Clinical Skills - Connective Tissue Flashcards
What is the reconstructive ladder
Systematic approach to close a wound, restore function and restore form
Starting with the simplest methods and culminating in the most complex methods
Steps on reconstructive ladder
Dressings - simplest Suture Split thickness skin graft Full thickness Local random pattern flap Predicted flap Free flap - most complex
Skin graft
A piece of skin moved from one part of the body where it is reliant upon the recipient site fir its nutrition
What is harvested in a full thickness graft
The epidermis and whole of the dermis is harvested
Contraction of full thickness skin graft
Less
Healing of full thickness skin grafts
Quicker healing of donor site- great for face and hands
Which areas are full thickness skin grafts used for
Relatively small areas and donor site usually closed primarily
What is harvest in split thickness skin grafts
The epidermis and only upper parts of dermis
What kind of area is cropped for split thickness skin grafts
Large areas
Healing of split thickness skin grafts
Helps by re-epithelialization
Contraction of split thickness skin grafts
More
Skin graft takes
Fibrin adherence Plasma imbibition Inosculation Revascularisation Remodelling
Flap definition
Block of tissue moved from one part of a body to another part of the body where it incorporates its own blood supply for its own nutrition
Anatomy of tendons
Attach muscle to bone
Composed of fibres
Fibres made of fibrils
Surrounded by paratenon
Microstructure of tendons
Fibroblasts arranged in parallel rows (fibrils)
Secrete Type 1 collagen
Sharpey’s fibres
Bone
Sharpey’s fibres
Mineralised fibrocartilage
Effects of age and ageing on tendons
Degeneration
Trauma
Vascular reaction
Degeneration of tendons
Minute tears
Fibrocartiliginous metaplasia
Calcification
‘Critical zones’
Mesenchymal syndrome
Genetic predisposition to tendon degeneration
Trauma of tendons
Often insidious
Can be caused by lifting heavy weights, falls
At autopsy 60% have tears of rotator cuff or Long Head of Biceps tendon
Vascular reaction of tendons
Attempts at repair
Angiogenesis
Causes congestion and pain
Biomechanics of tendons
Strong in tension only
Can sustain tensile strain before failure
Viscoeleastic structures
Viscoelastic structures
Young’s modulus increases with increased rate of force application
Tendon rupture vs avulsion
Depends on speed of injury (rare of strain) - viscoelastic
Fast - tendon ruptures
Slow - bone avulses
Common sites of tendon injuries
Shoulder - rotator cuff
Elbow - Golfer’s and Tennis
Achilles tendon
Muscles making up rotator cuff
Supraspinatus
Infraspinatus
Subscapularis
Teres minor
Supraspinatus tendon
Inserts onto greater tuber tuberosity
Allows abduction of the shoulder
Rupture mainly occurs in aged tendons - degenerate tears
Critical zones
Areas of poor blood supply
Under surface of tendon as it inserts
Tears usually occur here
Clinical presentation of ruptured supraspinatus
Weak shoulder abduction
Unable to keep arm elevated
Drop arm sign
Tennis elbow syndrome
Common extensor origin on anterior aspect lateral epicondyle
Pain of resisted extension - wrist and fingers
Golfer’s elbow
Common flexor origin
Less common than tennis elbow
Pain on resisted flexion, wrist and fingers
Histology tennis elbow
Ground glass appearance Not infl Oedema Gelatinous material Angi-fibroblastic tendons
Jumper’s knee - patella tendinopathy
Overuse syndrome
Pain at inferior pole of patella
Can also occur at insertion of quadriceps
Distinguishing Jumper’s knee from Osgood-Schlatter’s disease
Tibial apophysiitis at attachment of patellar tendon in adolescent
Achilles Tendonitis
Pain over insertion onto Os-Calcis
Force transmitted from Achilles Tenon
Up to 10x body weight
Prognosis of most tendon insertion syndromes
Usually heal
What can chronic rotator cuff tears result in
OA
What is tendon insertion syndrome treatment aimed at
Modifying or speeding up the healing process
Types of treatment for tendon insertion syndrome
Conservative
Surgical
Medical
Conservative treatment for tendon insertion syndromes
Reassurance Explanation Activity modification Resting splints Physiotherapy
Surgical treatment for tendon insertion syndromes
in general after failure of other methods
Medical treatment for tendon insertion syndrome
Analgesia e.g paracetamol
Anti-infl e.g. NSAIDs. Beware use of steroid infiltration. No evidence for benefit in many enthesopathy condns and risk of tendon rupture
Conservative rotator cuff tear treatment
Activity adaptation
Physiotherapy
Surgical rotator cuff tear treatment
Decompression
Repair
Treatment of Golfer’s and Tennis elbow
Physio can help
Splint
Steroid infiltration of no benefit
Surgery
Surgery for Golfer’s and Tennis elbow
Debridement of tendon origins
Elevation of tendon origin from anterior lateral epicondyle
Not curative - may help improve symptoms allowing return to work
Thought to modifying normal healing process
Treatment of Jumper’s knee
Activity modification Physiotherapy Pain relief Orthotics Avoid steroid infiltration Surgery in exceptional cases
Surgery for Jumper’s knee
Tendon split
Gelatinous material scooped out
Treatment for Achilles Tendonitis
Physiotherapy
Activity avoidance
Shoe raise
Surgery reserved as a last resort
Why do we not give injections for Achilles Tendonitis
Risk of tendon rupture
Shoe raise
Sorbithane insert
Surgery for Achilles Tendonitis
Tendon sheath split
Gelatinous material scooped out
Types of connective tissue disease
Connective tissue diseases due to single-gene defects
Those characterised by infl of tissues (autoimmune diseases)
Examples of connective tissue disease due to single-gene defects
Ehler’s Danlos syndrome (EDS)
Epidermolysisbullosa (EB)
Marfan syndrome
OI
Connective tissue disease characterised by infl of tissues (autoimmune diseases )
SLE Sjögren's syndrome Scleroderma Vasculitis Polymyositis Dermatomyositis Polymyalgia rheumatica RhA
SLE
Systemic Lupus Erythmatosus
An infl multisystem disease of unknown aetiology w diverse clinical and lab manifestation and a variable course and prognosis
Requires +ve ANA
Epidemiology of SLE
90% of affected patients are female
Peak age of onset is between 20 and 30 years
Fivefold increase in mortality compared to age and gender matched controls
Pathophysiology of SLE
Genetic factors
Autoantibdoy production
Systemic features of SLE
Fever Wt loss Mild lymphadenopathy Fatigue Arthralgia
Organs affected by clinical features of SLE
Systemic features Infl in skin and mucous membranes Joint - most likely Kidneys Brain Skin Lung GI tract Cardiovascular disease Haemotological abnormalities
Prevalence of SLE
12/100,000
How are joints affected by SLE
Arthralgia seen in 90% w/ early morning stiffness
Tenosynovitis may result in tendon damage
What is rarely seen in joints affected by SLE
Synovitis
Jaccoud’s arthropathy
What is Jaccoud’s arthropathy related to
Chronic tenosynovitis/ damage as opposed to erosive disease
Clinical features of SLE in kidneys
Hallmark of severe disease
Proliferative glomerulonephritis
Presents w/ heavy haematuria, proteinuria and casts in microscopy
Common clinical features of SLE in brain
Headache
Poor concentration
Uncommon clinical features of SLE in brain
Visual hallucinations Chorea Organic psychosis Transverse myelitis Lymphocytic meningitis
Clinical features of SLE in skin
Classic facial rash Discoid rash Diffuse, non-scarring alopecia Urticaria Livedo reticularis Vasculitis
Classic facial rash in SLE
Up to 20% of patients
Erythematous, raised and painful or itchy over the cheeks with sparing of the nasolabial folds (malar butterfly rash)
Discoid rash in SLE
Hyperkeratosis and follicular plugging which can cause scarring alopecia if involves the scalp
Clinical features of SLE in lung
Pleuritic pain (serositis) or pleural effusion
Increased risk of thromboembolism
(DVT,PE), especially if antiphospholipid antibodies present
Cardiovascular disease seen in SLE - Heart
Pericarditis
Myocarditis
Libman–Sacks endocarditis (sterile vegetations – infls seen on valves of heart)
Cardiovascular disease seen in SLE - arteries
Atherosclerosis is greatly increased causing a higher risk of stroke and myocardial infarction
Why is the risk of atherosclerosis increased in SLE
Effects of inflammatory disease on the endothelium
Long term steroid therapy
Antiphospholipid antibodies
Clinical features of SLE in GI tract
Mouth ulcers - common
Peritoneal serositis can cause acute pain
Mesenteric vasculitis - v serious
Rare clinical features of SLE in GI tract
Hepatitis
Mesenteric vasculitis
Abdominal pain, bowel infarction or perforation
Haematological abnormalities seen in SLE
Neutropenia
Lymphopenia – the degree is an indicator of disease activity
Thrombocytopenia
Haemolytic anaemia
Spectrum of SLE
Late stage lupus, drug-induced lupus, latent lupus and anti-phospholipid syndrome all have overlap with classic lupus
APLS and latent lupus also overlap with each other
Secondary Raynaud’s - SLE
Age of onset of over 25 yrs.
Absence of a family hx of Raynaud’s phenomenon
Male pt
Examination for secondary Raynaud’s - SLE
Capillary nail-fold loops (and oil placed on the skin) can show loss of the normal loop pattern
Chronic ischaemia may lead to colour change
Drug induced lupus
Less severe, resolved on stopping the drug
Implicated drugs incl Carbamazepine (epilepsy) Chlorpromazine (psychosis) Hydralazine (BP) Isoniazid (TB) Methyldopa (BP) Sulphazalazine (RhA)
Neuropsychiatric manifestation of SLE
Neurological - Seizures, stroke, movement disorder, headache, transverse myelitis, cranial neuropathy, peripheral
Psychiatric - psychosis