Picture of the Month

A 2?year-old boy had the onset of pain and swelling of his penis during the past 3 days. The swelling and pain increased significantly within the past 24 hours. The child's penis is shown in the Figure. DENOUEMENT AND DISCUSSION PARAPHIMOSIS Paraphimosis is an urologic emergency that results when the foreskin is retracted away from the glans penis and cannot be reduced to its former position. The opening in the prepuce, when forcibly retracted beyond the coronal sulcus, becomes a constricting ring that cannot be reduced. The constricting ring created causes a tension greater than the lymphatic pressure and results in edema of the prepuce, the penile shaft, and the glans penis distal to the incarcerated foreskin.1,2As lymphatic drainage is impaired and tissue swelling increases, reduction of the foreskin becomes more difficult. Pain occurs as a result of swelling, and, eventually, as a result of vascular compromise. If.     

A comment and a reply to the paper by Kristinn Tomasson et al.: “Failed and short seizures associated with prior electroconvulsive therapy”

Eur Arch Psychiatry Clin Neurosci: (1992) 241:307–313     

Comparison of FK-506 and cyclosporine regimens in pediatric renal transplantation

Clinical aspects of FK-506 or cyclosporine immunosuppression regimens were evaluated in 48 consecutive pediatric renal transplant recipients. Tapering and discontinuation of prednisone was employed only in children receiving FK-506 who experienced minor or no rejection episodes during the 1st posttransplant month. At 1 year follow-up, 17 of 22 (77%) of all children with functioning allografts were receiving no prednisone (n=13) or a mean dosage of 0.07 mg/kg per day (n=4). During the 1st month, acute cellular rejection was more common in the FK-506 group (0.58 vs. 0.21 rejections per patient,P<0.05) but allograft survival (92%) and renal function at 1 year posttransplant were identical in both groups. Compared with the cyclosporine regimen, FK-506 immunosuppression may be associated with a higher incidence of cytomegalovirus or reversible Epstein-Barr virus-induced lymphoproliferative disease. However, the FK-506 group had less hirsutism and gingival hypertrophy and required fewer antihypertensive medications independent of steroid use. Height standard deviation scores and weight-for-height index improved only in preadolescents receiving FK-506 but no prednisone (P<0.02 andP<0.05, respectively), but did not differ between children on FK-506 plus prednisone and those in the cyclosporine group. We conclude that the major advantages of FK-506 over cyclosporine immunosuppression are a reduced severity of hypertension and an improved cosmetic appearance which may improve long-term medical compliance. When used as monotherapy, FK-506 also shows promise in relieving the growth retardation associated with cyclosporine regimens that include prednisone.     

Mandibular fracture not shown by axial computed tomography: Benefit of computed reformation

A 36-year-old man was brought to the emergency department after being assaulted. A mandible series showed a nondisplaced fracture through the angle of the mandible extending through the left third molar tooth. Axial slices from a nonhelical computed tomographic (CT) examination of the head as well as a helical CT examination of the mandible failed to demonstrate the fracture. The fracture was well shown, however, on sagittal CT reformations. Although CT is generally regarded as more sensitive than plain radiography for the detection of fractures, fractures may be overlooked by CT if examination in only one plane is performed.     

Long-term outcome of completion gastrectomy for nonmalignant disease

Between 1989 and 1995 we performed completion gastrectomy for non-malignant disease in 21 patients (11 men and 10 women, mean age 48.4 years). These patients had undergone a total of 48 prior gastric operations. Indications for completion gastrectomy in this group were anastomotic ulceration with stricture in eight patients, alkaline reflux gastritis and/or esophagitis in eight, postsurgical gastroparesis in two, gastroesophageal necrosis in two, and gastrocutaneous fistula in one. Major preoperative symptoms included nausea and vomiting in 16 cases, abdominal pain in 15, dysphagia in 14, heartburn in seven, and weight loss in five. Following completion gastrectomy, five patients (24%) had serious complications and there was one postoperative death (5%). Five patients were lost to follow-up. For the remaining 15 patients, mean follow-up has been 30 months with a range of 1 to 70 months. These patients were all interviewed and eight (53%) report significant improvement, two (13%) report moderate improvement, and four (27%) report no improvement; one patient (7%) has had worsening of symptoms since undergoing completion gastrectomy. The average body weight index was essentially unchanged after completion gastrectomy. We conclude that completion gastrectomy with Roux-en-Y esophagojejunostomy results in a favorable outcome in the majority of selected patients with diseases of the foregut who are unresponsive to less radical treatment. Presented at the Thirty-Seventh Annual Meeting of The Society for Surgery of the Alimentary Tract, San Francisco, Calif., May 19–22, 1996.     

Mortality studies of machining fluid exposure in the automobile industry III: A case-control study of larynx cancer

A case-control study of larynx cancer was conducted within a cohort of automobile workers exposed to metal working fluids, commonly referred to as machining fluids (MF). Results are based on 108 cases of larynx cancer and 5:1 matched controls. Risks associated with specific types of MF, as well as specific components of the fluids were evaluated. Based on a retrospective exposure assessment, lifetime exposures to straight and soluble fluids, grinding particulate, biocides, selected metals, sulfur, and chlorine were examined. Exposure to asbestos and acid mists at two of the three study sites was also characterized. Results suggest that straight mineral oils are associated with almost a two-fold excess in larynx cancer risk. There was also evidence of an association with elemental sulfur, commonly added to straight MF to improve the integrity of the materials under extreme pressure and heat. It is not clear whether sulfur is causally related to an excess relative risk of larynx cancer or whether the observed association is the result of unmeasured confounding by another contaminant or process feature. For example, the high stress operations that require MF enriched with sulfur are also more likely to produce polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) during the process. Thus, the observed association with sulfur may be due to an association with PAH. The finding of excess risk of laryngeal cancer associated with MF is consistent with several previous reports in the literature. This is the first study, however, to distinguish straight mineral oils from other types of MF. Based on these findings, a general reduction in concentrations of straight mineral oil particulate in occupational environments would be prudent.