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Background. Cognitive impairment is common among patients with cirrhosis and may persist post-transplantation. This systematic review seeks to (1) describe the prevalence of cognitive impairment in liver transplant (LT) recipients with a history of cirrhosis, (2) describe risk factors for this population, and (3) describe associations between post-transplant cognitive impairment and quality outcome measures. Methods. Studies in PubMed, Embase, Scopus, PsychINFO, and the Cochrane Database of Controlled Trials were included through May 2022. Inclusion criteria included (1) population – LT recipient, age ≥18 y, (2) exposure – history of cirrhosis before transplant, and (3) outcome – cognitive impairment after transplant (per validated cognitive testing). Exclusion criteria included (1) wrong study type, (2) abstract-only publication, (3) full-text unavailable, (4) wrong population, (5) wrong exposure, and (6) wrong outcome. The risk of bias was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale and the Appraisal tool for Cross-Sectional Studies. The Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluations system was used to assess evidence certainty. Data from individual tests were categorized into six cognitive domains: attention, executive function, working memory, long-term memory, visuospatial, and language. Results. Twenty-four studies were included covering 847 patients. Follow-up ranged from 1 mo to 1.8 y after LT. Studies had a median of 30 (interquartile range 21.5–50.5) patients. The prevalence of cognitive impairment after LT ranged from 0% to 36%. Forty-three unique cognitive tests were used, the most common being the Psychometric Hepatic Encephalopathy Score. The most frequently assessed cognitive domains were attention (10 studies) and executive function (10 studies). Conclusions. The prevalence of cognitive impairment after LT varied across studies depending on cognitive tests utilized and follow-up duration. Attention and executive function were most impacted. Generalizability is limited due to small sample size and heterogeneous methodology. Further studies are needed to examine differences in the prevalence of post-LT cognitive impairment by etiology, risk factors, and ideal cognitive measures.

Background: Preoperative frailty has been associated with adverse postoperative outcomes. Additionally, low testosterone has been associated with physical frailty and cognitive decline. However, the impact of simultaneous frailty and low testosterone on surgical outcomes is understudied. Methods: Preoperative frailty status and testosterone levels were obtained in patients undergoing a diverse range of surgical procedures. Preoperative frailty was evaluated independently and in combination with testosterone through the creation of composite risk groups. Relationships between preoperative frailty and composite risk groups with overall survival were determined using Kaplan–Meier and logistic regression analyses. Bivariate analysis was used to determine the associations between frailty and testosterone status on postoperative complications, length of hospital stay, and readmission rates. Results: Median age of the cohort was 63 years, and the median follow-up time was 105 weeks. Thirty-one patients (23%) were frail, and 36 (27%) had low free testosterone. Bivariate analysis demonstrated a statistically significant relationship between preoperative frailty and overall survival (P = .044). In multivariate analysis, coexisting frailty and low free testosterone were significantly associated with decreased overall survival (hazard ratio 4.93, 95% confidence interval, 1.68–14.46, P = .004). Conclusion: We observed preoperative frailty, both independently and in combination with low free testosterone levels, to be significantly associated with decreased overall survival across various surgical procedures. Personalizing the surgical risk assessment through the incorporation of preoperative frailty and testosterone status may serve to improve the prognostication of patients undergoing major surgery.

Arteriovenous fistulas are known to be one of the most enduring and safe hemodialysis access modalities. However, access preservation can be challenging in the setting of degeneration, including the development of complex pseudoaneurysms. Prolonged compression or thrombin injection can risk thrombosis of the fistula, and covered stent use can predispose the access to infection and other stent complications. We present a case in which endovascular balloon occlusion was used to facilitate the use of ultrasound-guided thrombin injection to resolve a dialysis access pseudoaneurysm by transiently reducing flow and preventing thromboembolism. This method is a safe, effective, and minimally invasive technique that should be considered for salvage of autogenous access compromised by pseudoaneurysm development.

Background:. Diplopia is a common symptom after blowout fractures, with an incidence of 43.6%–83%. Although there is some consensus toward surgical correction, diplopia is not always resolved by surgery. Thus, there is a clinical dilemma for surgeons with regard to performing surgery at a specific time. This review aimed to create an algorithm to support accurate and effective decision-making. Methods:. We reviewed articles published on PubMed during 2013–2020 regarding orbital fractures. Articles discussing surgical treatment for blowout fractures and diplopia were included. Five reviews, six prospective cohort studies, and 33 retrospective studies were identified. After reviewing and summarizing these articles, a step-by-step algorithm was created. Results:. Most authors advise immediate surgery when a patient presents with either a positive oculocardiac reflex or a “trapdoor” fracture. Early surgical correction is recommended in children to prevent profound muscle damage. In other scenarios, most authors recommend performing surgery within 2 weeks. The algorithm begins with the aspect of motility, including muscle entrapment assessed by computed tomography or limited movement of the extraocular muscle. When there is no abnormality in motility, the algorithm continues to the aspect of position. Generally, an orbital floor defect of more than 50% or 2 cm2 or an enophthalmos of more than 2 mm is indicated for surgery. However, diplopia may also gradually resolve after improvement of periorbital edema or swelling. Conclusion:. We proposed a step-by-step approach to help surgeons make effective decisions concerning surgical correction for patients suffering from blowout fractures with diplopia at different time points.

Background:. The use of biologic mesh to reinforce the abdominal wall in ventral hernia repair has been proposed as a viable alternative to synthetic mesh, particularly for high-risk patients and in contaminated settings. However, a comparison of clinical outcomes between the currently available biologic mesh types has yet to be performed. Methods:. We performed a retrospective analysis of 141 patients who had undergone ventral hernia repair with biologic mesh, including noncross-linked porcine ADM (NC-PADM) (n = 51), cross-linked porcine ADM (C-PADM) (n = 17), reinforced biologic ovine rumen (RBOR) (n = 36), and bovine ADM (BADM) (n = 37) at the Stanford University Medical Center between 2002 and 2020. Postoperative donor site complications and rates of hernia recurrence were compared between patients with different biologic mesh types. Results:. Abdominal complications occurred in 47.1% of patients with NC-PADM, 52.9% of patients with C-PADM, 16.7% of patients with RBOR, and 43.2% of patients with BADM (P = 0.015). Relative risk for overall complications was higher in patients who had received NC-PADM (RR = 2.64, P = 0.0182), C-PADM (RR = 3.19, P = 0.0127), and BADM (RR = 2.11, P = 0.0773) compared with those who had received RBOR. Furthermore, relative risk for hernia recurrence was also higher in all other mesh types compared with RBOR. Conclusion:. Our data indicate that RBOR decreases abdominal complications and recurrence rates after ventral hernia repair compared with NC-PADM, C-PADM, and BADM.

Purpose: The availability of an objective outcome measure for facial reconstructive surgery remains elusive. Evaluations submitted by external raters or by patient self-report are subjective, and may unreliably convey how one is perceived by others. We are interested in observers’ instantaneous responses to the human face. The goal of modern facelift and associated procedures for facial rejuvenation are to achieved subtle differences that lead to the perception of youth and attractiveness, yet the observer cannot pinpoint what exactly have been done to the patient’s face. We explored the visual markers that lead to differential perception of patients before and after facial rejuvenation surgery (high SMAS facelift, neck lift, fat grafting, brow lifts and blepharoplasty). Methods: 40 images were obtained which portrayed pre and post operative photos of patients who underwent high SMAS facelift, fat grafting, and browlifts and blepharoplasty for facial rejuvenation. Photographs were obtained before and after surgical correction (>3 months postop). 40 observers examined the images while an infrared eye-tracking camera recorded their eye movements. The observers were then asked to rate the image for character attributes (attractiveness, trustworthiness, sociability, healthy, and capability, 1-7 scale, and also estimate the age of the patient). Results: (i) The surgical intervention was found to decrease observers’ attention to the cervical region, but did not change how other areas are perceived significantly.(ii) The surgical intervention was found to significantly increase the character ratings for all five attributes compared to pre op controls: (sociable 3.53 to 4.18, trustworthy 3.85 to 4.20, attractive 3.34 to 3.3.90, health 4.07 to 4.61, capable 3.91 to 4.43.(iii) Average age estimate of the photos decreased significantly from 54 years (SD 6) to 48.6 years (SD 5.2), with true average age of 57.4 (7.6). Conclusion: We provide data illustrating a novel and objective technique to evaluate the effect of reconstructive intervention for facial rejuvenation. Consistent with the goals of subtle facial rejuvenation, the observers did not detect any particular areas of difference post operatively, but gain a more favorable impression of the person, and also perceived them as younger by a decade compared to their true age.

Purpose: Examining the outcomes and progression of face transplants has expanded to include the recent advancements in artificial intelligence. This novel methodology has allowed for the objective exploration of emotional expression. To our knowledge, this examined emotional expression has yet to be correlated to the hypothesized functioning of the allograft. We have combined the result of the AI software with a software analyzing smile excursion; demonstrating the progression of the allograft in our face transplant patient. This study helps illuminate the software possibilities for objective measures in transplant progression. Methods: Images were analyzed from our face transplant patient post-operatively at approximately 6-month intervals for four years. The still images for each time interval include both a neutral facial expression and a full-face smile with teeth. The images were taken from video clips of the patient and then analyzed using the FACEgram software (Hadlock & Urban, 2012). The measurements of the smile excursion were standardized based off of the pupil diameter and excursion was measured relative to the neutral expression of each time period. The emotional expression data was acquired using FaceReader AI software from Noldus Information Technology (Wageningen, The Netherlands). The emotional analysis was done on 2 second clips from clinical videos of the patient, the same videos used for the still images. This data was correlated with the smile excursion measurements. Results: The post-operative smile excursion analysis from 6 to 49 months demonstrated a near double in smile excursion from 3.58mm to 6.04mm. The smile excursion data has a squared correlation of 0.705; a strong upward linear trend of excursion. From 6 to 35 months, the happy emotion increased gradually from 0% to 15.8% (49-month data unavailable). Performed correlative analysis showed a positive correlation coefficient of 0.63. This moderate to strong correlation demonstrates the intuitive relationship of happy emotion and lip excursion during full face smiling. The findings also substantiate the AI software’s detection of increasing activity in the lip corner puller action unit from zero to 3/5 intensity over the same period. Conclusion: This study demonstrates the correlation of smile excursion to happy emotional expression in our face transplant patient. The correlation square of the lip excursion shows a trend of increased functioning of the allograft over time; substantiating the AI’s finding. This data provides evidence for the use of artificial intelligence as a measure of transplant strength progression. The conjoined analysis of patient images and videos has supported proof for the ability to analyze transplant healing progression and efficacy in an objective form. Hadlock, T. A., & Urban, L. S. (2012). Toward a Universal, Automated Facial Measurement Tool in Facial Reanimation. Archives of Facial Plastic Surgery,14(4). doi:10.1001/archfacial.2012.111

Background:. The experience of application of robotic surgery platform in the management of breast cancer was limited. The preliminary experience and results of robotic nipple-sparing mastectomy (R-NSM) and immediate breast reconstruction (IBR) with Gel implant was reported. Methods:. The medical records of patients who underwent R-NSM and IBR with Gel implant for breast cancer during the period March 2017 to October 2017 were collected from single institution. Data on clinicopathologic characteristics, type of surgery, method of breast reconstruction, complications, and recurrence were analyzed to determine the effectiveness and oncologic safety of R-NSM. Patients’ oriented cosmetic outcome report was also obtained. Results:. A total of 15 patients was analyzed, and the mean age of them was 46.5 ± 10.0 years. The pathologic stage was 30.8% ductal carcinoma in situ, 30.8% stage I, 30.8% stage II, and 7.7% stage III. The mean operation time was 282.8 ± 70.4 minutes, and mean hospital stay was 6.7 ± 1.2 days. The positive surgical margin rate was 0%. One patient suffered from delayed axillary wound healing. Two patients (13.3%) with transit nipple ischemia change, but no total nipple areolar complex necrosis case was observed. No local recurrence, distant metastasis, or case mortality was found during mean 6.3 ± 2.1 months follow-up. All 15 patients were satisfied with the postoperative aesthetic outcome. Conclusion:. From our preliminary experience, R-NSM and IBR with Gel implant is a safe procedure, with good cosmetic results, and could be a promising new technique for breast cancer patients indicated for mastectomy.