Mesenteric Histiocytosis or Only an Inflammatory Infiltration of Histiocytes? A Case Report From a Surgical Point of View

The mesenteric sclerosing processes are very rare tumors. There are only a few cases of mesenteric fibromatosis described in literature. A case of mesenteric histiocytosis or a mesenteric infiltration by histocytes as a reactive inflammatory process is not described in the surgical literature. Because of its clinical and macroscopic similarity to a fibromatosis or a reactive inflammatory process and a lack of articles in the literature on mesenteric histiocytosis we concentrated our research in literature on the mesenteric fibromatosis and its differential diagnosis.     

Granuloma faciale: a case report and review of the literature

Granuloma faciale is an uncommon but well-defined cutaneous condition which is seen almost exclusively on the face [1]. Reports are confined mainly to the dermatology and pathology literature. Between 1966 and 1996 only three articles have appeared in the oral and maxillofacial, otolaryngology or plastic surgery literature [2–4]. A case of granuloma faciale is reported together with a review of the existing literature on this condition. Received: 30 December 1997 / Accepted: 18 March 1998     

Primary tracheal rhabdomyosarcoma. Case report

A case of primary tracheal rhabdomyosarcoma is presented--the second in the English-language literature. The treatment policy is discussed on the basis of this case and the literature is reviewed.     

Pasteurella multocida peritoneal dialysis-associated peritonitis: a report of two cases and review of the literature

We present 2 new cases of pasteurella multocida induced peritonitis in patients on long term CCPD. We also briefly review the literature on a total of 16 cases (including the present 2 cases) reported in the English literature.     

Management of radial tunnel syndrome: a therapist's clinical perspective.

Current best evidence for the conservative management of radial tunnel syndrome (RTS) consists primarily of expert opinion and inferences taken from studies on other nerve compressions and related syndromes. There are limited data reported in the literature of this particular disorder. This article reviews literature on modalities, therapeutic exercise, ergonomic interventions, and cortical reorganization, and how they may be considered for intervention with RTS. The author's preferred method of treatment, as based on theoretical constructs, for RTS is presented. Definitive evidence in the literature to support the conservative interventions suggested is lacking. Suggestions for clinical management and study are included in this therapist's clinical perspective.     

How good is the orthopaedic literature?

Randomized trials constitute approximately 3% of the orthopaedic literature Concerns regarding quality of the orthopaedic literature stem from a widespread notion that the overall quality of the surgical literature is in need of improvement. Limitations in surgical research arises primarily from two pervasive issues: 1) A reliance on low levels of evidence to advance surgical knowledge, and 2) Poor reporting quality among the high level surgical evidence that is available. The scarcity of randomized trials may be largely attributable to several unique challenges which make them difficult to conduct. We present characteristics of the orthopaedic literature and address the challenges of conducting randomized trials in surgery.     

Combined thyroidectomy and cardiac surgery

A combination of cardiac surgery and thyroidectomy as a single stage operation has rarely been reported in the literature. We report on the management of a 64-year-old female undergoing a combined aortic valve replacement and excision of a primary (ectopic) intrathoracic goiter. The literature on combined cardiac surgery and thyroidectomy is also reviewed.     

Tuning fork test utilization in detection of fractures: a review of the literature

A review of the literature was conducted to find relevant publications on the validity, reliability and utilization of the tuning fork test in detection of stress and simple fractures. Medline 1966-1998, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL) 1982-1997, Science Citation Index 1961-1997, Index to chiropractic literature 1980-1998 and Chiropractic Research Archives Collection 1984-1990 data bases were searched. Key words such as tuning fork, vibration, diapason, fracture, stress fracture were used. The literature regarding the utilization of the tuning fork test in detection of fractures is very scarce. There was no study found in the above data bases on the validity and or reliability of the tuning fork test in detection of simple acute fractures. This review of the literature indicates the necessity of such a study since the tuning fork test has been used on the field for diagnosis of simple acute fractures.     

Neuroanesthesiology update

With a focus on landmark investigations, common themes, and unique and innovative contributions to the literature, we provide a synopsis of the 2011 literature pertaining to general advances in neurosurgical procedures and perioperative care and anesthetic management of neurosurgical patients.     

Malignant renal schwannoma

Renal schwannomas are rare tumors. There have been only 4 cases (2 benign and 2 malignant) reported in the literature. We report a third case of a malignant renal schwannoma and review the literature on this subject.     

Appraisal of the quality of assessment of memory in anesthesia and psychopharmacology literature

To test the hypothesis that there are important differences between studies on memory published in anesthesia literature and those published in the psychopharmacology literature, we compared the two from the period January 1978 through May 1988 to identify deficiencies in the design and methodologies used and to provide guidelines for future experiments. Eight-eight articles in each discipline were reviewed. The sample sizes were larger in the articles in anesthesia journals than in those in psychopharmacology journals (medians 52.5 vs. 18 subjects, respectively). Most (85%) of the studies in the anesthesia literature used patients, who had a median age of 38.9 yr and included a median of 28 women among the subjects per study. In contrast, the majority (60%) of the studies in the psychopharmacology literature used healthy volunteers, who had a median age of 23.6 yr and included a median of only 3.5 females among the subjects per study. Characteristics more common in the psychopharmacology than in the anesthesia literature, respectively, were use of a control or placebo group (90% vs. 42%), double-blind design (80% vs. 47%), use of pre- and posttreatment memory measurements (64% vs. 23%), use of multiple memory tests with distinct equated stimuli (83% vs. 8%), relation of methodology to some theoretical model of memory (72% vs. 17%), and use of other behavioral tests (68% vs. 48%). Relative to the psychopharmacology literature, the anesthesia literature used pictures as stimuli for the memory tests more often (44% vs. 14%, respectively) and words less often (11% vs. 67%) and relied heavily on questions about recall of perioperative events (41% vs. 0%). There is room for improvement in both types of literature, and more so in the anesthesia literature.     

Lingual metastasis from renal cell carcinoma management and review of the literature

A case of anterior lingual swelling, which on excision biopsy was diagnosed as a secondary from renal cell carcinoma, is presented. We reviewed the indexed literature and present a review of the literature and current management of this uncommon problem.     

Leiomyosarcoma of the renal vein: a case report

We report a rare case of leiomyosarcoma of the renal vein. There have been only 5 other such cases reported in the literature. Special attention is focused on the diagnostic problems and the paucity of presenting symptoms. The literature is reviewed briefly.     

EAU guidelines on urological trauma

PURPOSE: To determine the optimal evaluation and management of genitourinary (renal, ureteral, bladder, urethral and genital) injuries by review of the world's literature on the subject. METHODS: A consensus committee convened by the Health Care Office of the European Association of Urology (EAU) to summarize the literature concerning the diagnosis and treatment of genitourinary trauma. RESULTS: Findings of 350 citations are reviewed. CONCLUSIONS: The genitourinary trauma literature still relies heavily on expert opinion and single-institution retrospective series. Future prospective trials of the most significant issues, when possible, might improve the quality of evidence that dictates practitioner behavior.     

Surgical resilience: A review of resilience biomarkers and surgical recovery

BackgroundTwo distinct and large bodies of literature exist on resilience that are of potential interest for surgical outcomes. First is the literature on the impact of resilience on surgical recovery and wound-healing. Second is the literature on biomarkers for resilience, which largely focuses on neuropeptide Y (NPY), testosterone and dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA). Despite this activity, there is a dearth of literature linking these two bodies of research by investigating biomarkers for surgical resilience and its impact on surgical recovery. This paper reviews both bodies of literature within the context of surgical recovery.MethodLiterature searches within Medline and Embase were conducted for studies and previous reviews of resilience biomarkers and for the impact of individual resilience on surgical recovery. Reference lists of the reviews were searched for additional papers. No systematic review is yet possible due to the novelty of the use of resilience biomarkers within a surgical context.ResultsThis is the first review to explore a potential link between resilience biomarkers and surgical recovery. There are a number of biomarkers that correlate with individual resilience levels and resilient individuals exhibit better recovery trajectories following surgery, suggesting a novel use of such biomarkers for the identification of “surgical resilience”.ConclusionBy identifying surgical resilience, there is potential for utilising these biomarkers as prognostic indicators of likely recovery trajectories from surgery, which in turn complement individualised peri-operative management.     

Lazarus-Phänomen

Background

In the medical literature the Lazarus phenomenon is defined as the spontaneous return of circulation (SROC) after cessation of cardio-pulmonary resuscitation. Based on published literature recommendations concerning the treatment of patients after cessation of resuscitation and reasons for the Lazarus phenomenon are discussed.

Methods

A literature search in Medline, PubMed, Embase, Google Scholar and Google from 1982 to 2009 was carried out for the terms “Lazarus phenomenon”, “cessation of cardiopulmonary resuscitation and return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC)”, “spontaneous return of circulation (SROC)”, “resuscitation and spontaneous defibrillation”, “spontaneous recovery and cardiopulmonary resuscitation”. Related secondary literature which was cited in the relevant articles was included as well as publications found in our personal literature base.

Results

More than 10,000 articles and comments could be recovered and of these 45 were considered to be medically relevant articles (letters to the Editor, abstracts, case reports and literature reviews).

Conclusions

In the relevant medical literature, the Lazarus phenomenon is a rare occurrence. It seems to be a phenomenon which has often been described in non-medical literature but not published in medical literature. The pathophysiological mechanisms are poorly understood. In the literature several mechanisms are discussed which could be important for this phenomenon, e.g. autopositive end-expiratory pressure, hyperventilation and alkalosis, hyperkalemia, delayed action of drugs and unobserved minimal vital signs. In the literature it is recommended that patients should be passively monitored for at least 10 min after cessation of resuscitation. However, more scientific experimental investigations seem to be necessary to gain a better understanding of this phenomenon.     

Potpourri of lipid tissue: Literature peregrinations

This paper is designed to be a potpourri of the literature pertaining to the lipocyte and the functions of lipid tissue. In that sense, then, it truly represents peregrinations through the literature of lipid tissue with a specific emphasis on recent biochemical and physiologic information.     

Ulcerative breast cancer: case report and review of management

In the literature, there is an astonishingly small amount of information on specific treatment modalities of locally advanced, ulcerated breast cancer. Here we present a case report and a literature review on ulceration in breast cancer. An older, so far untreated woman with complete ulcerative destruction of her right breast was inoperable because of the extent of the tumor. Primary anthracycline-based chemotherapy and hormonal therapy led to major tumor shrinkage with complete ulcer healing, which was maintained for nearly 2 years. There is increasing evidence from the literature that primary chemotherapy may particularly benefit patients with inoperable ulceration, as also illustrated by our case.     

The Pathogenesis of Dialysis Dementia

There has been a recent increase in the number of literature reports describing a severe neurological syndrome (Dialysis Dementia) seen in a small number of dialysis patients. This article reviews the current literature on the disease and its possible causes.     

Blood groups and transfusions in pigs

The blood groups of pigs are important to transplantation research because some are also important transplantation antigens and because pigs undergoing organ or hematopoietic transplantation may require transfusion support. There is considerable literature on the subject but much of it is not in transplant related journals. We will review this literature and also give some practical advice on transfusion support.