Percutaneous Transhepatic Cholangiodrainage as Rescue Therapy for Symptomatic Biliary Leakage Without Biliary Tract Dilation After Major Surgery

Symptomatic biliary leakage following major upper abdominal surgery is a severe complication resulting in increased morbidity and mortality. Treatment options usually include either endoscopic intervention or surgical revision. These options may be burdened by a high perioperative risk for the patient (e.g., patients with severe disease) or simply may not be possible (e.g., nonpreserved gastroduodenal passage). In the past, percutaneous transhepatic cholangiodrainage did only seem to be a viable option for patients with dilated bile ducts. Here, we present our experience in a consecutive series of patients with symptomatic biliary leakage following major upper abdominal surgery and without dilation of the biliary system that underwent percutaneous transhepatic cholangiodrainage. Percutaneous transhepatic cholangiodrainage was feasible in 15 of 18 patients (83.3%). The procedure was technically not possible in three patients (16.7%). In 10 of the 15 patients (66.6%) with feasible percutaneous transhepatic cholangiodrainage, biliary leakage was definitely controlled without the need for surgical revision. Depending on the experience with the interventional procedure, percutaneous transhepatic cholangiodrainage should be considered as an alternative for treatment of symptomatic biliary leakage instead of immediate reoperation. Presented at the Digestive Disease Week 2005 (DDW), Chicago, IL, May 14–19, 2005 (poster presentation).     

Movement disorders after intervertebral disc surgery: Coincidence or causal relationship?

It is well known that brain injury or central traumatic lesions may result in the subsequent appearance of movement disorders such as dystonia or tremor. The concept that peripheral lesions to neural structures may be involved in the pathogenesis of movement disorders has been discussed controversely but has gained more widespread acceptance only recently. Here, we report on 6 patients who developed movement disorders after spinal disc surgery. The movement disorders became manifest with a delay of 1 day to 12 months after surgery. Of the six patients, 4 underwent cervical disc surgery, and 2 patients were operated on for lumbar disc herniation; 2 patients presented with paroxysmal kinesigenic segmental dystonia, 1 patient with focal dystonia, 2 with unilateral tremor, and 1 with bilateral tremor. The appearance of the movement disorder was associated with persistent dermatomal or segmental pain. In all patients, the anatomic distribution of the movement disorder was related to the nerve root or spinal segment of the corresponding disc level and the manifestation was in close temporal relation to the surgery. We conclude that spinal disc surgery may be another, thus far neglected, cause for movement disorders. The postoperative pain syndrome in all patients should be considered as an important factor of pathogenesis. Overall, movement disorders associated with disc surgery appear to be rare, yet they may cause significant discomfort to the affected individual.     

Quality of life and voice following endoscopic resection or radiotherapy for early glottic cancer

Objectives: To assess whether proposed voice and quality of life (QoL) outcome measures were likely to be acceptable to patients previously treated for early glottic cancer by either radiotherapy or endoscopic resection, as well as looking for differences in QoL and voice between treatments. Design: Questionnaire‐based cohort study. Setting: Secondary care, three centres. Participants: All patients treated for T1a or in situ glottic carcinoma between 1997 and 2003. Fifty‐three patients were identified; those who had undergone salvage surgery or radiotherapy were excluded. A proportion refused to participate or could not be contacted and two patients had died of unrelated causes. Thirty‐six patients completed the trial with 18 from each treatment arm. Main outcome measures: Quality of voice as assessed by three questionnaires, Voice Handicap Index (VHI), Vocal Performance Questionnaire (VPQ), Voice Symptom Score (VoiSS) and perceptual analysis of voice by Grade, Roughness, Breathiness, Asthenia and Strained (GRBAS) assessment of vocal recordings. Quality of life as assessed by the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), University of Washington Quality of Life Questionnaire (UW‐QoL), and the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy (FACT) questionnaire. Results: All patients included in the trial were able to complete the questionnaires; however, 19% required assistance of some kind. GRBAS assessment showed no difference between groups for any criteria. All QoL questionnaires gave equivalent good scores. All of the voice questionnaires showed no statistical difference between groups except for the emotional subscale of the VoiSS which showed a significantly better score for the radiotherapy arm (P = 0.04). Conclusion: All outcome measures were applicable and acceptable to the patient group. Overall QoL and voice appears similar despite treatment arm, apart from the emotional subscale of the VoiSS. A randomized controlled trial is required to further assess this question.     

Local anesthesia for inguinal hernia repair in adolescents

Background Many centers use local anesthesia for adult inguinal hernia surgery in the setting of day-case surgery. There are no reports on, or guidelines for, use of anesthesia for inguinal hernia surgery in adolescents. We describe our initial experience with the use of local anesthesia and intravenous sedation for inguinal hernia surgery in adolescents in the setting of a day-surgery facility. Methods The charts of 14 consecutive adolescent patients (aged 12–17) who had inguinal hernia surgery from July 2004 to March 2005 were reviewed retrospectively. Intravenous sedation was administered 1–3 min before injection of local anesthetic. Sedation consisted of midazolam 0.085 mg kg⁻¹ and either fentanyl 0.85 μg kg⁻¹ or ketamine 0.085 mg kg⁻¹, according to the preference of the anesthesiologist. Additional sedation with half the initial dose was administered if required. Local anesthesia using a combination of lignocaine and bupivacaine was administered by the surgeon with infiltration in the skin and deep tissues. Results Fourteen adolescents aged 12–17 years (mean 14.8 ± 1.37), weighing 34–100 kg (mean 61.2 ± 16.5), had 15 inguinal hernia repairs with sedation and local anesthesia. All the patients were male. All completed the surgery with sedation and local anesthesia. None required conversion to general anesthesia. There were no immediate or subsequent complications. Mean time from the end of surgery to discharge home was under 2 h (mean 106 ± 36 min). Examination of patient charts did not reveal any complaints regarding the surgery or the postoperative course at the postoperative follow up visit. Conclusions The use of local anesthesia with intravenous sedation for inguinal hernia repair in the adolescent age group seems feasible and requires further prospective study.     

National survey on the management of primary hyperparathyroidism by Swiss endocrinologists

Background From the endocrine surgeon’s perspective, it is important to know how endocrinologists manage patients with primary hyperparathyroidism (pHPT). The aim of this survey was to evaluate the preoperative diagnostic workup and referral pattern for parathyroidectomy by Swiss endocrinologists. Materials and methods The survey was conducted by mailing a questionnaire to all members of the Swiss Society for Endocrinology and Diabetes in spring 2005. Results The questionnaire was sent back by 68 of 124 endocrinologists (55%). The median annual case volume of patients with pHPT was 6 (range 1–50). The mean fraction of these patients referred for surgery was 59 ± 24%. This fraction was significantly higher in the German-speaking part of Switzerland than in the French-speaking part (67 ± 21% vs 51 ± 27%). When considering surgery for asymptomatic pHPT, 62% of the endocrinologists rely routinely on the recommendations of the NIH consensus conference and 86% on the subsequent guidelines of the workshop in 2002. Sixty-seven percent of the endocrinologists routinely perform localization studies before possible referral for surgical exploration. Typically, they consisted of an ultrasonography of the neck (93%) and a ^99mTc-MIBI scintigraphy (80%). The impact of the availability of a minimally invasive surgical procedure on the number of patients referred for surgery seems to be considerable. Sixty-one percent of the participants would expand the indication for surgery if the operation could be done by a limited surgical approach. Conclusions In a relevant fraction of patients with pHPT, endocrinologists still do not regard curative therapy as mandatory. Surprisingly, there are significant cultural differences concerning referral patterns to surgery between the German-speaking and the French-speaking parts of Switzerland. Minimally invasive procedures seem to lower the threshold for referral for surgical therapy. This work was presented at the 2nd Biennial Congress of the ESES, May 2006, Krakow, Poland.     

Effects of gastric bypass procedures on bone mineral density,calcium, parathyroid hormone,and vitamin d

Weight loss after gastric bypass procedures has been well studied, but the long-term metabolic sequelae are not known. Data on bone mineral density (BMD), calcium, parathyroid hormone, and vitamin D were collected preoperatively and at yearly intervals after gastric bypass procedures. A total of 230 patients underwent preoperative BMD scans. Fifteen patients were osteopenic preoperatively, and three patients subsequently developed osteopenia postoperatively within the first year. No patient had or developed osteoporosis. At 1 year, total forearm BMD decreased by 0.55% (n = 91; P = .03) and radius BMD had increased overall by 1.85% (n = 23; P = .008); both total hip and lumbar spine BMD decreased by 9.27% (n = 22; P < .001) and 4.53% (n = 31; P < .001), respectively. By the second postoperative year, BMD in the total forearm had decreased an additional 3.62% (n = 14; P<.001), whereas radius BMD remained unchanged. Although total hip and lumbar spine BMD significantly decreased at 1 year, by year 2 both total hip and lumbar spine BMD only slightly decreased and were not significantly different from before the operation. Serum calcium decreased from 9.8 mg/dL to 9.2 during the first year (not significant [NS]) and then to 8.8 (NS) by the second year. Parathyroid hormone increased from 59.7 pg/mL (nl 10-65 pg/mL) preoperatively to 63.1 during year 1 (NS) and continued to increase to 64.7 by year 2 (NS). No difference was noted among levels of 25-hydroxy vitamin D preoperatively (25.2 ng/mL; nl 10-65 ng/mL), at 1 year (34.4), and at 2 years (35.4). Our data indicate that bone loss is highest in the first year after gastric bypass with stabilization, and that, in some cases, there is an increase in bone density after the first year. Presented at the Forty-Sixth Annual Meeting of The Society for Surgery of the Alimentary Tract, Chicago, Illinois, May 14–18, 2005 (oral presentation).     

Pseudotumor associated with polytetrafluoroethylene sleeves

We report the case of a patient who was operated on in February 2001. We performed a wedge resection of the upper right lobe. The pathologic examination demonstrated a lung adenocarcinoma (pT2N0M0, R0). We used staple line reinforcement material (ePTFE) during the operation because the patient had an important emphysema. We re-operated in January 2005 because during follow-up we observed a suspicious image that suggested a tumoral relapse. Histopathological study showed extrinsic material compatible with the one used in the original resection.     

小儿腹腔镜下疝囊高位结扎术的麻醉处理

目的探讨小儿腹腔镜下疝囊高位结扎术的麻醉处理方法和安全性。方法本组80例腹腔镜下疝囊高位结扎术患儿,ASAⅠ~Ⅱ级,以气管全麻下行术式,入室后连续监测HR、MAP、SpO2、气道峰压(PIP)、PETCO2及体温,并分别记录术前、气腹后5min、气腹后10min、放气后10min的各项监测指标。结果所有患儿麻醉均满意,无一例出现麻醉意外、并发症,CO2气腹后10、20min HR、MAP、PETCO2、PIP显著升高(p<0.05,p<0.01),SpO2无显著变化,放气后10min各项指标与术前相比差异无显著意义。结论面对小儿特殊的解剖、生理和CO2气腹对生理产生的影响,做好术前准备,选择正确的麻醉方法和合适的麻醉药物,维持稳定的循环,小儿可安全实施腹腔镜疝囊高位结扎手术。