Pharynx and oesophagus evaluation during the swallow using helical computerized tomography.

PURPOSE: Videofluorography (VF) and endoscopy are commonly used for dynamic imaging (DI) of pharyngeal swallowing but do not offer transverse plane (TP) information. The aim of the present study was to evaluate helical computerized tomography (HCT) to measure the DI capability pharyngeal swallowing in the TP. METHODS: The HCT scan technique used was a single-slice cine mode with scan times of 100 ms. All 15 subjects were studied supine during dry swallow, swallowing of barium sulphate jelly and 3, 10, 15 or 20 ml of a 40% barium sulphate solution. Nine subjects repeated the test twice at more than 1 week's interval to determine the test-retest reliability. RESULTS: Swallowing leads to closure of the vocal folds, pharyngeal constriction and narrowing of the piriform sinuses allowing jelly passage between the sinuses. Laryngeal elevation then occurs with the opening of the pharyngoesophageal segment (PES). Swallowing a bolus of 20 ml produced the maximum anteroposterior and transverse diameters as well as the maximum opening area of the PES. The test-retest intraclass correlation coefficients with liquid deglutition ranged from 0.86 to 0.98. CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that HCT enables visualization of TP of PES complementing VF or endoscopic swallowing studies.     

PULMONARY BLOOD DISTRIBUTION AFTER TOTAL CAVOPULMONARY CONNECTION OF DIFFERENT TYPES

Objective. To assess the feature of pulmonary blood flow distribution after total cavopulmonary connection (TCPC) of different types, and to provide the selection of the best type .Methods. Thirty-two consecutive survival patients after TCPC underwent radionuclide lung perfusion imaging. According to the radionuclide counts in the left and right lungs, analyses of the distribution of blood flow from superior venous cava (SVC) and inferior venous cava (IVC) and the whole pulmonary blood flow in both lungs were made. All patients were divided into 4 groups by the the anastomosis between IVC and pulmonary artery.Results. Group Ⅰ: The flow ratio of the IVC to left lung was greater than that to the right lung , P≤0. 01; the flow ratio of the SVC to right lung was greater than that to the left lung, P≤0. 01; and the whole pulmonary blood flow went dominantly to the left lung, P≤0. 05, which is not in line with physiological distribution. Group Ⅱ: the flows from the SVC and IVC were mixed in the middle of     

超声引导穿刺置入微导管法治疗恶性心包积液的评价

目的探讨超声引导下穿刺置入微导管法在恶性心包积液治疗中的价值.方法13例恶性心包积液在超声引导下进行心包穿刺,置入硬膜外麻醉导管（微导管）,通过导管抽出心包积液并注入化疗药物.结果13例均成功穿刺并顺利置入微导管,引流积液400～780 ml,平均530 ml.治疗后3、12、24个月存活率分别为92%（12/13）,78%（7/9）和60%（3/5）,无心包积液复发.结论超声引导穿刺置入微导管法治疗恶性心包积液安全、微创、有效、可行.     

Case report: Management of immediate post-car-diopulmonary bypass massive intra-cardiac thrombosis

PURPOSE: To describe the management of severe acute intracardiac thrombosis in a patient who underwent redo multiple valve replacement and valvular repair. The diagnostic features, associated risk factors, and anesthetic management are reviewed. CLINICAL FEATURES: A 67-yr-old woman undergoing redo mitral and aortic mechanical valve replacement and tricuspid annuloplasty under aprotinin prophylaxis exhibited severe refractory hypotension that began immediately after protamine reversal of intraoperative heparin anticoagulation following separation from cardiopulmonary bypass. Intraoperative transesophageal echocardiography revealed severe thrombosis in the right atrium, right ventricle and pulmonary artery. The patient was managed by immediate reheparinization and return to cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB), surgical thrombectomy, and intraoperative administration of recombinant tissue-plasminogen activator. After removal of the thrombi, and separation from CPB, no further protamine was given. One hundred units of blood products and two surgical re-explorations were required to manage subsequent massive postoperative bleeding. Acute heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) was ruled out using sensitive assays for HIT antibodies. After 16 days in the intensive care unit and 30 more days in hospital, the patient was subsequently transferred to a chronic care facility and succumbed several weeks later. CONCLUSION: Acute intraoperative thrombosis is a rare and potentially fatal complication of cardiac surgery. Intraoperative transesophageal echocardiography was essential for rapid diagnosis in this case. Multiple interacting prothrombotic factors (e.g., aprotinin use, acquired antithrombin deficiency, long pump time, post-protamine status, transfusion of blood components) were likely contributing factors related to this rare complication.     

新型记忆合金节段内固定器治疗腰椎峡部裂的实验研究

目的 :设计一种治疗腰椎峡部裂的新型记忆合金节段内固定器 ,测试其材料力学特性 ,并评价其生物力学稳定性。方法 :测量 2 0具干燥完整成人腰椎标本获得数据 ,按数据采用镍钛记忆合金设计固定器并行材料力学测试。取 6具新鲜成人腰椎标本 ,先后形成正常脊柱组、峡部裂组、横突棘突钢丝捆绑组、钩螺钉固定组、Buck螺钉固定组、新研制记忆合金固定器固定组 6组实验模型。利用脊柱三维运动实验机 ,分别测试 6组的前屈 /后伸、左 /右侧弯及左 /右轴向旋转 6种运动的活动范围。结果 :材料力学测试表明其形态记忆功能良好 ,体温状态下会产生稳定可靠的回复力。 6组在前屈、后伸及左右旋转状态 ,峡部裂组稳定性最差 ,同其他 5组差别明显。而使用新研制记忆合金内固定器组可明显恢复腰椎稳定性 ,同正常脊柱组及其他 3种内固定组均无显著差别。另两种状态左右侧弯 6组均无显著性差别。结论 :新设计的内固定器符合腰椎的生物力学要求 ,较先前的半环状内固定器优势明显 ,具有很好应用前景     

Neuropathological study 16 years after autologous adrenal medullary transplantation in a Parkinson's disease patient.

To date, there is no clinicopathological correlation of adrenal medullary transplant cases in patients with survival beyond a few years. Postmortem examination of a brain from a patient with Parkinson's disease (PD), 16 years after autologous adrenal medullary transplant, was performed using tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) and chromogranin A. The patient experienced a four-year initial improvement in motor function followed by resumption of the progressive nature of her disease that continued until her death. She expired 16 years following grafting. At autopsy, TH stain of the brain revealed severe loss of TH-immunoreactivity in the substantia nigra and Lewy bodies, confirming the diagnosis of PD. The transplant site was identified by the presence of scarring and there was complete absence of any TH staining cells at the site of the transplant. There were few surviving cells staining with chromogranin A. The absence of TH-staining cells in the transplant 16 years after surgery provides further evidence that adrenal medullary transplants do not survive in the long term.     

Pulmonary resection for metastases from colorectal cancer

Aim: The prognosis of patients with disseminated colorectal carcinoma is poor except for those with single organ pulmonary or hepatic metastases. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the result of pulmonary metastasectomy for colorectal secondary and to identify the prognostic factors. Methods: This was a retrospective study of 80 patients who had pulmonary metastasectomy for pulmonary secondary from colorectal carcinoma in Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Hong Kong. Results: The overall 5‐year and 10‐year survival rates of the entire cohort were 42.5% and 35.5%, respectively. High premetastasectomy carcinoembryonic antigen (> 20 μg/dL), short disease‐free interval (< 12 months) and incomplete resection were the independent prognostic factors. Neither the characteristics of the primary colorectal tumour nor the number of metastatic nodules had a significant contribution to the long‐term survival. Six patients underwent second pulmonary metastasectomy and three were still free from tumour recurrence after the second operation. Conclusion: Patients with pulmonary metastases from colorectal carcinoma would benefit from pulmonary metastasectomy. High premetastasectomy carcinoembryonic antigen and short disease‐free interval were negative predictive factors for survival. Long‐term follow‐up study is required, as recurrence can occur more than 5 years after pulmonary metastasectomy. Also, whether the survival benefit is due to surgical treatment effect or lead‐time bias remains undecided.     

Celecoxib induces functional recovery after intracerebral hemorrhage with reduction of brain edema and perihematomal cell death.

The selective cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibitor has been reported to have antiinflammatory, neuroprotective, and antioxidant effects in ischemia models. In this study, the authors examined whether a selective COX-2 inhibitor (celecoxib) reduces cerebral inflammation and edema after intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), and whether functional recovery is sustained with longer treatment. ICH was induced using collagenase in adult rats. Celecoxib (10 or 20 mg/kg) was administered intraperitoneally 20 minutes, 6 hours, and 24 hours after ICH and then daily thereafter. Seventy-two hours after ICH induction, the rats were killed for histologic assessment and measurement of brain edema and prostaglandin E2. Behavioral tests were performed before and 1, 7, 14, 21, and 28 days after ICH. The brain water content of celecoxib-treated rats decreased both in lesioned and nonlesioned hemispheres in a dose-dependent manner. Compared with the ICH-only group, the number of TUNEL-positive, myeloperoxidase-positive, or OX42-positive cells was decreased in the periphery of hematoma and brain prostaglandin E2 level was reduced in the celecoxib-treated group. Celecoxib-treated rats recovered better by the behavioral tests at 7 days after ICH throughout the 28-day period, and the earlier the drug was administered, the better the functional recovery. Evidence of similar effects in an autologous blood-injected model showed that direct collagenase toxicity was not the major cause of inflammation or cell death. These data suggest that celecoxib treatment after ICH reduces prostaglandin E2 production, brain edema, inflammation, and perihematomal cell death in the perihematomal zone and induces better functional recovery.