A Novel Approach to Management of Angular Pregnancies: A Case Series

Cornual, interstitial, and angular pregnancies are terms that are often used interchangeably in both the literature and clinical setting to describe various ectopic pregnancies. The diagnosis of these pregnancies can be difficult, and fear of disrupting an intrauterine pregnancy can cause hesitation during evaluation and management. In our 2 cases, a combination of transvaginal and 3-dimensional ultrasound images provided assistance in the accurate diagnosis of angular ectopic pregnancies. Traditional management of these pregnancies includes a wedge resection for pregnancy resolution. In this set of 2 cases, we describe a unique surgical approach to resolve these pregnancies using operative hysteroscopy.     

Per‐oral transgastric abdominal surgery

Laparoscopic surgery has several advantages over traditional surgery because it has been shown to be less invasive. The next logical step in the evolution of minimally invasive surgery may be to eliminate all abdominal incisions. The natural orifices provide a port of entry via the gastrointestinal tract to the peritoneal cavity. This approach would require the creation of a perforation, which is considered to be a major complication of endoscopy with significant morbidity and mortality. However, there are several recent studies that have described the technical feasibility and safety of a per‐oral transgastric approach to the peritoneal cavity using conventional endoscopes. Theoretically, this approach could reduce postoperative abdominal wall pain, wound infection, hernia formation, and adhesions. This article aims to summarize the current status of transgastric surgery, currently referred to as natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery (NOTES), and to address some of its future challenges.     

Spatial summation in human thermal pain perception: comparison within and between dermatomes.

Spatial summation of thermal pain has recently been reported when stimulus presentations were restricted within a single dermatome. The present study examined whether the magnitude of spatial summation of human thermal pain perception would vary when stimuli were presented within vs. between adjacent dermatomes. Noxious contact heat stimuli from 43 degrees C to 51 degrees C (5 sec duration) were applied to the forearm using areas of 0.21-2.10 cm2. Subjects rated the intensity and unpleasantness of pain using visual analog scales. For stimuli from 45 degrees C to 51 degrees C, there was a significant increase in ratings with increasing stimulus area for both intensity and unpleasantness. When two thermodes were used simultaneously in adjacent dermatomes, the ratings did not differ significantly from those for the same stimulus area in a single dermatome. We conclude that spatial summation both within and between dermatomes plays a significant role in thermal pain perception across the range from threshold to tolerance.     

Neutropenic enterocolitis. Clinical diagnosis and treatment.

Review of the consultation records of the Gastrointestinal Surgical Oncology service at Roswell Park Memorial Institute from 1982 to 1987 revealed 22 patients with a clinical diagnosis of neutropenic enterocolitis. Ninety-one percent of the patients had hematologic malignancies, and 95% were receiving cytotoxic chemotherapy. Sixteen patients were treated nonsurgically; 11 died. Of those 11 cases, autopsies were performed in 9. At autopsy, the clinical diagnosis was confirmed in four cases; four cases were found to have normal intestinal tracts, and one case had a small bowel volvulus. In none of the four cases for which autopsy proved neutropenic enterocolitis was transmural bowel necrosis or perforation found. Laparotomy was performed in six patients; three survived. The clinical diagnosis was verified in four of the six patients. Neutropenic enterocolitis must be considered a diagnosis of exclusion. Care of these patients should be individualized. Nonoperative management with bowel rest, decompression, nutritional support, and broad spectrum antibiotics is recommended initially. Operative intervention is recommended for those with perforation or those whose condition deteriorates clinically during close, frequent observation.     

‘You have to learn to live with it’: a qualitative and quantitative study of older people with asthma

Introduction: Asthma mortality has declined overall because of a range of public health initiatives. In western countries, the majority of asthma deaths now occur in people over the age of 50. The reasons for the poorer response of older age groups to public health asthma initiatives are not known. Objectives: We undertook a study to investigate the disease perspectives of older people with asthma and barriers which may exist and prevent optimal asthma care. Methods: Fifty‐five participants (16 male and 39 female) aged over 50 from an inner city, suburban area and a rural region were recruited. Lung function was measured, and questionnaire data on asthma symptoms, knowledge and control, medication use and respiratory health were collected. Participants were also interviewed in‐depth, and the quantitative and qualitative data were triangulated. Results: Participants with a duration of asthma for >30 years reported significantly fewer symptoms and better quality of life irrespective of asthma severity, indicating less appreciation of symptoms in those with a long asthma duration. Interviews revealed this was related to previous asthma management strategies when treatment options were limited. Participants with a recent diagnosis sought understanding of asthma and the reason for their illness. Initiatives to improve asthma care in older people need to reflect these findings. Conclusions: Self‐management strategies for older people need to be tailored according to the time of disease onset and the duration of disease. Please cite this paper as: Goeman DP, O’Hehir RE, Jenkins C, Scharf SL and Douglass JA. ‘You have to learn to live with it’: a qualitative and quantitative study of older people with asthma. The Clinical Respiratory Journal 2007; 1:99–105.     

Tourette syndrome and neuropsychological performance

This study examined performance on a battery of neuropsychological tests in a sample of 28 patients with Tourette's syndrome (TS). Test scores were converted to age-corrected T-scores to control for the effect of age on test performance. The frequency of abnormal test performances was variable, but more frequent on motor and sensory tasks. Symptom severity as measured by the Tourette Syndrome Global Scale was inversely related to neuropsychological performance. In general, neuropsychological performance was mildly below average. The pattern of performance was similar to previous studies of TS patients.     

Plasma Ratios of Tryptophan and Tyrosine to Other Large Neutral Amino Acids in Manic-Depressive Patients

Abstract: The plasma ratio of each neutral amino acid (tryptophan (TRP), tyrosine (TYR), valine, isoleucine, leucine (LEU) or phenylalanine) to the sum of the other neutral amino acids was measured in 16 : manic and 14 : depressed patients. In the manics, there was a correlation between the psychomotor activity and the plasma TRP and LEU ratios. In the depressives, the depressed mood, retardation and global severity were correlated with the TRP ratio. The zotepine responders showed an increase in the TRP ratio after treatment. In the mianserin responders, the TYR ratio, which was high before the treatment, decreased to the normal range after the treatment. But, the plasma amino acid ratios remained unchanged in the patients treated with lithium carbonate or amitriptyhe. These results suggest that, in manic-depressive illness, there might be abnormalities in the metabolism of neutral amino acids, mainly of TRP and TYR, and that the plasma TRP and TYR ratios might be important indicators for determining the efflcacy of some drugs.     

Adenocarcinoma of the small intestine: 21-Year review of diagnosis,treatment, and prognosis

Background: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the tumor characteristics and treatment associated with an improved overall survival in patients with adenocarcinoma of the small intestine. Methods: The records of all patients with primary adenocarcinoma of the small bowel seen between January 1971 and December 1991 were reviewed retrospectively. The study comprised 38 patients, 22 (58%) with duodenal tumors, 11 (29%) with jejunal tumors, and five (13%) with ileal tumors. Results: Although not statistically significant, the patients with duodenal adenocarcinoma lived longer than the patients with jejunal or ileal lesions (p=0.77). The overall survival was 23% and seemed to correlate best with absence of lymph node metastases (p=0.04) and pancreaticoduodenectomy for localized duodenal tumors (p=0.04). The patient's age, duration of symptoms, disease-free interval, tumor location, type of recurrence, and histologic grade did not significantly influence survival. Conclusions: The lethality of small-intestinal adenocarcinoma appears to be related to a delay in diagnosis and treatment. When a definitive surgical procedure is performed before lymph node metastases appear, the patient's chance for long-term survival is greatly improved.Presented at the 46th Annual Cancer Symposium of The Society of Surgical Oncology, Los Angeles, California, March 18–21, 1993.