The British journal of surgery
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study
Randomized double-blind crossover study of alternative stimulator settings in sacral nerve stimulation for faecal incontinence.
Sacral nerve stimulation is an established treatment for faecal incontinence. Nearly half of all patients experience loss of efficacy at some point. Standard reprogramming restores efficacy for some, but not all, patients. This study aimed to determine whether alternative stimulator settings would increase treatment efficacy. ⋯ Patients experiencing loss of efficacy can experience improvement if alternative pacemaker settings are tested. High-frequency stimulation (31 Hz/210 µs) was preferred by more than half of the patients, and improved treatment outcome was sustained at 3 months.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study
Randomized clinical trial of dexamethasone versus placebo in laparoscopic inguinal hernia repair.
The effect of dexamethasone on recovery and length of convalescence has not been evaluated in patients after laparoscopic groin hernia repair. It was hypothesized that preoperative intravenous dexamethasone would reduce postoperative pain. ⋯ A single preoperative dose of 8 mg dexamethasone before laparoscopic groin hernia repair had no clinical effect on early postoperative pain, discomfort or fatigue after TAPP inguinal hernia repair, but resulted in a significantly lower use of antiemetics in the PACU.