Liposome bupivacaine in peripheral nerve blocks and epidural injections to manage postoperative pain

Solifenacin is an antimuscarinic agent, administered once daily, which has been newly approved for the treatment of overactive bladder (OAB). Solifenacin administered at 5- and 10-mg once-daily doses shows efficacy for all the symptoms of OAB in both ‘wet’ and ‘dry’ patients, including improvements in patient quality of life and satisfaction. These improvements are observed as early as week 2 of treatment and are maintained over 12-week and 1-year time periods, without being compromised by the age or gender of the patient. Solifenacin demonstrates a favourable tolerability profile, with mild dry mouth as the most common adverse event associated with its use, both at the 5- and 10-mg doses; this allows for flexibility in the dosing regimen, in which physicians can administer solifenacin 5 mg, with the option to safely increase the dose to 10 mg if necessary based on the severity of patient’s symptoms. The favourable efficacy and safety profile of solifenacin, coupled with its dose flexibility, are consistent with solifenacin being a convenient treatment option for patients with OAB.     

甲状腺癌术后复发再手术中甲状旁腺和神经保护

甲状腺癌是一种十分常见的恶性肿瘤，其病理类型大多数为分化型甲状腺癌，经规范化治疗，预后较好，但仍有部分病人复发，且长期随访，可有高达30%以上的复发或转移率。因此，再次手术是甲状腺外科医师不可避免的问题，甚至在未来一段时间会成为一个临床常见情况。再次手术，尤其是Ⅵ区淋巴结复发的再次手术，往往有较高的手术难度和风险，需要谨慎地选择手术时机和入路，术中应用神经监测与传统显露技术相结合以保护喉返神经，运用传统识别和保护手法，选择性应用纳米炭、甲状旁腺素试纸、近红外自体荧光显像等技术以保护甲状旁腺功能。     

Facial nerve palsy and laryngospasm as a complication of local anaesthesia during adenotonsillectomy

Tonsil surgeries are the most frequently performed surgical procedures in ENT departments. We would like to present the case of a 5-year-old patient who suffered from unilateral peripheral facial nerve palsy and laryngeal spasm following adenotonsillectomy. Paresis was observed immediately after the transfer of the patient to the postoperative room. The activity of facial muscles was restored within 2 hours from the beginning of the surgery. We assume that this was the direct effect of an anaesthetic on the extracranial processes of the facial nerve.     

Initial misdiagnosis of Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada disease

Purpose

To report the initial misdiagnosis of patients with Vogt–Koyanagi–Harada (VKH) disease.

Chronic Cancer-Related Pain: Continuous Perineural Infusion of Local Anesthetics as Alternative to Systemic Analgesic Drugs

Pain is a major concern for patients suffering from cancer. Although opioid drugs remain the gold standard for treatment of pain, little is known about the interest of continuous analgesia techniques as alternative. The aim of the present article is to detail the feasibility and to present the diversity of continuous perineural infusion of local anesthetic. A series of five patients suffering from different cancer-related pain is presented. A continuous perineural block was proposed to patients presenting with unbearable pain in an area innervated by a plexus or a nerve despite parenteral analgesic pharmacotherapy. All blocks were performed in a surgical theatre under sterile conditions. An initial bolus dose with 3.75 mg/mL ropivacaine was injected followed by a continuous infusion of 2 mg/mL of ropivacaine. Patient-controlled perineural analgesia was started at home by a nursing network. The technique, the efficacy, and the side effects were reported. Complete pain relief was noted 15 minutes after local anesthetic injection in the five cases, and efficacy was maintained during the following days at home, with no other analgesic treatment required. One patient restarted working a few weeks after catheter insertion. The catheter duration lasted for 12 to 110 days. One catheter was removed because of local anesthetic leak at the puncture point. Some paresthesia was noted in one patient. No other side effect was noted. No infection was reported. In selected patients, continuous perineural infusion of local anesthetics appears to be an attractive alternative to parenteral opioids for cancer-related pain. Further investigation is warranted to better define the place of these techniques in the armamentarium of cancer-related pain treatment.     

Influence of intravenous anesthetics on neuromonitoring of the recurrent laryngeal nerve during thyroid surgery

Limited reports are available in the literature on the impact of intravenous administration of anesthetics on laryngeal electromyographic (EMG) activity. The purpose of this study was to determine the influence of the two commonly used intravenous anesthetics (propofol and thiamylal) on EMG amplitude evoked from the recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN) during thyroid surgery. A total of 40 patients were randomized to receive a bolus of propofol (0.5 mg/kg; n = 20) or thiamylal (1.5 mg/kg; n = 20) to increase anesthetic depth when the surgeon found patient movement intraoperatively. Evoked potentials were obtained before and every 1 minute after the administration of each agent for up to 5 minutes by stimulating the RLN. The magnitude of evoked potentials at each time point and hemodynamic response were compared within groups. The mean amplitude of evoked potentials did not change significantly after administration of either propofol or thiamylal (p > 0.05 within groups). Mean arterial pressure measured from 1 minute to 5 minutes was significantly lower in the propofol group than in the thiamylal group (p < 0.05). Heart rate measured within 5 minutes did not differ significantly within groups. Low dose of propofol (0.5 mg/kg) or thiamylal (1.5 mg/kg) did not affect EMG readings during neuromonitoring of the RLN in thyroid surgery. Our results show that thiamylal provides better hemodynamic stability than propofol, and is therefore a preferable agent to increase anesthesia depth and prevent further patient movement during intraoperative neuromonitoring.     

枕下三角的超声解剖学研究

目的探讨枕下三角境界及内容物的检查方法与超声解剖学特点,为临床检查枕下三角提供超声影像学资料。方法对100例健康成年人枕下区进行超声检查,描述枕下三角境界的超声判定及解剖关系;阐述枕大神经的走行特点,测量头下斜肌表面枕大神经的横截面积;记录椎动脉V3段管腔内径(D)、收缩期峰值流速(PSV)、舒张期末流速(EDV)、阻力指数(PI)。结果 (1)寰椎后结节左侧约1 cm处纵切声像图显示寰椎后弓呈"短弧形"强回声,其后上方为头后大直肌、后下方为头下斜肌,三者分别构成枕下三角的底、内上界和外下界。(2)寰椎侧块处纵切声像图显示侧块为"平台样"强回声结构,其后方为椎动脉V3段、下方紧接寰椎后弓;后弓后方为头下斜肌、后上方为头上斜肌,头上斜肌构成三角的外上界,后弓与椎动脉V3段之间为枕下神经所在区域。(3)枕大神经长轴声像图显示神经从头下斜肌下缘发出后向内上走行于头下斜肌及头后大直肌与头半棘肌之间;不同性别头下斜肌表面枕大神经横截面积两侧比较,差异均无统计学意义(P>0.05)。(4)寰椎侧块处横切声像图显示椎动脉V3段呈"倒U形"绕侧块进入枕骨大孔,排除发育不良者,测V3段D为(3.52±0.39)mm、PSV及EDV分别为(43.33±9.05)、(21.87±5.86)cm/s、RI为(0.49±0.11)。结论超声是检查枕下三角及其内容物的理想方法。