Short-segment jejunoplasty: the option treatment in the management of benign esophageal stricture

A non-dilatable benign stricture of the esophagus is a problem for the patient and always a challenge for the surgeon. The present study is intended to provide some details of surgical technique and the physiological concept that constitutes the basis for patient selection for short-segment jejunoplasty. In this study, out of 98 patients, 91 had complex stricture of the lower, and seven of the cervical esophagus. The main cause of stenosis in 60 patients (61.2%) was gastroesophageal reflux, in 34 (34.7%) post-corrosive damage, and in three (3.0%) it was other causes. All patients were treated by three methods of jejunoplasty: group I (n=54 patients) short-segment of the jejunum; group II (n=37 pts) Roux-en-Y double tract; and group III (n=7 patients) short jejunal segment on the long vascular pedicle. Intraoperative complications occurred in 17 (17.34%) of the patients. An anastomotic leak occurred only in three (3.29%) in group I and II, and 1/98 patients (1.02%) died from mediastinitis. Follow-up of functional results for up to 36 months (average 18 months) was available in 77/97 (79.3%) hospital survivors. Fifty-seven (74%) patients are satisfied with their ability to take food, postoperative reflux was completely denied by 72 (93.5%) patients. Postvagotomy diarrhea was transient and gradually subsided over the course of the first 6 months.     

Incarcerated internal hernia of the small intestine through a breach of the broad ligament: two cases and a literature review.

Two cases of internal herniation through a defect in the broad ligament of the uterus are described. Both were successfully treated laparoscopically. This rare condition should be borne in mind when a middle-aged woman presents with colicky lower abdominal pain. The cause is unknown, but both congenital and acquired origins have been proposed. As far as emergency situations are concerned, laparoscopy has proven to be both a diagnostic and a therapeutic tool.     

Kidney Transplantation in Patients with Antibodies against Donor HLA Class II

The immunologic risk associated with donor-specific antibodies (DSA) against Class II human leukocyte antigens (HLA) in kidney transplant (KTx) recipients is unclear. The aim of this study was to determine the outcome of KTx when DSA was detected only against HLA Class II. To isolate the impact of anti-Class II DSA, we retrospectively analyzed 12 KTx recipients who at baseline had a positive B-cell flow cytometric crossmatch (FXM) and a negative T-cell FXM. Using alloantibody specification analysis, 58.3% (7/12) had DSA against donor Class II and 41.7% had no demonstrable DSA. Biopsy-proven AMR occurred in 57% (4/7) in the Class II(+) group and 0% in the Class II(-) group (p > 0.05). Peritubular capillaries stained positive for C4d in 86% (6/7) of the Class II(+) patients and in 40% (2/5) of the Class II(-) patients (p > 0.05). One patient in the Class II(+) group lost their graft at 3 months to accelerated transplant glomerulopathy, while all other grafts were functioning 3-37 months posttransplant despite the persistence of anti-Class II DSA. We conclude that KTx recipients with clearly defined anti-Class II DSA are at risk for humoral rejection suggesting that desensitization and/or close posttransplant monitoring may be needed to prevent AMR.     

Causation, therapy and complications of treating mandibular fractures - a retrospective analysis of 10 years]

BACKGROUND: Fractures of the mandible are a common form of facial injury. The aetiological factors associated with mandibular fractures and the trends in these factors over a 10-year period are reported. METHODS: A retrospective survey was carried out of 724 patients presenting with a fracture of the mandible over the 10-year-period 1994-2003. Patients; records were reviewed and analyzed according to age, sex, cause of injury, anatomic site of fracture, treatment and postoperative complications. RESULTS: Over the 10-year-period the rate of mandibular fractures remained constant (mean 40,7%). There were no changes in the age group (mean 33,3 years) or in the higher prevalence in male (male-female-ratio 2,3 : 1). The major causes of fractures were assaults (38,6%) and accidental fall (27,3%). The most common fracture site was the condylar region (47,0%) followed by the angle (29,4%). Most fractures were treated by closed reduction until 2002, thereafter surgical treatment increased noticeable. The complication rate was 8,9% and the most common complications were hardware exposure and infection. CONCLUSION: Fractures of the mandible are a prevalent form of facial injury. Aetiological factors show no significant change over the 10-year-period. Complication-rate is low and will support the tendency towards surgical treatment.     

Automated measurement of 224Ra and 226Ra in water.

We present a new simple approach for automated, non-destructive measurement of the alpha-emitting radium isotopes ((223)Ra, (224)Ra, and (226)Ra) in water based on the emanation of their respective radon daughters ((219)Rn, (220)Rn, and (222)Rn). The method combines the high adsorption uptake of MnO(2) Resin for radium (K(d)=2.4 x 10(4)ml/g) over a wide pH range with the simplicity of the activity registration using a commercial radon-in-air analyzer (RAD7, DURRIDGE Company, Inc). Radium is first adsorbed onto the MnO(2) Resin by passing a water sample through the resin packed in a gas-tight glass cartridge. The same cartridge is then connected to the radon analyzer via a simple tubing system to circulate air through the resin and a drying system. The efficiency of the proposed system is determined by running standards prepared in the same manner. Our results indicate that the efficiency for (226)Ra is >22% if both (218)Po and (214)Po counts are collected. This is comparable with typical efficiencies for alpha spectrometry but with much less sample preparation. We estimate that an MDA of 0.8 pCi/L for (226)Ra may be obtained with this new approach using a 1L water sample and less than 4h of counting.     

Tendon Graft—Ulna Fixation in Distal Radio-Ulnar Joint Stabilisation; Biomechanical Comparison of Three Graft-Bone Fixation Methods

A common distal radio-ulnar joint (DRUJ) stabilisation procedure uses a tendon graft running from the lip of the radial sigmoid notch to the ulnar fovea and through a bony tunnel to the ulnar shaft, before being wrapped round the distal ulna and sutured to itself. Such graft fixation can be challenging and requires a considerable tendon length. The graft length could be reduced by fixing the graft to the ulna using a bone anchor or interference screw. The aim of this study was to compare the strength of three distal ulna graft fixation methods (tendon wrapping and suturing, bone anchor and interference screw). Four human cadaveric ulnae were used. A tendon strip was run through a tunnel in the distal ulna and secured by: (1) wrapping round the shaft and suturing it to itself, (2) a bone anchor and (3) an interference screw in the bone tunnel. Load to failure was determined using a custom-made apparatus and an Instron machine. Maximum failure load was highest for the bone anchor fixation (99.3 ± 23.7 N) followed by the suturing (96.2 ± 12.1 N), and the interference screw fixation (46.9 ± 5.6 N). There was no significant difference between the tendon suturing and bone anchor methods, but the tendon suturing was statistically significantly higher compared to the interference screw (P = 0.028). In performing anatomical stabilisation of the DRUJ fixation of the tendon graft to the distal ulna with a bone anchor provides the most secure fixation. This may make the stabilisation technique less demanding and require a smaller tendon graft.