Bruno Carlesimo

Accessory slip of the palmaris longus muscle.

We discuss the case of a patient presenting an accessory slip of the palmaris longus (PL) muscle, which caused symptoms of median nerve compression on his left forearm. An asymptomatically anomalous distal PL belly contralaterally is also reported, and the clinical relevance and diagnosis of PL anomalies are discussed.

Development of Buffalo Hump in the course of antiretroviral therapy including raltegravir and unboosted atazanavir: a case report and review of the literature

IntroductionThe availability of raltegravir plus atazanavir provides an alternative antiretroviral strategy that may be equally efficacious and less toxic than those currently recommended in HIV treatment guidelines. In fact, this new combination antiretroviral therapy attracts the attention of the scientific community because both drugs have a good safety profile coupled with potent antiviral activity, and their combined use would avert nucleoside- and ritonavir-related toxicities.Case presentationWe describe the case of a 47-year-old, Caucasian woman treated for HIV-1 infection who developed Buffalo Hump during antiretroviral therapy, including raltegravir and unboosted atazanavir. Clinical evaluation and an ultrasonography scan of the cervical region showed a new progressive increase of lipohypertrophy and the results of DEXA confirmed these data. In our patient the worsening of the Buffalo Hump cannot be attributed to hypercortisolism; insulin-resistance, diabetes, dyslipidemia, hyperlactatemia and metabolic syndrome were not present. Moreover, she was not in therapy with antiretroviral drugs that are described as the cause of Buffalo Hump; on the other hand she developed this side effect three months after the switch of the antiretroviral therapy to raltegravir plus unboosted atazanavir.ConclusionCurrent data indicate that the etiology of HIV-associated Buffalo Hump remains elusive but is likely multifactorial; a possible contributing cause, but not the main cause, could be exposure to antiretroviral drugs. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on development of Buffalo Hump in the course of antiretroviral therapy, including the use of these drugs. On the basis of our data we can formulate the hypothesis of a pharmacological pathogenesis that underlies the development of this case of Buffalo Hump in the absence of other risk factors.

The effectiveness of negative pressure therapy on infected wounds: preliminary results

Vacuum‐assisted closure (VAC) therapy is a sophisticated system that maintains a closed, humid, sterile and isolated environment. Wound infection is considered a relative contraindication. The objective of this study is to extend the indications for VAC therapy to include infected wounds by demonstrating its ability to increase the antibiotic concentration in the damaged and infected tissues. Patients who presented with ulcers infected with daptomycin‐sensitive bacteria were eligible to be enrolled in this prospective study. They were given antibiotic therapy with daptomycin with a specific protocol. A biopsy of the lesion was carried out to detect tissue concentration of the drug at time 0. Afterwards, the patients were subjected to VAC therapy. At the end of VAC therapy, a second lesion biopsy was performed and analysed to detect tissue concentration of the drug at time 1. A control group was enrolled in which patients followed the same protocol, but they were treated with traditional dressings. Fishers exact test was used to compare the two groups. The results highlighted a significant increase in the concentration of antibiotics in the study group tissue; the improvement was sensibly lower in the control group. Statistical differences were not found between the two groups. The preliminary analysis of the data showed an important increase of antibiotic concentration in the tissue after VAC therapy. Despite the encouraging data, it is necessary to broaden the sample of patients and perform the same study with other antibiotics.

Retention of polyurethane foam fragments during VAC therapy: a complication to be considered

Vacuum‐assisted closure (VAC) therapy is a closed‐loop, non‐invasive active system, characterised by a controlled and localised negative pressure applied on porous polyurethane absorbent foams. It promotes healing of acute and chronic wounds. Therapeutic effects of VAC therapy have been proved and demonstrated; however, this method can have some disadvantages. Even if it is a quite versatile device, only qualified medical/paramedical personnel should use it in order to avoid possible complications that can occur after an improper application. In this report, 11 cases of foam‐fragment retention within the wound are presented. This rare complication did not promote healing, but further hindered it. On the basis of our experience, it is mandatory to define the indications, benefits and limitations of VAC therapy.

An Alternative Treatment Strategy for Complicated Chronic Wounds: Negative Pressure Therapy over Mesh Skin Graft

Extensive skin defect represents a real problem and major challenge in plastic and reconstructive surgery. On one hand, skin grafts offer a practical method to deal with skin defects despite their unsuitability for several complicated wounds. On the other hand, negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT), applied before skin grafting, promotes granulation tissue growth. The aim of the study is to evaluate the improvement in wound healing given by the merger of these two different approaches. We treated 23 patients for large wounds of multiple factors. Of these, 15 were treated with the application of V.A.C.® Therapy (KCI Medical S.r.l., Milan, Italy), in combination with skin grafts after a prior unsuccessful treatment of 4 weeks with mesh skin grafts and dressings. Another 8 were treated with only mesh skin graft. Pain reduction and wound area reduction were found statistically significant (p < 0.0009, p < 0.0001). Infection was resolved in almost all patients. According to our study, the use of the negative pressure wound therapy over mesh skin grafts is significantly effective especially in wounds resistant to conventional therapies, thereby improving the rate of skin graft take.

Hemipelvectomy and Reconstruction in a Patient With Advanced Marjolin’s Ulcer: A Case Report

Patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the lower limb may exhibit locally advanced or metastatic disease. Surgical resection to control the primary tumor is often extensive.The case of a 51-year-old man with squamous cell carcinoma on Marjolin’s ulcer affected, rapidly growing, and involving soft and bone tissues is described. Treatment required performing a hemipelvectomy. Immediate reconstruction was chosen as surgical procedure planning the harvest of 4 superficial muscles and 1 deep muscle of the abdomen to protect the pelvic content and to eliminate the dead spaces.The chosen technique minimized postoperative complications, and at 7 years follow-up, the patient is disease free.

The pineapple technique for excision of large plexiform neurofibromas

Plexiform neurofibromas (PNF) occur in up to 30% of patients with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1). To date, management of this tumors remains medically challenging. Surgical approach represents the only viable treatment option of progressive growing plexiform neurofibromas but surgical complications may be relatively common. Intraoperative tumor bleeding was found to occur as one of the most frequent complications. We report the case of a 28-year-old male patient presented with a large back-pack shaped plexiform neurofibroma. The tumor was successfully excised using the pineapple technique, with minimal intraoperative blood loss. To our opinion, this is the first reported case of excision of a plexiform neurofibroma combined with multi-layered hemostatic suture technique. This novel application proves the efficacy and the potential of the technique, extending its feasibility to the excision of any type of vascular tumor or extensive cancerous masses.Level of Evidence: Level V, therapeutic study