Search

Purpose We conducted a systematic review of the literature to summarize the available data on reconstructive surgeries involving pinch reconstruction and elbow extension restoration in people with tetraplegia. Methods English-language and French-language articles and abstracts published between 1966 and February 2007, identified through MEDLINE and EMBASE searches, bibliography review, and expert consultation, were reviewed for original reports of outcomes with pinch reconstruction and elbow extension restoration in tetraplegic patients after a spinal cord injury. Two reviewers independently extracted data on patient characteristics, surgical methods, and patient outcomes. Results Our search identified 765 articles, of which 37 met eligibility criteria (one article contained information on both elbow and pinch procedures). Results from 377 pinch reconstructions in 23 studies and 201 elbow extension restorations in 14 studies were summarized. The mean Medical Research Council score for elbow extension went from 0 to 3.3 after reconstruction. The overall mean postoperative strength measured after surgery for pinch reconstruction was 2 kg. Conclusions More than 500 patients having these procedures experienced a clinically important improvement for both procedures—one restoring elbow extension, and the other, pinch strength. Upper-limb surgeries markedly improved the hand function of people with tetraplegia. Type of study/level of evidence Therapeutic IV.

Cells from the bone marrow contribute to ischemic neovascularization, but the identity of these cells remains unclear. The authors identify mesenchymal stem cells as a bone marrow-derived progenitor population that is able to engraft into peripheral tissue in response to ischemia.A murine model of skin ischemia was used. Bone marrow, blood, and skin were harvested at different time points and subjected to flow cytometric analysis for mesenchymal and hematopoietic markers (n = 3 to 7 per time point). Using a parabiotic model pairing donor green fluorescent protein (GFP)-positive with recipient wild-type mice, progenitor cell engraftment was examined in ischemic tissue by fluorescence microscopy, and engrafted cells were analyzed by flow cytometry for endothelial and mesenchymal markers. In vitro, the ability of both bone marrow- and adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells to adopt endothelial characteristics was examined by analyzing (1) the ability of mesenchymal stem cells to take up DiI-acetylated low-density lipoprotein and Alexa Fluor lectin, and (2) phenotypic changes of mesenchymal stem cells co-cultured with GFP-labeled endothelial cells or under hypoxic/vascular endothelial growth factor stimulation.In vivo, the bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell population decreased significantly immediately after surgery, with subsequent engraftment of these cells in ischemic tissue. Engrafted cells lacked the panhematopoietic antigen CD45, consistent with a mesenchymal origin. In vitro, bone marrow- and adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells took up DiI-acetylated low-density lipoprotein and Alexa Fluor lectin, and expressed endothelial markers under hypoxic conditions.The authors' data suggest that mesenchymal precursor cells can give rise to endothelial progenitors. Consequently, cell-based therapies augmenting the mesenchymal stem cell population could represent powerful alternatives to current therapies for ischemic vascular disease.