Peripheral tumors of the brachial plexus, although rare, provide an opportunity for the plastic surgeon to coordinate a multidisciplinary team and achieve excellent outcomes. Most of the case series are reported from the neurosurgical literature. We report on the experience of the Kaiser Permanente Brachial Plexus Clinic over a recent 2-year period. A retrospective review was conducted to examine the medical records, radiographic images, operative reports, and pathologic findings of 13 consecutive patients with peripheral nerve sheath tumors of brachial plexus origin. Of the 10 patients requiring surgical exploration, 90% had significant improvement or resolution of pain, with sensory and motor recovery showing mixed results. Average follow-up consisted of 2 years with occupational therapy beginning shortly after operative intervention. Our results are similar to or better than those published in the literature. The plastic surgeon with subspecialty training can safely and successfully treat tumors of the brachial plexus by implementing a multidisciplinary approach.
Open surgical repair of iliac arteriovenous fistulas is associated with significant morbidity and mortality, making endovascular repair an attractive alternative. This report describes a 39-year-old man who was admitted with two-pillow orthopnea, edema, and fatigue. He had sustained a gunshot wound to the pelvis 13 years previously. Six years after the gunshot wound, he was diagnosed with cardiomegaly and high-output congestive heart failure. A magnetic resonance angiography documented a large pelvic arteriovenous fistula. A diagnostic contrast angiogram confirmed a high-flow fistula between the left distal main internal iliac artery and left common iliac vein. A Gore TAG thoracic endoprosthesis (W. L. Gore and Assoc, Flagstaff, Ariz) was used to repair this large, high-flow internal iliac artery-common iliac vein arteriovenous fistula.
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