OBJECTIVE To study the compression factor and clinical manifestation of the compression of the palmar cutaneous branch of the median nerve. METHODS Anatomic study was done on both sides of 2 cadavers and 6 cases of hand injury in the debridement, the origin, course, branch of the palmar cutaneous branch of the median nerve were observed. From 1995 to 1998, 12 patients of compression of the palmar cutaneous branch were treated by local blockade injection. Among them, there were 8 males and 4 females, aged from 23 to 65 years and the course of disease ranged 3 to 12 months. RESULTS The palmar cutaneous branch of the median nerve was (1.3 +/- 0.1) mm in diameter, it could be pulled when the wrist dorsi-extension. All cases showed good recovery of hand function and no recurrence after 4 to 12 months follow-up. CONCLUSION The palmar cutaneous branch compression syndrome is closely related to the local anatomy. The diagnosis is definite according to the clinical symptoms and signs, and local blocking is effective on the most patients.
In order to seek a good method to treat the severe, complex damage of the digital flexor tendon, an anatomical study based on 30 cadavers was done, and the result showed that the source of the blood supply to the palmaris longus tendon was from the radial and ulnar arteries. Three cases of severe complex digital flexor tendon injuries were satisfactory. Its main advantages were: (1) The tendon transplant had its own blood supply and had no need to the revascularization, therefore the adhesion formed between the tendon and adjacent tisues might be less;(2) Besides reparing the tendon defect, it can simultaneously solve the problem of the defect of the soft tissues and the skin.
OBJECTIVE: To discuss the method to repair the defects of palm with the improved flaps pedicled with the dorsal carpal branch of ulnar artery. METHODS: The improved flaps were designed on the basis of anatomical distribution of the dorsal carpal branch of ulnar artery and the medial antebrechial cutaneous nerve, the ulnar artery was ligated and cut at the beginning of its dorsal carpal branch. The flap pedicled with dorsal carpal branch including the distal ulnar artery was achieved and applied clinically to repair 15 cases of the skin and soft tissue defects of palm from August 1997 to November 2001. The size of flaps ranged from 7 cm x 5 cm to 12 cm x 8 cm. RESULTS: All of the cases were followed up 3 weeks to 6 months, and the flaps completely survived. There was no ischemia and necrosis at the distal part of flaps and the appearance and function was satisfactory. CONCLUSION: The improved flap has long vascular pedicle, abundant blood supply and sensitive sensation, so it can be used to repair defect of palm.
ObjectiveTo evaluate the efficiency and clinical outcomes of endoscopic thoracic sympathectomy (ETS) with flexible thoracoscopy under local anesthesia with monitored anesthesia care in primary palmar hyperhidrosis. MethodsFrom March 2011 to March 2013, we performed ETS with flexible thoracoscopy under local anesthesia with monitored anesthesia in 23 patients with primary palmar hyperhidrosis (PH), including 10 males and 13 females with their age of 25.6±7.2 years (range, 17-32 years). T3 sympathectomy was performed with flexible endoscopy under local anesthesia with monitored anesthesia care. All patients were followed up until May 2014. ResultsDuring surgery, the vital signs of the patients remained stable. Operation time was 30-40 minites. The symptom of PH disappeared right in the surgery. All patients were discharged from the hospital on the 2nd postoperative day. One patient received unilateral sympathectomy because of pleural adhesion. Other 22 patients received follow-up to May 2014 and no reoccurrence was reported. ConclusionETS with flexible thoracoscopy under local anesthesia with monitored anesthesia is a safe, microinvasive and effective method.
Objective To investigate the safety and feasibility of day surgery for patients with palmar hyperhidrosis based on the principles of enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS). Methods We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of consecutive patients who underwent endoscopic thoracic sympathicotomy (ETS) in the First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University from March 2020 to December 2021. Patients were divided into a day surgery group and a conventional group according to their perioperative management methods. The patients in the day surgery group underwent an optimized perioperative procedure under the guidance of ERAS, and were ventilated with a laryngeal or face mask during the operation. The patients in the conventional group completed the preoperative examination, operation and postoperative observation according to the conventional procedures, and were intubated with a single-lumen endotracheal tube. The demographic characteristics, operation time, hospital stay, postoperative complications, and hospitalization cost were compared between the two groups. Results Finally 172 patients were collected, including 90 males and 82 females, with an average age of 25.97±7.43 years. There were 86 patients in each group. All patients ceased suffering from palmar sweating after surgery. No patient experienced massive bleeding or conversion to thoracotomy. There was no statistical difference in operation time between the two groups (P=0.534). Patients in the day surgery group were discharged within 24 hours. The average hospital stay in the conventional group was 2.09±0.41 days. Incidence of postoperative respiratory complications, and the hospitalization cost of the day surgery group were significantly lower than those of the conventional group (P＜0.001). The satisfaction rate in both groups was greater than 95%. Conclusion Day surgery for patients with palmar hyperhidrosis based on the principles of ERAS is safe and feasible, which can reduce postoperative complications, shorten the length of hospital stay and save the cost of hospitalization.
ObjectiveTo investigate the effectiveness of medial tarsal combined with medial plantar flap pedicled with free dorsalis pedis artery in the repair of palm soft tissue defect. MethodsBetween September 2013 and December 2015, 9 cases of palm soft tissue defects were repaired with medial tarsal combined with medial plantar flap pedicled with free dorsalis pedis artery. There were 7 males and 2 females with a mean age of 33 years (range, 21-52 years). The causes included traffic accident injury in 4 cases, crushing injury by heavy object in 3 cases, and electrical injury in 2 cases. The time between injury and admission was 3 hours to 2 days (mean, 9 hours). Five cases had pure soft tissue; combined injuries included tendon exposure in 2 cases, median nerve defect in 1 case, and exposure of tendon and nerve in 1 case. After debridement, the soft tissue defect area ranged from 6 cm×4 cm to 11 cm×6 cm. The flap size ranged from 7.0 cm×4.5 cm to 13.0 cm×7.0 cm. The vascular pedicle length was from 6 to 10 cm (mean, 7.5 cm). The donor sites were covered with ilioinguinal full thickness skin graft. ResultsNine flaps survived, primary healing of wound was obtained. Partial necrosis occurred at the donor site in 1 case, and the other skin graft successfully survived. All patients were followed up 6-20 months (mean, 10 months). All flaps had soft texture and satisfactory appearance; the cutaneous sensory recovery time was 4-7 months after operation (mean, 5 months). At last follow-up, sensation recovered to grade S4 in 4 cases, to grade S3+ in 3 cases, and to grade S3 in 2 cases; two-point discrimination was 7-10 mm (mean, 8.5 mm). According to Society of Hand Surgery standard for the evaluation of upper part of the function, the hand function was excellent in 5 cases, good in 3 cases, and fair in 1 case. The donor foot had normal function. ConclusionThe medial tarsal combined with medial plantar flap pedicled with free dorsalis pedis artery can repair soft tissue defect of the palm, and it has many advantages of soft texture, satisfactory function, and small injury at donor site.
Compensatory hyperhidrosis (CH) is a severe side effect that occurs after endoscopic thoracic sympathotomy (ETS) for the treatment of palmar hyperhidrosis. CH significantly interferes with daily activities such as work, study, and social interactions, leading to a substantial decrease in the quality of life for patients. Preventing and treating CH are currently important and challenging issues in minimally invasive surgery for palmar hyperhidrosis. In this report, we presented a 29-year-old male patient who experienced severe CH for 8 years following ETS. The patient underwent staged unilateral endoscopic expanded sympathotomy (ES) at our hospital on December 11, 2023 and January 3, 2024, targeting the R4-R10 levels. After a 3-month follow-up, the patient experienced significant improvement in clinical symptoms and quality of life, with no recurrence of palmar hyperhidrosis or other complications. The treatment outcome was satisfactory.
Objective To examine the relation between compensatory sweating（CS） and the resection site of the sympathetic nerve china during sympathectomy in treatment of palmal hyperhidrosis and thus to investigate the potential mechanism of the occurrence of compensatory sweating. Methods From October 2004 to December 2005, 128 patients with primary palmar hyperhidrosis were randomly divided into two groups： 61 with T3 sympathicectomy （T3 group） and 67 with T4 sympathicectomy （T4 group）. All were treated under general anesthesia, single lumen intubation and via intercostal mediastinoscopic surgery. Results No morbidity or mortality occurred. Sweating of target organs was cured in all cases. Rates of minor CS in Group T3 or T4 showed no statistically significant （χ^2 = 1.866, P = 0.122）. Rate of moderate CS in group T4 was significantly lower than that in group T3 （χ^2=7.618, P=0.006）. No severe CS occurred. Conclusion Occurrence rate and severity of compensatory sweating are lower in T4 resection than in T3.
ObjectiveTo investigate the feasibility and clinical outcomes of bilateral endoscopic thoracic sympathectomy (ETS) through single hole for palmar hyperhidrosis (PHH). MethodsFrom August 2012 to April 2013, 19 PHH patients were admitted in the Department of Thoracic Surgery, The Third People's Hospital of Chengdu. There were 7 male and 12 female patients with their age of 24.7(15-33) years. All the patients underwent bilateral ETS through single hole under general anesthesia. ResultsAll the operations were successfully performed. Average operation time was 28.4 minutes, and postoperative hospital stay was 1.6 days. Seventeen patients were followed up for 2 to 10 months. PHH symptoms all disappeared without Horner's syndrome or hemopneumothorax. ConclusionBilateral ETS through single hole is a minimally invasive, reliable and safe procedure for PHH with low morbidity.
Objective To investigate the effectiveness of free palmaris longus tendon graft reconstruction in the treatment of gouty tophus erosion lesions in flexor tendon of wrist and hand. MethodsA retrospective analysis was conducted on 8 patients with gouty tophus erosion lesions in flexor tendon of wrist and hand who underwent free palmaris longus tendon graft reconstruction between June 2017 and December 2023. All patients were male, aged 22-65 years, with an average of 45.9 years. The duration of gout history ranged from 2 to 18 years, with an average of 8.8 years. The duration from the discovery of gouty tophus to operation ranged from 12 to 26 months, with an average of 17.6 months. The gouty tophus eroded the flexor pollicis longus tendon in 4 cases, with Verdan flexor tendon zones being Ⅰ-Ⅱ in 1 case and Ⅳ-Ⅴ in 3 cases. The flexor digitorum profundus tendons were affected in 2 cases for the index finger, 1 for the middle finger, and 1 for the ring finger, all located in zone Ⅳ-Ⅴ. The long axis of the gouty tophus ranged from 2.3 to 4.5 cm, with an average of 3.4 cm. All 8 patients presented with limited finger flexion and extension. Among them, 4 cases were accompanied by median nerve compression symptoms, and 1 case had associated bone and joint destruction in the hand. The total active motion (TAM) of the affected finger was (81.3±30.2)° before operation according to the hand function evaluation criteria for tendon repair by the Chinese Society of Hand Surgery of the Chinese Medical Association, and the functional evaluation was poor. The harvested palmaris longus tendon intraoperatively was 7-9 cm in length. Results Surgical incisions in all 8 patients healed by first intention, with no infections, graft non-union, or significant adhesion complications. All patients were followed up 8-25 months, with an average of 14.8 months. Numbness symptoms resolved in all 4 patients who presented with median nerve compression symptoms. Patients did not experience wrist pain or other discomfort, and function was not compromised. At last follow-up, according to the hand function evaluation criteria for tendon repair by the Chinese Society of Hand Surgery of the Chinese Medical Association, the TAM of 8 patients was (197.5±55.8)°, which significantly improved when compared with that before operation (t=11.638, P<0.001); the hand function of 1 patient with gouty tophus in zone Ⅰ-Ⅱ flexor pollicis longus tendon was good, and the other 7 patients were excellent. ConclusionFree palmaris longus tendon graft reconstruction demonstrates good effectiveness in treating gouty tophus erosion lesions in flexor tendon of wrist and hand.