Compensatory sweating (CS) is the most common and disabling complication of endoscopic thoracic sympathectomy represents an unmet clinical challenge. Our surgical hypothesis to generate a parallel pathway damaged part sympathetic nerve, similar Kuntz by reconstructing 2 healthy intercostal nerves, thus treating CS. Here, we present novel videothoracoscopic technique involving bilateral nerve re...

Emerging evidence indicates that, besides dyspnea relief, an improvement in locomotor muscle oxygen delivery may also contribute to enhanced exercise tolerance following normoxic heliox (replacement of inspired nitrogen by helium) administration in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Whether blood flow redistribution from intercostal to locomotor muscles contributes to t...

OBJECTIVES To review treatment results of intercostal nerve blockade at our centre and those reported in the literature, and to determine which patients benefit most from this procedure. DESIGN Retrospective study. SETTING Regional palliative care centre in a regional hospital in Hong Kong. PATIENTS Oncology patients who had intercostal nerve blockade at Tuen Mun Hospital from 1995 to 200...

We studied 20 patients undergoing thoracotomy, in a double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover trial of intercostal bupivacaine. Bupivacaine 0.25% was infused at 5 ml h-1 through each of two catheters placed in the intercostal space at operation. Mean (95% confidence limits) 24-h requirements for morphine from a patient-controlled analgesia device were 29 (22-37) mg during bupivacaine infusion ...

Purpose: Scoliosis is one of the most common spinal deformities that affect chest wall mechanics. Scoliosis results in ventilator disorders and respiratory muscle weakness. However, the mechanism of these disorders is still unknown. The main objective of this study was to identify the intensity of respiratory muscles activity in patients with idiopathic scoliosis compare with healthy indi...

Continuous intercostal nerve blockade was used to provide analgesia after cholecystectomy. The blockade was maintained by the insertion of a single extradural catheter into an appropriate intercostal space and by "topping-up" with local anaesthetic on demand. Of the patients studied, 92%, and 76%, required no additional analgesia in the first 24 h and first 48 h following operation, respectivel...

BACKGROUND Breast reshaping after massive weight loss represents a challenging procedure because of severe hypoplasia and tissue ptosis. Standard mastopexy techniques are often inadequate to restore a pleasant profile and volume. The authors present their experience with the anterior intercostal artery perforator flap in breast autologous augmentation and remodeling. METHODS Fifteen bariatric...

The method of recording the movements over the chest, and estimating their magnitude, has been presented previously.' Records for this study were obtained from approximately 20 normal type I adult males. The amplitudes of the various movements have been estimated in 12 of these individuals. A few observations which have been made on both the anterior and posterior surfaces of the chest with the...

PURPOSE The purpose of this study was to present the outcome and discuss the feasibility of rib composite flap with intercostal nerve and internal thoracic vessels for reconstructing mandibular defect. METHODS Rib composite flaps have been used in 82 patients for reconstructing benign tumor-caused large mandibular defects: 66 of the 82 patients were reconstructed using rib composite flap with...