Achilleas Thoma

..This study assessed the health-related quality of life experienced by breast reduction patients using four reliable and validated health-related quality-of-life measures...

..The four commonly used flaps (fibula flap, radial forearm flap, scapula flap, and the iliac crest) and their key characteristics are summarized. Finally, some future speculations are entertained...

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..Additionally, the relevance of incorporating economic analyses into hand surgery trials and the importance of changing the hand surgeons' research culture are addressed...

..quot; Although this might seem to be an easy task, in truth it requires a lot of effort and hard work. This article addresses the key points to remember when formulating a research question...

..The RCTs conducted in plastic surgery to date are generally of poor quality in design and reporting, are fraught with bias, and have small sample sizes, thus this article attempts to help future investigators perform better quality RCTs...

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..The authors believe that the coupling of cost-effectiveness analysis with clinical studies is important and should be incorporated into surgical clinical research...

..On the basis of the baseline calculation and sensitivity analyses, the DIEP flap remained a cost-effective procedure. Thus, adoption of this new technique for postmastectomy reconstruction is warranted in the Canadian health care system...

..The preconditions for academic success, including mentoring, making periodic priority lists, and time management are discussed in detail...

..Further systematic review with meta-analysis may permit more definitive conclusions about the relative effectiveness of these two techniques, particularly with regard to return to work and function...

..73/QALY, favoring adoption of the free TRAM flap. This study showed that the free TRAM flap is a cost-effective procedure for postmastectomy reconstruction in the Canadian healthcare system...

..Clinical researchers can use the methodological principles described here for their cost-effectiveness analysis...

..These are discussed in terms of anatomy, etiologies, manifestations, and surgical treatment...

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..A prospective study was conducted to assess the change in health-related quality of life (HRQL) following breast reduction mammoplasty. This paper describes the measurement properties of each of the HRQL questionnaires used...

..Systematic review...

..This article also reviews the principles and importance of evidence-based plastic surgery and describes several systems to rate the strength of the scientific evidence...

..55 and 9.92, respectively. It was concluded that prophylactic plating of the donor radius is not a cost-effective approach when compared to the treatment of donor radius fractures after they occur...

..Speech rehabilitation is often done with a tracheo-esophageal puncture technique, but studies documenting how the various methods of surgical reconstruction affect speech are lacking...

..This article presents the key role of systematic reviews in clinical decision-making, discussing the steps and pitfalls to avoid in conducting systematic reviews and meta-analyses...

..The authors provide a guide to help future investigators improve the conduct and the reporting of their case series...

..The aim of this study was to systematically review the literature and determine which procedure, trapeziectomy or trapeziectomy with ligament reconstruction and tendon interposition, offers the best results to patients...

..Surgical trials pose many methodological challenges often not present in trials of medical interventions. If not properly accounted for, these challenges may introduce significant biases and threaten the validity of the results...

..Glycoprotein IIb/IIIa antagonists represent a new class of anti-platelet agents that may be suited for inhibiting microsurgical thrombosis. This study supports further investigation into the use of these agents in microsurgery...

..However, the use of postoperative antibiotics for at least 5 days is recommended to reduce rates of wound dehiscence and improve postoperative scarring...

..This article presents an approach that will help the surgeon to identify the defect-related problems, prioritize the reconstructive goals, and select the best surgical option in the total patient context...

..In addition, the authors recommend the use of a generic, utility-based quality-of-life instrument, such as the Health Utilities Index (HUI) or the EuroQol (EQ-5D)...

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..To perform a cost-effectiveness analysis comparing the superficial inferior epigastric artery (SIEA) and deep inferior epigastric perforator (DIEP) flaps in postmastectomy reconstruction...

..Surgeons and residents are at increased risk of exposure to blood-borne pathogens owing to percutaneous injury (PI) and contamination. One method known to reduce risk is double-gloving (DG) during surgery...

..This study was undertaken to determine which flexor tendon rehabilitation protocol provides the best outcome after surgical repair in zone II...

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..The goal of this systematic review was to determine which donor-site dressings are associated with the best outcomes for the following: pain, infection rate, healing quality, healing rate, quality of life, and cost...

..Widely accepted, standardized methods for assessing outcomes would allow for comparison of surgical techniques and provide a common basis for clinical investigations...