Abstract: Fresh human amniotic membrane has been used for nearly 100 years as biomembrane and wound coverage. Doubts about impetuosity limited its use in the last decades. After developing a method for cryopreservation in the 1990s human amniotic membrane was reintroduced in ophthalmology. Although it has been frequently employed to reconstruct ocular surfaces, human amniotic membrane was rarely used in plastic and reconstructive surgery.
This study elucidates the ingrowth’s of human amniotic membrane in a rat model. Tissue integration, degradation and vascularisation are examined. Further animal studies showing the clinical usefulness of human amniotic membrane for flap prefabrication and abdominal wall closure are described.
Abstract: Mechanical airway obstruction secondary to retropharyngeal bleeding is rare. In most cases such a complication is described after head and neck trauma. Complicating factors include anticoagulant therapy, tumour, aneurysm, infection or major cervical spine injury. A precise initial diagnosis is necessary to avoid a life-threatening situation. Lateral X-ray and computed tomography is essential for safe management.
Treatment depends upon size of the haematoma as well as the clinical course of the patient. Smaller haematomas may be observed. Lager haematomas and those that fail to reabsorb should undergo drainage.
Abstract: In the European countries there is a lack of young doctors. This shortage limits the possibilities for recruiting skilled surgeons for the microsurgical disciplines. Complicating the situation is the fact that most students do not decide on their area of specialization until the late clinical semesters. The authors present a new program of microsurgical training that dispenses completely with animal training. In addition, a scoring system is presented that enables instructors to compare the microsurgical skills of different students for the purpose of further statistical analysis. This scoring system could be used for the evaluation of potential microsurgical candidates as well as for other purposes, e.g. scientific projects. A total of 36 students with an average age of 24.2 were trained, with good-to-excellent results. Microsurgical training of young students can be recommended. A point worth exploring in the future is whether there are different learning curves for different age groups.
