Closed and penetrating abdominal injuries in Nigerian Igbos

Fifty-two patients undergoing operations for abdominal injury were studied. Road traffic accidents were the commonest cause of injury. The spleen was the most commonly injured organ; injuries of several abdominal organs were rare. There were no deaths.     

Effect of cimetidine on gastric secretion and duodenogastric reflux.

In 19 subjects (four controls, one gastric ulcer and 14 duodenal ulcer) maximal gastric secretion was evoked with histamine 0.13 mumol/kg/h (0.04 mg/kg/h) for two to two and a half hours. A slow intravenous bolus dose of 200 mg cimetidine was given at the beginning of the last hour. Gastric secretion was measured before and after cimetidine administration and expressed both as mean acid output (mmol H+/h) and 'pyloric loss and duodenogastric reflux corrected' volume (Vg, ml/h). Mean reduction by acid output was 86%; mean reduction by corrected volume (Vg) was only 64%. The discrepancy, which is significant (p less than 0.01), is caused by a marked increase in duodenogastric reflux after cimetidine.     

Enterocutaneous fistulas in Enugu,Nigeria

Forty-four patients with enterocutaneous fistulas treated at the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH) Enugu in five years (1977–81) are reviewed. Most fistulas resulted from complications of surgery (29 per cent) and appendicitis (55 per cent). The commonest locations were in the cecum (48 per cent), ileum (30 per cent), and colon (20 per cent). The outstanding complication was sepsis. Spontaneous closure occurred in 15 patients (34 per cent). Twenty-two patients were treated surgically. There was a high mortality of 18 per cent from septic complications and malnutrition.