Advances in laparoscopy for acute care surgery and trauma

The greatest advantages of laparoscopy when compared to open surgery include the faster recovery times, shorter hospital stays, decreased postoperative pain, earlier return to work and resumption of normal daily activity as well as cosmetic benefits. Laparoscopy today is considered the gold standard of care in the treatment of cholecystitis and appendicitis worldwide. Laparoscopy has even been adopted in colorectal surgery with good results. The technological improvements in this surgical field along with the development of modern techniques and the acquisition of specific laparoscopic skills have allowed for its utilization in operations with fully intracorporeal anastomoses. Further progress in laparoscopy has included single-incision laparoscopic surgery and natural orifice trans-luminal endoscopic surgery. Nevertheless, laparoscopy for emergency surgery is still considered challenging and is usually not recommended due to the lack of adequate experience in this area. The technical difficulties of operating in the presence of diffuse peritonitis or large purulent collections and diffuse adhesions are also given as reasons. However, the potential advantages of laparoscopy, both in terms of diagnosis and therapy, are clear. Major advantages may be observed in cases with diffuse peritonitis secondary to perforated peptic ulcers,for example, where laparoscopy allows the confirmation of the diagnosis, the identification of the position of the ulcer and a laparoscopic repair with effective peritoneal washout. Laparoscopy has also revolutionized the approach to complicated diverticulitis even when intestinal perforation is present. Many other emergency conditions can be effectively managed laparoscopically, including trauma in select hemodynamically-stable patients. We have therefore reviewed the most recent scientific literature on advances in laparoscopy for acute care surgery and trauma in order to demonstrate the current indications and outcomes associated with a laparoscopic approach to the treatment of the most common emergency surgical conditions.

Use of three-dimensional printing in preoperative planning in orthopaedic trauma surgery: A systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND With the increasing complexity of surgical interventions performed in orthopaedic trauma surgery and the improving technologies used in threedimensional(3D)printing,there has been an increased interest in the concept.It has been shown that 3D models allow surgeons to better visualise anatomy,aid in planning and performing complex surgery.It is however not clear how best to utilise the technique and whether this results in better outcomes.AIM To evaluate the effect of 3D printing used in pre-operative planning in orthopaedic trauma surgery on clinical outcomes.METHODS We performed a comprehensive systematic review of the literature and a metaanalysis.Medline,Ovid and Embase were searched from inception to February 8,2018.Randomised controlled trials,case-control studies,cohort studies and case series of five patients or more were included across any area of orthopaedic trauma.The primary outcomes were operation time,intra-operative blood loss and fluoroscopy used.RESULTS Seventeen studies(922 patients)met our inclusion criteria and were reviewed.The use of 3D printing across all specialties in orthopaedic trauma surgery demonstrated an overall reduction in operation time of 19.85%[95%confidence intervals(CI):(-22.99,-16.71)],intra-operative blood loss of 25.73%[95%CI:(-31.07,-20.40)],and number of times fluoroscopy was used by 23.80%[95%CI:(-38.49,-9.10)].CONCLUSION Our results suggest that the use of 3D printing in pre-operative planning in orthopaedic trauma reduces operative time,intraoperative blood loss and the number of times fluoroscopy is used.

Efficacy of fascia iliaca compartment nerve block as part of multimodal analgesia after surgery for femoral bone fracture

BACKGROUND: Fascia iliaca compartment nerve block(FICNB) has been an established technique for postoperative analgesia after surgery for femoral bone fracture. FICNB is technically easy, effective for postoperative pain control after operation for femoral bone fracture and decreases the complications induced by systemic analgesic drugs. The severity of postoperative pain is affected by genetics, cultural and social factors across the world. In this study we assessed the efficacy of fascia iliaca compartment nerve block when it is used as part of multimodal analgesia after surgery for femoral bone fracture.METHODS: An institution-based case control study was conducted from September, 2013 to May, 2014. All patients who had been operated on under spinal anesthesia for femoral bone fracture were included. The patients divided into a FICNB group(n=20) and a control group(n=20). The FICNB group was given 30 mL of 0.25% bupivacaine at the end of the operation. Postoperative pain was assessed within the f irst 24 hours, i.e. at 15 minutes, 2 hours, 6 hours, 12 hours and 24 hours using 100 mm visual analogue scale(VAS), total analgesic consumption, and the time for the f irst analgesic request.RESULTS: VAS pain scores were reduced within the f irst 24 hours after operation in the FICNB group compared wtih the control group. VAS scores at 2 hours were taken as median values(IQR) 0.00(0.00) vs.18.00(30.00), P=0.001; at 6 hours 0.00(0.00) vs. 34.00(20.75), P=0.000; at 24 hours 12.50(10.00) vs. 31.50(20.75), P=0.004; and at 12 hours(17.80±12.45) vs.(29.95±12.40), P=0.004, respectively. The total analgesic consumption of diclofenac at 12 and 24 hours was reduced in the FICNB group, and the time for the fi rst analgesic request was signifi cantly prolonged(417.50 vs. 139.25 minutes, P=0.000).CONCLUSIONS: A single injection for FICNB could lead to postoperative pain relief, reduction of total analgesic consumption and prolonged time for the fi rst analgesic request in the FICNB group after surgery for femoral bone fracture. We recommend FICNB for analgesia after surgery for femoral bone fracture and for patients with femoral bone fracture at the emergency department.

Clinical application of ultrasound-guided selective proximal and distal brachial plexus block in rapid rehabilitation surgery for hand trauma

BACKGROUND Anesthesia plays an essential role in the successful surgical procedures for hand trauma.Compared with general anesthesia,brachial plexus block shows lots of benefits for the upper extremity.Specifically,ultrasound-guided selective proximal and distal brachial plexus block may overcome the issues of incomplete block and failure of anesthesia in such circumstances.The present study assessed the efficacy of ultrasound-guided selective proximal and distal brachial plexus block in clinical practice.AIM To explore the efficacy of ultrasound-guided selective proximal and distal brachial plexus block in rapid recovery surgery for hand trauma.METHODS A total of 68 patients with traumatic hand injuries treated at our hospital from January 2018 to June 2019 were selected.They were divided into an observation group and a control group with 34 patients in each group.The observation group underwent selective brachial plexus block guided by ultrasound and the control group underwent conventional brachial plexus block.The analgesic efficacy,intraoperative complications,wound healing time,and length of hospital stay were compared between the two groups under different anesthesia.RESULTS The percentage of cases with analgesia graded as“excellent or very good”was higher in the observation group than in the control group(P<0.05).Moreover,the incidence of intraoperative complications was lower and the wound healing time and length of hospital stay were shorter in the observation group than in the control group(P<0.05).CONCLUSION Ultrasound-guided selective proximal and distal brachial plexus block has remarkable analgesic efficacy in patients with traumatic hand injuries.It can reduce the incidence of intraoperative complications,promote wound healing,and shorten the length of hospital stay.

Effectiveness of enhanced recovery after surgery in the perioperative management of patients with bone surgery in China

BACKGROUND Enhanced recovery after surgery(ERAS)was introduced in China in 2007.Over time,the scope of ERAS has expanded from abdominal surgery to orthopedics,urology and other fields.Continuous development and research has contributed to progress of ERAS in China.In 2019,to promote the application of ERAS in bone tumor surgery,we formed the“Consensus of Experts on Perioperative Management of Accelerated Rehabilitation in Major Surgery of Bone Tumors in China”.AIM To evaluate the effect of enhanced recovery after bone tumor surgery in perioperative management in China.METHODS One hundred and seven patients who underwent bone tumor surgery at the Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi’an Jiaotong University between May 2019 and April 2021 were randomized into a study group(53 cases)and a control group(54 cases).The study group adopted the ERAS protocol and the control group adopted conventional care.Main outcome measures included postoperative length of stay(LOS),postoperative complications,mortality,and 30-d readmission rates.Secondary outcomes included postoperative visual analog scale(VAS)score of pain,number of blood transfusions,drainage volume in 24 h after operation,patient satisfaction 30 d after discharge,VAS score at 30 d after discharge,and daily standing walking time.RESULTS There were no significant differences in the baseline data,clinical features and surgical site between the two groups.The LOS in the study group with the ERAS protocol was 7.72±3.34 d compared with 10.28±4.27 d in the control group who followed conventional care.The incidence of postoperative nausea and vomiting(PONV)in the study group was 19%and 37%in the control group.The VAS scores of pain on postoperative day 1(POD1)and POD3 in the study group were 4.79±2.34 and 2.79±1.53 compared with 5.28±3.27 and 3.98±2.27 in the control group.The drainage volume in 24 h after the operation was 124.36±23.43 mL in the study group and 167.43±30.87 mL in the control group.The number of blood transfusions in the study group was also lower.The patient satisfaction rate was higher in the study group than in the control group.CONCLUSION The ERAS protocol in the perioperative period of bone tumor surgery can decrease LOS,PONV,and postoperative pain,blood transfusion and 24-h drainage,improve patient satisfaction and accelerate recovery.

Efficacy of topical vs intravenous tranexamic acid in reducing blood loss and promoting wound healing in bone surgery:A systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND Tranexamic acid(TXA)has been used as an anti-fibrinolytic drug for over half a century and has received much attention in recent decades.AIM To evaluate the efficacy of topical vs intravenous TXA in reducing blood loss and promoting wound healing in bone surgery.METHODS From the electronic resources,PubMed,Cochrane Library,Embase,ISI,and Scopus were used to perform a literature search over the last 10 years between 2010 and 2020.EndNote™X8 was used for managing the electronic resource.Searches were performed with mesh terms.The data were retracted blindly by two independent reviewers.Random effects were used to deal with potential heterogeneity and I2 showed heterogeneity.Chi-square(I2)tests were used to quantify the extent of heterogeneity(P<0.01 was considered statistically significant).The efficacy of topical TXA in reducing blood loss and promoting wound healing in bone surgery was compared with intravenous TXA and placebo.RESULTS According to the research design,1360 potentially important research abstracts and titles were discovered in our electronic searches,and 18 papers remained in agreement with our inclusion criteria.It was found that TXA reduced 277.51 mL of blood loss compared to placebo,and there was no significant difference between topical TXA and IV TXA in reducing blood loss in bone surgery.Our analyses also showed that TXA significantly reduced blood transfusion compared to placebo and there was no significant difference between topical TXA and IV TXA.CONCLUSION The use of both topical and intravenous TXA are equally effective in reducing blood loss in bone surgery,which might be beneficial for wound healing after surgery.

Relationship between abdominal trauma or surgery and mesenteric panniculitis

Mesenteric panniculitis is a rare disease characterized by chronic non-specific inflammation of mesenteric fat tissue.Several etiologic and/or associated factors have been reported in the literature so far.Although trauma or surgery is one of the potential etiologic factors for mesenteric panniculitis,to the best of our knowledge,no strong correlation has been shown in the literature until now.

Damage control surgery for severe pancreatic trauma

Pancreatic trauma as a challenge before and during explorative laparotomy is associated with multiple visceral injuries or critical conditions. Its optimal management remains controversial.The current concept of damage control surgery (DCS) has been increasingly accepted. DCS

Video-Assisted Thoracic Surgery as a Less-Invasive Management for Acute Hemothorax in Blunt Trauma

Purpose: We report our experience of Video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) to treat acute blunt traumatic hemothorax using mini-thoracotomy. Methods: We designed a prospective study to determine if VATS with mini-thoracotomy benefits for patients with blunt traumatic hemothorax compared with conventional repair through full thoracotomy. Twenty-five patients underwent emergency operation for acute hemothorax from 2000. Five patients with less than 5% probability of survival (PS) were excluded, leaving 20 as the subjects. Results: Ten patients underwent conventional thoracotomy (conventional group) and the other 10 patients underwent VATS with mini-thoracotomy (VATS group). There was no difference between conventional group and VATS group in injury severity score (29.1 and 27.0) or PS (81.2% and 80.7%). Hospital mortality rates were 10% in conventional group and 0% in VATS group (N.S). Total amounts of intra-operative bleeding and post-operative transfusion until day 7 were 735 ml and 19.3 units in conventional group and 303 ml and 9.2 units in VATS group respectively (N.S). The length of ICU stay was 9.7 days in conventional group and 5.9 days in VATS group (N.S). Conclusion: VATS with mini-thoracotomy can be alternative for patients with blunt traumatic hemothorax in most emergency operations.

Influence of Psychological Intervention before Emergent Ocular Trauma Surgery on Patients' Negative Emotions

Purpose:.To investigate the effect of preoperative psychological intervention on alleviating negative emotions in patients undergoing emergent ocular trauma surgery.Methods:..A total of 100 patients undergoing emergent ocular trauma surgery were selected using convenience sampling and randomly divided into control(n=49) and experimental(n =51) groups. Patients in the control group received conventional nursing and their counterparts in the observation group were treated with individualized psychological interventions including psychological support, relaxation training, and humanistic care based on conventional nursing care..Self-rating anxiety scale(SAS), self-rating depression scale(SDS), and fear visual analog scale(FVAS) scores were statistically compared between the two groups.Results:.The scores of SAS, SDS, and FAVS were significantly lower in the experimental group than in the control group(all P<0.001).Conclusion:.Comprehensive psychological intervention effectively eliminates negative emotions in patients undergoing emergent ocular trauma surgery and accelerates their physical and mental recovery.

Application of indocyanine green in surgery: A review of current evidence and implementation in trauma patients

Background:Modern surgical medicine strives to manage trauma while improving outcomes using functional imaging.Identification of viable tissues is crucial for the surgical management of polytrauma and burn patients presenting with soft tissue and hollow viscus injuries.Bowel anastomosis after traumarelated resection is associated with a high rate of leakage.The ability of the surgeon’s bare eye to determine bowel viability remains limited,and the need for a more standardized objective assessment has not yet been fulfilled.Hence,there is a need for more precise diagnostic tools to enhance surgical evaluation and visualization to aid early diagnosis and timely management to minimize traumaassociated complications.Indocyanine green(ICG)coupled with fluorescence angiography is a potential solution for this problem.ICG is a fluorescent dye that responds to near-infrared irradiation.Methods:We conducted a narrative review to address the utility of ICG in the surgical management of patients with trauma as well as elective surgery.Discussion:ICG has many applications in different medical fields and has recently become an important clinical indicator for surgical guidance.However,there is a paucity of information regarding the use of this technology to treat traumas.Recently,angiography with ICG has been introduced in clinical practice to visualize and quantify organ perfusion under several conditions,leading to fewer cases of anastomotic insufficiency.This has great potential to bridge this gap and enhance the clinical outcomes of surgery and patient safety.However,there is no consensus on the ideal dose,time,and manner of administration nor the indications that ICG provides a genuine advantage through greater safety in trauma surgical settings.Conclusions:There is a scarcity of publications describing the use of ICG in trauma patients as a potentially useful strategy to facilitate intraoperative decisions and to limit the extent of surgical resection.This review will improve our understanding of the utility of intraoperative ICG fluorescence in guiding and assisting trauma surgeons to deal with the intraoperative challenges and thus improve the patients’operative care and safety in the field of trauma surgery.

Use of bone marrow derived stem cells in trauma and orthopaedics: A review of current concepts

There is a considerable amount of interest in the futurerole of bone marrow-derived stem cells(BMDSCs) and tissue engineering techniques to manage conditions within the musculoskeletal system. Repair of soft tissue and bone defects, in the early stages of injury, may lead to a reduction in progression of symptoms. Furthermore, troublesome soft tissue injuries that are notoriously fraught with problems either in healing or function, could be augmented with such techniques. The aim of this review paper is to look at the advances in such strategies to tackle these problems and assess how BMDSCs, with the aid of growth factors and scaffolds, are being used in vitro, animal and even human models to treat problems within the field of trauma and orthopaedics. There is plenty of evidence that the results are encouraging and thus gaining momentum toward their use in human studies.

Surgical and immune reconstitution murine models in bone marrow research: Potential for exploring mechanisms in sepsis, trauma and allergy

Bone marrow, the vital organ which maintains lifelong hemopoiesis, currently receives considerable attention, as a source of multiple cell types which may play important roles in repair at distant sites. This emerging function, distinct from, but closely related to, bone marrow roles in innate immunity and inflammation, has been characterized through a number of strategies. However, the use of surgical models in this endeavour has hitherto been limited. Surgical strategies allow the experimenter to predetermine the site, timing, severity and invasiveness of injury; to add or remove aggravating factors(such as infection and defects in immunity) in controlled ways; and to manipulate the context of repair, including reconstitution with selected immune cell subpopulations. This endows surgical models overall with great potential for exploring bone marrow responses to injury, inflammation and infection, and its roles in repair and regeneration. We review three different murine surgical models, which variously combine trauma with infection, antigenic stimulation, or immune reconstitution, thereby illuminating different aspects of the bone marrow response to systemic injury in sepsis, trauma and allergy. They are:(1) cecal ligation and puncture, a versatile model of polymicrobial sepsis;(2) egg white implant, an intriguing model of eosinophilia induced by a combination of trauma and sensitization to insoluble allergen; and(3) ectopic lung tissue transplantation, which allows us to dissect afferent and efferent mechanisms leading to accumulation of hemopoietic cells in the lungs. These models highlight the gain in analytical power provided by the association of surgical and immunological strategies.

Traumatic Perforation of the Small Intestine in General Surgery of the CHU Gabriel Touré

Goal: To determine hospital frequency, to describe the clinical and therapeutic aspects and to determine the prognosis. Patients and Methods: This was a retrospective and prospective study carried out in the General Surgery Department from 1 January 1999 to 31 December 2015. Inclusion criteria: 1) open or closed trauma of the abdomen with perforation of the small bowel;2) clinical examination (abdominal pain, vomiting, fever, abdominal contracture, evisceration, intraoperative findings);3) paraclinical examinations: pneumoperitoneum on the abdominal X-ray without preparation (ASP) and CT scan. Exclusion Criteria: Abdominal trauma without perforation of the small bowel. We selected 128 patients operated for traumatic perforation of the small bowel. The data was entered and analyzed using Word, Excel 2007 and Statistical Package and Social Science Windows 16.0. The statistical analysis consisted in the calculation of the different frequencies of the variables studied. We used the Khi2 test with significance level P Results: We recorded 119 men versus 9 women and the sex ratio was 13.22. The mean age was 25 years with extremes varying between 15 and 70 years. The majority of patients 57.7% (74 cases) came from the capital, 46.1% (59 cases) were workers, 26.6% (34 cases) of the students. The average time to admission was 29 hours. The main etiologies were road traffic accidents 36.7% (47 cases), stabbing 21.9% (28 cases), firearm 14.8% (19 cases), and sports accidents 10.1% (13 cases). The main clinical signs were abdominal pain 48.44% (62 cases), abdominal contracture 60% (76 cases), disappearance of pre-liver dullness 66.36% (84 cases), and Douglas painful 74.4% (94 cases). The abdominal X-ray without preparation (A.S.P) allowed to objectify a pneumoperitoneum in 45.31% and the scanner a liquid effusion in 45.31% with the associated lesions in 37.5% (48 cases). The surgical treatment consisted of 60.15% suture excision (77 cases), 25% anastomosis resection (32 cases) and a 15% stoma (19 cases). The average length of hospital stay was 9 days with extremes of 1 to 60 days. The morbidity was 10.15% at the site of surgical site (OS) infection 17.4% (8 cases), postoperative peritonitis 3.1% (4 cases) and evisceration 0.8% (1 case). Mortality was 17.18% due to septic shock and multivisceral failure. Conclusion: Traumatic perforation of the small bowel is an emergency. Young people are more victims. The prognosis depends on the speed of diagnosis and management. Emphasis should be placed on prevention.

A Minimally Invasive Surgery for Bone Metastases Using the Combination of Photodynamic Therapy and Hyperthermia Treatment

Cancer patients with bone metastases in their extremities may require surgical intervention to prevent deterioration in their quality of life due to a pathological fracture or severe bone pain. However, curative surgical interventions sometimes have severe complications due to the status of the original cancers. To avoid the decreased quality of life caused by bone metastasis, minimally invasive surgery that avoids additional surgical morbidity is required. We have established two therapeutic treatments for bone metastasis, a photodynamic acridine orange treatment (AOT) and an electronic magnetic hyperthermia treatment (EMHT). The present study investigated the clinical outcomes of combination therapy with EMHT and AOT for patients with bone metastases in their extremities. Methods: The study included 6 patients with 7 bone cancer metastasis locations. For bone metastases, all patients received intraregional tumor excision supported by AOT, in which photodynamic and radiodynamic therapy kills tumor cells during surgery with minimal damage to normal tissues. After the curettage, bone reconstruction was performed by using magnetic materials with calcium phosphate cement. EMHT was repeatedly performed after surgery. In EMHT, tumor cells are killed with an electric magnetic field generator, and bony union is promoted by electronic stimulation. Results: The mean duration of follow-up was 14 months. During the follow-up period, only one patient experienced a local recurrence, and this recurrence occurred 14 months after surgery. Bony union occurred in 4 of 5 cases (80%), and the pain score was significantly reduced after surgery. Conclusions: In the present study, AOT reduced the invasiveness of surgery. EMHT reduced the tumor growth without major complications and promoted bone formation after surgery. Our clinical results confirmed that EMHT and AOT combination therapy for bone metastasis can preserve limb function without local recurrence or bone absorption.

Outcome of Pediatric Cataract Surgery in Patients Who Have Undergone Bone Marrow Transplantation

Purpose: Bone marrow transplantation (BMT) and pre-treatment conditioning increases the risk of developing pediatric cataracts. We present the outcome of cataract surgery in children who have had BMT. Methods: We conducted a retrospective chart study with 15 BMT patients (28 eyes) who underwent cataract extraction between 2002 and 2012. Outcome measures include change in best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and complications. Results: 7 (47%) patients had acute lymphoid leukemia, 3 (20%) had acute myeloid leukemia, 2 (13%) had myelodysplastic syndrome, 1 (7%) had Fanconi anemia, 1 (7%) had juvenile myelomonocytic leukemia, and 1 (7%) had adrenoleukodystrophy. Patients received BMT at a mean age of 3.9 ± 1.6 years. 12 (80%) patients received total body irradiation (TBI) and 3 of these 12 received cranial irradiation in addition to TBI;one (7%) received only cranial irradiation. Total body irradiation included head and eye exposure. Mean age of cataract surgery was 9.1 ± 2.3 years;mean follow-up was 55.9 ± 45.1 months. All cataracts were of posterior subcapsular subtype. Mean BCVA improved from 0.7 ± 0.4 logMAR to 0.3 ± 0.5 logMAR (p Conclusions: Children with history of BMT have a predisposition of developing posterior subcapsular cataracts and have a high rate of visually significant PCO if the posterior capsule is left intact at the time of cataract surgery.

Automatic Bone Surface Restoration for Markerless Computer-Assisted Orthopaedic Surgery

An automatic markerless knee tracking and registration algorithm has been proposed in the literature to avoid the marker insertion required by conventional computer-assisted knee surgery,resulting in a shorter and less invasive surgical workflow.However,such an algorithm considers intact femur geometry only.The bone surface modification is inevitable due to intra-operative intervention.The mismatched correspondences will degrade the reliability of registered target pose.To solve this problem,this work proposed a supervised deep neural network to automatically restore the surface of processed bone.The network was trained on a synthetic dataset that consists of real depth captures of a model leg and simulated realistic femur cutting.According to the evaluation on both synthetic data and real-time captures,the registration quality can be effectively improved by surface reconstruction.The improvement in tracking accuracy is only evident over test data,indicating the need for future enhancement of the dataset and network.

A Case Report of Immediate Implant Placement Combined with Flap Surgery,Guided Bone Regeneration and Non-submerged Healing with a Labial Bone Wall Defect in the Esthetic Zone

[Basckground]This case report presented a methodology for immediate implantation in the esthetic zone with a facial bone defect along with flap surgery,guided bone regeneration,and non-submerged healing.[Case presentation]A 27-year-old female patient was complaining of the aesthetic complication that was caused via metallic staining of the neck of ceramic crowns in the maxillary right anterior region for one year.She has experienced immediate implantation along with flap surgery,guided bone regeneration(GBR),and non-submerged healing.The torque of the implant reached to the 35 N·cm to confirm primary stability.Six months after surgery,the healing abutment and the implant were fixed,the gingiva was healthy in the surgical area,and the nearby teeth and the opposite teeth were normal.[Results]The results of cone-beam computer tomography(CBCT)revealed that bone defects were filled with the newly formed bone.At the same time,the final impressions accomplished,and an all-ceramic crown was fit-placed.As a whole,the patient satisfaction rate was high.[Conclusions]Immediate implant placement with flap surgery,GBR,and non-submerged healing with a facial bone wall defect in the esthetic zone is an achievable process.

CT VIRTUAL ENDOSCOPY IN ASSESSING OSSICULAR CHAIN DISRUPTION CSUSED BY TEMPORAL BONE FRACTURE AND EAR TRAUMA

Objective To explore the value of computed tomography virtual endoscopy(VE) in assessing ossicular chain disruption in temporal bone fracture and ear trauma with intact tympanum. Methods High resolution spiral computerized tomography(CT) was completed in 35 cases of temporal bone fracture and 5 cases of tympanum trauma, all with intact or healed tympanum. Three-dimensional reconstruction was completed using a virtual endoscopy software. Audiological tests were conducted in all patients and evaluation of facial nerve injury in patients with facial paralysis. Patients with mild conductive deafness, ossicular chain subluxation on VE, and no facial paralysis were treated conservatively for 4-12 weeks with repeated hearing evaluation; those with facial paralysis underwent surgery if no recovery after 4- 8 weeks of conservative treatment. Patients with moderate to severe conductive hearing loss or mixed hearing loss, incus long process fracture or dislocation on VE and facial paralysis, underwent ossicular chain reconstruction and facial nerve decompression after conservative treatment for 4-8 weeks, or exploratory tympanotomy only if no facial paralysis. VE, audiological tests and facial nerve function tests were repeated in 3-6 months after surgery. Results Of the 6 cases with mild conductive hearing loss, ossicular chain subluxation and no facial paralysis, 3recovered to normal hearing spontaneously and 3 showed no significant improvement, after 4-12 weeks of conservative treatment. After conservative treatment for 4-8 weeks, 3 of the 12 cases with mild conductive deafness, ossicular chain dislocation on VE and facial paralysis recovered to normal hearing and HouseBrackmann(HB) grade I facial function from HB grade II,4 showed facial function recovery to HB grade I(n=2) or II(n=2) from HB grade III but no hearing recovery, and 5 gained no recovery and went on to receive exploratory tympanotomy and facial nerve decompression. The 11 cases with moderate to severe conductive deafness, incus long process fracture or dislocation on VE and facial paralysis all received ossicular chain reconstruction and facial nerve decompression after 4-8 weeks of conservative treatment. The 7 cases with moderate to severe conductive deafness, dislocated or fallen incus on VE but no facial paralysis received ossicular chain reconstruction after conservative treatment. The 4 cases with mixed hearing loss, dislocated or fallen incus on VE and no facial paralysis received ossicular chain repair via the intact canal wall epitympanum approach after conservative treatment. Pharmacological therapies continued postoperatively in these patients to treat sensorineural deafness. Although temporal bone CT scans displayed the fracture line and malleus/incus abnormalities, VE provided additional detailed information on dislocation of incudomalleal and incudostapedial joints, incus dislocation or fracture, separation between crus longum incudis and stapes, and incus shifting. These were all confirmed during surgery. VE results and surgery findings were 100% consistent in patients with ossicular chain disruption. Conclusion VE can provide reliable visual evidence for accurate assessment of traumatic ossicular chain disruption, timing of surgery and individualizing surgical strategies and postoperative follow-up.

Computer-Assisted Surgery for Mandibular Reconstruction Using a Patient-Specific Titanium Mesh Tray and Particulate Cancellous Bone and Marrow

Craniomaxillofacial surgery is difficult due to the complexity of the regional anatomy. Computer-assisted surgery is a promising tool aiming to improve the safety and precision of such surgery. A computer-assisted surgical navigation approach for reconstruction of mandibular defects using a patient-specific titanium mesh tray and particulate cancellous bone and marrow (PCBM) harvested from bilateral anterior ilia is proposed. This case report involves a large multicystic ameloblastoma affecting the right mandible of a 31-year-old male patient. Following detailed clinical examination, radiological interpretation, and histopathological diagnosis, computer-assisted surgical simulation with a virtual 3-dimensional (3-D) model was designed using surgical planning software based on the pre-operative computed tomography data. Long-span segmental resection of the mandible was planned, and the defect was analyzed for reconstruction using a patient-specific reconstruction titanium mesh tray mediated with computer-aided design and manufacturing (CAD/CAM) techniques. During the actual surgery, the ultrasonic bone cutting instrument in the surgeon’s hand was connected to the navigation system to touch an anatomical position on the patient. Therefore, osteotomies were performed finely and smoothly according to the navigation images of the cutting bone line by sequentially moving the instrument. Finally, a CAD/CAM-mediated titanium mesh tray condensed by PCBM was adapted to the remaining mandibular fragments. Six months postoperatively, the patient had a good mandibular configuration and facial contour. Integration of different technologies, such as software planning and 3-D surgical simulation, combined with intraoperative navigation and CAD/CAM techniques, provides safe and precise mandibular reconstruction surgery.