Max Brödel (1870–1941): his life and his role in the development of surgery

Summary. Max Br?del (1870–1941), from Leipzig, Germany, is often referred to in the USA as the father of modern medical illustration and mentioned in the same breath as Leonardo da Vinci or Andreas Vesal. After a classical formal art education in Leipzig he worked in Carl Ludwig's laboratory of physiology and anatomy, where he came in contact with American physicians. In 1894, the anatomist F. P. Mall convinced him to work for the recently inaugurated Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore, where he collaborated with world-famous surgeons such as H. A. Kelly, W. S. Halsted, and H. Cushing. His illustrations were characterized by meticulous observation, both realistic and explanatory intention, technical superiority, and artistic merit. In 1911 he established the first “Department of Art as applied to Medicine”. Here, he proved to be an innovative artist, a creative scientist, and an inspiring and skillful instructor. By the time of Br?del's retirement in 1939, 160 students had graduated as medical illustrators. His pupils spread his principles and style throughout the USA and Canada, and several similar academic programs for medical illustration have been founded in these countries.      

Medulloblastoma in adulthood: Prognostic factors influencing survival and recurrence

Summary Thirty adult patients presenting with medulloblastoma between 1974 and 1991 were studied and treated at Puerta de Hierro Clinic. After diagnosis, all patients were treated by surgery followed by radiotherapy and eight of them received adjuvant chemotherapy. We have studied the influence of some factors such as age, sex, location of tumour in the cerebellum, amount of surgical resection and histological variants on survival and recurrence of the disease. Only the histological type has a statistically significant influence on survival and recurrence: we have found that patients presenting classic medulloblastoma have a long survival and a long relapse-free interval.     

Conservatively Treated Breast Cancer: Outcome by Histologic Subtype

Abstract: Between 1970 and 1990, 1,008 patients with early-stage breast cancer were treated by conservative surgery without axillary dissection followed by radiation therapy to the intact breast in the Department of Therapeutic Radiology at Yale-New Haven Hospital. The patient population, broken down by histologic subtype, was as follows: 761 patients presented with infiltrating ductal carcinoma, 70 patients with pure intraductal, 38 intraductal with focal invasion, 54 infiltrating lobular, 21 tubular, 17 medullary, 16 mucinous, and 29 with other various histologic subtypes. Patients were followed on a regular basis by the referring physicians and radiation oncologists. Diagnostic studies for distant metastases were performed as clinically indicated. Annual mammography was a routine component of the follow-up program. As of 3/96, with a median follow-up of 10.5 years, 83 patients developed an ipsilateral breast tumor recurrence, and 109 patients developed distant metastases resulting in an overall 10-year breast recurrence-free rate of 84%, and a 10-year distant metastasis-free rate of 78%. There were significant differences in clinical stage, pathological nodal involvement, and administration of systemic therapy between various histologic subtypes. As expected, those patients with histologies of low metastatic potential (such as intraductal, tubular, and mucinous) had significantly superior distant recurrence-free survival rates. With respect to breast relapse rates, there were no statistically significant differences in the 5- and 10-year breast recurrence-free rates between any of the histologic subtypes. Patients with intraductal carcinoma with or without focal invasion had similar breast relapse rates as those with other histologic subtypes. Patients with lobular carcinoma in situ as a histologic component also had a similar overall breast relapse-free recurrence rate. In conclusion, long-term follow-up of conservatively treated breast cancer patients demonstrates no significant differences in ipsilateral breast tumor recurrence rates between various histologic subtypes. There are no histologies which had a statistically significantly higher breast-relapse rate than infiltrating ductal carcinomas and therefore no primary histologic subtype represents a relative contraindication to breast conservation therapy.     

Myocardial protection in adult cardiac surgery: current options and future challenges

Current techniques of myocardial protection are evolving with the use of less conventional modalities of cardioplegia and have reduced the morbidity and mortality of cardiac operations. Blood cardioplegic solutions appear superior to cold cardioplegia in terms of myocardial protection and adjuncts as glutamate/aspartate enhancement, antioxidant supplementation, nitric oxide donors and maintenance of calcium homeostasis seem effective. In the near future, further experimental and clinical investigations about pharmacological preconditioning, sodium–hydrogen exchangers inhibition and gene therapy need to be addressed to well define their potential role in the improvement of current techniques of myocardial protection that are suboptimal in high-risk clinical settings.     

异丙酚在无抽搐电休克治疗麻醉中的应用

目的 :研究异丙酚在无抽搐电休克治疗 (MECT)麻醉中的应用效果及安全性。方法 :34例首次住院的精神分裂症患者随机分为异丙酚组和硫喷妥钠组 ,每组 17例 ,每例完成 1个疗程 6次MECT治疗 ,每组完成 10 2人次治疗 (n =10 2 )。每次治疗时 ,异丙酚组给予异丙酚静脉麻醉 ,硫喷妥钠组给予硫喷妥钠静脉麻醉 ,全麻诱导后皆静注琥珀酰胆碱 ,待肌肉松弛后行MECT治疗。全程监测患者心电图、血氧饱和度、血压、心率、脉搏 ,并观察记录自主呼吸恢复时间。苏醒时间和不良反应 ,进行前瞻性研究。结果 :与硫喷妥钠组相比 ,异丙酚组自主呼吸恢复快 ,苏醒快 ,无咳嗽 ,呃逆 ,呕吐等不良反应 ,两组差异显著。而异丙酚组注射点疼痛发生率显著高于硫喷妥钠组。结论 :在MECT中应用异丙酚静脉麻醉是一种更安全、有效的方法。     

老年病人上腹部手术后应用PCEA的临床效果观察

目的　观察老年人上腹部术后病人自控硬膜外镇痛 (PCEA)的疗效及对内分泌功能的影响。方法　6 3例择期行胃癌根治术的老年患者 ,ASAⅠ -Ⅱ级 ,随机分为 3组 (每组 2 1例 ) :A组术后行硬膜外镇痛 (PCEA) ;B组术后行静脉镇痛 (PCIA) ;C组术后按需肌肉注射哌替啶镇痛 ;对比术后镇痛效果并分别于麻醉前 ,切皮后 90分钟 ,术后 6 0及 1、2、3天分别抽取外周静脉血测定血糖、胰岛素、皮质醇、肾上腺素浓度。结果　A、B组镇痛效果均满意 ,C组镇痛效果欠佳 ,综合镇痛质量A组优于B组优于C组 ;3组于切皮后 90分钟血皮质醇、血糖浓度均升高 ,但A组低于C、B两组 (P <0 .0 5 ) ,术后 6 0分钟均达高峰 (P <0 0 1) ,术后 2 4至 4 8小时虽有下降 ,但仍明显高于麻醉前水平 (P <0 0 5 ) ;血胰岛素水平 ,A、B组术后 3天无明显变化 ,C组术后第 1、2天升高显著 (P <0 .0 1及P <0 .0 5 ) ;肾上腺素A、B组术后无明显升高 ,C组术后 6 0分钟明显升高 ,于术后 3天仍未恢复至术前水平。结论　老年病人上腹部术后PCIA及PCEA均能达到优良的镇痛效果 ,PCEA能有效地抑制术后机体的应激反应 ,有利于术后病人的恢复。     

Surgery of giant gliomas of chiasma and IIIrd ventricle

Summary During a period of 17 years (from 1976 till now) 45 patients with giant gliomas of the chiasma and the IIIrd ventricle out of a total amount of 120 patients with hypothalamic gliomas were operated. The following classification of tumours was used: I) tumours with predominant anterior growth; II) tumours which infiltrate chiasma and penetrate into the IIIrd ventricle; III) gliomas of the floor of the IIIrd ventricle and the chiasma, growing into the ventricle cavity; IV) tumours of the chiasma, optic tract and thalamus. The authors come to the conclusion, that surgical removal of giant tumours of the chiasma and the IIIrd ventricle, though risky, may result in an improvement or stabilisation of visual functions (77%) and a long period free from recurrencies (9.5%). The postoperative period is relatively favourable and the mortality is low (6%). The main contraindication in our opinion is a wide infiltration of adjacent brain structures by the tumour and spreading along both optical tracts. We consider the giant size of a tumour in itself a sufficient indication for surgery.     

脑电双频指数用于门诊无痛内镜检查的临床研究

目的　观察脑电双频指数 (BIS)监测对门诊无痛内镜检查病人麻醉过程及恢复的意义。方法　 12 0例择期在丙泊酚 芬太尼静脉麻醉下行胃镜检查的门诊病人 ,随机分为BIS监测组 (A组 )与常规监测组 (B组 ) ,每组 6 0例。静脉给予芬太尼 1μg/kg、丙泊酚 0 5mg/kg负荷量后 ,丙泊酚的维持量A组根据BIS值 (4 5～ 6 0 )调节 ,B组仅根据临床体征调节。记录丙泊酚用量、术中反应、胃镜检查时间及留观时间等。结果　两组间一般资料及麻醉前MAP、HR、SpO2 、BIS均无显著性差异(P >0 0 5 )。丙泊酚用量A组明显少于B组 ,留观时间A组显著短于B组 (P <0 0 1)。MAP在麻醉诱导入睡后和插镜时两组均有下降 ,但A组降幅低于B组 (P <0 0 1)。不良反应发生率A组明显少于B组 (P <0 0 1)。结论　BIS监测用于门诊麻醉对预防麻醉药用量不足或逾量 ,减轻血液动力学改变 ,避免术中肢动与知晓有重要意义 ,有利于提高麻醉安全 ,减少并发症。     

大,巨型垂体腺瘤的手术入路选择

自１９９０年以来收治直径在２－５．６ｃｍ的大、巨型垂体腺瘤３３例。依肿瘤生长形态与扩展范围将其简略分为三种类型。Ａ型：瘤体位于鞍内或侵入蝶窦；Ｂ型；瘤体呈椭圆形或哑铃向鞍上扩展，三脑室明显移位抬高；Ｃ型：瘤体巨大侵入三脑室阻塞室间孔或明显的鞍周扩展。