Annals of plastic surgery
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Annals of plastic surgery · Dec 1995
The effects of lipo-prostaglandin E1 on axial pattern flaps in rabbits.
The effects of lipo-prostaglandin E1 (lipo-PGE1), lipid microspheres containing PGE1, on axial pattern flaps were examined using 12 x 20 cm axial pattern flaps based on the right superficial inferior epigastric vessels on the abdomens of rabbits. The surviving area of the skin flap in the lipo-PGE1 group (0.197 +/- 14.1 cm2; n = 10) was significantly increased (p < 0.02) compared with the saline control group (110.4 +/- 5.5 cm2; n = 10). Changes in pedicle blood flow after lipo-PGE1 administration were determined using an ultrasonic pulsed Doppler flowmeter (n = 5). ⋯ Blood flow in the skin flap surface was improved 5 to 15 minutes after lipo-PGE1 administration, and it was maintained for as long as 60 minutes. Venous occlusion of the skin flap was also improved (n = 3). In conclusion, lipo-PGE1 increased the blood flow in the axial pattern flaps, resulting in significant enlargement of the surviving skin flap area.
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Annals of plastic surgery · Dec 1995
Meralgia paresthetica: etiology, diagnosis, and outcome of surgical decompression.
Entrapment of the lateral femoral cutaneous (LFC) nerve as a source of anterolateral thigh dysesthesias has been recognized for 100 years. Despite this historic recognition, its diagnosis today is often delayed, and definitive treatment of refractory cases by surgical decompression rarely reported. This study describes 26 LFC entrapments in 23 patients whose etiologies include iliac crest bone graft harvesting, seat belt injury associated with motor vehicle accident, and diabetes. Twenty-two of the 23 patients (25 of the 26 entrapments) achieved good to excellent outcomes following surgical decompression of the LFC nerve.