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.     

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.     

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。     

Epilepsy after operative treatment of ruptured cerebral aneurysms

Summary A retrospective analysis of 183 consecutive patients operated on for ruptured cerebral aneurysms and surviving at least one year revealed appearance of postoperative epilepsy in 14 cases (8 per cent) on an average of 10 months (range 0–23 months) after the operation. Factors associated with the development of secondary epilepsy were localization of the aneurysm on the middle cerebral artery, temporary clipping intraoperatively, wrapping technique to treat the aneurysm, and vasospasm seen on the postoperative control angiogram. Intraoperative and/or postoperative ischaemia seems to be the crucial phenomenon favouring the development of epilepsy. Identification of the risk factors may help to focus the anti-epileptic prophylaxis in cases prone to develop seizures.     

Surgical correction of convergent strabismus: its relationship to prism compensation

Esotropic patients whose angle of strabismus has been corrected by prisms frequently increase their angle deviation to compensate for the prismatic correction. This sensorio-motorial reaction to prism correction has been given the name of anomalous movements (a.m.). Quantification of a.m. has been made according to the amount of prisms that an esotropic patient is capable of compensating for (progressive prism compensation test - p.p. test). Some esodeviation does not compensate for any prisms at all since a.m. have not yet developed. Other cases compensate for as much as 40 or 60 prism diopters and more of over-correction of the angle deviation and they therefore have powerful a.m. The interference of these innervational forces acting on the medial recti to corrective surgery has been studied in 126 operated esotropic patients. A significant decrease from the expected surgical result (p < 0.001) has been found in patients having powerful a.m., as can be judged by the p.p. test. It is believed that a.m. are an important drawback contributing to vitiate any formula on the amount of muscle surgery to be performed in patients having no possibilities of restoring normal binocular vision.Practical advice on how to eliminate this drawback and theoretical reasoning on the significance of a.m. are offered.     

Resection of pulmonary metastases following chemotherapy for high stage testicular tumors

BACKGROUND: Our objective was to analyze retrospectively our experience with 19 patients who had metastatic germ cell testicular tumor and had undergone resection of pulmonary metastases following chemotherapy. We wished to determine the necessity of thoracic surgery on these patients. METHODS: Of 103 patients in need of postchemotherapeutic surgery for metastatic germ cell testicular tumors, 19 patients (mean age 31) underwent surgery for thoracic masses following cis-platin based chemotherapy. Resection of pulmonary metastases was performed on patients with normal tumor markers after chemotherapy, who did not achieve complete radiological remission. Histopathological findings, correlation with the pathology of abdominal surgery and probable prognostic factors for disease-free and overall survivals were evaluated. RESULTS: Disease-free and overall survival rates were 14/19 (73%) and 16/19 (84%), respectively, within a median follow-up time of 30 months (15-212 months). Patients with and without viable tumor cells in their thoracic histopathological specimen had 40% and 85% disease-free survival rates, respectively (P < 0.05). Eight patients had both abdominal and thoracic postchemotherapy surgery. Only two (25%) of these patients had the same histopathological features at both sites. CONCLUSIONS: All patients with residual thoracic masses must be considered candidates for surgery, because there are no predictive factors to determine the thoracic pathology without surgery. With the resection of the pulmonary metastases only, surgery can be performed without significant morbidity and is essential to select patients for further chemotherapy, to remove all visible masses and to provide histopathological confirmation. Patients with viable tumor cells in the thoracic surgical specimen have a poor prognosis.     

甲状腺手术205例分析

对205例甲状腺手术进行分析,其发病情况与资料报道基本相符。各种并发症的发生率未超过1%,无手术死亡,术后无甲状腺危象发生,与60年代以前相比已大为降低。     

Air-ventriculography provokes an anterior displacement of the third ventricle during functional stereotactic procedures

Summary The width of the third ventricle, the length of the anterior commissure-posterior commissure line (AC-PC line), the spatial position of the midplane of the third ventricle, and the co-ordinates of the AC, the PC, and of 17 brain targets in the thalamus, hypothalamus and pallidum, were assessed on a pre-operative Stereotactic computed-tomography (CT) study and compared to measurements on intra-operative air-ventriculography, using a non-invasive relocatable Stereotactic frame.There were no significant differences in the length of the ACPC line, in the position of the midsagittal plane of the third ventricle, or in the vertical or lateral co-ordinates of the AC, the PC and the cerebral targets, between measurements on CT and on air-ventriculography. However, the width of the third ventricle was significantly larger, and the spatial positions of both AC and PC were significantly more anterior on air-ventriculography than on the CT study. This anterior dislocation of the commissures was presumably due to the insufflation of air into the ventricles of patients being in the supine position during surgery.