Antegrade interlocking nailing of humeral shaft fractures

The results of 39 humeral shaft fractures (37 patients) treated with antegrade locked nailing using a Russell–Taylor nail were reviewed. There were 30 acute fractures, 6 fractures malaligned in a hanging cast or brace, and 3 pathological fractures. Patient age ranged from 26 to 80 years (average, 59.7 years) and average follow-up was 25.7 months (range, 6–48 months). Fracture union was achieved in 92.3% of our cases, while shoulder function was excellent or good in 87.2% of cases. Antegrade locked nailing offers a dependable solution for the treatment of humeral shaft fractures, especially in polytrauma patients and cases of segmental or pathological fractures. Far less satisfactory results were obtained in comminuted fractures of the proximal third in the humerus, especially in osteoporotic patients, and we therefore advocate caution with the use of intramedullary nailing in this type of fracture. Certain technical aspects such as avoiding nailing the fracture in distraction, properly countersinking the tip of the nail, and achieving adequate fixation stability have been found to be of paramount importance to reduce the incidence of delayed union/non-union rate and to obtain better functional results from the shoulder joint.     

纸质病案保存期限的思考

本文作者比较了不同时期的纸质病案的使用率,讨论了旧病案的缺点,如难于保存,占用空间及实用价值不大.作者提出了改进保存病案的办法.     

Biliopancreatic diversion with duodenal switch vs. gastric bypass for severe obesity

Conclusion In the year 2003 there is no “one best bariatric operation” for every severely obese patient. The choice of operation must be tailored to each individual patient’s needs and wishes. For the superobese patient, the patient diagnosed with intestinal metaplasia of the stomach, and for those patients who do not wish to undergo the severe dietary restrictions imposed by the RNY-GB, the BPD-DS is a valuable surgical option.     

Dose-rate scaling factor estimation of THOR BNCT test beam.

In 1998, an epithermal neutron test beam was designed and constructed at the Tsing Hua Open-Pool Reactor (THOR) for the purpose of preliminary dosimetric experiments in boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT). A new epithermal neutron beam was designed at this facility, and is currently under construction, with clinical trials targeted in late 2004. Depth dose-rate distributions for the THOR BNCT test beam have been measured by means of activation foil and dual ion chamber techniques. Neutron and structure-induced gamma spectra measured at the test beam exit were configured into a source function for the Monte Carlo-based treatment planning code NCTPlan. Dose-rate scaling factors (DRSFs) were determined to normalize computationally derived dose-rate distributions with experimental measurements in corresponding mathematical and physical phantoms, and to thus enable accurate treatment planning using the NCTPlan code. A similar approach will be implemented in characterizing the new THOR epithermal beam in preparation for clinical studies. This paper reports the in-phantom calculated and experimental dosimetry comparisons and derived DRSFs obtained with the THOR test beam.     

Health-related quality of life in Taiwanese patients with bronchial asthma.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Health-related quality of life (HRQOL) is primarily an assessment of how domains of life are affected by health. This study investigated the factors influencing HRQOL of Taiwanese patients with bronchial asthma. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted to assess the factors influencing HRQOL. The sample consisted of 242 outpatients with bronchial asthma. The Chinese language version of the St. George's Respiratory Questionnaire was used to measure HRQOL. Data were analyzed using simple regression and multiple regression. RESULTS: Age, marital status, level of education, asthma severity, peak expiratory flow, and previous hospital admissions were found to be predictors of HRQOL. Gender, duration of disease, and history of emergency visits were not correlated with HRQOL. The variables entered in the HRQOL model accounted for 17.4% of the total variance (adjusted R(2)). The regression coefficients indicated that the mean scores increased 7.68 in patients with moderate to severe disease severity, and increased 7.34 in patients with a history of hospital admissions. The mean scores decreased 7.60 in married patients. CONCLUSION: This study found that marital status, asthma severity, and history of hospital admissions were major predictors of HRQOL in Taiwanese patients with bronchial asthma.     

后腹腔镜手术切除肾上腺节细胞神经瘤疗效观察

目的 :探讨后腹腔镜微创手术治疗肾上腺节细胞神经瘤的适应证和可行性。方法 :采用后腹腔镜手术治疗肾上腺节细胞神经瘤患者 5例 ,其中左侧肾上腺节细胞神经瘤 2例 ,右侧 3例。结果 :5例后腹腔镜手术全部获得成功 ,4例肾上腺肿瘤为单发 ,1例为多发 (4个肿瘤 ) ;肿瘤最大直径 2 .5～ 8.0 (4 .2± 1.8)cm ;手术时间35～ 10 5 (5 9± 2 7)min ,估计出血量 10～ 30 (19± 7)ml,术后镇痛剂吗啡用量 0～ 2 0 (8± 8)mg ,2例未用镇痛剂 ;排气、恢复进食时间 1～ 3(1.4± 0 .5 )d ;术后住院时间 4～ 7(5 .4± 1.5 )d。无围手术期并发症发生。结论 :后腹腔镜手术切除肾上腺节细胞神经瘤是安全可行的 ,能充分体现腹腔镜手术创伤小、恢复快的优点。肾上腺节细胞神经瘤是腹腔镜手术很好的适应证。