Postoperative gait parameters in hip resurfacing compared to total hip arthroplasty: a systematic review.

Introduction: In the past decade, an increasing number of younger, active patients, including athletes, sought hip resurfacing (HR) arthroplasties. Some literature has suggested that hip resurfacing may allow faster recovery, better postoperative range of motion, and reduced risk for dislocation compared to total hip arthroplasty (THA). The purpose of the present systematic review was to study the variations in postoperative gait parameters among patients with hip osteoarthritis who have undergone hip resurfacing or THA.

Unanticipated Economic Burden of Cosmetic Surgery Tourism: A Single Academic Center's Experience.

Introduction: Cosmetic surgery tourism is a burgeoning field, attracting patients with the possibility of procedures at reduced costs. Patients are often unaware of the potential cost of managing complications, with the cost often passed on to the local healthcare systems. We report our experience at a single academic center which serves as a safety net hospital managing cosmetic surgery tourism patients.

Is Reconstructive Plastic Surgery Appropriately Valued? Comparison of Reimbursement per Unit Time for Reconstructive versus Aesthetic Procedures.

Background: The work relative value units (wRVUs) system was established as a quantifier of physician labor, technical skill, medical decision-making, and training time required to complete a surgical procedure; hence, more challenging operations should theoretically result in higher reimbursement or compensation. Our purpose was to highlight the discrepancies between insurance-based reconstructive and fee-for-service aesthetic procedures based upon dollar/unit time.

Methods: We analyzed national data from the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program, Aesthetic Surgery Databank, and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to compare reimbursement for 8 reconstructive microsurgery and 3 aesthetic procedures and assessed operative times and reimbursement rates, then calculated "relative value unit per unit time" to measure compensation efficiency.

Persistent homology reveals robustness loss in inhaled substance abuse rs-fMRI networks.

Analyzing functional brain activity through functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is commonly done using tools from graph theory for the analysis of the correlation matrices. A drawback of these methods is that the networks must be restricted to values of the weights of the edges within certain thresholds and there is no consensus about the best choice of such thresholds. Topological data analysis (TDA) is a recently-developed tool in algebraic topology which allows us to analyze networks through combinatorial spaces obtained from them, with the advantage that all the possible thresholds can be considered at once.

Maxillary Reconstruction with Free Vascularized Fibula: 15-Year Experience.

Background: Reconstruction of the midface after maxillectomy is extremely challenging because of the need to reestablish the contour of the midface, maintain oronasal separation, support the orbit, and to restore the dentition. In this study, the authors present their specific technique, surgical and functional outcomes, and pitfalls to avoid for reconstruction of the midface with the fibula osteocutaneous free flap.

Methods: A retrospective review of patients who underwent maxillary reconstruction with a fibula osteocutaneous free flap was performed.