Use of CO2 to move structures as an aid to percutaneous procedures

By injecting small amounts of CO2 through a needle, one can move bowel or bladder from the intended path of instruments during interventional procedures. The technique worked well in six of seven cases in the pelvis and retroperitoneum; it was not effective in the mediastinum or midabdomen (n = 6).     

Warfarin or Low-Molecular-Weight Heparin Therapy does not Prolong Pig-To-Primate Cardiac Xenograft Function

Microvascular thrombosis is a prominent feature in cardiac delayed xenograft rejection (DXR). We investigated the impact of warfarin or low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH) anti-coagulation on xenograft function using a heterotopic pig-to-primate model. Donor hearts were from CD46 transgenic pigs and baboon immunosuppression included tacrolimus, sirolimus, anti-CD20 and TPC, an alpha-galactosyl-polyethylene glycol conjugate. Three groups of animals were studied. Group 1 (n = 9) was treated with warfarin, Group 2 (n = 13) with LMWH and Group 3, received no anti-coagulant drugs. The median duration of xenograft function was 20 days (range 3-62 days), 18 days (range 5-109 days) and 15 days (range 4-53 days) in Groups 1 to 3 respectively. Anti-coagulation achieved the targeted international normalized prothrombin ratio (INR) and anti-factor Xa levels consistent with effective in vivo therapy yet, no significant impact on median xenograft function was observed. At rejection, a similar histology of thrombosis and ischemia was apparent in each group and the levels of fibrin deposition and platelet thrombi in rejected tissue was the same. Anti-coagulation with warfarin or LMWH did not have a significant impact on the onset of DXR and microvascular thrombosis. However, a role for specific anti-coagulant strategies to achieve long-term xenograft function cannot be excluded.     

外科手术中产生的烟气:仅仅是大量的热空气吗?

外科医生和手术室人员经常接触手术设备产生的烟气,病人也会暴露于烟气中,特别是腹腔镜手术中产生的烟气滞留于腹腔内这一密闭空间并被吸收.这些烟气是一种与香烟烟气相似的毒性物质,然而对这种毒性物质的影响还未引起足够重视.应该采取必要措施尽可能减少手术中烟气的不良影响.     

Changes in height of choroidal melanomas after plaque therapy.

Serial ultrasonic measurements of 82 uveal melanomas treated with brachytherapy plaques (cobalt-60 and iodine-125) and followed up for up to 141 months revealed that no two patients had identical patterns of change. The mean absolute change in tumour height after treatment was 1.8 mm at six months, 5.6 mm at 48 months for large tumours, and 0.9 and 1.9 mm for medium sized tumours. Eighty of the 82 patients fell into one of three patterns of response: 57 patients had a decrease in height after treatment (type D), 13 patients had the same height after treatment (type S), and 10 patients had a progressive increase in height (type I). Life table comparison showed no correlation between survival and location of tumour, sex of patient, size of tumour when treated, or laterality. There was a slight correlation between age and survival. Patients older than 60 died more frequently from metastatic melanoma than those under 60 (p = 0.06). Life table analysis showed a significant correlation between tumour regression type and survival. At 48 months the best cumulative probability of survival was in patients with type D (88% alive) compared with those of type I (34% alive, p = 0.0004).     

The indications for elective treatment of the neck in cancer of the major salivary glands.

To define the indications for elective neck treatment, the cases of 474 previously untreated patients were reviewed who had locally confined major salivary gland cancers treated between 1939 and 1982. Clinically positive nodes were present in 14% (67 of 474). Overall, clinically occult, pathologically positive nodes occurred in 12% (47 of 407). By univariate analysis, several factors appeared to predict the risk of occult metastases; however, multivariate analysis revealed that only size and grade were significant risk factors. Tumors 4 cm or more in size had a 20% (32 of 164) risk of occult metastases compared with a 4% (nine of 220) risk for smaller tumors (P less than 0.00001). High-grade tumors (regardless of histologic type) had a 49% (29 of 59) risk of occult metastases compared with a 7% (15 of 221) risk for intermediate-grade or low-grade tumors (P less than 0.00001). In view of the low frequency of occult metastases in the entire group, routine elective treatment of the neck is not recommended. High-grade tumors and larger tumors have a high rate of occult neck metastases, and treatment should be considered in this group.