Outcome after traumatic frontal intracerebral haemorrhage: a comparison of unilateral and bilateral haematomas

Frontal intracerebral haemorrhage (ICH) is a common result of cranial trauma. Outcome differences between bilateral and unilateral frontal ICH are not well studied but would be valuable to predict prognosis in clinical practice. Two aims are proposed in this study: first to compare the risk of developing delayed ICH after bilateral or unilateral frontal ICH, and second to determine the variables helpful to predict outcome according to the Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOS). Between January 1993 and December 1997, 694 consecutive patients with traumatic ICH were admitted to the Chang Gung Medical Center within 24 h of the trauma. Patients with ICH in sites other than the frontal lobes were excluded. A total of 161 cases (mean age 46.3+/-20.3 years), including 57 bilateral (mean age 52.5+/-18.7 years) and 104 unilateral (mean age 42.9+/-20.5 years) traumatic frontal ICH were studied. Twenty-eight of 57 patients (49%) with bifrontal ICH versus 17 of 104 patients (16%) with unilateral frontal ICH had a further, delayed ICH. In 42 of 45 patients (93%) with delayed ICH, this occurred within 5 days of the initial trauma. Multivariate logistic regression was used to select significant predictors of outcome. We found that delayed ICH (p<0.001), age (p=0.004) and mechanism of injury (p=0.001) explained the worse outcome in patients with bifrontal ICH. The best-fitting logistic regression model included three variables: delayed ICH (p=0.011), initial GCS (p=0.023), and a sum score of clinical and radiological variables (p=0.003). Bifrontal ICH tended to occur in older patients after a fall and was associated with a higher risk of developing delayed ICH or brain stem compression compared to unilateral ICH damage. Using these three variables - delayed ICH, initial GCS, and the sum score - in a logistical regression model is useful to predict outcome in patients with traumatic frontal ICH and may aid patient management.     

纸质病案保存期限的思考

本文作者比较了不同时期的纸质病案的使用率,讨论了旧病案的缺点,如难于保存,占用空间及实用价值不大.作者提出了改进保存病案的办法.     

经皮肾穿气压弹道碎石联合体外冲击波碎石治疗上尿路结石

目的 探讨提高上尿路结石碎石成功率的微创治疗方法。方法 采用经皮肾穿微造瘘输尿管镜气压弹道碎石，术中放置双J管，术后配合体外冲击波碎石术(ESWL)治疗上尿路结石48例。结果 结石总排净率为89．1％，结石最小排净率79．2％，无严重并发症发生。结论 该方法结石排净率高，创伤较小，手术并发症少，是上尿路结石较为理想的微创治疗方法。     

ENDOSCOPIC PANCREATIC STENTING IN CHRONIC PANCREATITIS WITH DUCTAL DILATION PROXIMAL TO A STRICTURE: A SAFE and EFFECTIVE PROTOCOL

After removal of intraductal stones, a 10‐Fr or 7‐Fr pancreatic stent was placed in 16 patients with upstream ductal dilation proximal to a stricture of the main pancreatic duct. Stents were removed after a mean duration of 52.5 days. Nine patients underwent repeated stenting. About one year after removal of the initial stent, when the remaining upstream ductal dilation was found on follow‐up pancreatograms, the next stent was replaced. Repeated stenting improved outflow of pancreatic juice more effectively than one‐time stenting. Correlation between long‐term pain relief without recurrence of intraductal stones and reduction of duct diameter was also shown. Stent occlusion was observed in 14 of 30 stents. Stent occlusion was frequently associated with recurrence of pancreatitis and intraductal stones, and was also associated with morphologic changes in the pancreatic ductal system. Although there were no significant differences between stent patency of the initial stents and that of the next stents, stent patency of 10‐Fr stents was superior to that of 7‐Fr stents. 10‐Fr stents should be removed within 8 weeks and 7‐Fr stents should be removed within 4 weeks for the prevention of stent occlusion. Repeated stenting with short‐term stenting is therefore considered a safe and effective protocol of endoscopic pancreatic stenting.     

Bilateral naevus of Ota: a rare manifestation in a Caucasian

The naevus of Ota (naevus fusculocoeruleus ophthalmomaxillaris) was first described by the Japanese dermatologist M. T. Ota in 1939. It has a reported incidence of 0.2% to 1% in the Japanese population. It usually occurs in the skin innervated by the first or second branch of the trigeminal nerve. The naevus comprises dermal melanocytes and is congenital or acquired during adolescence. Commonly associated lesions include scleral melanocytosis and other ocular manifestations as well as lesions of the tympanic membrane, oral and intranasal mucosa and leptomeninges. Diseases associated with Ota's naevus in rare cases are open-angle glaucomas and melanoma. The naevus of Ota in Europeans is a rare manifestation. We report the very rare case of a bilateral naevus of Ota associated with enoral melanocytosis in a white European person.     

股骨头缺血性坏死的病理和影像学研究进展

目的：探讨股骨头缺血坏死的病理和影像学研究进展情况。方法：阅读并分析关于股骨头缺血坏死的文献。结果：影像学检查反映疾病的病理改变，在诊断中占有重要地位。结论：磁共振成像具有很高的敏感性和准确性，不仅能发现股骨头坏死的早期病变，且能反映病变的范围和程度，对早期诊断和治疗具有积极意义。     

股骨转子间骨折GAMMA钉治疗临床分析

目的：评价GAMMA钉治疗股骨转子间骨折的效果。方法：对32例股骨转子间骨折采用GAMMA钉治疗。结果：经6～18月随访，所有病例均获骨性愈合，下肢功能及关节活动良好。其中1例为粉碎性骨折内固定后出现髋内翻，按X线评分标准90％病人满意。结论：GAMMA钉治疗股骨转子间骨折效果满意。     

Diagrammatic recording of head and neck tumours1

The increasing demands of clinical audit have resulted in the need for accurate data collection. The use of tumour maps allows standardization of the records of patients with head and neck cancer, which facilitates collation of data in multicentre studies and makes interdepartmental comparisons more meaningful. The aim of this study was to develop an improved standard set of tumour maps for recording the stage of head and neck tumours. A review of the existing tumour diagrams was performed to identify those anatomical areas that are not adequately represented or where ambiguity exists. The areas where improvements could be made were identified as: (1) the anterior commissure of the larynx; (2) axial and sagittal views of the larynx; (3) the pyriform fossa and cervical oesophagus; (4) the oropharynx and vallecula; (5) the nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses; and (6) cervical nodal involvement. A new set of tumour maps is presented in an attempt to correct some of the limitations of the existing diagrams.     

Pineal atrophy and other neuroendocrine and circumventricular features of the naked mole-rat,heterocephalusglaber (Rüppell), a fossorial,equatorial rodent

Summary Quantitative aspects of the microanatomy of the pineal gland and other neuroendocrine and circumventricular structures were studied in a small, reproductively suppressed, female Naked Mole-rat from central Kenya, Africa. The atrophic pineal is the smallest in absolute size (0.002135 mm³) of any so far described in a species of rodent, and in size relative to body weight is second only to that of another tropical species. The subcommissural organ and posterior collicular recess are also relatively small and less well differentiated than those in most other examined rodent species. In contrast, the subfornical organ, OVLT and median eminence are large and well vascularized. It is concluded that the pineal in this species follows the previously described trend among rodents of relatively smaller size in species whose centers of distribution are in lower latitudes. Although the pineal is atrophic, the Naked Mole-rat still exhibits 24-hour and seasonally timed patterns of behavior and seasonal reproduction. However, in this species these events are probably cued by moisture, temperature and social factors rather than by photic information.     

Before-birth climatologic data may play a role in the development of allergies in infants

While an exacerbation in allergic symptoms corresponding to seasons has long been reported, few studies have investigated the association between the season of birth and allergic disorders. The aim of this study was to investigate whether the climatologic data before and after birth affected the incidence of atopic dermatitis (AD) and the results of allergy-related blood tests in early infancy. From February 1995 to January 2000, 2136 infants were tested for AD and followed for 12 months. AD patients were tested by using allergy-related blood tests. Data were compared according to the month of birth and the climatologic data using a computed statistical software package. Six hundred and thirty infants had AD before 12 months old, and significant differences were found according to the season of birth (p < 0.0001). Infants born in spring showed the lowest (22.3%) incidence, while those born in autumn showed the highest (34.6%). In 369 patients, total serum IgE levels, and serum specific IgE levels with egg white at 3 months old were also different according to the season of birth. All of these levels were lower in patients born in spring and summer, and higher in patients born in autumn and winter. Furthermore, the cumulative sunshine amount during the 3 months before and after birth was inversely correlated, while the average temperature over the 3 months before birth was positively correlated to the incidence of AD according to the month of birth. The climatologic data around birth may play an important role in whether an infant develops allergies.