A randomized trial of intravenous iloprost (a stable prostacyclin analogue) versus lumbar sympathectomy in the management of Buerger's disease.

AIM: The aim of this study was to compare the effects of iloprost and lumbar sympathectomy (LS) in the treatment of Buerger's disease. METHODS: Two hundred patients with rest pain and/or ischemic ulcers were randomized to undergo LS or 28-day intravenous treatment of iloprost. The primary endpoint was complete healing without pain or major amputation at 4 and 24 weeks. The secondary endpoints were analgesic requirement, reduction in the ulcer size, 50% reduction of the ulcer, and shift in the modified SVS/ISCVS clinical status grading scale. RESULTS: The comparison was carried out in 162 patients (iloprost: n=84; LS: n=78). Complete healing rate was 61.9% in the iloprost group, but 41% in the LS group at the 4th week (P=0.012); respective values for the 24th week were 85.3%, 52.3%, P<0.001. Analgesic requirement was lower in the iloprost group at the 4th and 24th weeks (P=0.01, and P=0.098, respectively). The size of the ulcers decreased more in the iloprost group than the LS group (P=0.044 and P=0.035 at 4th and 24th weeks); 50% reduction in the ulcer size in the iloprost group was greater than in the LS group (P=0.001 and P=0.009 at 4th and 24th weeks). SVS/ISCVS grading scale demonstrated a better clinical benefit in patients treated with iloprost (P<0.001 at 4th week, and P<0.001 and at 24th week). CONCLUSIONS: The results of this independent study indicate that using iloprost relieves ischemic symptoms better than LS. In the era of stable prostacyclin analogues, there is no reliable evidence to support the use of LS in Buerger's disease.     

N-acetylaspartic aciduria in Canavan disease: another proof in two infants

Increased amounts of urinary N-acetyl-aspartic acid was found in two infants with biopsy proven Canavan disease. The aspartoacylase assay is a new tool for determining both the prenatal and antenatal diagnosis of Canavan disease. This assay should be screened in patients with early onset of psychomotor deterioration, macrocephaly, spasticity/hypotonia and white matter hyperleucency at CT scan.     

盐酸普鲁卡因胺渗透泵片剂的研究

本文研究了盐酸普鲁卡因胺(PA·HCl)渗透泵片的处方组成、制备工艺、体外溶出;建立了PA·HCl的紫外双波长分光光度法及血清和唾液中PA及其活性代谢物N-乙酰普鲁卡因胺(NAPA)共存下的高效液相色谱法,体内PA实验数据按双室模型,用电子计算机处理求得药动学参数。药动学—药效学数据显示血药浓度和唾药浓度均与药效变化规律相关。     

Case report and review of the literature: arachnoid cyst of the fourth ventricle presenting as a syndrome of normal pressure hydrocephalus.

The Authors report a case of 4th ventricular arachnoid cyst that presented clinically with the criteria of normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH). Only a few cases of intraventricular arachnoid cyst have been recorded in the literature; the present case is the second reported case diagnosed as a syndrome of NPH.     

Nonsuture closure of arterial defect by vein graft using isobutyl-2-cyanoacrylate as a tissue adhesive.

Nonsuture repair of intracranial blood vessel is still a challenging issue in neurosurgery. In this experimental study isobutyl-2-cyanoacrylate was used for nonsuture repairing of carotid artery to observe its histotoxicity. Isobutyl-2-cyanoacrylate was dropped over the edge of defect on carotid artery of rat under the surgical microscope and jugular vein was placed to cover the defect. Rats were divided in 6 group according to postoperative survival period (2, 5, 7, 14, 21, 28 days respectively). The carotid arteries were patent of all rats according to angiography and autopsy specimen. Histopathological results showed that: the changes are mainly inflammatory respons +, there was no necrotic tissue at any time the healing progress and no significant differences in the vein graft. Therefore isobutyl-2-cyanoacrylate is considered helpful and safe adhesive material for the nonsuture repair of blood vessel.     

Optic glioma of childhood: clinical, histopathological, and histochemical observations.

This report documents the long-term clinical and histopathological behaviour of eight intraorbital and 16 intracranial optic nerve gliomas and relates the therapeutic data to the prognosis for both visual acuity and survival. The mean age at onset of symptoms was 8.6 years and at the diagnosis 10.9 years. It is generally held that proptosis is mild in intraorbital glioma, but we encountered marked proptosis ranging from 7 to 12 mm in six of the eight intraorbital gliomas, which contained abundant Alcian-blue-positive mucoid material. Of the patients with intracranial optic nerve gliomas 37.5% survived for a mean of eight years after treatment with radiotherapy or surgery combined with radiotherapy. At follow-up ranging from five months to 11 years only one of the six patients with intracranial gliomas had full visual acuity. Our observations emphasise that, although optic nerve gliomas are benign hamartomas, the prognosis for visual acuity and survival is unfavourable in cases which are diagnosed and treated late. Histopathological and histochemical observations suggest that increase in the amount of mucoid material may contribute to rapid enlargement of intraorbital and intracranial optic gliomas.     

Gastric adenocarcinoma: CT versus surgical staging

Seventy-five patients with gastric carcinoma underwent preoperative staging with computed tomography (CT). In 14 patients, CT failed to demonstrate lymphadenopathy despite the presence of malignant lymph nodes at surgery. In 13 patients, CT demonstrated enlarged nodes, but no malignant involvement was found at surgery. Although spread to the pancreas was correctly predicted in three patients with lack of fat plane between tumor and pancreas, five patients lacking a fat plane had no invasion, whereas eight patients with an intact fat plane had invasion. Thirty-five patients (47%) were incorrectly staged with CT:23 (31%) were understaged and 12 (16%) were overstaged. CT does not accurately display the true extent of disease in patients with gastric carcinoma and therefore should not be used routinely for staging.