Transtalar retrograde drilling of medial osteochondral lesions of the talar dome

Osteochondral lesions of the medial talar dome can cause prolonged ankle disability. Chronic symptomatic lesionshave traditionally been debrided with transarticular approaches using arthrotomy, malleolar osteotomy, or arthroscopy. All of these techniques require removal of cartilage to access the underlying bone. The use of arthroscopy combined with percutaneous retrograde transtalar drilling through the sinus tarsi allows healing of the bone lesion and sparing of intact articular cartilage. Short-term results have shown high patient satisfaction.     

Coexisting left diaphragmatic hernia and esophageal atresia

Coexisting left diaphragmatic hernia (DH) and esophageal atresia, a rare phenomenon, is described in two newborns, one with tracheoesophageal fistula (TEF) and the other without. The coexistence of DH and TEF in the one resulted in uncontrolled gastrointestinal distention with severe respiratory distress. Transabdominal division of the TEF was feasible and was performed concurrently with the diaphragmatic repair. Severe hypoplastic lungs and persistent pulmonary hypertension resulted in early postoperative death in both cases. Offprint requests to: R. Udassin     

The new 4DDome prosthesis: an original light and partially absorbable composite mesh for hernia repair

Introduction The use of non-absorbable meshes for the repair of inguinal hernias has become standard; however, these meshes have been associated with complications including long-term postoperative pain. To this end, a new partially absorbable composite mesh has been developed, and the aim of this study was to investigate its efficacy in animal and human trials. Materials and methods Sixty male Wistar rats were used to evaluate the behavior of the newly designed composite mesh. Composite meshes were implanted in the extra-peritoneal plane for 2, 4 and 8 weeks and compared to a standard polypropylene mesh. Forty patients with symptomatic inguinal hernias were treated using a new 4DDome designed prosthesis. Follow-up was by clinical and ultrasound examination at 1, 6 and 12 months. Results The animal study demonstrated that the inflammatory reaction associated with the new composite mesh was significantly lower than a standard polypropylene mesh, characterized by a lower macrophage infiltrate (P < 0.001). The mesh did not shrink over the 8-week period, unlike the polypropylene mesh (P < 0.05). The human study showed that there were three minor postoperative complications, no recurrences and the mesh was well tolerated. Follow-up with serial ultrasound showed that at 10 days and 1 month the dome was clearly visible in position; however, by 6 months it had flattened out, been partially absorbed and become incorporated into the repair. Conclusion These experimental and clinical studies have validated the concept of the new 4DDome composite mesh. It was well tolerated and was associated with good short-term results. The combination of the dome shape and the new composite mesh means that less polypropylene is required and represents a significant advance in anterior hernia repair.     

The creation and repair of diaphragmatic hernia in fetal lambs: morphology of the type II alveolar cell

A model for creating and repairing diaphragmatic hernia in fetal lambs has been developed. Morphometric studies of the type II alveolar cells were carried out in three groups of term lambs. The upper lobes only were sampled. Morphometric analysis of the 30 type II cells from each lobe showed that while there were no differences between the left upper lobe (LUL) and right upper lobe (RUL) cells in normal lambs, there were significant differences between sides in the experimental groups. In lambs with a nonrepaired diaphragmatic hernia (DH) the type II cells were significantly smaller in the LUL compared with the RUL. In lambs with a repaired DH, the LUL type II cells were significantly larger than those in the RUL. There were some trends when the groups were compared, but in general they did not reach statistical significance. These findings suggest that local factors profoundly influence the development of these cells.     

The whole truth: comparative analysis of diaphragmatic hernia repair using 4-ply vs 8-ply small intestinal submucosa in a growing animal model

Background

Diaphragmatic reconstruction remains a challenging problem. There is limited information concerning the use of small intestinal submucosa (SIS) in congenital diaphragmatic hernia repair. A canine model was used to evaluate the use of a SIS patch in diaphragmatic reconstruction.

Methods

Eleven beagle puppies (1.6-4.2 kg, 8 weeks old) underwent left subcostal laparotomy, central left hemidiaphragm excision (2 × 7 cm, 50% loss), and reconstruction with a 4-ply group I (n = 5) or 8-ply group II (n = 6) SIS patch. Chest radiographs were taken at time of operation and 3 and 6 months postoperatively. Animals were killed at 6 months. Adhesion formation (both pleural and abdominal), gross visual evaluation of the patch, and histology were compared.

Results

In group I (4-ply), 1 animal died at 3 months from patch deterioration accompanied by stomach herniation that resulted in respiratory failure. In the 4 remaining animals, chest radiographs showed no evidence of herniation or eventration. On physical examination, there was no evidence of chest wall deformity. During gross surgical examination, the 4-ply patches showed thinning, multiple defects, and liver herniation in 3 animals. In 1 pup, the patch was thickened, intact, well incorporated at the repair site, and adherent to the liver and spleen. In group II (8-ply), 1 animal died of cardiopulmonary failure in the early postoperative period. In the other 5 animals, chest radiographs showed evidence of eventration in 1. On gross examination the patch adhered to the liver in all 5 surviving animals. In 4, the patches were thickened, viable, but had some shrinkage. One patch pulled away from the native diaphragm laterally; however, no visceral herniation was present. In the 1 animal with eventration, there was no evidence of a patch. Adhesion scores (AS) were graded and determined by the sum of extent (0-4), type (0-4), and tenacity (0-3). Average abdominal AS in group I was 5.6 ± 0.8 vs 10.2 ± 0.2 (P = .079) for group II. Average lung AS was 0.6 ± 0.6 in group I vs 3.8 ± 1.1 (P = .0476) for group II. Histological examination showed group II patches had greater collagen deposition with central calcification and mild inflammation within the residual graft, whereas group I patches were much thinner and were composed of granulation tissue without evidence of residual graft.

Conclusions

These data indicate that 8-ply SIS repair of diaphragmatic defects was superior (80%; 4/5 to 4-ply, 20%; 1/5, success). Organ adherence appears to be necessary for neovascularization of the SIS composite. Eight-ply grafts appear to be more durable and persist for a longer period, which may improve neovascularization. Long-term follow-up to evaluate remodeling characteristics of the patch material is required.     

A neonatal case of thoracoabdominal duplication associated with right congenital diaphragmatic hernia, absent inferior vena cava, and congenital portoazygous shunt: etiopathogenesis and surgical management

We report on a neonatal case of thoracoabdominal duplication associated with a split notochord syndrome and multiple anomalies. A newborn girl had severe dyspnea and was transferred to our neonatal care unit. At laparotomy, the entire small bowel was herniated into the posterior mediastinum through a defect in the right hemidiaphragm. The small bowel mesentery was firmly fixed to the mediastinum such that a large part of the small bowel could not be repositioned into the abdominal cavity. Imaging studies revealed an absent inferior vena cava with an azygous continuation. The superior mesenteric vein joined the splenic vein to form a portoazygous shunt that ran caudally through the mediastinum and drained into the azygous vein. The patient's intrahepatic portal vein was completely absent. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first reported case of a thoracoabdominal duplication associated with a portoazygous shunt. The etiopathogenesis and surgical management of this complicated case are discussed.     

Creation and repair of diaphragmatic hernia in the fetal lamb: techniques and survival

Diaphragmatic hernias were created in 54 fetal lambs at 72 to 82 days gestation via a left thoracotomy. The diaphragmatic hernia was repaired in 30 lambs at 106 to 123 days gestation, and 14 of these lambs subsequently aborted. The majority of those surviving to term were delivered for survival. Four lambs with an unrepaired diaphragmatic hernia were intensively resuscitated at delivery and their diaphragmatic hernias repaired; survival in these lambs ranged from 20 minutes to 89 hours. Nine lambs with repaired diaphragmatic hernia were resuscitated following delivery; survival times ranged from one hour, 45 minutes to 123 days, with three lambs surviving to be sacrificed at 43, 62, and 123 days. Three of the lambs that died before sacrifice, died of causes unrelated to their lung function. These results show that in-utero repair of the diaphragmatic hernia in the fetal lamb results in improved survival. We feel, however, that direct application of these results in humans would be premature.     

汉防己甲素对先天性膈疝大鼠模型胎仔肺发育不良的影响及意义

目的 探讨产前应用汉防己甲素(TET)对先天性膈疝(CDH)大鼠模型胎仔肺内表面活性蛋白B(SP-B)和增殖细胞核抗原(PCNA)的影响及意义.方法 10只成年雌性SD大鼠配种后,于孕9.5 d随机分为3组:对照组(2只)、膈疝组(4只)和治疗组(4只),膈疝组和治疗组一次性灌胃给予除草醚125 mg/只(溶于2.5ml橄榄油中),对照组灌胃给予等量橄榄油.配种后18.5 d时,治疗组给予30 mg/kg汉防己甲素灌胃(1次/d,连续3 d),膈疝组和对照组给予等量生理盐水.孕21 d对孕鼠行剖宫产,观察胎鼠膈疝形成情况,取出肺组织行HE染色并行图像分析,采用免疫组化染色法检测胎肺内SP-B和PCNA的表达情况.结果膈疝组和治疗组共有48只胎鼠形成膈疝,其致畸率为64.9%,二组之间致畸率差别无统计学意义(P>0.05).膈疝组胎鼠存在肺发育不良,产前给予TET干预,肺组织在形态上有明显改善,外形接近于对照组.正常肺组织中,SP-B在肺泡上皮细胞及远端支气管上皮细胞的胞浆内表达,在膈疝组中未见SP-B表达.治疗组中可见SP-B表达,但低于对照组(P<0.01).PCNA阳性细胞率在对照组与膈疝组的差异无统计学意义(P>0.05),但在治疗组中其表达显著较前二组为低,差异有统计学意义(P<0.01).结论 产前应用TET可诱导CDH胎鼠肺的成熟,促进肺内SP-B表达升高;同时,产前给予TET干预的CDH胎鼠,其肺内PCNA阳性细胞率明显降低,提示TET诱导CDH胎肺的成熟并不是依靠促进细胞增殖来完成的.