Management of pressure sores still represents a major challenge in plastic surgery practice due to recurrence. The surgeon may have to face multiple or recurrent pressure ulcerations without any local flap left. In this very limited indication, free flap surgery appears to be a useful adjunct in the surgical treatment. We reviewed our charts looking for patients operated for a pressure sore of the sacral, ischial, or trochanteric region. We found 88 consecutive patients representing 108 different pressure sores and 141 flap procedures. Among these patients, 6 presented large sores that could not be covered with a pedicled flap and benefited from free flap surgery (4.2% of all procedures). Stable coverage was achieved in 80% of these patients after a mean follow-up of 32 months. Comparison between pedicled and free flaps groups showed a trend in the latest concerning the presence of diabetes, incontinence, paraplegia, and male sex.
Camurati-Engelmann disease is an uncommon condition, radiologically characterized by symmetric diaphyseal sclerosis involving the tubular bones. Clinical features include limb pain, muscle weakness, waddling gait and sometimes deafness. The evaluation is made by conjunction of radiographic and scintigraphic data. Corticosteroids and analgesics improve the quality of life, decrease the pain but do not alter the course of the disease. The evolution is unpredictable. The history of a 23 year old male with such a disorder is presented hereafter. His clinical course shows a very good response to the administration of corticosteroids, whereas no improvement is observed as far as the radiographic and isotopic features are concerned.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.