From Innumeracy to Insight: The Uncertainty of Help versus Harm in Treatment of Asymptomatic Aortic Aneurysms

There is insufficient evidence that the surgical treatment of asymptomatic infrarenal aneurysms > 5.5 cm. is beneficial to patients. This is the result of serious complications of aneurysm surgery and the dearth of information from randomized trials. Based on evidence from the literature we defined scenarios and translated data into natural frequency trees to improve understanding of the uncertainty of help versus harm due to treatment of aneurysms. Our analysis shows that the majority of patients can expect little on longevity from surgery while they are at risk of dying from surgery or suffering from serious morbidity. We conclude that, as long as uncertainty persist, patients should be treated in hospitals that can show very low surgical mortality and major morbidity rates. To further resolve the problem of uncertainty randomized trials for larger aneurysms should be performed. Important issues to discuss are the lower and upper limits of the diameter of the aneurysms and the age and risk profiles of the patients to be included in such trials.     

计算机导航关节镜下前十字韧带重建术

目的介绍计算机导航技术辅助关节镜下前十字韧带重建术的术前规划和手术方法,比较导航技术辅助与单纯关节镜技术中股骨、胫骨隧道位置的优良率。方法根据术前标准正侧位X线片设计股骨、胫骨隧道的理想位置。术中“C”型臂X线机获得正侧位影像后输入计算机,形成虚拟工作界面。膝关节周围分别于股骨、胫骨侧安置“患者追踪器”。前十字韧带胫骨及股骨导向器上分别装配“工具追踪器”。经过注册及校准后,导航系统识别并捕获上述追踪器发射的信号,确定膝关节的位置,实时跟踪手术工具的位置和方向,并将隧道的虚拟路径叠加在工作界面上,供术者实时调整导向器的位置与方向,直至达到术前规划的要求。临床上完成计算机导航关节镜下前十字韧带重建术46例。对其中40例进行术后X线片测量,确定胫骨及股骨隧道的位置,并与同期进行的40例单纯关节镜下重建术隧道位置的测量结果进行比较。结果导航组胫骨隧道位置平均为45.35%±3.827%(37%￣53%),股骨隧道位置平均为62.25%±5.610%(52%￣73%);关节镜组胫骨隧道位置平均为41.05%±6.008%(25%～54%),股骨隧道位置平均为56.62%±7.316%(46%￣77%)。导航组的股骨及胫骨隧道位置较关节镜组偏后,差异有统计学意义(P<0.05),导航组的标准差小于关节镜组。结论计算机导航技术可以使关节镜下前十字韧带重建手术中胫骨及股骨隧道的位置更偏后,提高了手术准确性及可重复性。     

广龙昊膏药对大鼠腰椎间盘突出模型细胞因子IL-1、NO及组织胺的影响

为探讨IL-1、NO及组织胺在腰椎间盘突出中的作用及广龙昊膏药的治疗效果，将60只大鼠造模并随机分为正常组（A组）、造模组（B组）、广龙昊膏药组（C组）和奇正止痛膏组（D组），观察其神经根周围局部组织中IL-1、NO及组织胺的含量。结果显示，B组中的IL-1、NO及组织胺较A组显著升高（P〈0．01）。C组、D组较B组明显下降（P〈0．01）。表明大鼠腰椎间盘突出模型中细胞因子IL-1、NO及组织胺明显增加可能是腰椎间盘突出中的潜在始动或促进因素，而C组能显著降低神经根局部中IL-1、NO及组织胺的含量，说明广龙昊膏药作用部分是通过抑制炎性细胞因子的活性实现的。     

Vaginal stenosis in patients treated with radiotherapy for carcinoma of the cervix

The aim of our study was to determine the incidence, timing, and severity of vaginal stenosis in patients with carcinoma of the cervix who had received pelvic and/or vaginal radiotherapy as part of their treatment. We also sought to determine if there were any predisposing factors for the development of stenosis. A retrospective chart review was undertaken for all the patients diagnosed with carcinoma of the cervix between January 1, 1990, and December 31, 2000 and treated with pelvic and/or vaginal radiation at Westmead Hospital. Since January 1, 1990, data regarding vaginal stenosis has been prospectively recorded on all the patients. Data collected included patient demographics, stage of disease, treatments administered, and incidence, timing, and severity of vaginal stenosis. One hundred and eighty-eight patients were treated. Mean age was 58.6 years. Thirteen percent of patients had stage IB disease, 45% had stage II disease, 39.5% had stage III disease, and 1.5% had stage IV disease. One hundred and seventy-nine patients returned for follow-up, and data regarding vaginal toxicity were available in 98%. Twenty-seven percent had grade 1 toxicity (partial stenosis or shortening but not complete occlusion), and 11% had grade 2 (complete occlusion). Stenosis of any grade was noted at a mean of 9.6 months and median of 7.5 months (range, 26 days-5.6 years) from completion of treatment. The only prognostic factor associated with increased risk of stenosis was age greater than 50 years (odds ratio 2.26). Vaginal stenosis is a common complication of pelvic and vaginal radiotherapy, occurring in 38% of patients. Stenosis occurs most often in the first year after treatment. Patients over the age of 50 are most at risk.     

Precise and limited decompression for lumbar spinal stenosis

Summary Fifty-eight consecutive patients with lumbosacral nerve root entrapment due to spinal stenosis were treated with modified microsurgical decompression. Only the clinically relevant sides and levels were decompressed while the spinous processes, the interspinous ligaments, the medial portion of ligamentum flavum and the functionally important parts of the facet joints were preserved. The reviewers rated recovery as good or excellent in 71% of patients while patient self-assessment indicated 76% good or excellent outcome. These data suggest that microsurgical decompression of spondyloarthritic changes can effectively relieve the signs and symptoms of nerve root compression and that with careful evaluation of all available data the number of nerve roots requiring decomperession is often fewer than what is suggested by diagnositic images alone.     

31例卵巢恶性畸胎瘤临床分析

本文报道了我院收治的卵巢恶性畸胎瘤３１例，随访中２例失访，随访率为９３．５３％。并讨论了卵巢恶性畸瘤的治疗方式为手术加联合化疗，对年轻的Ｉ期患者可行患侧单侧附件切除术，术后化疗极为重要。化疗方法采用ＶＡＣ或ＰＶＢ方案联合化疗，本文还 影响预后的重要因素为临床分期期和病理学特点．     

The value of the acoustic analysis of pathological infant cry and breathing noise in everyday practice

During a period of twenty years [1969-1988] the author has observed 614 cases of congenital malformations and noninflammatory diseases of the larynx in infants and young children, Budapest. He summarizes the most characteristic symptoms of laryngeal pathology in infants, and discusses the diagnostic possibilities. Among the latter, spectrographic analyses complemented by auditory evaluation of pathological cry and different breathing noises play an important role. Based on his investigation author differentiates 20 kinds of pathological crying sounds and 4 basic forms of stridor. He describes the acoustic attributes of different pathological sound phenomena and summarizes characteristic voice changes.     

经皮穿刺L_5S_1椎间盘后1/3的应用解剖

在28例成人标本上经骼骨钻孔和非髂骨钻孔法做经皮穿刺L_5S_1椎间盘后1/3,分层解剖观测,探针依次经过皮肤,肌肉,纤维环至髓核;并观察针与临近最下腰动脉脊支。股神经,闭孔神经和腰骶干的解剖关系。实验表明:遵循操作规则,使用锥形扩张器,用上述两种方法穿刺L_5S_1椎间盘后1/3都是安全,可行的。     

Smoking and hypertension: risk factors for carotid stenosis

Summary The prevalence of smoking, hypertension and diabetes mellitus was assessed in 221 patients suffering from internal carotid stenosis and compared with the prevalences in two sex- and age-matched control groups composed of subjects having normal Doppler findings and from non-neurological outpatients. Of the subjects with carotid stenosis 27.6% were hypertensive smokers in comparison with 9.5% and 17.2% in the two control groups. The difference of the stenosis cohort from the two control groups was significant (P<0.01 and P=0.016 respectively). There was no statistically significant differences between the occurrence of diabetes and hypertension in non-smokers and patients who smoked. In 394 investigated patients suffering from carotid stenosis or occlusion an obstruction index, based on the Doppler shift frequency, was calculated. This index was lowest in the normotentive non-smokers. It was only insignificantly higher in the hypertensive non-smokers but significantly so in the normotensive smokers. The index was highest in the hypertensive non-smokers. It was concluded that cigarette smoking, especially if associated with hypertension, is a determinant risk factor for carotid stenosis and occlusion.