Vascularization of engineered cartilage constructs in a mouse model.

Tissue engineering of cartilage tissue offers a promising method for reconstructing ear, nose, larynx and trachea defects. However, a lack of sufficient nutrient supply to cartilage constructs limits this procedure. Only a few animal models exist to vascularize the seeded scaffolds.

Customized tissue engineering for ear reconstruction.

Tissue engineering (TE) of cartilage for reconstructive surgery has proven to be a promising option for obtaining tissue for 3D structures that results in minimal donor site morbidity. Technological advances in this area are important since many defects can only be treated with customized implants. Most TE strategies rely on the use of resorbable 3D scaffolds to guide the growing tissue, with each tissue requiring a specific scaffold that has precisely defined properties depending on the physiological environment.

Results of esophagogastroduodenoscopy in patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma--value of endoscopic screening: 10-year experience.

Purpose: Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) represents more than 90% of oral malignancies. Risk factors such as smoking and alcohol abuse can result in additional diseases, particularly of the upper gastrointestinal tract. The aim of the present study was to assess the synchronous pathologic changes of the upper gastrointestinal tract using endoscopy at the diagnosis of OSCC using a retrospective cohort study design.

Comparison of effective use of implanted vascular pedicles for skin flap prefabrication: an experimental study.

Thin, large, well-vascularized, and axial-pattern flaps are often desired in the clinical practice of defect reconstruction to maximize esthetic and functional results. Flap prefabrication based on the neovascularization development following vascular pedicle implantation allows surgeons to create such flaps as required. Using different types of implanted vascular pedicles, the aim of the study was to identify the most effective and suitable types of pedicles for clinical use.

Management of facial necrotizing fasciitis.

Necrotizing fasciitis is a progressive, life-threatening, bacterial infection of the skin, the subcutaneous tissue and the underlying fascia, in most cases caused by ss-hemolytic group A streptococcus. Only early diagnosis and aggressive therapy including broad spectrum antibiotics and surgical intervention can avoid systemic toxicity with a high mortality rate. This uncommon disease generally occurs in the lower extremities and trunk, and only rarely affects the head and neck region.

Spontaneous bilateral necrosis of the tongue: a manifestation of giant cell arteritis?

Giant cell arteritis is a chronic vasculitis, which involves large- and medium-sized branches of the arteries originating from the aortic arch. This disease is a diagnostic challenge with a wide range of clinical symptoms and findings due to different affected vessels. Classic symptoms are temporally located headache, thickened temporal artery and jaw claudication.

Extrusion forces of resorbable tacks and titanium screws in laryngeal chondrosynthesis.

Laryngotracheal trauma, partial laryngectomy and phonosurgery may necessitate reconstruction of the cartilaginous skeleton to ensure the quality of respiration and voice. The present report focuses on initial experience gained with a new resorbable material for plates and tacks that allows chondrosynthesis of the laryngeal skeleton. A comparison of the extrusion forces necessary to pull out the resorbable tacks versus conventional titanium screws and the degree of deformation until failure represent the experimental parameters of reconstruction quality under investigation.

Clinical strategy in hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia.

Background: Hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia (HHT) is a recurrent bleeding tendency caused by vascular malformations and preferentially involving the mucous membrane of the nose. The rhinological management of epistaxis is a challenge in which the frequency of bleeding has to be reduced without damage to the nasal mucosa, despite the fact that therapy necessarily has to be repeated.

Methods: The clinical course in 30 patients with HHT was monitored prospectively.

Morphological changes of the posterior airway space after tongue base suspension.

Objectives/hypothesis: The objectives were 1) to demonstrate the efficacy of tongue base suspension with the Repose System in modifying the posterior airway space on the basis of morphological changes in the retrolingual space and 2) to determine the implications of this procedure for the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome on polysomnographic and psychometric data.

Study Design: A prospective, nonrandomized study.

Methods: Polysomnography was performed before as well as 3 and 12 months after surgery in patients undergoing tongue base suspension using the Repose System.

Flap prefabrication and prelamination with tissue-engineered cartilage.

In reconstructive surgery, the integration of tissue-engineered cartilage in a prefabricated free flap may make it possible to generate flaps combining a variety of tissue components, to meet the special requirements of particular defects. One aim of the present study was to investigate prefabrication of a microvascular free flap by implanting a vessel loop under a skin flap in a rabbit model. A second aim was to report on the authors' preliminary experiences in prelaminating prefabricated flaps with autologous tissue-engineered cartilage, in terms of matrix development, inflammatory reaction, and host-tissue interaction.

A comparison between anterior and posterior monitoring of neuromuscular blockade at the diaphragm: both sites can be used interchangeably.

Unlabelled: We present a novel site of monitoring neuromuscular blockade of the diaphragm at the patient's back. After the induction of anesthesia, 12 patients were orotracheally intubated. Two Ag/AgCl-electrodes were attached at the right seventh or eighth intercostal space between the midclavicular and anterior axillary line; two Ag/AgCl-electrodes were paravertebrally attached on the right side lateral to vertebrae T12-L1 or L1-2.