Annals of plastic surgery
-
Annals of plastic surgery · Jan 2010
Management of chronic leg and knee pain following surgery or trauma related to saphenous nerve and knee neuromata.
Patients who present with lower extremity pain following surgery or trauma can occasionally have the saphenous nerve as the offending anatomic cause of their pain. Consistent with its anatomic course, the saphenous nerve can be the source of pain that manifests anywhere along its sensory distribution. Patients who presented to the Georgetown Peripheral Nerve Institute with lower extremity pain were evaluated, and those patients whose pain was suspected to be of saphenous nerve origin were offered surgical treatment. ⋯ The saphenous nerve can be a source of lower extremity and knee pain following trauma or surgery. Accurate clinical diagnosis followed by surgical intervention can result in clinical resolution in the majority of patients, with improvement in ambulation and quality of life. This study reports the largest series of surgically-corrected saphenous neuropathy in the literature.
-
Annals of plastic surgery · Jan 2010
A new composite hemiface/mandible/tongue transplantation model in rats.
Extensive head and neck deformities, including bone and soft tissue defects, are always challenging for reconstructive surgeons. The purpose of this study was to extend the application of the face/scalp transplantation model in rats by the incorporation of vascularized mandible, masseter and tongue (based on the same vascular pedicle), and to use this as a model to test new reconstructive options for extensive head and neck deformities with involving large soft and bone tissue defects. A total of 10 composite hemiface/mandible/tongue transplantations were performed in Lewis rats (RT1). ⋯ We have introduced a new composite hemiface/mandible/tongue transplant model. The main advantage of this model is the presence of vascularized bone marrow within the mandibular component, which may facilitate future studies on chimerism and tolerance induction. Although this mandible composite allograft is placed heterotopically to the recipient inguinal region, we believe that it may serve as a new reconstructive option for the coverage of combined bone and soft tissue defects within the head and neck region.