Recent findings

Multiple variations of the original technique of intestinal transplantation are now utilized according to the patients’ original diagnoses and/or degree of liver dysfunction. Multivisceral grafts can include both donor spleen and large intestine; preservation of the native spleen and pancreas is possible in some cases. Living donor intestinal transplantation is being described as alternative technique to minimize death on the waitlist.

Summary

Constant evolution in the surgical aspects of intestinal transplantation parallels the improvements that have taken place in the medical

management and immunosuppression. The transplant surgeon with full knowledge of all variations of intestinal transplant techniques will be able to tailor the type of surgery to each individual patient.”
“Chronic 3-deazaneplanocin A cost knee pain management with current nonpharmacological or pharmacological measures often has suboptimal results and significant side effects. Sciatic nerve pulsed radiofrequency (SNPRF) is an unexplored alternative for chronic knee pain management. We show a prospective short series of chronic knee pain patients managed with ultrasound-guided

SNPRF. Visual analogue click here scale (VAS) was measured at baseline and 4 weeks after the procedure. The study included 25 elderly patients with severe knee pain. A total of 47 procedures were performed during a 3-month period. VAS scores showed a significant pain difference (p < 0.001) in successive comparison. No patient reported adverse events during the 1-month follow-up period. Ultrasound-guided SNPRF is a new approach for chronic knee pain management that leads to significant pain reduction in the short term. Randomized studies with adequate size, longer follow-up period, and appropriate evaluating tools are warranted to verify these preliminary data.”
“Purpose We report our experience and literature review concerning surgical treatment of neurological burst fractures of the fifth lumbar vertebra.

Materials and methods Nineteen patients with L5 neurological burst fractures were consecutively enrolled; 6 patients had complete motor deficits, and 12 had sphincter dysfunction. We performed

18 posterior and one combined approaches. To avoid kyphosis, posterior internal fixation was achieved by positioning patients on the operating table with hips and knees signaling pathway fully extended. At the latest follow-up (mean 22 months, range 10-66), neurological recovery, canal remodeling and L4-S1 angle were evaluated.

Results Vertebral body replacement was difficult, which therefore resulted in an oblique position of the cage. Vertebral bodies still remained deformed, even though fixation allowed for an acceptable profile (22 degrees, range 20-35). We observed three cases of paralysis, five complete, and three incomplete recoveries. In the remaining eight patients, sphincter impairment was the only finding. In 15 patients, pain was absent or occasional; in four individuals, it was continuous but not invalidating.