Gelatin-Collagen Nonwoven Scaffold Provides an Alternative to Suprathel for Treatment of Superficial Skin Defects.

Objective: To evaluate the effect of a new biologic gelatin-collagen nonwoven scaffold compared with a more common synthetic wound dressing on the healing of superficial wounds.

Methods: Three superficial wounds with a depth of 0.5 mm and a length of 2.

Expression patterns and functional evaluation of RGMa during the early phase of peripheral nerve regeneration using the mouse median nerve model.

Background: In this study, we evaluate the role of RGMa (Repulsive Guidance Molecule a) during peripheral nerve regeneration using the mouse median nerve model.

Methods: By real-time PCR and Western Blot analysis, we examined expression changes of RGMa mRNA and RGMa protein in neural tissue after transection and microsurgical repair of the mouse median nerve distal to the transection site. We evaluated histomorphometrical changes in neural tissue distal to the injury site and functional recovery of the grasping force after median nerve transection and repair in wild-type mice and RGMa+/- heterozygous mice.

Treatment of Scaphoid Nonunion: Radiologic Outcome of 286 Patients in 10 Years.

We analyzed the radiologic outcome of different treatment options for scaphoid nonunion. The results were compared with literature, and a treatment algorithm was proposed. On the basis of a retrospective case-control study, 286 patients suffering from scaphoid nonunion were treated over a 10-year period.

[SL fusion - no alternative for the treatment of chronic scapholunate dissociation].

Indroduction: The treatment of chronic scapholunate dissociation (SLD) is currently uneven and still presents a major challenge. Both, the primary ligament suture and frequently applied ligament reconstruction techniques cannot provide a permanent stable connection between the scaphoid and lunate. For this reason, the present study evaluates the value of a bony compound as a treatment option for the treatment of chronic SLD.

Outcome of Body-Contouring Procedures After Massive Weight Loss.

Background: With the increased popularity of bariatric surgery, the demand for body-contouring procedures is growing. Associated with these procedures are a number of complications due to different risk factors and patients' characteristics. The aim of this study was to assess the outcome of body-contouring procedures and correlate it to possible risk factors.

[Preservation of the outer ear in a complex burn injury].

Saving the outer ear in burn injuries is a challenging task for the treating surgeon that should not be underestimated. Burns which are initially evaluated as superficial, particularly in this region, often have a tendency to undergo progressive tissue destruction whereby conservative treatment is often no longer sufficient to preserve the skin of the auricle with the underlying cartilage. Various possibilities for saving the ear and for ear reconstruction are described, but in the case of severely burned patients it is often necessary to carry out a quick and relatively simple treatment.

A Quantitative Analysis of Microcirculation in Skin Defects Covered with Topical Wound Dressings or a Newly Developed Collagen Matrix.

Objective: Innovative skin substitutes and temporary wound dressings are frequently used in the treatment of superficial and partial-thickness wounds. The aim of this study was to compare 2 commonly used temporary skin dressings with a newly developed collagen matrix to determine changes in microcirculation as measured by blood flow, hemoglobin oxygenation, and relative hemoglobin values during healing of partial-thickness skin defects.

Methods: This animal study involved 28 adult male Lewis rats.

Results of a prospective clinical study on the diagnostic performance of standard magnetic resonance imaging in comparison to a combination of 3T MRI and additional CT imaging in Kienböck's disease.

Purpose: This prospective clinical study examined standard wrist magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examinations and the incremental value of computed tomography (CT) in the diagnosis of Kienböck's disease (KD) with regard to reliability and precision in the different diagnostic steps during diagnostic work-up.

Materials And Methods: Sixty-four consecutive patients referred between January 2009 and January 2014 with positive initial suspicion of KD according to external standard wrist MRI were prospectively included (step one). Institutional review board approval was obtained.

Skin Perfusion Changes within 12 h after Axillary Plexus Block.

Background/purpose: An improvement of the blood flow would be beneficial in microvascular upper-extremity reconstruction and in digit replantation. In the present work, skin perfusion changes and their duration due to axillary plexus block were quantified.

Methods: The peripheral blood flow of the upper extremities in 20 patients undergoing trapeziectomy under axillary plexus block was analyzed.

Quantification of the vasodilatory effect of axillary plexus block. A prospective controlled study.

Background: Axillary plexus block is a common method for regional anesthesia, especially in hand and wrist surgery. Local anesthetics (e.g.

Do prophylactic antibiotics in gynecologic surgery prevent postoperative inflammatory complications? A systematic review.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to systematically review the literature on antibiotic prophylaxis in gynaecologic surgeries to prevent inflammatory complications after gynaecological operations. The study was carried out as a systematic review.

Methods: Only randomised controlled trials of women undergoing gynaecological surgery were included.

Growth Differentiation Factor 5 Accelerates Wound Closure and Improves Skin Quality During Repair of Full-Thickness Skin Defects.

Background: A fast and stable wound closure is important, especially for extended and unstable wounds found after burn injuries. Growth can regulate a variety of cellular processes, including those involved in wound healing. Growth differentiation factor 5 (GDF-5) can accelerate fibroblast cell migration, cell proliferation, and collagen synthesis, which are essential for wound healing.

The Effect of Polyhexanide, Octenidine Dihydrochloride, and Tea Tree Oil as Topical Antiseptic Agents on In Vivo Microcirculation of the Human Skin: A Noninvasive Quantitative Analysis.

Background: Antiseptics are indispensable for wound management and should focus not only on the efficacy in reducing the bacterial burden but also on how much they interfere in wound healing. In this study, the authors analyzed the direct effect of topical antiseptic agents on the microcirculation of intact human skin.

Methods: The perfusion dynamics were assessed before, and 10 minutes after, the volunteers' fingers of the right hand (n = 20) were immersed in the following solutions - octenidine dihydrochloride, polyhexanide, tea tree oil, and saline solution.

Determining the appropriate number and duration of leech therapy in congested tissues using tissue spectrophotometry and laser Doppler flowmetry.

A universal protocol determining the number of leeches and their application time does not exist. The aim of this study, therefore, is to quantify perfusion dynamics in venous congested tissues after leech application to get more detailed information about changes due to leech-induced skin microcirculation and to evaluate the usability of the Oxygen to See (O2C) device in terms of determining the appropriate number of leeches and the duration of therapy. Twelve patients with the need for leech therapy participated in the study.

Biomechanical Skin Property Evaluation for Wounds Treated With Synthetic and Biosynthetic Wound Dressings and a Newly Developed Collagen Matrix During Healing of Superficial Skin Defects in a Rat Models.

Introduction: There is a high prevalence of superficial wounds such as partial-thickness burns. Treatment of these wounds frequently includes temporary application of wound dressings. The aim of this study was to compare a newly developed collagen matrix with commonly used temporary skin dressings for treatment of partial-thickness skin defects.

Refinement of Tissue-Engineering Chamber Implantation in the Rat.

Purpose: Rodent in vivo models that successfully generate new adipose, muscle, or vascular tissue in a tissue-engineering chamber (TEC) has advanced in the last decade. In this article, technical refinements in these operative foreign body implantations have been described to improve the execution of animal models in a way so that they can reduce wastage of time and resources.

Materials & Methods: Male Sprague-Dawley rats were studied and randomly divided into two equal sized groups.

Evaluation of bone remodeling in regard to the age of scaphoid non-unions.

Aim: To analyse bone remodeling in regard to the age of scaphoid non-unions (SNU) with immunohistochemistry.

Methods: Thirty-six patients with symptomatic SNU underwent surgery with resection of the pseudarthrosis. The resected material was evaluated histologically after staining with hematoxylin-eosin (HE), tartrate resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP), CD 68, osteocalcin (OC) and osteopontin (OP).

The PAVE (peeling-assisted volume-enhancing) lift: A retrospective 6-year clinical analysis of a combined approach for facial rejuvenation.

The peeling-assisted volume-enhancing (PAVE) lift is a single-stage approach that combines superficial musculoaponeurotic system (SMAS) plication techniques with fat grafting and different peeling agents. To evaluate the safety of this approach, we analyzed the records of 159 patients who underwent surgery between 2008 and 2014. The percentage of complications observed was not higher than values reported in the literature for each treatment entity: surgical facelift: n=3 haematomas (1.

The use of collagen-based matrices in the treatment of full-thickness wounds.

Chronic and complex full-thickness wounds have become increasingly prevalent. Besides autologous skin transplantation, innovative wound dressing products have gained interest, as the functional and esthetic outcome is still limited. In this respect, the effect of a novel modifiable collagen-gelatin fleece on the healing of deep dermal wounds was examined and compared with untreated controls and Matriderm(®).

A Novel Collagen-Gelatin Scaffold for the Treatment of Deep Dermal Wounds-An Evaluation in a Minipig Model.

Background: Today, autologous skin transplantation is frequently used for full-thickness skin defects. There is still a high demand for new wound-healing products to replace autologous skin transplantation.

Objective: In this context, the effect of a new collagen-gelatin scaffold on full-thickness skin defects was evaluated.

Influence of immobilization and sensory re-education on the sensory recovery after reconstruction of digital nerves with direct suture or muscle-in-vein conduits.

The influence of duration of immobilization and postoperative sensory re-education on the final outcome after reconstruction of digital nerves with direct suture or muscle-in-vein conduits was investigated. The final sensory outcome of 35 patients with 41 digital nerve injuries, who either underwent a direct suture (DS) or a nerve reconstruction with muscle-in-vein conduits (MVC), was assessed the earliest 12 months postoperatively using static and moving two-point discrimination as well as Semmes-Weinstein monofilaments. There was no significant difference in sensory recovery in cases with an immobilization of 3-7 days versus 10 days in the DS or MVC group.

Methyl Iodide Exposure Presenting as Severe Chemical Burn Injury with Neurological Complications and Prolonged Respiratory Insufficiency.

Methyl iodide (iodomethane) is a monohalomethane that is mainly used as an intermediate in the manufacturing of different pharmaceuticals and pesticides. Until now, only 13 cases of methyl iodide poisoning have been described in the literature. The authors present the first case of severe chemical burn injury due to methyl iodide exposure in a 36-year-old Caucasian man who suffered superficial to partial-thickness burn injuries over 75% of his BSA and developed neurological malfunctions and prolonged respiratory insufficiency.

Analysis of the microcirculation after soft tissue reconstruction of the outer ear with burns in patients with severe burn injuries.

Reconstruction of soft tissue defects of the ear with burns remains one of the most difficult tasks for the reconstructive surgeon. Although numerous reconstructive options are available, the results are often unpredictable and worse than expected. Besides full and split skin grafting, local random pattern flaps and pedicled flaps are frequently utilized to cover soft tissue defects of the outer auricle.

Assessment of sural flap microcirculation: Which position maintains the optimal perfusion?

Background: Limb elevation is a commonly used approach for reducing edema and increasing venous drainage. Considering the anatomy of the sural flap with retrograde perfusion and hence potentially difficult blood outflow, the best angle for positioning the leg following operation is not yet known.

Methods: A total of 14 patients undergoing sural flap lower limb reconstruction were enrolled in the study.