Mesogonadal shunts for extrahepatic portal vein thrombosis and variceal hemorrhage.

Extrahepatic portal vein thrombosis (EHPVT) may occur in children or adults and usually comes to clinical attention due to complications of portal hypertension such as variceal hemorrhage. A variety of standard surgical techniques exist to manage these patients, but when these fail surgical options are limited. We describe two novel portosystemic shunts that utilize the gonadal vein as an autologous conduit. Four patients were evaluated for EHPVT with variceal bleeding. None of the patients were candidates for a standard splenorenal shunt due to prior surgical procedures. The first patient underwent a left mesogonadal shunt and the remaining 3 patients underwent a right mesogonadal shunt. Postoperative ultrasound or computed tomography (CT) scan confirmed early patency of the shunt in each patient. There have been no further episodes of variceal hemorrhage with follow-up of 3.5 years in the child who underwent the left mesogonadal shunt, and 17, 19, and 20 months in the patients who underwent the right mesogonadal shunt. Three of the 4 shunts remain patent. One shunt thrombosis occurred in a patient homozygous for the Factor V Leiden mutation despite anticoagulation with coumadin. This is the first report of the successful use of the gonadal vein as an in situ conduit for constructing a portosystemic shunt. In conclusion, the right and left mesogonadal shunts may be useful as salvage operations for patients with EHPVT who have failed standard surgical shunt procedures.     

Hearing impairment and cognitive development]

The study of the cognitive abilities of hearing-impaired children is important for both practical (e.g. to determine appropriate teaching strategies) and theoretical reasons (e.g. to examine the role of language in thought processes). The aim of this paper is to examine the cognitive function of hearing-impaired children from a review of the literature. If most studies show that deaf children are similar to normal children in virtually all aspects of cognitive function, many studies also emphasize pronounced differences in their academic achievement. Besides the degree of hearing loss and the age at onset of deafness, environmental factors (such as parental support and educational methods) seem to play an important role in the cognitive development and academic success of these children. This underlines the importance of the measures adopted for the deaf children as they may have a positive or negative impact on their development.     

Die infizierte Gelenkendoprothese

Trauma und Berufskrankheit - Als schwerste Komplikation der Gelenkendoprothetik bleibt die periprothetische Infektion eine Herausforderung—heutzutage nicht nur für den Chirurgen, sondern...     

Medizinische Beurteilungskriterien zu bandscheibenbedingten Berufskrankheiten der Lendenwirbelsäule (I)

Occupational diseases Nos. 2108 and 2110 correspond to intervertebral disc-related diseases of the lumbar spine from many years of carrying or lifting heavy loads, occupations in extreme postures of full flexion or oscillation of the whole body when seated, and which compel the cessation of all activities which are or could be the cause for the origin, exacerbation or recurrence of the disease. These occupational diseases came into force at the start of 1993, but there have been considerable problems in their implementation. The present Part I of the contribution is the result of the work of an interdisciplinary study group and contains medical criteria for the assessment of possibly strain-related clinical characteristics and the evaluation of other possible causes. Part II is to be published in Volume 4/2005 and will deal with questions related to forced cessation and to the assessment of the loss of earning ability. Agreement was reached in many areas related to the assessment of occupational claims. This should allow for evidence-based decision making in the future for the occupational diseases Nos. 2108 and 2110.     

New insights on COPD imaging via CT and MRI

Multidetector-row computed tomography (MDCT) can be used to quantify morphological features and investigate structure/function relationship in COPD. This approach allows a phenotypical definition of COPD patients, and might improve our understanding of disease pathogenesis and suggest new therapeutical options. In recent years, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has also become potentially suitable for the assessment of ventilation, perfusion and respiratory mechanics. This review focuses on the established clinical applications of CT, and novel CT and MRI techniques, which may prove valuable in evaluating the structural and functional damage in COPD.