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This article presents 6 cases of recurrent sacro-coccygeal tumor with analysis of the causes of recurrence, operational technique for second-time operation and concomitant treatment. It is suggested that combined abdominal and sacro-coccygeal approaches be used to excise maximal mass of the tumor, surrounding affected tissues be curetted out and the space be filled up with adriamycin-bone-cement to destroy remaining tumor cells and to strengthen the stability of pelvis. Besides, the patients should be subject to supersegregation radiotherapy in order to minimize the possibility of recurrence.

The effect of exogenous nerve growth factor (NGF) examined on the neural repair of adult rabbit sciatic nerve was evaluated in the present study. A nerve regeneration chamber was created by suturing the proximal and distal ends of a transected sciatic nerve into a silicone chamber. A gap of 6 mm in chamber was left after removal of a 3 mm piece of nerve in the distal ends and insertion of the proximal and distal stumps into the chamber. Animals were operated on bilaterally, one side of the chamber was filled with a 1 mg/ml NGF/normal saline (NS) (experimental) and the contralateral side with NS (control). The regenerated nerves from within the silicone chamber were dissected and fixed 1 to 5 weeks following surgery for histological studies at both the light microscopic and ultrastructural levels. The NGF chamber showed a more mature regenerated nerve based on a larger diameter of the regenerated nerve trunk, a great number of axons, and thicker myelin sheaths.

7 cases of 11 peripheral nerve defects (5 median nerves, 5 ulnar nerves, and 1 radial nerve) were repaired through artery-including silicone tubing. The nerves have gaps within 3 cm in 9, and 3 to 5 cm in 2. Repairing the defect's location, 4 of them were below the axilla; 1 at the upper 1/3 part of the forearm and 6 at the lower part of the forearm. The duration of injuries was from 4 to 7 months, except one case lasting over a year. Six patients with 9 nerves involved had adequate follow-up of 6 to 9 months. One patient with 2 nerves was lost to follow-up. The results were excellent in 5 nerves (M4S3), good in 2 (M3S3), and poor in 2 (M1S1).

Since 1979, the authors have performed five types of microsurgical flap (including myocutaneous flap) graft to treat 40 patients with disorders of leg and foot. In the treatment of inflammatory diseases, good results were obtained owing to the following important points: 1) the operation was performed with inflammation well controlled or localized, particularly in chronic osteomyelitis; 2) indication for each type of microsurgical flap was made carefully; 3) isolation of flap was carried out gently, bleedings were thoroughly stopped by ligation.

The present paper reported 15 cases, in which skin and fascia forearm island flap with posterior interosseous artery pedicle was applied. It was found that this flap has the advantages of stable vessels, abundance in blood supply and good circulation, without sacrificing the main arteries of the forearm. As a result, it is an ideal method for repair and reconstruction of the hand and forearm.

In our experiments, a "tendon bridge" or a "tendon tunnel" was used as a conduit to repair the defect of a peripheral nerve in rabbits. A gap of about 1 cm was made on the deep peroneal nerve in each animal. In group 1, the tendon of anterior tibial muscle was isolated near the severed nerve, and a segment of half cross section of tendon was removed in ladder-shaped reversed fashion. The proximal and distal nerve stump were sutured respectively to the tendon by 11/0 atraumatic sutures under surgical microscope. In group 2, the nerve stumps were sutured to the tendon of anterior tibial muscle without cutting the tendon, but the tendon was dissected free and turned to form a tunnel wrapping the gap in between the nerve stumps. The results showed that a gap of 1 cm of the deep peroneal nerve might be repaired by both methods, but the results of using "tendon tunnel" in group 2 were much better than those of using "tendon bridge" in group 1.