Surgical treatment of superimposed, lower extremity, peripheral nerve entrapments with diabetic and idiopathic neuropathy.

Background: Although it is recognized that people with peripheral neuropathy have an increased prevalence of chronic nerve entrapment, controversy still exists over their management. The present report details the evaluation, surgical approach, and outcome of a large cohort of people with diabetic and with idiopathic neuropathy.

Methods: A retrospective review of 158 consecutive patients, 96 with diabetic and 62 with idiopathic neuropathy, was done to analyze the results of neurolysis of multiple sites of chronic nerve compression in the lower extremity.

A positive Tinel sign as predictor of pain relief or sensory recovery after decompression of chronic tibial nerve compression in patients with diabetic neuropathy.

Predictive ability of a positive Tinel sign over the tibial nerve in the tarsal was evaluated as a prognostic sign in determining sensory outcomes after distal tibial neurolysis in diabetics with chronic nerve compression at this location. Outcomes were evaluated with a visual analog score (VAS) for pain and measurements of the cutaneous pressure threshold/two-point discrimination. A multicenter prospective study enrolled 628 patients who had a positive Tinel sign.

Prevention of ulceration, amputation, and reduction of hospitalization: outcomes of a prospective multicenter trial of tibial neurolysis in patients with diabetic neuropathy.

This is the first multicenter prospective study of outcomes of tibial neurolysis in diabetics with neuropathy and chronic compression of the tibial nerve in the tarsal tunnels. A total of 38 surgeons enrolled 628 patients using the same technique for diagnosis of compression, neurolysis of four medial ankle tunnels, and objective outcomes: ulceration, amputation, and hospitalization for foot infection. Contralateral limb tibial neurolysis occurred in 211 patients for a total of 839 operated limbs.

Salvage of sensation in a hallux-to-thumb transfer by nerve tube reconstruction.

We report a patient in whom, at 3 years after successful reconstruction of a right avulsed thumb with a microvascular hallux transfer, the insensate transfer had sensibility restored. The radial sensory and both volar digital nerves of the thumb were reconstructed using 2.3-mm-diameter bioabsorbable neural conduits.

Denervation of the painful temporomandibular joint.

The successful management of temporomandibular joint (TMJ) pain remains elusive. Often the initial relief of pain is complicated by recurrence of the symptoms. This time frame suggests that the pain may be related to neuromas of the nerves that innervate the TMJ.

Prognostic ability of a good outcome to carpal tunnel release for decompression surgery in the lower extremity.

For years, patients who were treated successfully with carpal tunnel release were told there was nothing that could be done about their lower extremity symptoms. Now that lower extremity nerve decompression has been accepted as an option to treat appropriate patients, the authors looked for correlations between a successful outcome with carpal tunnel syndrome and its predictive value of success for lower extremity nerve decompression. Data from a recent study demonstrate that a good result from upper extremity peripheral nerve surgery predicts the outcome for lower extremity peripheral nerve surgery in 88% of patients, and is, therefore, information valuable for prognosis and clinical decision-making.

Surgical treatment of peripheral neuropathy: outcomes from 100 consecutive decompressions.

Since 1992 it has been reported that patients with diabetes mellitus recover sensibility and obtain relief of pain from neuropathy symptoms by decompression of lower-extremity peripheral nerves. None of these reports included a series with more than 36 diabetic patients with lower-extremity nerves decompressed, and only recently has a single report appeared of the results of this approach in patients with nondiabetic neuropathy. No previous report has described a change in balance related to restoration of sensibility.

Accurate nomenclature for forefoot nerve entrapment: a historical perspective.

Current medical nomenclature is often based on the early history of the condition, when the true etiology of the disease or condition was not known. Sadly, this incorrect terminology can become inextricably woven into the lexicon of mainstream medicine. More important, when this is the case, the terminology itself can become integrated into current clinical decision making and ultimately into surgical intervention for the condition.

Painful foot neuromas after toe-to-thumb transfer.

Reconstruction of the thumb by transfer of a toe has evolved technically to the point that this complex procedure can result in a mobile, sensate, and aesthetically pleasing digit that contributes to an almost-normally functioning hand. Donor site deformity is well recognized, primarily as it relates to the appearance of the foot after transfer of the hallux to the thumb position and stiffness of the remaining portions of the big toe. The present report describes donor site disability related to painful neuromas of the superficial and deep peroneal nerves and the common plantar digital nerve to the first webspace.

Fibromyalgia and Tinel's sign in the foot.

In the physical examination of the patient suspected of having tarsal tunnel syndrome, the podiatric physician relies on Tinel's sign: tapping the posterior tibial nerve in the tarsal tunnel should produce a distally radiating sensation if the nerve is pathologically compressed at this location. The American College of Rheumatology recognizes fibromyalgia as a condition characterized by multiple "tender points" on physical examination. This report compares the locations of the 18 critical diagnostic fibromyalgia points with known sites of anatomical entrapment of peripheral nerves in the lower extremity.

Development and validation of a prediction model for strokes after coronary artery bypass grafting.

Background: A prospective study of patients undergoing coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG) was conducted to identify patient and disease factors related to the development of a perioperative stroke. A preoperative risk prediction model was developed and validated based on regionally collected data.

Methods: We performed a regional observational study of 33,062 consecutive patients undergoing isolated CABG surgery in northern New England between 1992 and 2001.

Free omental tissue transfer for extremity coverage and revascularization.

Microvascular transfer of the omentum has several unique advantages for the reconstruction and revascularization of extremity wounds. The omentum provides well-vascularized, malleable tissue for reconstruction of extensive soft-tissue defects and has a long vascular pedicle (35 to 40 cm) with sizable vessels, which reduces some of the potential technical challenges of microsurgery. It can also be used for flow-through revascularization of ischemic distal extremities.

Increased incidence of proximal aortic atherosclerotic disease in patients with internal carotid occlusion.

Background: Atherosclerotic involvement of the proximal aorta is a major cause of embolic operative stroke in cardiac surgery. Its incidence is less well known in patients with severe carotid disease.

Methods: We reviewed the incidence of proximal atherosclerotic aortic disease in patients with internal carotid occlusion (group 1) and then compared it to a group of patients with normal carotids undergoing cardiac surgery (group 2).

Brachial gradient in cardiac surgical patients.

Background: Review of the clinical and therapeutic implications of difference in arm blood pressure detected preoperatively in patients having heart surgery.

Methods And Results: Prospective study of 53 patients (Group 1) with gradient and comparison with a group of 175 patients without gradient (Group 2). All patients had preoperative carotid duplex interrogation and operative epiaortic scanning.