Donor site morbidity was evaluated using the Constant–Murley test for the shoulder unit. Follow-up ranged from 6 to 35 months (mean 20.6 months). Good or excellent results in mouth opening

and cosmesis were achieved in eight patients, speech was assessed as intelligible or normal in all but one patient and mean ambulation time after surgery was 2.5 days. Results of Constant score ranged from 45 to 70 (mean 60.6), and the main limitation encountered was elevation of the arm above the Rapamycin research buy head, which was seen in all but one patient confirming the low impact of the technique on the shoulder system. Low morbidity, early ambulation time, possibility of simultaneous harvesting with the tumor resection, large musculocutaneous paddles in the chimeric version of the flap are advantages of the STFF and makes it a good choice in elderly patients, when other bone containing free flaps are not indicated because of the related morbidity, when other flaps are not available or when wide composite defects are approached. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microsurgery, 2014. “
“In 1926, a physicist

at Harvard named William T. Bovie created an instrument, which revolutionized the medical profession—the unipolar electrocautery device. This incredible device could make surgical incisions and provide hemostasis as well. It came with a price, however, as it also created new risks and dangers in the operating room, such as electrical burns Selleckchem Panobinostat and fires. To resolve some of these problems, a bipolar electrocautery device was developed. The historical development and principles of both unipolar and bipolar electrocautery will be discussed in this article. © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc. Microsurgery, 2010. “
“Acellular nerve allograft is a new option for bridging nerve PAK5 defects that allows appropriate diameter

matching. The aim of the study was to compare the histologic and functional recovery of nerve defects treated with acellular nerve allograft versus cabled sural nerve autograft. Fifty-four Sprague–Dawley rats were divided into one of three experimental groups. A unilateral 10 mm sciatic nerve defect was created and repaired with an acellular nerve allograft (Group A), three cabled sural nerve autografts in antidromic orientation (Group B), and the newly created segmental defect in antidromic orientation (reversed autograft) (Group C). Two rats in each group we evaluated histologically at 6 weeks while the rest of the groups were tested histologically and functionally at 12 weeks. There were no differences in histomorphometry between the groups at 6 weeks, but at 12 weeks at mid-graft there were differences. Group C had the highest fiber count which was statistically greater when compared to Group A (P = 0.023) and when compared to Group B (P = 0.001).