Intra-operative tube stenting,palliation for jaundice in carcinoma gall bladder

Majority of patients with advanced carcinoma gall bladder have irresectable disease and require palliation for jaundice, pruritus and cholangitis. These cases presenting with jaundice are usually high risk cases to undergo any major surgical procedure like segment-III hepaticodochojejunostomy. So intra-operative tube stenting was attempted in 6 patients of carcinoma gall bladder but technically, it was possible in 4 cases only. In 2 cases because of massive locoregional disease it was not possible to cannulate the proximal part of the bile duct. The distal end of the tube was passed either in the duodenum or proximal part of the jejunum. Patients were followed up, showed good recovery from jaundice and pruritus.     

Endolaryngeal foreign bodies

Unusual foreign bodies of the larynx viz. a toy gear, a metallic spring, a safety pin, a piece of stone, lodged in the endolaryngeal region are reported. Radiographic documentation with the rare feature of absence of symptoms inspite of lodgement for long duration is recorded.     

Whistle (EB.) in tracheobronchial tree (in paediatric age group) — 4 years study

Segmented whistles found in compressible toys often get lodged in the tracheobronchial tree of infants and children and may remain asymptomatic as patients keep on breathing normally through the lumen of the whistle without much difficulty. Here 10 such cases are reported. The problems encountered in their management are also discussed.     

Acute abdominal pain: Is there a potential role for MRI in the setting of the emergency department in a patient with renal calculi?

Acute flank pain is a frequent clinical presentation encountered in emergency departments, and a work-up for obstructive urolithiasis in this setting is a common indication for computed tomography (CT). However, imaging alternatives to CT for the evaluation of renal colic are warranted in some clinical situations, such as younger patients, pregnancy, patients that have undergone multiple prior CT exams and also patients with vague clinical presentations. MRI, although relatively insensitive for the direct detection of urinary calculi, has the ability to detect the secondary effects of obstructive urolithiasis. Using rapid, single shot T2-weighted sequences without and with fat saturation provides an abdominopelvic MR examination that can detect the sequelae of clinically active stone disease, in addition to alternate inflammatory processes that may mimic the symptoms of renal colic. In addition, MR nephro-urography (MRNU) has the ability to provide quantitative analysis of renal function that has the potential to direct clinical management in the setting of obstructing calculi. This review describes the potential utility and limitations of MRI in the emergency setting for diagnosing causes of flank pain and renal colic, particularly in patients with unusual presentations or when an alternative to CT may be warranted.     

Selecting lymph node–positive patients for adjuvant therapy after radical prostatectomy and extended pelvic lymphadenectomy: An outcome analysis of 100 node-positive patients managed without adjuvant therapy

ObjectiveThe aim of the study is to evaluate the effect of deferred androgen deprivation therapy on biochemical recurrence (BCR) and other survival parameters in node-positive prostate cancer patients after robot-assisted radical prostatectomy with bilateral extended pelvic lymph node dissection (RARP + EPLND).Materials and methodsOf the 453 consecutive RARP procedures performed from 2011 to 2018, 100 patients with no prior use of androgen deprivation therapy were found to be lymph node (LN) positive and were observed, with initiation of salvage treatment at the time of BCR only. Patients were divided into 1 or 2 LNs (67)—and more than 2 LNs (33)—positive groups to assess survival outcomes.ResultsAt a median follow-up of 21 months (1–70 months), the LN group (p < 0.000), preoperative prostate-specific antigen (PSA, p = 0.013), tumor volume (TV, p = 0.031), and LND (p = 0.004) were significantly associated with BCR. In multivariate analysis, only the LN group (p = 0.035) and PSA level (p = 0.026) were statistically significant. The estimated BCR-free survival rates in the 1/2 LN group were 37.6% (27%–52.2%), 26.5% (16.8%–41.7%), and 19.9% (9.6%–41.0%) at 1, 3, and 5 years, respectively, with a hazard of developing BCR of 0.462 (0.225–0.948) compared with the more than 2 LN-positive group. Estimated 5-year overall survival, cancer-specific, metastasis-free, and local recurrence-free survival rates were 88.4% (73.1%–100%), 89.5% (74%–100%), 65.1% (46.0%–92.1%), and 94.8% (87.2%–100.0%), respectively, for which none of the factors were significant. Based on cutoff values for PSA, TV, and LND of 30 ng/mL, 30%, and 10%, respectively, the 1/2 LN group was substratified, wherein the median BCR-free survival for the low- and intermediate-risk groups was 40 and 12 months, respectively.ConclusionsNearly one fourth and one fifth of 1/2 node-positive patients were BCR-free at 3 and 5 years after RARP + EPLND. Further substratification using PSA, TV, and LN density may help in providing individualized care regarding the initiation of adjuvant therapy.     

Autonomic tone and C-reactive protein: a prospective population-based study

Objectives  

To examine the cross-sectional and longitudinal relationships between cardiac autonomic tone and serum CRP and to investigate potential causal links between these measures.