The anterolateral thigh free flap for skull base reconstruction.

Objective: To assess outcomes of patients undergoing reconstruction after resection of skull base tumors with the anterolateral thigh (ALT) free flap.

Study Design: Case series with chart review.

Subjects And Methods: Thirty-four consecutive patients with cancers involving the skull base that underwent reconstruction with the ALT free flap between 2005 and 2008 were reviewed.

Calvarial reconstruction with polyetheretherketone implants.

Despite the development of multiple cranial bone substitutes, calvarial reconstruction remains a significant challenge. Although autologous bone is preferred in many cases, its usefulness may be limited by difficulty with contouring, resorption, and donor site availability and morbidity. Alloplastic cranioplasties are also widely used with each material having its advantages and disadvantages.

The role of aspirin versus aspirin and heparin in cases of recurrent abortions with raised anticardiolipin antibodies.

Background: The present study was undertaken to compare the role of aspirin versus aspirin plus heparin combination in pregnant women with poor obstetric history and raised anticardiolipin antibodies IgG (IgG(acl)).

Material/methods: The study was conducted on 550 pregnant women, 450 with a history of two or more spontaneous abortions forming the study group, while 100 women with one or more live births and no history of abortion were controls. Their blood was tested to assess the level of IgG(acl) by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).