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Background: The anterior interosseus nerve (AIN) to ulnar motor nerve transfer has been popularized as an adjunct to surgical decompression in patients with severe cubital tunnel syndrome (CuTS) and high ulnar nerve injuries. The factors influencing its implementation in Canada have yet to be described. Methods: An electronic survey was distributed to all members of the Canadian Society of Plastic Surgery (CSPS) using REDCap software. The survey examined 4 themes: previous training/experience, practice volume of nerve pathologies, experience with nerve transfers, and approach to the treatment of CuTS and high ulnar nerve injuries. Results: A total of 49 responses were collected (12% response rate). Of all, 62% of surgeons would use an AIN to ulnar motor supercharge end-to-side (SETS) transfer for a high ulnar nerve injury. For patients with CuTS and signs of intrinsic atrophy, 75% of surgeons would add an AIN-SETS transfer to a cubital tunnel decompression. Sixty-five percent would also release Guyon's canal, and the majority (56%) use a perineurial window for their end-to-side repair. Eighteen percent of surgeons did not believe the transfer would improve outcomes, 3% cited lack of training, and 3% would preferentially use tendon transfers. Surgeons with hand fellowship training and those less than 30 years in practice were more likely to use nerve transfers in the treatment of CuTS (P <.05). Conclusions: Most CSPS members would use an AIN-SETS transfer in the treatment of both a high ulnar nerve injury and severe CuTS with intrinsic atrophy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Nontechnical skills (NTS) are essential to emergency crisis management. Due to the rarity of true emergencies, they are challenging to teach and assess within a competency-based curriculum. Our purpose is to evaluate the utility of the Non-Technical Skills in Surgery (NOTSS) scale in NTS assessment in simulated otolaryngology and head and neck surgery (OTO-HNS) emergencies and identify common challenges that residents encounter.Methods: Mixed methods analysis of 15 junior OTO-HNS resident teams in four simulated emergency scenarios. Six raters rated resident NTS performance using the NOTSS score. Constructivist-grounded theory was used to analyze scenario video transcripts to identify areas of learner difficulty to guide future simulation development.Results: Residents scored highest in situational awareness and lowest in leadership domains. Raters showed good consistency and reliability overall (Cronbach's alpha = 0.885). There was no statistical difference in ratings between surgical experts and nonexperts. Qualitative analysis demonstrated challenges with closed-loop communication and handling transitions of leadership with the scenarios.Conclusion: Simulation-based training is an effective modality to teach NTS in crisis resource management. The NOTSS rating scale is a reliable instrument for assessing NTS in simulated OTO-HNS emergencies. Incorporating the NOTSS scale for NTS assessment within a competency-based curriculum is recommended.Level Of Evidence: NA. Laryngoscope, 128:2301-2306, 2018. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Surgical management of failed metacarpophalangeal (MCP) arthroplasties includes revision arthroplasty and arthrodesis. The purpose of this study was to review the indications and outcomes of arthrodesis as a salvage procedure for failed MCP arthroplasties., Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study of all patients undergoing salvage MCP arthrodesis at a single institution from 1990 to 2020. Patient charts were reviewed for patient demographics, indication for salvage, surgical technique, revision rate, and time to radiographic union. Patient-reported outcomes, including the Michigan Hand Outcomes Questionnaire and an MCP-specific questionnaire detailing pain, functional, appearance, and patient satisfaction, were also collected., Results: Eleven digits in 9 patients (6 women, 3 men, median age of 66) with median 36-month follow-up were included. The majority (91%) of patients also had concomitant soft tissue deformities, including joint contractures, extension lag, and collateral ligament insufficiency. The overall revision rate following arthrodesis was 45% with 3 digits requiring one revision each, and 2 digits undergoing 3 revisions. The overall union rate was 91% with median time to union of 4 months from most recent arthrodesis. Patient-reported outcomes obtained from 4 patients demonstrated improvements in pain and function., Conclusion: Despite a high revision rate of 45%, salvage MCP arthrodesis following arthroplasty has a high eventual union rate of 91% and is associated with improved pain and function based on 4 patients' experiences. Arthrodesis as a salvage procedure for failed MCP arthroplasties should be considered in patients with persistent joint instability and functionally limiting soft tissue deformities., Competing Interests: Declaration of Conflicting InterestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Purpose: Predominant or isolated spasticity of the triceps following upper motor neuron injury is rare and often unmasked once the spastic elbow flexors are addressed. The purpose of this study was to delineate the motor branching pattern of the radial nerve to determine the feasibility of hyperselective neurectomies (HSN) for triceps spasticity., Methods: Dissections of the motor branch to each triceps head were performed on 11 upper-extremity specimens. The numbers of trunks, branching patterns, and muscle entry points were recorded in reference to the acromion to interepicondylar line. Based on anatomic studies, 10 patients underwent a combined fractional lengthening and HSN procedure for triceps spasticity. Patient demographics, time from diagnosis, and complications were recorded. Preoperative and postoperative Modified Ashworth Scale (MAS) and total active elbow arc of motion were compared., Results: The first branch from the radial nerve was consistently a single trunk to the long triceps head. There were many variations in the branching pattern and number of trunks to the lateral and medial heads of the triceps with motor entry points between 31% and 95% of the acromion to interepicondylar line distance. Ten patients (six men and four women; mean age: 48.5 years) underwent the combined procedure. Mean total active elbow arc of motion improved from 78° before surgery to 111° after surgery, with a 17.5° increase in active elbow flexion. Compared with a mean preoperative triceps MAS of 2.75, nine patients had triceps MAS of 0 at a mean of 10.2 months of follow-up. There was no loss of functional elbow extension and no directly related complications., Conclusions: Given the variable motor entry points, HSN to each triceps head would require extensive dissection. Therefore, a combined approach consisting of fractional lengthening of the long head and lateral head with HSN of the triceps medial head is recommended to address triceps spasticity., Type of Study/level of Evidence: Therapeutic V., Competing Interests: Conflicts of Interest No benefits in any form have been received or will be received related directly to this article., (Copyright © 2024 American Society for Surgery of the Hand. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Intraneural cysts involving the tibial nerve in the knee region (popliteal fossa) are rare. According to the articular (synovial) theory, which posits a joint origin for this pathology, these cysts originate from either the superior tibiofibular joint (STFJ) or the tibiofemoral (knee) joint. As tibial intraneural cysts arising from the tibiofemoral joint remain poorly understood, the authors present 2 illustrative cases and a review of the world's literature on all tibial intraneural ganglion cysts in the knee region., Observations: Fourteen cases of tibial intraneural ganglion cysts arising from the tibiofemoral joint were identified in the literature. Different articular branch patterns were demonstrated, which could be explained by the varied, rich articular branch innervation at the knee. Favorable outcomes were observed in cases in which the articular branch had been disconnected and the cyst drained and were comparable to the outcomes seen in tibial intraneural ganglion cysts with an STFJ origin., Lessons: Tibial intraneural cysts in the knee region can be subdivided by their joint of origin: the STFJ or the tibiofemoral joint. Those arising from the tibiofemoral joint originate from different areas of the joint and propagate in predictable patterns, with favorable outcomes following surgical intervention when the joint connection is identified and treated. The origin of tibial intraneural cysts from the tibiofemoral joint are more complex than those originating from the STFJ but seem to have similar propagation patterns and outcomes.

Background: Spinal accessory nerve palsy can lead to severe shoulder pain and weakness, lateral scapular winging, and limitations in overhead activity. It most often occurs because of iatrogenic injury from procedures within the posterior triangle of the neck., Observations: The authors present the case of a 39-year-old male with symptoms of right shoulder weakness and neck pain after a total thyroidectomy and right neck dissection. With ultrasound findings of a neuroma-in-continuity but no clinical or electromyographic signs of reinnervation at 6 months, surgical intervention was indicated. Operative exploration confirmed a very proximal injury and nonconducting neuroma-in-continuity of the spinal accessory nerve. A selective distal nerve transfer from the posterior division of the upper trunk was performed. At the 2.5-year follow-up, the patient demonstrated excellent recovery of full active shoulder abduction and forward flexion, return to full-time employment, and mild residual scapular winging., Lessons: Distal nerve transfers should be considered in cases of late presentation when primary repair is not possible or long interpositional grafts are required. Selective fascicular transfer from the posterior division of the upper trunk provides the advantages of a single incision, short reinnervation time, and synergistic donor function to facilitate motor reeducation.

Purpose: Following pan-brachial plexus injuries, restoration of elbow flexion is widely accepted as the reconstructive priority. A gracilis free functioning muscle transfer (FFMT) can be used to restore elbow flexion alone with insertion into the biceps brachii (BIC) or brachioradialis (BRD) tendons or restore combined elbow and finger flexion with a more distal insertion into the flexor digitorum profundus (FDP) tendons. Using cadaveric experiments, we determined the peak instantaneous moment arm for each insertion option., Methods: Six simulated gracilis transfer surgeries were performed using both arms of three fresh-frozen full body cadaveric specimens (age: 79 + 10 years. 2 female). The gracilis muscles from both legs were harvested and transferred to the contralateral upper extremity. The elbow was manually moved through three flexion-extension cycles while the instantaneous moment arm was calculated from measurements of gracilis excursion and elbow joint angle for the three distal insertion sites., Results: Peak instantaneous moment arm for all three insertions occurred at an elbow angle between 83° to 92° with a magnitude ranging from 33 mm to 54 mm. The more distal (FDP/BRD) insertions produced a significantly greater (∼1.5 times) peak elbow flexion instantaneous moment arm compared to the BIC insertion., Conclusions: Based on the instantaneous moment arm, the gracilis FFMT distal insertion locations could result in greater reconstructed elbow flexion strength. In addition, direct measurement of the shape and magnitude of the moment arm curve for differing insertion sites allows high resolution surgical planning and model testing., Clinical Relevance: This study presents the first direct experimental quantification of the gracilis FFMT instantaneous moment arm. The experimental evidence supports the use of FDP/BRD insertion locations by providing a quantitative explanation for the increased elbow flexion torque observed clinically in patients with a gracilis FFMT and distal FDP insertion., (Copyright © 2023 American Society for Surgery of the Hand. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Myofibromas are benign mesenchymal tumors, classically presenting in infants and young children in the head and neck region. Perineural involvement, especially in peripheral nerves within the upper extremity, is extremely rare in myofibromas., Observations: The authors present the case of a 16-year-old male with a 4-month history of an enlarging forearm mass and rapidly progressive dense motor weakness in wrist, finger, and thumb extension. Preoperative imaging and fine needle biopsy confirmed the diagnosis of a benign isolated myofibroma. Given the dense paralysis, operative management was indicated, and intraoperative exploration showed extensive involvement of tumor within the radial nerve. The infiltrated nerve segment was excised along with the tumor, and the resulting 5-cm nerve gap was reconstructed using autologous cabled grafts., Lessons: Perineural pseudoinvasion can be an extremely rare and atypical feature of nonmalignancies, resulting in dense motor weakness. Extensive nerve involvement may still necessitate nerve resection and reconstruction, despite the benign etiology of the lesion.