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PURPOSE: The purpose of this animal study was to confirm that laser Doppler flowmetry (LDF) is a reproducible method for the assessment of maxillary and mandibular alveolar bone vascularity and that there is less vascularity in irradiated mandibular and maxillary bone compared to nonirradiated bone. MATERIALS AND METHODS: All maxillary and mandibular premolars and molars of 6 Göttingen minipigs were extracted. After a 3-month healing period, 3 minipigs received irradiation at a total dose of 24 Gy. Three months after irradiation, 5 holes were drilled in the residual alveolar ridge of each edentulous site in each minipig. Local microvascular blood flow around all 120 holes was recorded by LDF prior to implant placement. In 1 irradiated and 1 nonirradiated minipig, an additional hole was drilled in a right maxillary site to enable repeated LDF recordings. RESULTS: The alveolar bone appeared less vascularized in irradiated than in nonirradiated minipigs. The effect of radiation appeared more pronounced in the mandible than in the maxilla. LDF was demonstrated to be a reproducible method for assessing alveolar bone vascularity. However, recordings varied by edentulous site as well as by minipig. CONCLUSION: The authors' hypotheses regarding LDF and vascularity were supported. Further research validating the use of LDF in human beings, especially in those who have undergone radiation therapy for head and neck cancer, is necessary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present the case of a 23-year-old man with a chondroid chordoma of the sternum. The patient underwent chest wall resection, followed by stabilization using a sandwich graft of Prolene mesh and methylmethacrylate, covered with bilateral pedicled M. pectoralis flaps. After adjuvant radiotherapy and two years of follow-up, the patient developed a graft-associated infection. We removed the allogeneic material and the encapsulated abscess, and the wound was conditioned through negative wound pressure therapy. This time, wound closure and chest wall stabilization were achieved with a Prolene mesh covered by a free anterolateral thigh flap. This case demonstrates the importance of carefully considering the material for chest wall stabilization and establishing multidisciplinary cooperation.

Circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) has demonstrated great potential as a noninvasive biomarker to assess minimal residual disease (MRD) and profile tumor genotypes in patients with non‐small‐cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, little is known about its dynamics during and after tumor resection, or its potential for predicting clinical outcomes. Here, we applied a targeted‐capture high‐throughput sequencing approach to profile ctDNA at various disease milestones and assessed its predictive value in patients with early‐stage and locally advanced NSCLC. We prospectively enrolled 33 consecutive patients with stage IA to IIIB NSCLC undergoing curative‐intent tumor resection (median follow‐up: 26.2 months). From 21 patients, we serially collected 96 plasma samples before surgery, during surgery, 1–2 weeks postsurgery, and during follow‐up. Deep next‐generation sequencing using unique molecular identifiers was performed to identify and quantify tumor‐specific mutations in ctDNA. Twelve patients (57%) had detectable mutations in ctDNA before tumor resection. Both ctDNA detection rates and ctDNA concentrations were significantly higher in plasma obtained during surgery compared with presurgical specimens (57% versus 19% ctDNA detection rate, and 12.47 versus 6.64 ng·mL−1, respectively). Four patients (19%) remained ctDNA‐positive at 1–2 weeks after surgery, with all of them (100%) experiencing disease progression at later time points. In contrast, only 4 out of 12 ctDNA‐negative patients (33%) after surgery experienced relapse during follow‐up. Positive ctDNA in early postoperative plasma samples was associated with shorter progression‐free survival (P = 0.013) and overall survival (P = 0.004). Our findings suggest that, in early‐stage and locally advanced NSCLC, intraoperative plasma sampling results in high ctDNA detection rates and that ctDNA positivity early after resection identifies patients at risk for relapse.

Background: The true incidence and natural history of renal artery aneurysm (RAA) remain unclear and still exists controversy over indication for treatment. Several techniques of conventional surgical reconstructions are described in literature, and more recently endovascular therapies have been reported with satisfying results and lower complication rate. This paper aims to investigate the outcomes of both endovascular and open repair of RAA achieved in a single institution involving 3 medical teams (urology, vascular surgery and neuroradiology)., Material and Methods: We conducted a single-centre retrospective observational study about all patients surgically or endovascularly treated for RAA over a 15-year period. Pre-operative, procedural and post-operative data at the early, mid- and long-term follow-up were collected and analysed, focusing on operative technique used for repair and related outcomes., Results: A total of 27 patients (n = 17 (63%) women, mean age 58 ± 13.2, n = 26 saccular RAA) were included. Mean aneurysm was size was 18.8 ± 6.3 mm. Most diagnosis were accidental. Symptomatic RAA showed with macroscopic haematuria (n = 3, 25.9%), unstable hypertension (n = 2; 7%), chronic lumbar pain (n = 1, 3.7%) and renal infarct (n = 1, 3.7%). Conventional surgery (ex-vivo repair, aneurysmorraphy, aneurysm resection and end-to-end anastomosis) was performed in 14 (51.8%) cases and endovascular coiling embolization in 13 (48.2%). Mean hospital length of stay was 5.4 ± 3.6 days. Intensive Care Unit stay was needed only in the surgically treated patients (mean 1.1 ± 1.2 days). During the early follow-up, morbidity rate was 7/14 in surgically treated patients vs. 1/13 in endovascular group; it included bleeding, retroperitoneal hematoma, arterial thrombosis and bowel obstruction. The discharge imaging showed complete aneurysm exclusion and renal artery patency in all cases. At a mean follow-up of 39 ± 42 months, 3 patients (11%) were lost to follow up and 2 (7.4 %) died from unrelated cause. None of these patients required dialysis but a statistically significant (P = 0.09) decrease in GFR was noted between the preoperative period and last follow-up control. RAA repair neither showed blood pressure control improvement nor reduced the need for anti-hypertensive drug use., Conclusion: Open or endovascular techniques are both safe and efficient to treat RAA. Even though, surgical management is burdened with higher morbidity rate, the operative technique should be selected according to anatomical features, diameters and location of RRA; and the number of renal branches involved. Further larger studies are needed to define the feasibility and safety for a wider application of the endovascular approach., (Copyright © 2021. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Objectives: Primary implant stability is related to local bone density. After insertion of an implant, implant stability is subject to changes due to bone remodeling. In patients who have undergone radiotherapy in the head and neck region, implant stability is impaired because irradiation reduces bone vitality. The current study was designed to monitor and test implant stability immediately after implant placement and during osseointegration in irradiated and non-irradiated minipig alveolar bone., Materials and Methods: All maxillary and mandibular premolars and molars of six adult Göttingen minipigs were extracted. The maxilla and mandible of three minipigs received three irradiation exposures at a total dose of 24 Gy. After irradiation, five initial implant holes were drilled in the residual alveolar ridge of each edentulous site. In order to assess bone vascularity, laser Doppler flowmetry recordings were carried out in the initial holes. A total of 120 implants were placed in the six minipigs. Subsequently, and at 8, 16, and 24 weeks after implant placement, implant stability was recorded by resonance frequency analysis (RFA). RFA values were expressed as an implant stability quotient (ISQ)., Results: ISQ values recorded immediately after implant placement showed no differences between irradiated and non-irradiated minipigs. Repeated measurements at the four recording moments showed a decrease of ISQ values in all minipigs, being more pronounced in irradiated bone, when compared with non-irradiated bone. The results at the third and fourth recording moments showed a stabilization or even a slight increase of ISQ values., Conclusions: The results document the negative effect of irradiation on bone vascularity and hence on implant stability.

Background: Complication rates after sinus floor augmentation of up to 10% are mentioned in literature, often when heterologous bone implants are used. The aim of our retrospective study was to determine the complication rate involving the maxillary sinus of patients treated with autologous spongiosa., Patients and Methods: In 46 patients with an absolute maxillary atrophy (61% female, 39% male, mean age 49 years), a sinus floor augmentation, if necessary combined with an onlay bone graft of the iliac crest, was performed. Implants (Brånemark) were placed in a two-stage procedure after 3-6 months. Prior to surgery, a panoramic film was made for diagnosis and treatment planning; in addition, a sinus X-ray was taken when disease of the maxillary sinus was suspected. panoramic radiography was routinely taken after surgery. A clinical and radiological follow-up examination was performed after 6-12 months, and the patients answered a questionnaire. This study also included evaluation of operation reports and case histories. Ultrasound as well as magnetic resonance imaging to prevent radiation exposure were performed additionally., Results: In spite of perforation of the maxillary sinus mucosa in about 25%, removal of the bone graft due to inflammation was not necessary. A transient sinusitis developed in 2%. The implant loss rate (3 out of 154) may be called small., Discussion: Even though alternative heterologous graft materials exist, maxillary sinus floor elevation with autologous bone graft is still a safe option. Changes of the maxillary sinus are detectable in a small percentage, relatively often due to preexisting unrecognized or subclinical diseases of the maxillary sinus. Magnetic resonance imaging is, in spite of the high financial and technical effort required, a serious alternative to computed tomography. The combination of autologous bone graft with calcium phosphate ceramics, platelet-rich plasma, or synthetic bone growth factors should be tested as an alternative treatment method.