Multi-disciplinary treatment of broncho-esophageal fistula in a high-risk single-lung patient.

Background: A broncho-esophageal fistula (BEF) is a medical and surgical disaster. Treatment of BEF is often limited to palliative stent treatment that may migrate or cause erosions and tissue necrosis. Surgical repair of BEF is the only established definite treatment.

Strength of side-to-side and step-cut repairs in tendon transfers: biomechanical testing of porcine flexor tendons.

The aim of the study was to compare side-to-side with step-cut repairs to determine how much of the width it is possible to remove and still keep the repair strong enough to start active mobilization. Porcine flexor tendons were used to create side-to-side, one-third step-cut and half step-cut repairs. There were 15 repairs in each group.

Strength of Pulvertaft modifications: tensile testing of porcine flexor tendons.

The aim of the study was to present two new modifications of the Pulvertaft weave, allowing a higher number of weaves without the need for a longer overlap. The mechanical properties were measured and compared with the traditional technique. Forty-five pairs of porcine flexor tendons were randomized to a Pulvertaft repair with three weaves, a Double Pulvertaft and Locking Pulvertaft repairs.

Osteogenically-induced human dermal fibroblasts as a tool to regenerate bone.

Engineering of bone tissue could help to overcome the need for extensive reconstruction and associated donor site morbidity, and it has been proposed that osteogenic biomaterials, which are scaffolds that contain osteocompetent cells, could be used to fill large bone defects. This study investigated the potential of osteogenically-induced human dermal fibroblasts cultured on gelatin microcarriers combined with platelet-rich plasma in a model of a femoral defect in athymic rats. Defects were transplanted with one of the following six combinations: 1 = sodium chloride, 2 = platelet-rich plasma, 3 = microcarriers + platelet-rich plasma, 4 = human dermal fibroblasts on microcarriers + platelet-rich plasma, 5 = human osteoblasts on microcarriers + platelet-rich plasma, and 6 = osteogenically induced human dermal fibroblasts on microcarriers + platelet-rich plasma.