Endoscopic forehead surgery for migraine therapy. Personal technique.

AIM: The aim of this study is to prove the therapeutic effectiveness of nerve decompression, performed endoscopically for frontal migraine and by open surgery for occipital migraine. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty patients were enrolled and underwent surgery for endoscopic resection of the glabellar muscle group, including the corrugator supercilii, depressor supercilii, and procerus muscles, while the occipital decompression was performed in open surgery through decompression of occipital nerves from occipital, semispinalis capitis, trapezius and sternocleidomastoid muscles. Every patient was diagnosed with: migraine without aura, chronic tension-type headache and new daily persistent headache, refractory to medical management. RESULTS: Analyzing the answers given by the patients to validated questionnaires, 9 referred alleviation of migraine symptoms (45%), 8 described elimination of their migraine headaches (40%) while 3 didn't report any improvement. DISCUSSION: Our data confirmed the results of previous studies, pointing out the effectiveness of trigeminal branches and occipital nerves (trigger points) decompression from the surrounding muscles. Moreover, our technique has the same results but it's less invasive and has less collateral effects. CONCLUSIONS: Our results highlight migraine surgery as an effective treatment for patients with migraine headaches who do not tolerate or do not wish to continue medical interventions

The art of rhinoplasty: researching technical and cultural foundations of western world rhinosurgery, from the middle ages to the renaissance

The analysis of the written sources allowed to follow the gradual development of every new technique in the field of rhinoplasty but also to understand the value of this surgery in those ancient times, highlighting a deep connection between traumatologic surgery of the nose and the development of modern ‘‘aesthetic and reconstructive’’ Rhinosurgery. Specifically, we analyzed the techniques described by less known surgeons to emphasize their cultural and surgical value. As a matter of fact, the descriptions offered by these authors clearly show the importance of rhinoplasty as a cardinal and autonomous practice since Antiquity, also clarifying the persistence and development of specific techniques for this surgical practice in the History of medicine. In the manuscript, the contributions of the Italian surgeons, such as Brancas and Vianeos families, are highlighted, demonstrating their influence on the progress of this surgical specialty in the Early Modern Age. Finally, we deepen the description of Gaspare Tagliacozzi’s work, pointing out the topics and controversial debates arising from his techniques and innovations in ‘‘rhinosurgery’’ and also in the field of tissue transplantation, laying the foundations of modern Plastic Surgery. Level of Evidence V This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine Ratings, please refer to Table of Contents or online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266

Relationship between Breast Cancer Surgical Treatment and Psychiatric Symptomatology: Which Sociodemographic and Clinical Factors Could Influence It? A Preliminary Study

This study aimed to investigate psychiatric symptomatology in a sample of patients affected by breast cancer undergoing surgery, evaluating the potential mediators on perceived stress levels, depression and hopelessness. The study was conducted on eighty-five patients with breast cancer, admitted consecutively to the Breast Unit of the IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, between May 2018 and December 2019. Sociodemographic (age of diagnosis, gender, marital and occupational status, educational level, having children) and clinical (type and side of surgery, previous breast surgery, neoadjuvant chemotherapy and axillary dissection) characteristics were investigated through a semi-structured interview. The following rating scales were administered: Beck Depression Inventory, Beck Hopelessness Scale, and Perceived Stress Scale. Our findings indicate that the presence of children and of a partner was associated with a lower total score on the clinical dimensions evaluated. Furthermore, we found demolitive surgery to be a mediator between perceived stress and hopelessness, while history of previous breast surgery was found to be a mediator between demolitive surgery and perceived stress. In conclusion, patients affected by breast cancer undergoing more complex and demolitive surgery or with history of previous breast surgery should be mostly monitored from a psychological and psychiatric point of view from the beginning of treatments to evaluate the first manifestations of psychiatric symptomatology

The masks of Lorenzo Tenchini : their anatomy and surgical/bioengineering clues

An academic, anatomist, and Lombrosian psychiatrist active at the University of Parma in Italy at the end of the 19th century, Lorenzo Tenchini produced ceroplastic-like masks that are unique in the anatomical Western context. These were prepared from 1885 to 1893 with the aim of 'cataloguing' the behaviour of prison inmates and psychiatric patients based on their facial surface anatomy. Due to the lack of any reference to the procedure used to prepare the masks, studies were undertaken by our group using X-ray scans, infrared spectroscopy, bioptic sampling, and microscopy analysis of the mask constituents. Results showed that the masks were stratified structures including plaster, cotton gauze/human epidermis, and wax, leading to a fabrication procedure reminiscent of 'additive layer manufacturing'. Differences in the depths of these layers were observed in relation to the facial contours, suggesting an attempt to reproduce, at least partially, the three-dimensional features of the facial soft tissues. We conclude the Tenchini masks are the first historical antecedent of the experimental method for face reconstruction used in the early 2000s to test the feasibility of transferring a complete strip of face and scalp from a deceased donor to a living recipient, in preparation for a complete face transplant. In addition, the layering procedure adopted conceptually mimics that developed only in the late 20th century for computer-aided rapid prototyping, and recently applied to bioengineering with biomaterials for a number of human structures including parts of the skull and face. Finally, the masks are a relevant example of mixed ceroplastic-cutaneous preparations in the history of anatomical research for clinical purposes

In-vivo vascular application via ultra-fast bioprinting for future 5D personalised nanomedicine

The design of 3D complex structures enables new correlation studies between the engineering parameters and the biological activity. Moreover, additive manufacturing technology could revolutionise the personalised medical pre-operative management due to its possibility to interplay with computer tomography. Here we present a method based on rapid freeze prototyping (RFP) 3D printer, reconstruction cutting, nano dry formulation, fast freeze gelation, disinfection and partial processes for the 5D digital models functionalisation. We elaborated the high-resolution computer tomography scan derived from a complex human peripheral artery and we reconstructed the 3D model of the vessel in order to obtain and verify the additive manufacturing processes. Then, based on the drug-eluting balloon selected for the percutaneous intervention, we reconstructed the biocompatible eluting-freeform coating containing 40\u2009nm fluorescent nanoparticles (NPs) by means of RFP printer and we tested the in-vivo feasibility. We introduced the NPs-loaded 5D device in a rat's vena cava. The coating dissolved in a few minutes releasing NPs which were rapidly absorbed in vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) and human umbilical vein endothelial cell (HUVEC) in-vitro. We developed 5D high-resolution self-dissolving devices incorporating NPs with the perspective to apply this method to the personalised medicine

Surgical therapy of occipital (Arnold) neuralgia: A case series

Objective: The idea to treat occipital neuralgia patients with a surgical procedure is relatively recent. The aim of this paper was to describe the surgical techniques and our 12-year experience in this field. Materials and methods: From June 2011 till February 2022 we have performed surgery over 232 patients with occipital neuralgia. Results: The surgical procedure elicited a positive response in 86% of the patients. Conclusions: The described techniques allowed to obtain an high rate of positive results with a minimum percentage of complications

Scalp reconstruction by tissue expansion: tips and tricks

Background and aim: Numerous details regarding preoperative planning of scalp expansion are of the utmost importance for maximizing the results of this procedure. Methods: The purpose of this paper is to describe the tips and tricks useful for obtaining the best results in scalp expansion. Results: Basic concepts and operative technique are discussed and detailed. Conclusions: In scalp reconstruction, the use of tissue expansion allows to obtain successful results, Anyhow, it is mandatory to follow some basic rules, dictated by anatomical, technical, and psychological considerations. (www.actabiomedica.it)

Temporal surgery for chronic migraine treatment: A minimally-invasive perspective

•In this paper, we describe our mini-invasive approach for the deactivation of the auriculotemporal nerve in migraine surgery.•After a mean follow-up of 21 months (range, 3-67 months), patients complaining for temporal MH had 83% positive surgical outcome (50% complete MH elimination, 33% significant improvement).•Only rare minor complications are usually reported (eg, oedema, paresthesia hematoma/ecchymosis, and numbness)