Carotid Aneurysm Disease Review.

Carotid artery aneurysms are a rare pathology, accounting for less than 1% of all arterial aneurysms and 0.4 to 4% of all peripheral arterial aneurysms. Owing to their exceedingly rare nature, management guidelines remain far from being standardized; however, aneurysm morphology, etiology, size, location, and patient characteristics are critical factors dictating the most appropriate management approach.

The Clinical Utility of Powdered and Flowable Matrices in Wound Repair and Tissue Regeneration.

Cellular and matrix-like products come in many forms. Among them, powdered and micronized formulations have become increasingly available and popular owing to their unique properties and advantages. Powders have increased tissue contact which many believe can enhance granulation tissue formation, they fill irregular and deep cavities, and they can be used in concert with sheet-like products and skin grafts for improved healing.

Arterial Leg Ulcers in the Octogenarian.

Arterial leg ulcers are a debilitating sequela of chronic ischemia, and their management, particularly in the octogenarian, is an immense challenge. ALUs are frequently a manifestation of end-stage peripheral arterial disease, and their presence portends a high morbidity and mortality. Management primarily relies on restoration of flow, but in the geriatric population, interventions may carry undue risk and pathologies may not be amenable.

Autologous Blood-Derived Products (ABDPs) for the Treatment of Chronic Wounds.

Autologous blood-derived therapies have emerged as a unique and promising treatment option for chronic wounds. From whole blood clots to spun-down clot constituents, these therapies are highly versatile and tend to have a lower cost profile, allow for point-of-service preparation, and inherently carry minimal to no risk of rejection or allergic reaction when compared to many alternative cellular and matrix-like products. Subsequently, a diversity of processing systems, devices, and kits have surfaced on the market for preparing autologous blood-derived products (ABDPs) and many have demonstrated preclinical and clinical efficacy in facilitating chronic wound healing.

The Shift to Synthetics: A Review of Novel Synthetic Matrices for Wound Closure.

Since the late 1990s, a growing number of "skin substitutes" have become available to practitioners seeking to heal large surface wounds. These extracellular matrices were originally from xenograft sources, and then from very highly engineered living human cellular tissues. More recently, they consist of biosynthetic materials that are combinations of silicone, collagen and chondroitin.