Incidental Internal Mammary Nodes during Recipient Vessel Dissection in Breast Reconstruction: Are They Significant?

Internal mammary (IM) lymph nodes may be exposed during recipient vessel preparation in free-flap breast reconstruction, and in rare cases, positivity of these nodes may affect treatment in patients with breast cancer. This systematic review examines the incidence and significance of IM nodes identified by plastic surgeons. Eligibility criteria included free-flap breast reconstruction with concurrent IM node biopsy.

Does a "Level I Evidence" rating imply high quality of reporting in orthopaedic randomised controlled trials?

Background: The Levels of Evidence Rating System is widely believed to categorize studies by quality, with Level I studies representing the highest quality evidence. We aimed to determine the reporting quality of Randomised Controlled Trials (RCTs) published in the most frequently cited general orthopaedic journals.

Methods: Two assessors identified orthopaedic journals that reported a level of evidence rating in their abstracts from January 2003 to December 2004 by searching the instructions for authors of the highest impact general orthopaedic journals.