Laparoscopic Right Hemicolectomy for Ileocolic Intussusception Secondary to Caecal Neoplasm

Intussusception in adults is a rare cause of abdominal pain. Unlike its paediatric counterpart, intussusception in adults is associated with obvious pathology. We describe a case of ileocolic intussusception extending to the splenic flexure. We were able to reduce the intussusception partially and pedicle was stapled carefully. The specimen was delivered through a small incision and right hemicolectomy was performed adhering to oncological principles. We recommend laparoscopic-assisted surgery is considered for adult intussusceptions.     

Use of the Internet by Patients Undergoing Elective Hernia Repair or Cholecystectomy

INTRODUCTION

Patient-directed information available on the internet is not always regulated; it may be confusing and sometimes just overwhelming. We aimed to establish the proportion of patients undergoing two common surgical procedures, who searched the internet for information about their operations and to assess the usefulness of the information they received.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

A total of 105 consecutive patients undergoing elective abdominal wall hernia repair (n = 54) or laparoscopic cholecystectomy (n = 51) in a single surgical firm were included in the study. Patients were counselled about their operation in pre-operative assessment clinics and standard trust information leaflets were provided without any mention of this study. Patients were then asked to complete a questionnaire on the morning of their operation.

RESULTS

All patients completed the questionnaire. Of the patients, 59% stated that they had access to the internet and 77% of these accessed the internet over 2 h a week. Of the patients with internet access, 31% used it to acquire additional information about their operations and 58% used internet search engines. Of the patients who searched the internet regarding their operations, 26% were confused and/or worried by the information they received.

CONCLUSIONS

A significant proportion of patients undergoing common surgical procedures used the internet and about one-third of them specifically sought information about their operation on the internet. Such information can cause worry and confusion in patients. Our study highlights the need for regulated, comprehensible, patient information on hospital websites to which patients should be directed.     

Acoustic monitoring (RFM) of total hip arthroplasty results of a cadaver study

Introduction

At present there are no reliable non-traumatic and non-invasive methods to analyse the healing process and loosening status after total hip replacement. Therefore early as well as late loosening of prosthesis and interface component problems are difficult to be found or diagnosed at any time.

Methods

In a cadaver study the potential application of Resonance Frequency Monitoring (RFM) will be evaluated as a non-invasive and non-traumatic method to monitor loosening and interface problems in hip replacement. In a 65 year old female cadaver different stability scenarios for a total hip replacement (shaft, head/modular head and cup, ESKA, Luebeck, Germany) are simulated in cemented and cement less prosthesis and then analysed with RFM. The types of stability vary from secure/press-fit to interface-shaft disruption.

Results

The RFM shows in cemented as well as cement less prosthesis significant intra-individual differences in the spectral measurements with a high dynamic (20 dB difference corresponding to the factor 100 (10000%)), regarding the simulated status of stability in the prosthesis system.

Conclusion

The results of the study demonstrate RFM as a highly sensitive non-invasive and non-traumatic method to support the application of RFM as a hip prosthesis monitoring procedure. The data obtained shows the possibility to use RFM for osteointegration surveillance and early detection of interface problems, but will require further evaluation in clinical and experimental studies.     

Activity monitoring and energy expenditure in COPD patients: a validation study

There is increasing interest in the objective measurement of physical activity in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients due to the close relationship between physical activity level, health, disability and mortality. We aimed to (a) determine the validity and reproducibility of an activity monitor that integrates accelerometry with multiple physiologic sensors in the determination of energy expenditure in COPD subjects and (b) to document the independent contribution of the additional physiologic sensors to accelerometry measures in improving true energy expenditure determination. Eight subjects (4 male, FEV(1) 56.4 +/- 14.1%, RV 145.0 +/- 75.7%) performed 2 separate 6-minute walk and 2 incremental shuttle walk exercise tests. Energy expenditure was calculated during each exercise test using the physiologic activity monitor and compared to a validated exhaled breath metabolic system. Test-retest reproducibility of physiologic activity monitor during the walking tests was comparable to an exhaled breath metabolic system. Physiologic sensor data significantly improved the explained variance in energy expenditure determination (r(2)=0.88) compared to accelerometry data alone (r(2)=0.68). This physiologic activity monitor provides a valid and reproducible estimate of energy expenditure during slow to moderate paced walking in a laboratory setting and represents an objective method to assess activity in COPD subjects.     

Care related pain in hospitalized patients: A cross‐sectional study

Context: Care‐related pain includes pain occurring during transportation, movement, diagnostic imaging, physical examination, or treatment. Its prevalence has never been assessed in a large adult inpatient population. Objective: To identify the procedures likely to induce or increase pain in hospital patients, attempting to separate the most painful from those reported as most frequently inducing pain. Design: A single‐day cross‐sectional survey conducted in two large French teaching hospitals, including all hospitalized patients, free of communication problems. One third was randomly selected and interviewed about the painful episodes that had occurred or were associated with the procedures performed during the previous two weeks. Patients were interviewed using a structured questionnaire. Results: Six‐hundred‐eighty‐four patients were randomly selected. Six‐hundred‐seventy‐one painful events were reported in 55% of the patients, with an average of 1.8events/patient. Fifty‐two percent of the painful events were associated with procedures performed by non‐medical staff; 38% of the painful episodes occurred during procedures involving vascular puncture and 24% during patients’ mobilization. In 57% of painful procedures, pain was rated as severe or extremely severe. The most painful procedures were invasive procedures, other than vascular and non vascular punctures (74% of severe and extremely severe painful episodes). Maximum pain intensity was rated higher for procedures that were repeated than for those experienced only once (62% versus 53%, p=0.02). Conclusion: This survey gives new insight into our daily practice. Proper management of care‐related pain should be a major concern of all hospital staff to improve the quality of our health care.     

Pancreas Divisum

Opinion statement  

Computed tomography based scoring system in a prospectively ascertained cohort of patients with chronic pancreatitis

ObjectiveNo standardized system is currently used to report the presence or severity of parenchymal and ductal features of chronic pancreatitis (CP) on CT scan. We report a modification to the previously proposed Cambridge classification to serve this purpose.MethodsContrast-enhanced CT scans of 158 well-phenotyped patients with CP enrolled in the North American Pancreatitis Studies (NAPS2) during 2000–2014 from the University of Pittsburgh were retrospectively reviewed by a subspecialty trained abdominal radiologist. Presence and severity (score scale 0–4) of pancreatic duct (PD) dilation, obstruction and contour irregularity, pancreatic calcifications, atrophy and extent of pancreatic involvement were recorded to grade the morphological severity of CP and stratify patients into distinct morphologic patterns. Findings were also correlated with clinical features.ResultsPancreatic atrophy, calcifications, PD dilation and PD irregularity were observed in 80%, 68%, 65%, 58% cases, respectively. An obstructive stone or PD stricture was present in 63%, and 86% had diffuse pancreatic involvement. Using these features, CP was noted to be moderate or severe in 61%, and classified morphologically as obstructive with/without calcifications, calcific but non-obstructive and non-calcific/non-obstructive in 65%, 20%, 15%, respectively. Functional abnormalities but not the presence of pain generally correlated with imaging findings.ConclusionA structured scoring system can provide qualitative and quantitative assessment of imaging findings in CP and an opportunity for adoption into clinical practice and research for initial evaluation and longitudinal follow-up. Our findings need validation in a prospective cohort before widespread adoption.     

CASE REPORT: Pancreatic Ascites in an Infant: Lack of Symptoms and Normal Amylase

A 4-month-old boy presented with 9 days of abdominal distension. The abdomen was tense, distended, and nontender, with a fluid wave. Hypoalbuminemia, hyponatremia, high lipase, normal amylase, high ascitic fluid: lipase, amylase, and serum-ascites albumin gradient < 1.1 were present. Abdominal CT showed large ascites, edema, and pancreatic cyst. No improvement was noted with bowel rest, TPN, albumin, furosemide, octreotide, and paracentesis. Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography showed disrupted pancreatic duct and a cyst. Pancreatic duct stenting was complicated by early outward migration of the stent and was thus ineffective. An exploratory laporatomy revealed a cyst. Cystogastrostomy resolved the pancreatitis and ascites. The patient was discharged off TPN and tolerating enteral nutrition. Pancreatic ascites is rare, producing few or no symptoms in infants. In conclusion, our patient may have had viral pancreatitis, complicated by a disrupted duct and/or ruptured pseudocyst with ascites formation. Medical management was ineffective. Surgery appears to have been curative.