经会阴和经阴道三维肛外超声成像评估女性肛门括约肌的对比研究

通过经会阴和经阴道三维超声对比评估女性肛门括约肌,探讨不同肛外超声成像方式在评估女性肛门括约肌的应用价值。 方法 选取101例女性同时进行经会阴和经阴道三维超声检查对肛门括约肌进行成像,分别记为经会阴组和经阴道组。测量肛门内括约肌（IAS）和肛门外括约肌（EAS）在肛管横断面3、6、9、12点钟方向上的厚度,调节断层超声模式评估肛门括约肌损伤情况,记录结果并进行统计分析。 结果 IAS厚度测量值在肛管横断面12点钟方向上,经阴道组比经会阴组更薄,差异具有统计学意义（P<0.05）;EAS厚度测量值在肛管横断面6点、12点钟方向上,经阴道组比经会阴组更薄,差异具有统计学意义（P<0.05）。两组IAS及EAS测量值在肛管横断面全部4个方向上有良好的相关性且均具有统计学意义（P均<0.05）。经会阴组筛查出IAS损伤6例（5.94%）,EAS损伤16例（15.84%）,IAS合并EAS损伤13例（12.87%）;经阴道组筛查出IAS损伤8例（7.92%）,EAS损伤17例（16.83%）,IAS合并EAS损伤9例（8.91%）。两组在评估肛门括约肌损伤的一致性较好且具有统计学意义（Kappa=0.736,P<0.05） 结论 经会阴和经阴道三维超声在评估女性肛门括约肌具有较好的相关性和一致性,两者均为评估女性肛门括约肌良好的肛外超声成像方式。     

Posttraumatic incarceration of medial collateral ligament into knee joint with anterior cruciate ligament injury

Medial collateral ligament of the knee is an important coronal stabiliser and often injured in isolation or as combination of injuries. The article reports a case of incarcerated medial collateral ligament (MCL) injury in combination with anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury in 20 year old male who presented to us 4 weeks after injury. Clinical examination and MRI was correlated to complete ACL tear with torn distal MCL and incarceration into the joint. Patient was taken up for ACL hamstring graft reconstruction with mini-arthrotomy and repair of the torn MCL. Patient was followed up with dedicated rehabilitation protocol with good functional results. At one year follow-up, patient exhibited full range of motion with negative Lachman, Pivot shift and valgus stress tests. This article highlights the rare pattern of MCL tear and also reviews the literature on this pattern of injury.     

Belgian and European Experience with the European Homograft Bank (EHB) Cryopreserved Allograft Valves.-Assessment of a 20 Year Activity

European Homograft Bank (EHB) has been selecting, preparing, storing and distributing the cryopreserved allograft valves in Belgium and some other European Countries since 1989. It was established in 1988 by a pathologist and the cardiac and vascular surgeons from Belgian and other European centres as an inter-university, international nonprofit association. Due to its neutral behavior and very high quality criteria, European Homograft Bank became one of the prominent heart valve banks in Europe and wider. It collaborates with the transplant coordination in donor selection as well as with the huge network of the implanting surgeons in Belgium and other European Countries. The EHB responsible discusses with the implanting surgeon the allograft selection on basis of the indication and the patients state of emergency.

A total of 8.911 donor heart valves have been evaluated in EHB during the last 20 years. After selection, 5.258 allograft valves (1.996 aortic, 3.189 pulmonary and 73 mitral) were cryopreserved and stored in vapors of liquid nitrogen between 6 weeks and 5 years. A total of 4.516 allograft valves (1.391 aortic, 2.620 pulmonary and 48 mitral) were implanted in the left or right ventricular outflow tract for replacement of the diseased aortic or pulmonary valve and for mitral or tricuspid valve replacement or repair. In 1.380 cases the allograft valves were used for right ventricular outflow tract reconstruction as part of the Ross-procedure, whereas in 668 cases the allograft valve served for replacement of the aortic valve for endocarditis. The most important indications for use of cryopreserved allograft valves were: important cardiac and valve malformation in children, female patients of child-bearing age with diseased cardiac valves, cases with contra-indication for anti-coagulation and the patients with severe endocarditis with septal or annular abscesses. Although the number of the donation increased by year, the available allograft valves in stock are still insufficient to respond to all the surgeons’ request for different indications.     

Low-dose vs. high-dose thalidomide for advanced multiple myeloma: a prospective trial from the Intergroupe Francophone du Myélome

This multicentre prospective randomised trial compared the efficacy and safety of two doses of thalidomide in patients with relapsed or refractory myeloma. The study was designed to test the non-inferior efficacy and to confirm the better tolerability of low-dose thalidomide as compared to a higher dose. Four hundred patients were randomly assigned to receive either 100 or 400 mg/day of thalidomide. Dexamethasone treatment was added in both arms for patients with stable disease or treatment failure at 12 weeks. The primary endpoint was 1-year overall survival (OS). Thalidomide 100 mg/day was better tolerated than 400 mg/day with less high-grade somnolence, constipation, nausea/vomiting and peripheral neuropathy (P < 0.001, P = 0.007, P = 0.03 and P = 0.007, respectively). In the per-protocol population (PP), the estimated 1-year OS rates were of 74.5% (n = 149) and 67.3% (n = 156) in the 400 and 100 groups, respectively. The upper limit of the difference between these rates was of 15.6% higher than the non-inferiority acceptable limit of 12.75%, and the hypothesis of non-inferiority of 100 could not be established (P = 0.14). On the other hand, when intent-to-treat (ITT) population was analysed, the non-inferiority was demonstrated because the 1-year OS rates were of 72.8% (n = 195) and 68.8% (n = 205) in the same groups, leading to an upper limit of the difference of 11.49% lower than the non-inferiority acceptable limit. In addition, in patients alive 12 weeks postrandomisation and those who received thalidomide plus dexamethasone, there were no significant differences in response rates, time to progression, progression-free survival and OS between the two groups. Collectively, low-dose thalidomide 100 mg/day has significant activity in advanced myeloma with an improved safety profile and can be a good salvage therapy in combination with dexamethasone.     

Chemoradiotherapy for muscle-invasive cancer: methods, surveillance and results. An update from the cancer committee of the French National Association of Urology

Radical cystectomy is the treatment of choice for non-metastatic, muscle infiltrating bladder cancer. However, bladder-sparing approaches can be discussed in carefully selected patients. Bladder-preservation protocols aim to guaranty local control and survival with a functional bladder and a good quality of life. The ideal candidate for bladder-preservation therapy is a patient with a small tumor, stage T2, in whom a complete trans-urethral resection of the bladder tumor is achievable, who has no associated carcinoma in situ or hydronephrosis, and who is medically fit to receive chemotherapy. The 5- and 10-year survival rates for muscle-invasive tumors are approximately 50% and 35%, comparable to the results achievable with cystectomy. Approximately 80% of long-term survivors will preserve a native bladder, and approximately 75% of them will have a normal-functioning bladder.