Disease: A Review of 98 Cases

The treatment of severe Dupuytren’s disease of the little finger is controversial: several techniques have been described with variable reported results and postoperative complications. This paper reviews 98 cases that underwent surgery between 2001 and 2006 using the Jacobsen flap procedure, a modification of the McCash technique. We found this technique relatively simple and it allowed significant correction of the contracture, with a low rate of complication. We believe this is an excellent alternative to dermofasciectomy or amputation.

Case report: absence of the right piriformis muscle in a woman

We report a very rare case of a unilaterally absent piriformis muscle in a 60 year old woman. Accompanying variations comprised a common gluteal artery (instead of two distinct superior and inferior gluteal arteries), and an absent gemellus inferior muscle. The contralateral left side showed a normally developed piriformis muscle. In hominoids, the piriformis is constant, but is regularly missing in several other vertebrates. The piriformis muscle is an anatomical landmark for ultrasound investigations and ultrasound-guided interventions in the deep gluteal region such as a superior gluteal nerve block or even a sacral plexus block, also for any surgical approach such as total hip arthropla…

"Free or Perforator-Pedicled Propeller Flaps in Lower Extremity Reconstruction: Defining the Coverage Failure": Response.

SARS-CoV-2 infection and venous thromboembolism after surgery: an international prospective cohort study

SARS-CoV-2 has been associated with an increased rate of venous thromboembolism in critically ill patients. Since surgical patients are already at higher risk of venous thromboembolism than general populations, this study aimed to determine if patients with peri-operative or prior SARS-CoV-2 were at further increased risk of venous thromboembolism. We conducted a planned sub-study and analysis from an international, multicentre, prospective cohort study of elective and emergency patients undergoing surgery during October 2020. Patients from all surgical specialties were included. The primary outcome measure was venous thromboembolism (pulmonary embolism or deep vein thrombosis) within 30 da…

The “Jacobsen Flap” for the Treatment of Stage III–IV Dupuytren’s Disease at Little Finger: Our Review of 123 Cases

For selective fasciectomy in patients with Dupuytren’s disease at Tubiana Stage I–II, midline longitudinal incisions with serial Z-plasties, Bruner zigzag incisions, and V-Y plasties over the palm and most severely affected fingers are accepted methods. Advantages of these approaches are good intraoperative visualization of the fibrous tissue, rapid dissection, minor tissue trauma, and usually the possibility of a tension-free wound closure (Brenner and Rayan 2003). In cases of Dupuytren’s disease at Stage III and IV, with severe digital flexion, inelastic overlying skin, and expected skin shortage after contracture release, these incisions may sometimes be useful, but in our experience, qu…

Update on the role of molecular factors and fibroblasts in the pathogenesis of Dupuytren’s disease

The mechanism by which the fibroblast is able to trigger palmar fibromatosis is still not yet fully understood. It would appear certain that the “abnormal” fibroblasts continuously synthesise profibrotic cytokines which are able to determine the activation to myofibroblasts, to stimulate them to the further proliferation and synthesis of other cytokines, to modify the cells’ differentiation and ultrastructural characteristics, as well as the production of matrix and other proteins. Several fibroblast growth factors have been suggested to be responsible of an abnormal cell activation with an aberrantly elevated collagen synthesis and extracellular deposition in Dupuytren’s disease, as TGF-Be…

Arts and Aesthetics of Male Chest

In the 2006 World Cup final, Italy were losing against France 1-0. In a moment of agitation, Zinedine Zidane, hero of the French national team, reacted to a verbal provocation from the Italian defender Materazzi by giving him a headbutt right in the chest. A furious gesture, the violation of the inviolable. The chest of man. The chest of the sportsman, the warrior, the hero; the chest of God. The point that symbolizes strength and protects the heart. Strength, beauty, and prowess have been concentrated at this point ever since ancient times.

A Rare Case of Giant Basal Cell Carcinoma of the Abdominal Wall: Excision and Immediate Reconstruction with a Pedicled Deep Inferior Epigastric Artery Perforator (DIEP) Flap

Patient: Female, 82 Final Diagnosis: Giant basal cell carcinoma Symptoms: Anemia Medication: — Clinical Procedure: — Specialty: Plastic Surgery Objective: Rare disease Background: Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) greater than 5 cm in diameter is called giant basal cell carcinoma (GBCC), or super giant basal cell carcinoma if it has a diameter larger than 20 cm. Giant BCC only accounts for 0.5% of BCCs and super giant BCC is exceedingly rare. On account of their rarity, there are no established guidelines for GBCC treatment. Case Report: We describe a peculiar case of an 82-year-old woman with a GBCC carcinoma of the lower abdominal wall. The tumor was surgically removed with ipsilateral inguinal …

A systematic review on external ear melanoma

Summary Background External ear melanoma accounts for only 1% of all cutaneous melanomas, and data on its optimal management and prognosis are limited. Aim We aim to review the literature on external ear melanoma to guide surgeons in the treatment of this uncommon and peculiar pathology. Materials and methods A systematic review of English language studies on ear melanoma published from 1993 to 2013 was performed using the PubMed electronic database. Data on epidemiology, oncological treatment (tumor resection and regional lymph nodes management), and reconstruction were extrapolated from selected papers. Results The total number of patients was 858 (30 studies). The helix was the most comm…

Dupuytren's contracture: an update of biomolecular aspects and therapeutic perspectives.

The so-called fibrogenic cytokines, able to induce the growth of fibroblasts and their differentiation into myofibroblasts and to stimulate their production of extracellular matrix, are involved in the genesis of Dupuytren’s contracture. Although many studies have been made of biomolecular aspects of palmar fibromatosis, practical applications from them are still far from imminent because of the real difficulty of blocking their action in vivo, even in a chronic, progressive lesion such as Dupuytren’s disease. Consequently, surgical excision of the palmar fascia still remains the treatment of choice.

Different Surgical Approaches to Treat Chronic Tophaceous Gout in the Hand: Our Experience

Chronic tophaceous gout is a disabling erosive arthritis characterized by an elevated serum urate concentration, recurrent attacks of arthritis, and deposits of monosodium urate crystals in synovial fluids. Tophi, ulcerations of the overlying skin, and fissures of the interarticular cartilage may occur in advanced stages, combined with deformities of the joints and decreased active joint flexion and extension. Although the timely use of allopurinol is associated with a decrease in the frequency of deposits of the tophaceous substance, however, surgical management is necessary to restore and improve the cosmesis and joint function, to alleviate symptomatic discomfort, and to reduce the risk …

Characteristics, Management Techniques, and Outcomes of the Most Common Soft-Tissue Hand Tumors: A Literature Review and Our Experience

INTRODUCTION Diagnosis of the hand's soft-tissue tumors is often difficult because of the different anatomic structures present in this region and yet clinicians must be able to distinguish typical benign entities from life-threatening or limb-threatening malignant diseases. MATERIALS AND METHODS At the Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at the University of Palermo, 629 patients with hand tumors were studied. Treatment was surgical for all of them; also radiotherapy and chemotherapy were necessary based on the histological diagnosis. CONCLUSIONS Our retrospective study with a literature review aims to present the most commonly observed soft-tissue hand lesions, analyzing thei…

Gynecomastia

Gynecomastia is a swelling of the male breast as a result of the growth of two components: The adipose and the glandular tissue, sometimes unilateral, but more often occurring in bilateral form. Several classification systems were proposed, based on the hypertrophy of the tissue and the position of the nipple-areola complex. The clinical examination and blood analysis play an important role in excluding endocrine tumors or hormone balance modification and in choosing the treatment. The management of gynecomastia considers the drug therapy in case of hormones disorder. But surgical procedures, such as the combined adenectomy/liposuction, represent the gold standard of treatment. Skin redunda…

Retrospective Analysis in Lower Limb Reconstruction: Propeller Perforator Flaps versus Free Flaps.

Background Technical advancements and increasing experience in the management of soft tissue defects in lower extremities have led to the evolution of decisional reconstructive algorithms. Both propeller perforator flaps (PPFs) and free flaps (FFs) proved to be useful methods of reconstruction for lower extremities defects, offering alternative reconstructive tools. We present a case series of PPFs and FFs for reconstruction of lower limbs defects, analyzing and comparing treatment and outcomes. Methods Through a retrospective analysis, we report our experience in performing PPFs or FFs for reconstruction of soft tissue defects of the lower extremities, in patients admitted between 2010 an…