bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Ultrasonography in the acute abdomen
Authors: Davies A H , Cobb R , Mortensen N J McC , Mastorakou I , Rogers C , Lindsell D
Published: March 2007

In a prospective study 152 consecutive patients presenting with acute abdominal pain were assessed clinically and an ultrasonographic examination was performed immediately. Of these, 16 (11 per cent) patients would normally have had an immediate ultrasonographic scan requested; routine (within 24 h of admission) ultrasonographic examination would have been requested in a further 66 (43 per cent) patients. In 70 (46 per cent) patients an ultrasonographic examination would not have been requested. Ultrasonography altered the diagnosis in one patient from probable appendicitis to cholecystitis. Ultrasonography missed one abdominal aortic aneurysm and one empyema of the gallbladder. Ultrasonography had a sensitivity of 96 per cent, a specificity of 94 per cent, a positive predictive value of 96 per cent, a negative predictive value of 94 per cent and an accuracy of 95 per cent in diagnosing appendicitis. Exactly the same values were found for the clinical diagnosis of appendicitis. The study shows that routine immediate ultrasonographic examination of the acute abdomen is rarely helpful, with the possible exception of appendicitis. Where an urgent ultrasonographic scan is necessary on clinical grounds the expertise of a radiologist is probably required, whereas in specific areas, for example in the diagnosis of right iliac fossa pain, there may be a place for training the surgical trainee.
Prospective randomized trial of Nissen fundoplication and Angelchik prosthesis in the surgical treatment of medically refractory gastro-oesophageal reflux disease
Authors: Kmiot W A , Kirby R M , Akinola D , Temple J G
Published: March 2007

Fifty patients with gastro-oesophageal reflux disease refractory to multiple courses of medical therapy were entered into a prospective randomized trial comparing Nissen fundoplication with the Angelchik prosthesis as a primary surgical procedure. The two groups were matched for age, sex, duration of symptoms before surgery, type of medical therapy, pattern of symptom presentation, endoscopic grade of oesophageal inflammation, manometric lower oesophageal pressure and 24-h pH profile. Twenty-five patients were randomized to each of the Nissen fundoplication and Angelchik prosthesis groups. Operation time and hospital stay were similar in both groups. Persistent dysphagia was reported in five of the patients with an Angelchik prosthesis compared with none in the Nissen fundoplication group. Three prostheses were removed because of severe dysphagia while no Nissen fundoplication required revision. No patient with preoperative dysphagia because of stricture reported swallowing difficulties after operation. At clinical assessment at 3, 6, 12 and 24 months after operation, 85–88 per cent of the patients having a Nissen fundoplication were graded Visick 1 or 2 compared with 60–72 per cent of patients in the Angelchik group.
Effective surgical treatment for mammary duct fistula
Authors: Dixon J M , Thompson A M
Published: March 2007

Forty-two patients with 43 mammary duct fistulae, including 23 with a history of at least one previous unsuccessful operation, were treated by excision of the involved duct and fistula alone (15 fistulae) or excision of the fistula combined with total duct excision (28 fistulae). The wounds were closed primarily with antibiotic cover. Two patients had a minor wound infection which settled within 1 month of surgery; one patient developed superficial necrosis of the nipple and one patient required a second operation to excise a discharging sinus. No fistula recurrence has been identified after a median follow-up of 2·5 years. Excision of the involved duct and fistula alone, or excision of the fistula combined with total duct excision performed with antibiotic cover, is probably the treatment of choice for mammary duct fistula.
Subareolar dissection for duct ectasia and periareolar sepsis
Authors: Hartley M N , Benson E A , Stewart J
Published: March 2007

Excision of the major duct system of the breast for symptoms owing to mammary duct ectasia may be curative, but recent reports have been less optimistic. A retrospective study (1978–1990) of 46 women (median age 38 years, range 18–78 years) who underwent subareolar dissection with antibiotic cover for symptoms associated with duct ectasia is presented. Thirty-three women presented without symptoms of overt sepsis (periareolar lump, nipple discharge or nipple retraction). Following subareolar dissection, six developed recurrent symptoms and five required further surgery. Thirteen women presented initially with abscesses. Eight abscesses recurred following incision and drainage, and one developed a mammillary fistula. Following subareolar dissection, six developed recurrent sepsis requiring further surgery.
Seeding of human microvascular endothelial cells onto polytetrafluoroethylene graft material
Authors: Stansby G , Shukla N , Fuller B , Hamilton G
Published: March 2007

Microvascular endothelial cells from human omental samples were isolated and grown. Adhesion to polytetrafluoroethylene vascular graft material was then studied using scanning electron microscopy and adhesion of cells labelled with indium-111. Grafts coated with fibronectin and type I collagen were found to promote the best adhesion of cells at times up to 90 min. A coating of blood clot matrix was less effective but still resulted in a threefold increase in cell adhesion compared with controls.
Impact of duplex scanning on vascular surgical practice
Authors: Renton S , Nicolaides A , Crofton M
Published: March 2007

This review outlines the development of duplex scanning over the past 15 years and its value not only in vascular medicine and surgery but also in the field of transplantation and obstetrics. It is now the first line of investigation of patients with symptomatic carotid bifurcation disease and those with clinically suspected acute deep venous thrombosis. It is also an established method of femoropopliteal and femorodistal arterial graft surveillance, determination of the extent and cause of chronic venous insufficiency, detection of placentat insufficiency and porta systemic shunt patency, early transplant monitoring, as well as of detecting an arterial stenosis suitable for angioplasty. In addition, it is developing into the method of choice for the initial investigation of patients with suspected mesenteric or renal artery stenosis. The accuracy of duplex scanning, avoiding further unnecessary invasive and expensive diagnostic procedures, makes it one of the most cost-effective investigations ever introduced into clinical practice. Also, when used as a screening technique in arterial and venous disease, it selects those patients who need more invasive procedures such as angiography. This helps to reduce waiting lists of patients requiring investigation, and better directs limited resources to treatment rather than investigation.
Malignancy following ureterosigmoidostomy in patients with exstrophy
Authors: Strachan J R , Woodhouse C R J
Published: March 2007

Forty-two patients with exstrophy underwent a urothelial colonic anastomosis. Eight developed a tumour at the ureterocolic anastomosis and in another two patients a malignant lesion occurred in the bladder remnant.
Schistosomiasis of the appendix
Authors: Adebamowo C A , Ladipo J K , Ajao O G , Akang E E U
Published: March 2007

The clinicopathological features of schistosomiasis of the appendix are discussed, based on the clinical presentation, operative findings and morphological changes in the specimens of patients seen in Ibadan between 1980 and 1989. Schistosoma haematobium was implicated as the causal agent of a granulomatous inflammatory reaction with eosinophilia and fibrosis. Intramuscular oviposition was associated with frank acute appendicitis, and serosal involvement resulted in peritoneal adhesions, with ileoileal intussusception in one patient. The actual role of schistosomal infestation as a contributory factor in appendicitis is still open to debate, but the diagnosis must be entertained in patients in the tropics with features of acute appendicitis or recurrent abdominal pain.
Clinical usefulness of polymorphonuclear elastase in predicting the severity of acute pancreatitis: Results of a multicentre study
Authors: Domínguez-Muñoz J E , Carballo F , de La Morena J , García M J , de Diego J M , Rábago L , Simón M A
Published: March 2007

The usefulness and clinical applicability of quantitative plasma polymorphonuclear elastase determinations in the diagnosis of the severity of acute pancreatítis was analysed in a multicentre study and was compared with the usual prognostic systems of Ranson and Osborne et al. The study comprised 182 patients, 154 with a mild episode of acute pancreatitis and 28 with a severe episode, defined by the development of major complications or a fatal outcome. In the severe cases neutrophilic elastase reached significantly higher values than in mild cases (P < 0·001) by the time the patient was admitted (2–12 h after the onset of the disease), reflecting considerable leucocyte activation. The sensitivity and specificity of this test are therefore greater than 90 per cent, with a positive severity predictive value of almost 80 per cent at the time of admission and 97 per cent after 24 h, and a negative predictive value of approximately 98 per cent. In addition to requiring 48 h for evaluation, the usual prognostic systems show a sensitivity of 77-85 per cent, a specificity of 70–77 per cent, a positive predictive value of 40–48 per cent, and a negative predictive value of 92–95 per cent, clearly lower than those obtained with leucocyte elastase. Polymorphonuclear elastase is therefore a very early and reliable marker in the diagnosis of the severity of acute pancreatitis, in addition to being easily adaptable to the routine of any hospital laboratory.
Role of re-resection in early gastric stump carcinoma
Authors: Staël von Holstein C , Eriksson S , Hammar E
Published: March 2007

Between 1971 and 1990, 26 patients were diagnosed as having an early carcinoma in the gastric remnant after ulcer surgery. Three patients with proximal tumour location were operated on with total gastrectomy. The surgical strategy in the remaining patients with tumour adjacent to the anastomosis was re-resection of at least 5–6 cm of the anastomotic area and restoration of gastrointestinal continuity with a Roux-en-Y loop. A margin of at least 2 cm from the carcinoma to the resection line was taken. There was no postoperative mortality. In three cases the preoperative endoscopic and histological judgement of tumour classification and stage was incorrect; when the surgical specimens were examined one patient was found to have advanced carcinoma and in the other two no malignancy could be found. Median follow-up was 15 years (range 3–19 years). During follow-up, six of the re-resected patients developed recurrences, all located in the gastric remnant. Four patients with recurrence underwent reoperation with total gastrectomy, one had exploratory laparotomy and one had no further surgery. No postoperative deaths occurred. Three of the six patients died from gastric carcinoma. We conclude that this surgical strategy failed to prevent local recurrence of an early form of gastric carcinoma, considered to be potentially curable in virtually all cases. Partial resection of the gastric remnant as the treatment of choice in patients with early gastric stump carcinoma cannot be recommended.
Proximal compared with distal adenocarcinoma of the stomach: Differences and consequences
Authors: Rohde H , Bauer P , Stützer H , Heitmann K , Gebbensleben B
Published: March 2007

Interest in leading prognostic determinants of proximal gastric adenocarcinoma (PGA) in comparison with distally located adenocarcinoma (DLA) of the stomach led to an analysis of data from 506 patients with PGA and 484 patients with DLA operated on between 1 April 1982 and 31 October 1984 and participating in a multicentre observational study to validate tumour node metastasis (TNM) stage groupings. The proportion of men with PGA was slightly higher than that of men with DLA (69 versus 63 per cent). Men more often had cardia carcinomas than women (14 versus 9 per cent); 74 per cent of these men but only 43 per cent of the women were < 65 years old. Evaluation of data by a log-linear model indicated a strong partial association (P < 0·001) between age and site; patients younger than 65 years more often had PGA than older patients. Advanced tumour stage and the intestinal type of carcinoma were more frequently seen in the elderly. More than twice as many patients with PGA in comparison with those with DLA (35 versus 15 per cent) had palliative surgery (moderate association, P <0·05). This may have resulted from different stages at different sites; advanced carcinomas (TNM stages IIIb and IV) were more often diagnosed in patients with PGA than in those with DLA (60 versus 38 per cent). Residual tumour left after surgery was associated with deeper infiltration (P < 0·001). No difference between PGA and DLA groups with respect to histological type of carcinoma was established, but residual tumour was more frequently associated with a diffuse type carcinoma (P <0·01). An overall tendency to poorer long-term prognosis in PGA was seen for all TNM stages, with and without residual tumour, except for TNM stage II with residual tumour, even though patients with PGA were younger than those with DLA. These differences in long-term prognosis, however, are based primarily on poorer short-term survival for PGA, particularly for TNM stages Ib and II without residual tumour. A significant risk of surgical management, particularly for early-stage tumours situated in the upper part of the stomach, has therefore been recognized. Surgeons should appreciate the higher surgical mortality rate for patients with PGA when curative treatment requires more risky surgical techniques.
Devascularization following endoscopic sclerotherapy of oesophageal varices: Dangers and difficulties
Authors: Chaudhary A , Aranya R C
Published: March 2007

Twenty-three patients underwent devascularization operations for acute variceal bleeding. All had received endoscopic sclerotherapy, either long-term or just before surgery. The oesophagus and peri-oesophageal tissues showed either oedematous or fibrotic reaction depending on the number and duration of sessions of sclerotherapy. These changes in the oesophagus and surrounding tissues were responsible for intraoperative oesophageal perforation and postoperative anastomotic leaks. To obviate these problems, stapling of the anterior and posterior walls of the stomach was tried and found to be safer than stapled transection of the oesophagus. During follow-up, varices reappeared in over 75 per cent of patients and were managed by further sclerotherapy. Patients who did not receive sclerotherapy had a higher incidence of rebleeding.
Self-dilatation of cervical oesophagogastric anastomotic stricture: A simple and effective technique
Authors: Shad S K , Gupta S , Chattopadhyay T K
Published: March 2007

Anastomotic stricture causing recurrent dysphagia is a serious problem occurring in patients after total oesophagectomy and cervical oesophagogastrostomy. We have developed a technique of self-dilatation of these strictures using a Foley catheter and have effectively managed ten patients. The technique is simple, painless, safe, cost-effective, and, as a domiciliary technique, patient acceptability is high.
Prevalence of abdominal aortic aneurysm in patients with occlusive peripheral vascular disease
Authors: Galland R B , Simmons M J , Torrie E P H
Published: March 2007

Over a 1-year period, 242 patients with peripheral vascular disease underwent abdominal ultrasonography to detect the presence of an abdominal aortic aneurysm. In 34 (14 per cent) an abdominal aortic aneurysm was found; half of these aneurysms were > 4 cm in diameter. In addition, 16 patients had ectatic aortas. Abdominal aortic aneurysms were more common in men than in women (17 versus 8 per cent). Patients with claudication were as likely to have an abdominal aortic aneurysm as those with rest pain or gangrene. The presence of aortoiliac occlusive disease increased the chance of an aneurysm being present (P < 0·02). Patients with occlusive peripheral vascular disease are a high-risk group with regard to the development of an abdominal aortic aneurysm. Patients with proximal occlusive disease represent a subgroup at even higher risk.
Abdominal aortic aneurysm as an incidental finding in abdominal ultrasonography
Authors: Akkersdijk G J M , de Vries A C , Puylaert J B C M
Published: March 2007

The difference between the mortality rate from ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm (overall mortality rate 85–95 per cent and operative mortality rate 23–63 per cent), and that for elective aneurysm repair (< 5 per cent) is dramatic. Awareness of the existence of an abdominal aortic aneurysm is therefore essential. Of 1800 consecutive patients aged ⩾ 50 years referred for their first abdominal ultrasonography, 113 who had been referred specifically for suspected abdominal aortic aneurysm or vascular screening were excluded. The remaining 1687 patients (693 men and 994 women) form the study group. Apart from the symptom-directed examination, the entire abdomen of every patient was routinely studied by ultrasonography. The definition of an abdominal aortic aneurysm was a local dilatation of the aorta with an anteroposterior diameter > 30 mm or > 1·5 times the anteroposterior diameter of the proximal aorta. In 82 cases (4·9 per cent) an abdominal aortic aneurysm was disclosed; 61 were in men (8·8 per cent) and 21 were in women (2·1 per cent). The prevalence of abdominal aortic aneurysm as an incidental finding in men aged ⩾60 years was 11·4 per cent. In every patient aged ⩾50 years undergoing their first abdominal ultrasonography examination, the aorta should be screened for the presence of an aneurysm.
Transcranial Doppler monitoring during carotid endarterectomy
Authors: Naylor A R , Jenkins A McL , Ruckley C V , Wildsmith J A W , McClure J
Published: March 2007

Transcranial Doppler monitoring of the middle cerebral artery blood flow velocity was used as an adjunct to routine methods of cerebral monitoring in a prospective study of 30 consecutive patients undergoing carotid endarterectomy to investigate whether transcranial Doppler monitoring provided information influencing operative technique. Application of carotid clamps caused a significant fall in middle cerebral artery velocity and there was a linear relationship between middle cerebral artery velocity and internal carotid artery stump pressure. Assuming a stump pressure of < 50 mmHg to be an indication for shunting, this would correspond to a systolic middle cerebral artery velocity of < 42 cm/s and a mean velocity of < 30 cm/s. Transcranial Doppler monitoring immediately identified problems with shunt function and demonstrated a higher frequency of intraoperative embolization than had been anticipated, particularly after shunt insertion and final restoration of flow. With revision of operative technique this phenomenon is rarely encountered now. Two of the 30 patients exhibited a minor neurological deficit on recovery of consciousness, and transcranial Doppler monitoring was able to identify the probable underlying cause in both cases. Unnecessary and potentially hazardous re-exploration was avoided. In the absence of transcranial Doppler monitoring the neurological deficit in one of the patients might have been much worse.
Use of the appendix in reconstructive surgery: A case against incidental appendicectomy
Authors: Wheeler R A , Malone P S
Published: March 2007

Ignored for years, the appendix is once again being promoted as having useful surgical potential, notably in the management of incontinence. Incidental and prophylactic appendicectomy with their established complications become less easy to justify as the incidence of appendicitis declines. The role of the appendix in reconstructive surgery is reviewed, with particular reference to urinary reconstruction and to the treatment of chronically constipated or faecally incontinent children by use of the antegrade continence enema.
Sutureless intestinal anastomoses
Authors: McCue J L , Phillips R K S
Published: March 2007

Sutureless intestinal anastomoses can be achieved either by compression, where two inverted rings of bowel are compressed by a hollow circular device that subsequently sloughs away and is passed anally, or by the use of tissue glues or laser welding. Compression devices used clinically with success are the Valtrac® biofragmentable anastomotic ring, the polypropylene rings described by Rosati and the AKA guns. Glued anastomoses have only been used in animals and seem to be unsafe. However, laser-welded intestinal anastomoses appear highly promising in experimental studies and further development of this technique is warranted.
Abdominal injuries in the war wounded of Afghanistan: A report from the International Committee of the Red Cross Hospital in Kabul
Authors: Morris D S , Sugrue W J
Published: March 2007

This report is from the hospital opened by the International Committee of the Red Cross, in Kabul, which receives acute war-wounded patients from the Afghanistan conflict. Of more than 1000 operations carried out by the New Zealand team in a 6-month period, there were 70 laparotomies for penetrating wounds. These injuries were dealt with by established surgical techniques. The main area of controversy was the management of colonic wounds where the recent trend away from mandatory colostomy was followed by good results. Selective primary repair was achieved in 16 of 27 patients with colonic injury with no mortality and minimal morbidity. The right colon was considered particularly favourable for primary anastomosis. The overall mortality rate for all laparotomies was 13 per cent, with injuries to the liver, major veins and rectum particularly being fatal. There were eight negative laparotomies.
Glutamine-enhanced enteral diet improves nitrogen balance without increasing portal ammonia
Authors: Brown M G , Campbell G R , Rowlands B J
Published: March 2007

Following surgical stress the jejunum actively metabolizes endogenous glutamine, a non-essential amino acid, to produce alanine and ammonia, which augments substrate flow to the liver at a time when oral intake of nutrients is decreased. Oral glutamine supplementation theoretically may modify the response to injury. This study was designed to demonstrate the role of the jejunum in postinjury glutamine metabolism and to evaluate the influence of enteral glutamine supplements on nitrogen and ammonia metabolism after laparotomy and bowel resection in dogs. Oral glutamine in the presence of an intact small bowel significantly improved nitrogen balance (461 mg kg body-weight−1 day−1) compared with a control diet (− 370 mg kg−1 day−1) (P < 0.05, analysis of variance). Removal of the proximal small bowel prevented this beneficial effect of glutamine (− 507 mg kg−1 day−1). Glutamine-supplemented and control diets were associated with similar portal ammonia concentrations throughout the study.
Secondary surgery for liver trauma
Authors: Sherlock D J , Bismuth H
Published: March 2007

Over a 10-year period from 1980, 46 patients with liver injuries were referred after primary admission to other hospitals. Previous surgery had been performed in 40 cases and the predominant reasons for referral were uncontrollable bleeding and postoperative sepsis with biliary leakage. Of 30 such cases, 19 were treated by liver resection; all were of a limited nature and no major hepatectomies were performed. Only two deaths occurred in these patients and this low mortality rate supports our conservative approach to liver trauma. Other reasons for referral were late biliary stenosis, complicated penetrating injury and intrahepatic haematoma. Three cases were referred with postoperative hepatic failure; two responded to resection of infected necrotic tissue and liver transplantation was attempted in the third. Injuries to liver segments 6 and 7 were those most frequently referred for assistance with bleeding, and all patients were safely transferred after intra-abdominal packing. This injury is particularly suitable for resection by segmentectomy rather than a formal hepatectomy, which has been associated with a high mortality rate in trauma cases. Further patients with intractable injuries might be salvaged by liver transplantation.
Cystic duct obliteration and gallbladder mucosal destruction: A feasible alternative to cholecystectomy
Authors: Leahy A L , McCollum P T , O'Gorman S , Darzi A , Tanner W A , Keane F B V , Marks P , Kay E
Published: March 2007

‘Chemical cholecystectomy’ has been proposed as an alternative to removal of the gallbladder. This study assessed cystic duct obliteration using bipolar electrocoagulation (with sham cannulation controls) and gallbladder mucosal treatment with tetracycline (or saline controls) in 29 mongrel dogs. Cystic duct obstruction was assessed by tube cholecystography at day 14, and epithelial damage by histology at day 42. Electrocoagulation by duct diathermy effectively occluded the cystic duct in 14 of 19 animals; however, this was associated with mucocele formation unless mucosal treatment with tetracycline was also performed. Immediate instillation of tetracycline after duct electro-coagulation produced only partial epithelial damage. The combination of duct electrocoagulation and delayed tetracycline instillation at 14 days produced complete destruction of all gallbladder epithelium and an effective chemical cholecystectomy.
Subtotal cholecystectomy
Authors: Cottier D J , McKay C , Anderson J R
Published: March 2007

Subtotal cholecystectomy has been carried out on 11 patients during a 5-year period, constituting 3.8 per cent of cholecystectomies performed during this time. The indications were severe inflammation/fibrosis in six patients, portal hypertension in three and the Mirizzi syndrome in two patients. There were no deaths and only minor in-hospital morbidity. One patient developed a common bile duct stone 21 months after the operation. None of the remaining patients has to date developed postcholecystectomy sequelae (mean follow-up period 29 (range 1–62) months). Subtotal cholecystectomy is a safe, straightforward and definitive operation in patients for whom standard cholecystectomy could be dangerous, and is a more attractive proposition than cholecystostomy.
Treatment of severe postvagotomy/postgastrectomy symptoms with the somatostatin analogue octreotide
Authors: Mackie C R , Jenkins S A , Hartley M N
Published: March 2007

Fourteen patients with severe and persistent postvagotomy/postgastrectomy symptoms were entered into a trial of treatment with the somatostatin analogue octreotide, 50 μg twice daily 30 min before meals being self-administered by subcutaneous injection. Six of the seven patients completing the 3-month trial showed sustained overall improvement of symptoms. The remaining patients were unhelped by treatment or developed unwanted effects. Six of eight patients with dumping syndrome showed sustained improvement of dumping symptoms during treatment. Bile vomiting was relieved in three of four patients with this complaint. Diarrhoea accompanying dumping showed a variable response to treatment, with improvement in three patients and no change or worsening of this symptom in five. Two patients with severe postvagotomy diarrhoea alone showed no improvement. Four patients with unwanted effects and three patients who found no benefit stopped the trial medication early. Four further patients reported mild or transient side-effects. For patients with severe postvagotomy/postgastrectomy symptoms, a trial of octreotide seems justified when significant dumping symptoms are present and other treatment options have been exhausted.
Comparison of minimal and conventional surgery in patients with bleeding peptic ulcer: A multicentre trial
Authors: Poxon V A , Keighley M R B , Dykes P W , Heppinstall K , Jaderberg M
Published: March 2007

A multicentre randomized prospective trial compared minimal surgery (under-running the vessel or ulcer excision and adjuvant ranitidine) with conventional ulcer surgery (vagotomy and pyloroplasty or partial gastrectomy) for the treatment of bleeding peptic ulcer. This report is based on 137 patients (eight withdrawn through misdiagnosis or lost data), of whom 62 received conservative surgery and 67 conventional operation. Twenty-nine patients died, 16 (26 per cent) after conservative surgery and 13 (19 per cent) after conventional operations. The only significant difference between the groups was the incidence of fatal rebleeding, which occurred in six patients after conservative surgery compared with none after conventional surgery (P < 0.02, Fisher's exact test).
Palliation of malignant dysphagia with laser therapy: Predictability of results
Authors: Mason R C , Bright N , McColl I
Published: March 2007

This study reports the results of 189 patients treated by laser therapy for malignant dysphagia. Ninety-one per cent of patients derived benefit from treatment, but the long-term survival rate was poor, with only 12 per cent of patients surviving for 6 months. Survival was not influenced by either tumour length, site or histological type. Patients with adenocarcinomas initially showed improved swallowing after laser treatment compared with those with squamous tumours, but this difference had disappeared by 2 months. The results of laser treatment were not influenced by either tumour length or site.
Transhiatal oesophagectomy for oesophageal carcinoma
Authors: Gürkan N , Terzioglu T , Tezelman S , Sasmaz O
Published: March 2007

Between 1979 and 1990 transhiatal oesophagectomy and reconstruction with stomach was performed in 148 patients with carcinoma of the oesophagus. Ninety-seven patients were men and 51 were women; ages ranged from 21 to 88 years with a mean of 57.4 years. Dysphagia and weight loss were the usual clinical symptoms. The mean duration of symptoms was 14 weeks. Squamous cell carcinoma was present in 129 patients (87.2 per cent), 18 patients (12.2 per cent) had adenocarcinoma, and one had lymphoma (0.7 per cent). In two-thirds of the patients tumours were located in the middle thoracic (50 of 148 patients) or distal thoracic oesophagus (59 of 148 patients). Three-quarters of the patients had tumours determined as stage III. The mean length of hospital stay after operation was 12.8 days. Anastomotic leakage occurred in 15 cases (10.1 per cent). Pulmonary complications other than pneumothorax were observed in 36 cases (24.3 per cent). The 30-day postoperative mortality rate was 8.1 per cent (12 of 148 patients). Respiratory insufficiency was observed as the major cause of death (six of 12 patients). Mediastinitis due to necrosis of the transposed stomach in the mediastinum was the cause of death in three cases. Two-year actuarial survival rates in patients with cervical, upper, middle and lower thoracic tumours were 20, 22, 26 and 30 per cent respectively. Transhiatal oesophagectomy is safe and offers limited morbidity and mortality, although pulmonary complications and anastomotic leakage in the early postoperative period still pose a significant risk, especially for elderly patients in poor condition.
Staple-line erosion: A common source of recurrent bleeding following stapled oesophageal transection
Authors: Kaye G L , McCormick P A , Siringo S , Hobbs K E F , McIntyre N , Burroughs A K
Published: March 2007

Recurrent bleeding after stapled oesophageal transection was studied in 73 patients with cirrhosis transected for acute variceal bleeding. The most frequent source of bleeding was partial or total circumferential oesophageal erosion at the transection: staple-line erosion. This lesion occurred in 36 (49 per cent) patients and was the source of rebleeding in 29 (40 per cent) patients with 54 episodes. Rebleeding in 22 (30 per cent) patients was due to varices in nine (12 per cent), peptic ulcer in six (8 per cent), gastric erosions in two (3 per cent) and unknown sources in five (7 per cent), accounting for 33 episodes. The mean(s.e.m.) blood transfusion requirement for bleeding from staple-line erosions was 1.5(0.25) units per bleed versus other sources, 6.5(1.0) units per bleed (P < 0.001). Staple-line erosion was present at the first postoperative endoscopy in 11 (15 per cent) patients but the time to appearance varied widely. The lesion was more common in patients with Pugh's grade A liver disease at the time of transection, reflecting the increased survival rate of these patients. Staple-line erosion is a common source of minor recurrent bleeding following stapled oesophageal transection.
Perioperative blood transfusion does not promote recurrence and death after mastectomy for breast cancer
Authors: Eickhoff J H , Andersen J
Published: March 2007

Several reports suggest that perioperative blood transfusion promotes recurrence and death after cancer surgery. We studied the effect of transfusion in 1599 patients who had mastectomy for carcinoma of the breast. In 228 transfused patients the disease recurred in 110 (48 per cent), compared with 647 (47 per cent) of 1371 non-transfused patients (P = 0.85). The 5-year recurrence-free survival rate was 0.54 in the transfused patients and 0.60 in the non-transfused group (P = 0.44). The transfused patients had a higher prevalence of risk factors than the non-transfused patients. Cox's multiple regression analysis confirmed that perioperative blood transfusion was of no importance. The study does not support the hypothesis that perioperative blood transfusion promotes recurrence after operation for breast cancer.
Effect of low molecular weight heparin on intimal hyperplasia
Authors: Wilson N V , Kakkar V V , Salisbury J R
Published: March 2007

Intimal hyperplasia is a significant cause of vascular graft failure. To investigate the potential uses of low molecular weight heparins (LMWHs) as prophylactic agents against graft thrombosis in humans, the anti-proliferative effects of a regimen of subcutaneous LMWH have been studied in an experimental model. Aortic intimal hyperplasia was created in 30 New Zealand White rabbits by endothelial denudation using an embolectomy balloon catheter technique. Three groups of ten animals were randomized to act as controls or to be treated with subcutaneous LMWH once or twice daily for 4 weeks. At 4 weeks all animals were killed and the aortas were harvested for analysis. The degree of intimal hyperplasia was measured using a computerized image analysis system and was expressed as an intimal:medial area ratio and also as percentage luminal reduction. A 60 per cent reduction in the degree of intimal hyperplasia was seen following treatment with LMWH. Heparin-treated animals had considerably less luminal reduction (daily LMWH 8 per cent and twice-daily LMWH 10 per cent) compared with untreated controls (26 per cent) (P < 0.001). There was a similar difference seen in the intima:media area ratios, daily LMWH 0.38, and twice-daily LMWH 0.44, versus controls, 1.11 (P < 0.001). In an experimental model, subcutaneous LMWH therapy effectively inhibits intimal hyperplasia.
Peripheral parenteral nutrition: Effect of a standardized compounded mixture on infusion phlebitis
Authors: Nordenström J , Jeppsson B , Lovén L , Larsson J
Published: March 2007

The incidence and severity of infusion phlebitis was evaluated prospectively in 142 surgical patients who received peripheral parenteral nutrition (PPN) for a total of 700 days. In a first study phase 83 patients were given PPN for a total of 424 days. All nutrient solutions were delivered over a 12-h period from a 3-litre bag and the infusion sites rotated daily. These methods resulted in an incidence of phlebitis of 18 per cent, 75 per cent of the patients being fed successfully by PPN until resumption of oral nutrition. In an attempt to assess the importance of the method of delivering nutrient solutions, the next 59 patients were randomized to receive PPN as a compounded mixture or by a conventional technique with simultaneous infusion from separate bottles. Infusion phlebitis was significantly more frequent (P < 0.001) in patients infused with separate bottles. There was no difference between the groups with regard to duration of nutrition or the need to establish central venous access. We conclude that PPN is a safe and cost-effective means of providing total parenteral nutrition in most surgical patients. The use of compounded mixtures significantly reduces the incidence of phlebitis without increasing total costs.
Popliteal artery entrapment syndrome
Authors: Murray A , Halliday M , Croft R J
Published: March 2007

Popliteal artery entrapment syndrome is an uncommon cause of peripheral vascular disease in young fit individuals, presenting as progressive claudication or sudden limb ischaemia. It can also present later in life with insidious symptoms relating to popliteal thrombosis or aneurysm. As a local cause of atherosclerosis in the popliteal artery it is probably under-diagnosed, as clinical and radiological features are subtle and varied. Early diagnosis and surgical division of aberrant muscular relations result in an excellent clinical result. Late surgical treatment with vein grafting is less durable. The disease incidence, clinical features, pathology, investigations, treatment and prognosis are reviewed.
Rapid-bolus contrast-enhanced dynamic computed tomography in acute pancreatitis: A prospective study
Authors: London N J M , Leese T , Lavelle J M , Miles K , West K P , Watkin D F L , Fossard D P
Published: March 2007

The purpose of this prospective study was to determine the clinicopathological significance of necrotic areas demonstrated by rapid-bolus contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) in patients with biochemically predicted severe pancreatitis. Although CT necrosis occurred significantly more frequently in patients with clinically severe (ten of 12) compared with mild (seven of 20) pancreatitis (P < 0.025), seven of 17 (41 per cent) patients with CT necrosis developed clinically mild pancreatitis and six of ten (60 per cent) patients with clinically severe pancreatitis and CT necrosis recovered with conservative management. The site and extent of CT necrosis did not correlate with disease severity. Fine-needle aspiration cytology, operative and post-mortem findings and endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography examinations all strongly suggested that CT necrosis represents true pancreatic necrosis. We conclude that the finding of CT necrosis is not in itself an indication for operative intervention, but that rapid-bolus contrast-enhanced dynamic CT greatly facilitates the planning and execution of surgical therapy.
Oesophageal and severe gut involvement in the haemolytic uraemic syndrome
Authors: de La Hunt M N , Rangecroft L , Morris K P , Coulthard M G
Published: March 2007

Between 1982 and 1989, 78 children with diarrhoea-associated haemolytic uraemic syndrome (HUS) were referred to this hospital. Most presented with abdominal pain, bloody diarrhoea and vomiting. Seven had severe gastrointestinal involvement, four of whom required resection for bowel perforation or necrosis. One also developed an oesophageal stricture, a previously unreported complication of HUS. These seven children had a high incidence of other complications including hypertension, and cerebral and pancreatic involvement. One died from severe cerebral involvement, one has a residual neurological deficit and one has residual renal impairment. Severe gastrointestinal involvement did not significantly affect the long-term outcome. Simple haematological indices helped predict severe gut involvement. Four of the 78 children had undergone appendicectomy before the diagnosis of HUS was made. The operative findings were in no case typical of primary acute appendicitis, although histological examination did confirm inflammation of the appendix in two patients. Diagnosis is difficult in early disease, but increased awareness may help prevent unnecessary appendicectomy.
Failed femorocrural reconstruction does not prejudice amputation level
Authors: Tsang G M K , Crowson M C , Hickey N C , Simms M H
Published: March 2007

From January 1985 to December 1989, 500 consecutive patients presented to a single vascular unit with limb-threatening acute or critical ischaemia. Vascular reconstruction was attempted unless the patient had insufficient viable tissue to permit weight bearing or complete absence of run-off vessels in the calf. Fifty patients underwent a primary amputation and 450 patients underwent vascular reconstruction, of whom 265 had a femorocrural bypass. Sixty secondary amputations were performed following femorocrural bypass failure. The below-knee amputation to above-knee amputation ratio (BKA:AKA) was 2.0 in the primary amputation group and 1.1 in the secondary amputation group. Direct comparison between the two groups is not valid as they are clinically different. The combined BKA:AKA ratio was 1.4. This compares favourably with the BKA:AKA ratio of recent published series and figures from the National Amputation and Limb Fitting Services. It suggests that an unselective policy of vascular reconstruction for critical ischaemia does not lead to a higher proportion of above-knee amputations.
Lasers in surgery
Authors: Murray A , Mitchell D C , Wood R F M
Published: March 2007

In January 1991 the winter meeting of the Surgical Research Society was held at St. Bartholomew's Hospital and the Institute of Education, London. During the meeting a symposium was held entitled ‘Shedding light on lasers’. Speakers addressed the general principles of lasers, laser–tissue interactions and the applications of lasers in gastroenterology and in vascular disease. This was followed by an open discussion of the current indications, complications and outcome, together with future possible applications for lasers in medicine.
Bacteriology of anal fistulae
Authors: Seow-Choen F , Hay A J , Heard S , Phillips R K S
Published: March 2007

Anal fistulae are said to arise from cryptoglandular infection of the anal glands, which lie within the intersphincteric space. The type and virulence of the micro-organism responsible may determine whether an analfistula develops. The microbiology of chronic anal fistulae has not been reported previously. Twenty-five consecutive anal fistulae were studied prospectively (eight intersphincteric fistulae, 12 trans-sphincteric fistulae, two suprasphincteric fistulae, one extrasphincteric fistula, one superficial fistula, one anovaginal fistula). There were 18 men and seven women, with a median age of 42 (range 22–71) years. Patients with Crohn's disease or acute anorectal suppuration were excluded. In 18 patients, 0.1 ml granulation tissue from the track of the fistula was obtained and processed within 4 h using standard microbiological techniques. Sixty-nine isolates representing at least 17 species were obtained. The predominant organisms were Escherichia coli (22 per cent), Enterococcus spp. (16 per cent) and Bacteroides fragilis (20 per cent). The majority of the growths were obtained only from enrichment. Bacteria from only one patient grew at a dilution of 103. Granulation tissue from 25 patients was processed for mycobacterial culture, and Mycobacterium tuberculosis was grown from one patient. No other mycobacterium was isolated. The chronic inflammation in anal fistulae does not seem to be maintained by either excessive numbers of organisms or organisms of an unusual type.
Multiple-fibre low-power interstitial laser hyperthermia: studies in the normal liver
Authors: Steger A C , Lees W R , Shorvon P , Walmsley K , Bown S G
Published: March 2007

Multiple four-fibre low-power interstitial laser hyperthermia was performed in the canine liver to establish the parameters with which large areas of thermal necrosis could be made. Using 1.5 W for 670s (4020 J in total) and a fibre spacing of 1.5 cm, lesions with dimensions of 3.6 × 3.1 × 2.8 cm were achieved in 75 per cent of those attempted. There was no mortality and a low morbidity rate. These lesions could be visualized in both their development and resolution using ultrasonography. Healing occurred by 1 year. Temperatures in the centre of the heated region were 60°C, which is more than enough to cause thermal cell death. There was good correlation between the temperatures recorded, the sonographic changes seen, and the pathological evidence of necrosis. Multiple-fibre low-power interstitial laser hyperthermia performed with ultrasonic guidance may be of use in the treatment of liver tumours.
Age-standardized incidence of ruptured aortic aneurysm in a defined Swedish population between 1952 and 1988: mortality rate and operative results
Authors: Drott C , Arfvidsson B , Örtenwall P , Lundholm K
Published: March 2007

The incidence and mortality rate of ruptured aortic aneurysm in a defined and stable Swedish population was determined for the period 1952-1988. The annual rupture rate of abdominal aneurysm rose significantly from 0.9 per 100 000 inhabitants in the 1950s to 6.9 in the 1980s. After standardization for age, the mortality rate increased between 1960 and 1988 by 2.4 per cent annually (95 per cent confidence interval 1.2–3.6 per cent, P = 0.0004). Comparable figures from the UK during the 1980s have been reported to be two to three times higher. The mortality rate of ruptured thoracic aneurysm in the Swedish population did not increase when adjusted for age. In the 1980s the overall mortality rate of ruptured abdominal aneurysm was 85 per cent. Death occurred outside surgical clinics in 52 per cent of cases; 37 per cent of the total number of patients with ruptured aneurysm reached the operating table but only 30 per cent underwent aortic reconstruction. Patients treated by vascular surgeons had lower blood loss and transfusion needs, shorter aortic clamp time and operation time, and lower mortality rate than patients treated by non-specialized general surgeons. Specialized vascular surgeons also completed the reconstruction, and used straight grafts, in a higher proportion of cases than general surgeons.
Predictors of lymph node metastasis in early gastric cancer
Authors: Maehara Y , Orita H , Okuyama T , Moriguchi S , Tsujitani S , Korenaga D , Sugimachi K
Published: March 2007

Data were analysed on 396 patients with early gastric cancer who underwent resection in this department; special reference was made to lymph node metastasis. Metastases were present in the dissected lymph nodes of 47 patients (11·9 per cent). The survival rate for patients with metastasis to lymph nodes was lower than for those without such metastasis (P < 0·05). Lymph node metastasis was associated with larger tumour, a higher incidence of submucosal invasion, a higher rate of lymphatic vessel involvement, an advanced stage of disease and a non-curative resection rate of 6·4 per cent. Multivariate analysis showed that the independent risk factors for lymph node metastasis in patients with early gastric cancer were large tumour size, lymphatic vessel involvement and invasion into the submucosal layer. In patients with these risk factors, lymph node dissection and postoperative adjuvant therapy should be performed in an attempt to prevent recurrence in the form of lymph node metastasis.
Appraisal of percutaneous tracheostomy
Authors: Leinhardt D J , Mughal M , Bowles B , Glew R , Kishen R , MacBeath J , Irving M
Published: March 2007

Two commercially available kits have been used to create 25 percutaneous tracheostomies, 20 using the Cook system and five using the Rapitrac system. The operation time and complication rates of these tracheostomies have been compared with those for 16 conventional tracheostomies performed for similar indications. Median operating times were 60 (range 30–105) min for conventional tracheostomy, 15 (range 8–70) min for Cook and 5 (range 3–15) min for Rapitrac systems (P < 0·001). A significantly higher proportion of patients in the Rapitrac group had complications compared with the other two groups (P < 0·05). The complication rate for the Cook group compared favourably with that for the conventional tracheostomy group. The Cook system of percutaneous tracheostomy is a simple, rapid and safe alternative to conventional tracheostomy.