Aberrant branches of the radial digital nerve in the index and middle finger: Two case‐reports

This report describes two incidental findings of aberrant branches of the radial digital nerves in the middle finger of a 52‐year‐old man who cut himself with a grinding machine, and in the index finger of a 45‐year‐old female who sustained a flexor sheath infection following a dog bite. In both patients, two equally sized radial digital nerves were found and both nerves originated from one common digital nerve. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc. Microsurgery, 2010.     

The Use of Endoscopic Stent in Management of Leaks After Sleeve Gastrectomy

Gastric leak after sleeve gastrectomy can lead to significant morbidity and mortality. The aim of this study was to examine the safety and efficacy of endoscopic deployment of a covered esophageal stent in the management of leaks after sleeve gastrectomy. Three consecutive patients who underwent sleeve gastrectomy at outside institutions presented with leaks. All three patients underwent endoscopic placement of a covered stent. Additional procedures included laparoscopic or percutaneous drainage of abdominal collection(s). The patients were two women and one man, with a mean age of 34 years. One patient presented acutely at day 7 after the index operation and two patients presented late at 6 and 9 months, respectively. Two patients had proximal gastric leaks and one patient had a proximal gastric leak with a concomitant obstruction at the mid-aspect of the gastric sleeve. Endoscopic deployment of a covered stent was successful in all cases. There were no complications relating to the stent placement. The stent was removed at 6 weeks in two patients and at 4 months in one patient. The use of endoscopic stent was a safe and effective option in the management of leaks after sleeve gastrectomy.     

Unit cost of Mohs and Dermasurgery Unit

Background Appropriate pricing for medical services of not‐for‐profit hospital is necessary. The prices should be fair to the public and should be high enough to cover the operative costs of the organization. Objective The purpose of this study was to determine the cost and unit cost of medical services performed at the Mohs and Dermasurgery Unit (MDU), Department of Dermatology, The University of Texas – MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX from the healthcare provider’s perspective. Methods MDU costs were retrieved from the Financial Department for fiscal year 2006. The patients’ statistics were acquired from medical records for the same period. Unit cost calculation was based on the official method of hospital accounting. Results The overall unit cost for each patient visit was $673.99 United States dollar (USD). The detailed unit cost of nurse visit, new patient visit, follow‐up visit, consultation, Mohs and non‐Mohs procedure were, respectively, $368.27, $580.09, $477.82, $585.52, $1,086.12 and $858.23 USD. With respect to a Mohs visit, the unit cost per lesion and unit cost per stage were $867.89 and $242.30 USD respectively. Conclusions Results from this retrospective study provide information that may be used for pricing strategy and resource allocation by the administrative board of MDU.     

Cardiac index measurements by transcutaneous Doppler ultrasound and transthoracic echocardiography in adult and pediatric emergency patients

Introduction  

Non-invasive hemodynamic monitoring may facilitate resuscitation in critically ill patients. Validation studies examining a transcutaneous Doppler ultrasound technology, USCOM-1A, using pulmonary artery catheter as the reference standard showed varying results. In this study, we compared non-invasive cardiac index (CI) measurements by USCOM-1A with transthoracic echocardiography (TTE).     

Response to strict and liberalized specific carbohydrate diet in pediatric Crohn’s disease

AIM: To investigate the specific carbohydrate diet(SCD) as nutritional therapy for maintenance of remission in pediatric Crohn's disease(CD). METHODS: Retrospective chart review was conducted in 11 pediatric patients with CD who initiated the SCD as therapy at time of diagnosis or flare. Two groups defined as SCD simple(diet alone, antibiotics or 5-ASA) or SCD with immunomodulators(corticosteroids and/or stable thiopurine dosing) were followed for one year and compared on disease characteristics, laboratory values and anthropometrics.RESULTS: The mean age at start of the SCD was 11.8 ± 3.0 years(range 6.6-17.6 years) with five patients starting the SCD within 5 wk of diagnosis. Three patients maintained a strict SCD diet for the study period and the mean time for liberalization was 7.7 ± 4.0 mo(range 1-12) for the remaining patients. In both groups, hematocrit, albumin and ESR values improved while on strict SCD and appeared stable after liberalization(P-value 0.006, 0.002, 0.002 respectively). The majority of children gained in weight and height percentile while on strict SCD, with small loss in weight percentile documented with liberalization. CONCLUSION: Disease control may be attainable with the SCD in pediatric CD. Further studies are needed to assess adherence, impact on mucosal healing and growth.     

Annular lesions of cutaneous sarcoidosis with granulomatous vasculitis

Sarcoidosis is known to be involved in diseases with vasculitis as sarcoid vasculitis. However, vasculitis in cutaneous sarcoidal lesions is extremely rare. Here we describe a case of sarcoidosis with multiple annular skin lesions with granulomatous vasculitis. A 62‐year‐old female was diagnosed with sarcoidosis by chest‐abdominal computed tomographic examination and laboratory tests. The skin lesions had appeared on her lower limbs 2 years before. Physical examination showed multiple infiltrated annular eruptions on the lower extremities. A skin biopsy of an area of erythema showed multiple non‐caseating epithelioid cell granulomas in the dermis and subcutaneous fat and granulomatous vasculitis with fibrinoid degeneration in the subcutaneous fat. There are two types of vasculitis in sarcoidosis: leukocytoclastic and granulomatous vasculitis. Ulcers and livedo were more common in granulomatous vasculitis than in leukocytoclastic vasculitis. The present case had unique annular skin lesions of sarcoidosis with granulomatous vasculitis.