The British journal of surgery
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study
Randomized clinical trial of prehabilitation in colorectal surgery.
'Prehabilitation' is an intervention to enhance functional capacity in anticipation of a forthcoming physiological stressor. In patients scheduled for colorectal surgery, the extent to which a structured prehabilitation regimen of stationary cycling and strengthening optimized recovery of functional walking capacity after surgery was compared with a simpler regimen of walking and breathing exercises. ⋯ There was an unexpected benefit from the recommendation to increase walking and breathing, as designed for the control group. Adherence to recommendations was low. An examination of prehabilitation 'responders' would add valuable information.
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An important benefit of neoadjuvant chemotherapy is the increased potential for breast-conserving surgery. At present the response of axillary lymph node metastases to chemotherapy is not easily assessed, rendering axilla-conserving treatment difficult. The aim was to assess a new surgical method for evaluating the axillary response to chemotherapy. ⋯ This study showed that marking and selectively removing metastatic lymph nodes after neoadjuvant chemotherapy was feasible. The tumour response in the marked lymph node may be used to tailor further axillary treatment, making axilla-conserving surgery a possibility.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study
Randomized clinical trial of single-incision laparoscopic cholecystectomy versus minilaparoscopic cholecystectomy.
Transumbilical single-incision laparoscopic cholecystectomy (SILC) and minilaparoscopic cholecystectomy (MLC) are both increasingly being used to treat symptomatic gallstones. The present study compared SILC and MLC with respect to outcome in a prospective randomized trial. ⋯ SILC is superior to MLC in terms of cosmetic outcome, but not in postoperative pain and requirement for analgesics.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study
Randomized controlled trial of bilateral superficial cervical plexus block versus placebo in thyroid surgery.
Bilateral superficial cervical block during thyroid surgery can reduce postoperative pain but its value is unclear. This randomized clinical trial assessed the efficacy of such regional anaesthesia on postoperative pain after thyroid surgery performed under general anaesthesia. ⋯ NCT00472446 (http://www.clinicaltrials.gov).