Search

Background: Subdermal implantable contraceptives are highly effective, approved in over 60 countries, and used by millions of women. Due to simple insertion and removal protocols, these procedures are often performed in the outpatient clinic setting, and procedural complications are rare. However, given the location of the implant in the medial antebrachial interval, there is a risk of neurovascular injury, especially with malpositioned or deeply placed implants. Methods: We present a case of proximal median nerve injury leading to severe neuropathy after attempted removal of a subdermal implantable contraceptive requiring neurolysis and tendon transfers. Results: At 6 months post surgery, the patient regained flexion of the index interphalangeal joints and protective sensation in the thumb and index fingers. Conclusions: Subdermal implant retrieval can lead to nerve injury, despite the relative simplicity of the procedure. If difficulty is encountered, imaging or open retrieval should be considered. Improvement in function can be gained through operative interventions including neurolysis and tendon transfers in the setting of severe neuropathy.

Background: The radiographic and clinical outcomes following vascularized bone grafting (VBG) for scaphoid nonunion have previously been reported in the literature; however, few studies report on patient-derived outcomes. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of VBG for scaphoid nonunion on patient-derived outcomes. Methods: The MEDLINE and PubMed databases were queried for the use of VBG in scaphoid nonunion. We included studies that reported on patient-derived outcomes. We excluded studies with less than 10 patients or less than 6 months of follow-up. The primary outcomes assessed included functionality, percent and time to return to preinjury activity, postoperative pain, and patient satisfaction. Results: Twenty-six articles described the outcomes of 520 patients with an average of 19.3 patients per study. Functionality was most commonly assessed by the Mayo Modified Wrist Score and Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand scores, which improved by 53.1% and 81.7% postoperatively, respectively. Within 16 weeks, 90.3% of patients returned to their previous occupation or sporting activity. Pain was most commonly reported using a 0 to 10 visual analog scale and improved 4-fold postoperatively. Complete satisfaction was reported by 92% of patients. The most common complications were superficial infections (1.56%), neuropathic pain (1.56%), and complex regional pain syndrome (1.25%). Conclusions: VBG for scaphoid nonunion results in the improvement of patient-derived outcomes, and high rates of return to preinjury activity levels and patient satisfaction. Multiple metrics of patient-derived outcomes were utilized by the studies in our review without a clear consensus as to which metric is most responsive and accurate., Competing Interests: Declaration of Conflicting Interests: The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Background: With progressive lunate collapse, salvage procedures in advanced Kienbock disease attempt to provide pain relief and maintain motion. Scaphocapitate arthrodesis may provide a durable option with comparable outcomes to proximal row carpectomy in the well-selected patient., Methods: We performed a retrospective chart review of all consecutive patients with Lichtman stage IIIA or IIIB Kienbock's disease who underwent either scaphocapitate or scaphotrapeziotrapezoid-capitate arthrodesis from January 2004 to December 2013., Results: Twelve patients were included with a mean age of 41.6 years. Ten patients underwent scaphocapitate arthrodesis, while two patients underwent scaphotrapezio-trapezoid-capitate arthrodesis with an average clinical follow-up of 13.1 months. All patients achieved fusion. The average postoperative flexion-extension arc was 53° (range 20-110°). The average ulnar deviation was 9° (range 5-15°), and the average radial deviation was 13° (range 5-25°). Postoperative pain scores were significantly improved, having changed from an average of 6.6 preoperatively to 2.8 on a 10-point scale (W = 18, P < 0.05)., Conclusions: Despite a mean flexion-extension arc that is reduced from that of a normal individual, the postoperative range of motion following a midcarpal arthrodesis was not significantly different than that reported in a recent systematic review of proximal row carpectomy (73.5° compared with 53°, respectively) (P = 0.05). Additionally, given the significant postoperative reduction in associated pain symptoms at the time of follow-up, scaphocapitate arthrodesis should be considered as a treatment option for wrist salvage in the patient with advanced Kienbock's disease.

The transtibial amputation is a common operation for which there is little agreement regarding which technique provides the most reliable and resilient outcomes. We performed a retrospective chart review of all transtibial amputations performed by a single surgeon between 2004 and 2011 using the posterior myocutaneous flap with triceps surae myodesis technique. A stepwise logistic regression analysis was performed to evaluate the association between independent variables and dependent outcome variables. A total of 270 patients with 294 transtibial amputations were identified. Ambulation data were available for 192 patients with a mean follow-up 18.4 months. This cohort had an overall ambulation rate of 75%, a 12% incidence of stump wounds, 24% operative revision rate and only 2% required conversion to a transfemoral amputation. The posterior myocutaneous flap provides durable and reliable soft tissue coverage in the setting of a transtibial amputation.