Pulmonary aspiration of gastric contents after a priming dose of vecuronium

A case is presented of a 16-year-old girl with ectodermal dysplasia for whom dental surgery under general anaesthesia was planned. Following a priming dose of vecuronium, and immediately after injection of sodium thiopentone (5 mg·kg⁻¹) pulmonary aspiration of gastric contents occurred. It is hypothesized that, because of the rapid speed of onset of neuromuscular blocking agents on the laryngeal muscles, that partial laryngeal paralysis was present at the time of induction of anaesthesia and that this was responsible in part for the episode of pulmonary aspiration.     

Evaluation of the Usefulness of Open Lung Biopsies

The role of open lung biopsy (OLB) in the diagnosis of the etiology of lung infiltrates in children was analyzed for a 10-year period 1979-1989 in a tertiary referral center. A total of 18 children had 19 lung biopsies to ascertain the cause of lung infiltrates. Thirteen of these children (72 %) were immunocompromised due to treatment of hematological/solid malignancies and bone marrow transplantation. The clinical diagnosis was bilateral lung infiltrates of unknown etiology in 17 of 18 children. Eight of these children were ventilated for respiratory failure. The biopsy was useful in achieving a histological diagnosis in 18 of 19 samples (diagnostic yield 95%) and an etiological diagnosis in 14 of 19 samples (etiological yield 74 %). Therapeutic strategy was altered in 14 of 18 patients based on the biopsy results. Five of 14 patients responded favorably to a change in specific treatment. The lime interval from onset of respiratory illness to biopsy was 2-60 days (mean 16 days). Despite the critical state of these children there were few complications associated with the biopsy and no mortality directly related to the procedure. We recommend that OLE be undertaken sooner rather than later in immunocompromised children with bilateral pulmonary infiltrates of unknown etiology.     

经皮肺活检及支气管肺泡灌洗对周围性肺疾病诊断的临床价值

目的：探讨经皮肺活检及支气管肺泡灌洗(BAL)对周围性肺疾病诊断的价值。方法：对以结节或块状阴影为主的52例病人行经皮肺活检；对以弥漫性周围性肺疾病为主的33例病人行BAL检查；对采用两种不同方法的检查结果进行阳性率分析。结果：52例经皮肺活检对肺周围性病变诊断敏感性为88％，特异性100％。33例行BAL检查对结核及恶性弥漫性肺周围性病变诊断敏感性为75％～80％，特异性100％。结论：BAL检查及经皮肺活检对肺周围块状阴影或弥漫性病变的确诊有很高价值。     

Longitudinal decline in pulmonary function in atopic cough and cough variant asthma

OBJECTIVE: Cough variant asthma and atopic cough are different clinical manifestations of eosinophilic airway inflammation presenting with isolated chronic non-productive cough. The aim of this study was to examine the longitudinal change in pulmonary function in cough variant asthma and atopic cough. METHODS: Longitudinal change in FEV1 was prospectively examined in 20 patients with cough variant asthma, 14 patients with atopic cough and 271 asymptomatic healthy subjects. All were lifetime non-smokers. Of the 20 cough variant asthma patients, 13 were taking long-term inhaled corticosteroid therapy (ICS) (beclomethasone dipropionate 615 +/- 58 micro g/day) and the other seven were not. Spirometry was taken at first visit, after cough was almost completely relieved on therapy, and at least once every year for 5 or more years afterwards. RESULTS: The slope of longitudinal change in FEV1 was not significantly different among cough variant asthma patients (- 0.029 +/- 0.007/year), atopic cough patients (- 0.021 +/- 0.022/year) and asymptomatic subjects (- 0.028 +/- 0.002 L/year). In patients with cough variant asthma, the slope in patients not taking inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) was 0.032 +/- 0.007 L/year, which was not significantly different from that in patients taking ICS (- 0.027 +/- 0.010 L/year). CONCLUSION: Pulmonary function decline is not greater in cough variant asthma than atopic cough and the normal population, and long-term ICS has no effect on the decline in cough variant asthma.     

应用最大似然法鉴别诊断周围型肺癌、肺错构瘤和结核球的初步研究

目的:探讨应用最大似然法鉴别周围性肺癌、肺错构瘤及结核球3种孤立性肺结节(SPN)的诊断价值。方法:对150例经临床和手术病理证实的SPN(周围性肺癌、肺错构瘤、结核球各50例)的HRCT影像学征象进行分类统计分析,运用最大似然判别法,将其各种征象转化为记分值,以数值的大小来判定肺结节所属的类型。结果:最大似然法对周围型肺癌、肺错构瘤及结核球的诊断正确率分别为86%、92%及90%,平均诊断正确率为89.3%,高于常规阅片法的82%,但两组间差异无统计学意义(χ2=2.434,P>0.05)。最能提示为肺癌的征象依次为空泡征、分叶征、支气管充气征和血管集束征;最能提示为肺错构瘤的征象依次为脂肪、边缘清楚及钙化;最能提示为结核球的征象依次为空洞、卫星灶、钙化及胸膜凹陷征。结论:最大似然法对常见SPN的鉴别诊断正确率有所提高,是一种辅助影像学诊断的有价值的方法。     

阻塞性睡眠呼吸暂停综合征患者手术治疗的麻醉研究

目的：探讨阻塞性睡眠呼吸暂停综合征(obstructive sleep apnea syndrome，OSAS)患者手术治疗的麻醉处理。方法：72例OSAS患者手术前先正压通气治疗(continue positive airway pressure，CPAP)和评价上气道，55例患者经鼻或经口气管插管全身麻醉；在手术完毕患者完全清醒后拔除插管。结果：72例患者中，轻度16例、中度24例、重度32例。合并晨起高血压28例，心电图均有不同程度心肌缺血的表现；红细胞增多症12例；腭咽平面Ⅰ级9例、Ⅱ级24例、Ⅲ级的27例、Ⅳ级12例。术前3．5d行自动调压正压通气治疗(Auto—CPAP)，经口气管内插管48例，经鼻气管内插管6例，均无术中插管困难和术后高血压危象，呼吸道梗阻发生。结论：充分认识OSAHS患者全身麻醉的手术风险，术前CPAP治疗和上气道评估，术中正确处理、严格掌握气管内插管、术后拔管的时机，是保证OSAHS患者手术成功、麻醉安全的关键。     

Ipsilateral cluster headache and chronic paroxysmal hemicrania: two case reports

We report two patients with ipsilateral attacks of cluster headache and chronic paroxysmal hemicrania. The first patient, a 33-year-old man, started having attacks of chronic cluster headache at the age of 27. At 33, they were replaced by typical attacks of ipsilateral chronic paroxysmal hemicrania which showed a dramatic improvement with indomethacin 150 mg daily. After two days of complete remission, cluster headache attacks reappeared and persisted until verapamil, 360 mg a day, was added to indomethacin. The second patient, a 45-year-old man, first developed attacks of episodic cluster headache at the age of 35. At 44, he experienced ipsilateral typical attacks of chronic paroxysmal hemicrania, and two months later attacks of cluster headache. Under verapamil 240 mg daily, attacks of cluster headache disappeared, but those of chronic paroxysmal hemicrania increased in frequency until indomethacin 150 mg daily was added. These observations suggest a close relationship but not a similarity between cluster headache and chronic paraoxysmal hemicrania, and show the practical therapeutic interest of maintaining this distinction.     

Success determining factors in percutaneous transluminal balloon valvuloplasty of pulmonary valve stenosis

Twenty-two percutaneous transluminal balloon valvuloplasty procedures were performed on 21 patients with congenital pulmonary valve stenosis. The peak systolic pressure gradient was immediately reduced from 79.1 +/- 7.4 to 22.2 +/- 1.8 mmHg, (P less than 0.0001) and follow-up cardiac catheterization at 5.3 +/- 0.4 months in 19 patients revealed no further significant change in gradient (23.5 +/- 3.2 mmHg). The best results were obtained when balloons larger than the pulmonary annulus were used, i.e. an immediate residual transvalvular gradient of 22.0 +/- 2.2 mmHg with a balloon/annulus ratio greater than 1, as opposed to 44.2 +/- 5.4 with a balloon/annulus ratio = 1 (P less than 0.001). The angiographically determined cusp thickness of the stenotic pulmonary valves was significantly greater than that of the control group of 24 patients without pulmonary valve stenosis (1.21 +/- 0.09 vs 0.59 +/- 0.02 mmHg, P less than 0.00001). The relationship between this parameter and the residual transvalvular gradient at follow-up was found to be significant (r = 0.77, P less than 0.001). It is concluded that balloon size is a determinant factor in achieving good results with percutaneous balloon valvuloplasty although cusp thickness, a factor to which scant regard has hitherto been paid, also plays a significant role in the residual transvalvular gradient measured at follow-up.     

促红细胞生成素治疗透析前贫血临床分析

目的观察人类重组红细胞生成素(r-HuEPO)对透析前贫血的疗效,探讨早期治疗肾性贫血的意义.方法患者分两组,治疗组应用r-HuEPO皮下注射,补充叶酸、铁剂,给予饮食疗法、大黄散、控制血压等措施.对照组不用r-HuEPO治疗,其它措施相同.观察症状、HGB、HCT、SCr和血清钾、钠、氯水平.结果治疗组症状改善,生活质量提高;HGB、HCT明显升高,与对照组比较有显著性差异(P＜0.01).血清肌酐无明显升高.结论r-HuEPO能明显提高HGB、HCT水平,安全有效治疗透析前贫血,肾性贫血早期治疗值得重视和进一步探讨.     

Anti-avian antibodies and rheumatoid factor in pigeon hypersensitivity pneumonitis

BACKGROUND: Although several immunological abnormalities may be present in pigeon hypersensitivity pneumonitis (HP), few specific hallmarks have been described. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether the presence of rheumatoid factor (RF) could be useful to discriminate pigeon HP from asymptomatic breeders (AB) and other interstitial lung diseases. METHODS: Fifty-three patients with pigeon HP, 47 AB, 31 idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) patients and a rheumatoid arthritis (RA) group were studied. IgM RF was determined through enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and western blot using human IgG and IgG Fc fragment as antigens. IgG and IgA anti-avian antibodies (AA) against pigeon serum antigen were also measured. The use of F(ab')2 fraction of peroxidase-labelled anti-human immunoglobulins prevented endogenous interferences. Possible cross-binding of RF with avian antigens and the reactivity against human IgG by AA were studied. RESULTS: RF tests were frequently positive in HP (52.8%) in comparison to AB (4.2%) and IPF (12.9%; P = 2.6 x 10-10 and 4.1 x 10-5). Therefore, the presence of RF in pigeon HP showed a sensitivity of 52% and was highly specific considering the results of AB and IPF (95 and 87%, respectively). The RA group revealed positive RF but negative AA tests. RF activity was confirmed through western blot using purified IgG Fc fragment. Overlapping levels of IgG and IgA AA were found in HP and AB. The frequency of AA was low in IPF. The cross-reaction of RF with avian antigens was excluded, and no reactivity against human IgG by AA was detected. Other endogenous interferences were ruled out. CONCLUSION: No single immunological test may definitively distinguish pigeon HP from AB and other interstitial lung disorders; however, positive RF, together with high AA levels, seems to be useful in differentiating the diagnosis.