Differences in tip visibility and nerve block parameters between two echogenic needles during a simulation study with inexperienced anesthesia trainees

Needle tip visualization during ultrasound-guided regional anesthesia (UGRA) is necessary for safety and efficacy. However, disruption of the image of the needle tip driven toward the target is a general problem, especially for beginners. The purpose of this study was to compare performance parameters between using the Sonoplex and Stimuplex D-Plus echogenic needles in a simulated ultrasound-guided interventional task by inexperienced anaesthesia residents. After a standardized training session, 28 anesthesiology residents performed simulated nerve blocks in a beef phantom with each needle. All ultrasound images were digitally stored for analysis. The absolute time the needle tip was in view, total procedure time, and angle of needle insertion were subsequently measured objectively by two single investigators. The procedures that used the Sonoplex echogenic needle had significantly better tip visibility and shorter total procedure time at insertion angles between 42° and 64° relative to the phantom surface. We have demonstrated that inexperienced users who used the Sonoplex echogenic needle were able to complete the procedure more quickly. Needles with improved visibility would be a very useful addition to UGRA for inexperienced users.     

Surgical management of bronchiectasis: analysis and short-term results in 238 patients.

OBJECTIVE: Bronchiectasis is defined permanent dilatations of bronchi with destruction of the bronchial wall. It is still a major cause of morbidity and mortality in developing countries. The aim of this retrospective study is to present our surgical experiences, the early and long-term results of 238 patients with bronchiectasis during a 10-year period. METHODS: We reviewed the medical records of 238 patients who underwent surgical resection for bronchiectasis between January 1992 and December 2001, at Gülhane Military Medical Academy (GMMA) Thoracic Surgery Department. Variables of age, sex, symptoms, etiology, and type of operation, mortality, morbidity and the result of surgical therapy were analyzed. RESULTS: There were 205 (86.13%) male and 33 (13.87%) female patients with an average age of 23.7 and a range of 15-48 years. The presenting symptoms were productive cough in 133 (55.88%), fetid sputum in 116 (48.73%), recurrent infections in 84 (35.29%), and hemoptysis in 39 (12.18%) patients. The disease was bilateral in 31 patients (13.02%) and mainly confined to the lower lobes in 162 (68.06%). The surgical treatment was as follows: pneumonectomy in 13 patients (5.46%), lobectomy in 189 (79.40%), lobectomy+segmentectomy in 31 (13.02%), and wedge resection or segmentectomy in five (2.1%). Staged bilateral thoracotomy was used in 14 patients. There was no operative mortality. Complications occurred in 21 patients and the morbidity rate was 8.82%. Complete resection was achieved in 154 (64.7%) patients. Follow-up data were obtained for 229 (96.21%) of the patients. Nine patients were lost to follow-up. The mean follow-up of these patients was 9 months (range, 3 months to 4 years). The symptoms disappeared in 189 patients (79.41%) and 29 patients (12.18%) had improved, whereas 11 patients (4.62%) had no improvement. Significantly better results were obtained in patients who had undergone a complete resection. CONCLUSIONS: Surgical resection for bronchiectasis can be performed with acceptable morbidity and mortality at any age. The involved bronchiectatic sites should be resected completely for the optimum control of symptoms.     

Comparison of the effects of transdermal estrogen, oral estrogen, and oral estrogen-progestogen therapy on bone mineral density in postmenopausal women

It is now clear that estrogen intervention reduces bone loss in postmenopausal osteoporosis. The aim of this study was to investigate whether the route of estrogen administration or addition of progesterone changes this positive effect. Transdermal estrogen (T-E), oral estrogen (E), and oral estrogen plus progestogen (E-P) were administered to 15, 18, and 17 postmenopausal women, respectively, who all had normal bone mineral density (BMD) before hormone replacement therapy (HRT). Calcium (500 mg/day) was routinely added to all HRT regimens. The BMD of the lumbar spine (L2–L4) was measured initially and at the end of the first and second years of treatment. The paired-sample t test, independent-sample t test, and Pearson correlation analysis were used for the statistical evaluation. The initial BMD measurements and the values at the end of the first and second years of the therapy were not significantly different either within or among the groups (P > 0.05). These results indicate a similar therapeutic value of each HRT regimen in the prevention of bone loss in postmenopausal women. Received: May 1, 2001 / Accepted: August 22, 2001     

Grading of liver lesions caused by Echinococcus granulosus

The availability of different therapeutic alternatives in hydatid liver disease necessitates a comprehensive classification system in order to evaluate indications and monitor results. We have proposed a new scheme in which lesions are graded 1–5 according to the morphology of the cyst and the presence of findings in favour of cyst rupture. Ultrasound (US), CT and cholangiographic findings in 214 hydatid liver lesions in 152 patients who underwent surgery within 15 days of their radiological examinations were evaluated retrospectively. Results of the radiological classification were correlated with surgical data. We found that purely cystic unilocular lesions never ruptured, that dilatation of biliary canaliculi around a lesion with a complex morphological appearance is a non-specific finding and that there was no reliable radiological sign for a simple biliary communication. US, CT and cholangiography were reliable in diagnosing intra-biliary and direct ruptures. We conclude that the proposed grading scheme could be useful in monitoring the results of different therapeutic modalities for hydatid disease of the liver and, with the accumulation of further data, could be helpful in allocating patients to therapeutic alternatives. Correspondence to: I. Rozanes     

Dissociation in Epilepsy and Conversion Nonepileptic Seizures

Summary: Purpose: We examined the dimensionality of the item content of the Dissociative Experiences Scale (DES) in relation to the clinical diagnosis of conversion nonepileptic seizures (C-NES) versus complex partial epilepsy (CPE).
Methods : The DES was administered to a sex- and agematched sample of 132 patients with C-NES and 169 with CPE and was factor analyzed with principal components analysis (PCA) with varimax rotation.
Results : The mean total DES score was 15.1 in the C-NES group and 12.7 in the CPE group (p = 0.079). The factors obtained by PCA differentiated the CPE and C-NES groups more strongly than did the total DES score. The factor accounting for the most variance, interpreted as "depersonalizationderealization," was significantly greater in C-NES than CPE (p = 0.005). An "absorption-imaginative involvement" factor, which included some of the clinical features of posttraumatic stress disorder was elevated only in subjects reporting histories of childhood abuse (p = 0.001) regardless of the diagnosis of CPE or C-NES. An "amnestic" factor appearing to represent memory problems related to neurologic impairment showed a trend toward elevation in CPE (p = 0.056) and may have confounded the CPE versus C-NES distinction using total DES scores.
Conclusions : The DES has separate underlying dimensions that appear to relate distinctively to depersonalization and derealization, childhood trauma, and neurologic impairment. The heterogeneous item content of the DES is a potential confound that should be appreciated when this instrument is used to study dissociation in neuropsychiatric populations.     

Lupus anticoagulant and antiphospholipid antibody values in a family with systemic lupus erythematosus]

The Lupus Anticoagulant (LA) is an immunoglobulin directed towards the phospholipid portion of the prothrombin activator complex. This immunoglobulin because first identified in the plasma of patients with Systemic Lupus Erythematodes, was named as Lupus Anticoagulant. Although initially described in patients with SLE, it was subsequently observed in other diseases and also in patients without any manifest disease. SLE or similar diseases are present in 35% of LA (+) patients. The LA prevalence in SLE patients has been found as 34% whereas ACA prevalence was found as 44%. While searching for the presence of LA and the levels of APA in cases having unexplained recurrent fetal losses, a family (a mother and 3 daughters) was discovered, whose each member has been diagnosed as SLE at different times and with different symptoms. Data suggesting the presence of LA and high APA levels were determined in all the members of the family and also it was realised that cause who had recurrent fetal losses had the highest APA levels. In addition to immunoassay methods to detect APA, examination of coagulation tests in patients with unexplained thrombosis and/or fetal losses, would be of great help.     

Retroperitoneal and scrotal giant liposarcoma: Report of a case

(Received for publication on Aug. 5, 1996; accepted on Mar. 4, 1997)     

Effects of magnesium sulfate on Na+,K+ -ATPase and intracranial pressure level after cerebral ischemia.

In the present study, the effects of magnesium sulfate on Na+,K+ -ATPase levels and intracranial pressure (ICP) after cerebral ischemia in rabbits were studied. Thirty New Zealand rabbits were divided into three groups. Group 1 was the control group. In group 2 (untreated group) cerebral ischemia was produced by clamping bilateral common carotid arteries for 60 min but in group 3 magnesium sulfate was administered 100 mg/kg i.v. 10 min after opening the clamps. In group 1, ICP recordings were obtained 5, 60 and 120 min after craniectomy. In groups 2 and 3, ICP recordings were obtained 5 min after craniectomy but before clamping, 60 min after clamping and 60 min after opening the clamps. After taking ICP recordings, brain cortices were resected and Na+,K+ -ATPase activity was determined by subtracting the enzyme activity in the presence of ouabain from the total activity in the absence of ouabain method. There was a significant difference between Na+,K+ -ATPase levels of group 1 and group 2 (P < 0.05). There was no significant difference in Na+,K+ -ATPase levels between group 1 and 3 (P > 0.05), also preischemic ICP values were same in all groups (P > 0.05). Preischemic and postischemic ICP values were significantly different between groups 1 and 2 (P < 0.05), also postischemic (120 min) ICP values were significantly different between group 2 and group 3 (P < 0.05). ICP values correlate well with Na+,K+ -ATPase level. These results demonstrate that cerebral ischemia leads to a decrease of ATPase level in the brain and magnesium sulfate suppresses the decrease of Na+,K+ -ATPase, also magnesium sulfate treatment improves the ICP changes.