Staged Fontan procedure for mitral atresia associated with severe tricuspid regurgitation, pulmonary hypertension, and pulmonary artery distortion

Optimal initial palliation and a subsequent staged approach is mandatory for high-risk Fontan candidates. We describe the case of mitral atresia with severe tricuspid regurgitation and pulmonary hypertension successfully managed by repeated palliation from the neonatal period and 2-stage Fontan surgery. A 1-month-old boy diagnosed with mitral atresia and double-outlet right ventricle underwent pulmonary artery banding at 1 month of age, followed by repeated pulmonary artery banding accompanied by tricuspid annuloplasty and atrial septal defect enlargement at 6 months. Because of the presence of pulmonary artery distortion, right ventricular dysfunction, and borderline pulmonary vascular resistance, a hemi-Fontan procedure was conducted with extended pulmonary artery plasty when the boy was 3 years and 8 months old. Cardiac catheterization done 3 months after showed improvement in risk factors, and the final Fontan operation (total cavopulmonary connection) was successfully done in conjunction with repeated tricuspid annuloplasty when the boy was 4 years and 5 months old. The patient remains in excellent clinical condition at the last follow-up 5 years after the final Fontan procedure with sinus rhythm and good ventricular function.     

Fusion and failure following anterior cervical plating with dynamic or rigid plates: 6-months results of a multi-centric, prospective, randomized, controlled study

Anterior cervical plate fixation is an approved surgical technique for cervical spine stabilization in the presence of anterior cervical instability. Rigid plate design with screws rigidly locked to the plate is widely used and is thought to provide a better fixation for the treated spinal segment than a dynamic design in which the screws may slide when the graft is settling. Recent biomechanical studies showed that dynamic anterior plates provide a better graft loading possibly leading to accelerated spinal fusion with a lower incidence of implant complications. This, however, was investigated in vitro and does not necessarily mean to be the case in vivo, as well. Thus, the two major aspects of this study were to compare the speed of bone fusion and the rate of implant complications using either rigid- or dynamic plates. The study design is prospective, randomized, controlled, and multi-centric, having been approved by respective ethic committees of all participating sites. One hundred and thirty-two patients were included in this study and randomly assigned to one of the two groups, both undergoing routine level-1- or level-2 anterior cervical discectomy with autograft fusion receiving either a dynamic plate with screws being locked in ap - position (ABC, Aesculap, Germany), or a rigid plate (CSLP, Synthes, Switzerland). Segmental mobility and implant complications were compared after 3- and 6 months, respectively. All measurements were performed by an independent radiologist. Mobility results after 6 months were available for 77 patients (43 ABC/34 CSLP). Mean segmental mobility for the ABC group was 1.7 mm at the time of discharge, 1.4 mm after 3 months, and 0.8 mm after 6 months. For the CSLP- group the measurements were 1.0, 1.8, and 1.7 mm, respectively. The differences of mean segmental mobility were statistically significant between both groups after 6 months (P = 0.02). Four patients of the CSLP-group demonstrated surgical hardware complications, whereas no implant complications were observed within the ABC-group (P = 0.0375). Dynamic plate designs provided a faster fusion of the cervical spine compared with rigid plate designs after prior spinal surgery. Moreover, the rate of implant complications was lower within the group of patients receiving a dynamic plate. These interim results refer to a follow-up period of 6 months after prior spinal surgery. Further investigations will be performed 2 years postoperatively.     

Anterior lumbar instrumentation improves correction of severe lumbar Lenke C curves in double major idiopathic scoliosis

Fifteen skeletally immature patients with double major adolescent idiopathic scoliosis with large lumbar curves and notable L4 and L5 coronal plane obliquity were retrospectively studied. Seven patients who underwent anterior release and fusion of the lumbar curve with segmental anterior instrumentation and subsequent posterior instrumentation ending at L3 were compared with eight patients treated with anterior release and fusion without anterior instrumentation followed by posterior instrumentation to L3 or L4. At 4.5 years follow-up (range 2.5-7 years), curve correction, coronal balance and fusion rate were not statistically different between the two groups; however, the group with anterior instrumentation had improved coronal plane, near normalangulation in the distal unfused segment compared with the group without anterior instrumentation. In cases involving severe lumbar curvatures in the context of double major scoliosis, when as a first stage anterior release is chosen, the addition of instrumentation appears to restore normal coronal alignment of the distal unfused lumbar segment, and may in certain cases save a level compared with traditional fusions to L4.     

HLA-B27相关的前葡萄膜炎眼后节并发症的临床特点

目的探讨HLA—B27阳性的前葡萄膜炎眼后节并发症的临床特点及治疗。方法2002年1月至2005年10月就诊的前葡萄膜炎患者采用流式细胞术进行外周HLA-B27的检测，筛选出71-例82眼HLA-B27阳性前葡萄膜炎患者，分为两组：实验组为眼后节受累的患者24例31眼，对照组为眼后节未受累的患者47例51眼。另有HLA—B27阴性前葡萄膜炎患者74例116眼作参考。所有患者均进行裂隙灯、眼底镜等常规眼科查体，部分行眼底荧光血管造影。分析了HLA—B27相关的前葡萄膜炎眼后节并发症的临床特点。采用x^2检验及t检验进行统计学分析。结果71例82眼HLA—B27阳性前葡萄膜炎中有24例31眼占37．8％出现眼后节并发症者，包括：黄斑囊样水肿12例15眼占48．4％，视乳头水肿7例8眼占25．8％，而玻璃体炎最多见为21例27眼占87．1％，8例10眼占32．3％患者存在两种或两种以上的眼后节表现。74例116眼HLA—B27阴性者有8例12眼占10．3％有眼后节表现。实验组中发生前房成型纤维素渗出31眼中18眼占58．06％和积脓31眼中9眼占29．03％明显高于对照组（前房纤维素渗出51眼中3眼，5．88％，X^2=27．56，P〈0．01；前房积脓51眼中1眼，1．96％，X^2=13．20，P〈0．01）；实验组中伴发相关全身性疾病24例中有16例占66．67％的几率高于对照组（47例中有17例，31．66％，X^2=5．94，P〈0．05）。出现眼后节并发症的患者经全身及局部应用糖皮质激素治疗，31眼中有11眼最佳矫正视力≥1．0。结论HLA-B27阳性前葡萄膜炎易出现眼后节并发症，HLA—B27相关的前葡萄膜炎眼后节受累的患者发生相关全身性疾病和前房纤维素渗出与积脓的几率较高。     

Plain radiographic findings in anterior cruciate ligament injury and repair

Although magnetic resonance imaging is the most accurate imaging method of evaluating the anterior cruciate ligament, several plain radiographic signs suggestive of anterior cruciate ligament injury have been described. Plain radiographs also play an important role in evaluating anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction.     

Successful management of laryngotracheosophageal cleft through an anterior approach

Laryngotracheoesophageal cleft is an uncommon disease that is difficult to diagnose and treat. Repair of the cleft depends on length and localization of the defect as well as the associated anomalies. A successful repair of a type II cleft is reported in this paper. An anterior split of the larynx and trachea was used and provided excellent exposure and safe repair without injury to the neurovascular structures. This is the best approach and should be used to correct all type II defects.     

Transient outward current (I A) in clonal anterior pituitary cells: blockade by aminopyridine analogs

Summary Whole cell voltage-clamp recordings from GH₃ cells, a clonal cell line derived from a rat anterior pituitary tumor, demonstrated a rapidly activating and inactivating (transient) voltage-dependent outward current. This current, referred to as I _A, was elicited by step depolarization from holding potentials negative to –50 mV, showed strong outward rectification at potentials positive to –30 mV, and exhibited steady state inactivation with V _1/2 near –64 mV. The current rose to a peak within < 10–20 ms following depolarization and decayed in two exponential phases, I _Af and IA _AS with time constants of 30–50 and 500–700 ms, respectively. Both I _A components exhibited similar voltage dependencies for activation and inactivation. Aminopyridines (2 mol/l – –5 mmol/l) produced a dose dependent, reversible blockade of I _A (70% inhibition at 0.5 to 2 mmol/l) with the following rank order of potencies: 4-aminopyridine > 3,4-diaminopyridine = 3-aminopyridine > 2-aminopyridine. These drugs reduced the peak conductance of I _A, and produced complex effects on its time-dependent decay. With submaximal degrees of block, there was an increase in the inactivation rate, suggesting that open channels are preferentially blocked by the drugs. It is concluded that GH₃ pituitary cells possess an aminopyridine-sensitive transient outward current comparable to the A-current in neural cells. However, this cell line is unusual in that it expresses both rapidly and slowly decaying A-current components.Abbreviations n-AP n-aminopyridine - 3,4-DAP 3,4-diaminopyridine - TEA tetraethylammonium - EGTA ethylene glycol bis(-aminoethyl ether)N,N-tetraacetic acid - HEPES 4-(2-hydroxyethyl)-1-piperazineethanesulfonic acid Send offprint requests to M. A. Rogawski at the above address     

骨桥栓桩与界面螺钉固定前交叉韧带重建移植物胫骨端的临床价值对比

对比骨桥栓桩与界面螺钉在膝关节前交叉韧带断裂重建术中的临床价值。方法 回顾性分析2019年7月—2020年12月我院700例在关节镜下行前交叉韧带重建手术的患者,股骨隧道均以横穿钉固定。按移植物胫骨端固定方式分为骨桥栓桩组（380例）及界面螺钉组（320例）。对比两组手术时间、切口长度、住院时间及费用;比较两组术后3个月、12个月胫骨隧道大小、膝关节功能Lyshlom评分及术后12个月关节松弛度。结果 两组患者手术时间、胫骨端切口长度、住院时间比较差异均无统计学意义（P＞0.05）,但骨桥栓桩组手术费用显著低于界面螺钉组（P＜0.05）。术后3个月、12个月两组患者胫骨隧道大小、膝关节功能Lyshlom评分及关节松弛度比较差异均无统计学意义（P＞0.05）,但随着时间的延长,两组患者隧道均有不同程度的扩大（P＜0.05）。结论 对于行关节镜下前交叉韧带重建术的患者,采用骨桥栓桩胫骨端固定方式可取得与界面螺钉固定相当的临床效果,但骨桥栓桩固定更具医疗经济优势,是一种可广泛推广的胫骨端固定方法     

Ligament tissue engineering: an evolutionary materials science approach

The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is important for knee stabilization. Unfortunately, it is also the most commonly injured intra-articular ligament. Due to poor vascularization, the ACL has inferior healing capability and is usually replaced after significant damage has occurred. Currently available replacements have a host of limitations, this has prompted the search for tissue-engineered solutions for ACL repair. Presently investigated scaffolds range from twisted fiber architectures composed of silk fibers to complex three-dimensional braided structures composed of poly (l-lactic acid) fibers. The purpose of these tissue-engineered constructs is to apply approaches such as the use of porous scaffolds, use of cells, and the application of growth factors to promote ligament tissue regeneration while providing mechanical properties similar to natural ligament.