Annales chirurgiae et gynaecologiae
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Comparative Study
Clinical distinction of acute and acute on chronic leg ischaemia.
The importance of the distinction between acute embolic ischaemia and acute on chronic ischaemia caused by a thrombus superimposed on an arteriosclerotic stenoses has been emphasized during the recent years, as the differentiation should affect the choice of surgical treatment. A retrospective attempt was made to differentiate between acute ischaemia (AI = embolism) and acute on chronic ischaemia (AOCI = thrombosis) of the leg by categorizing the patients according to the clinical characteristics they presented. The material consisted of 194 ischaemic lower limbs of 189 patients who underwent a balloon-catheter thromboembolectomy because of sudden arterial occlusion. ⋯ The preoperative diagnosis was in better agreement with the retrospective category when AI, as opposed to AOCI, was the aetiology of occlusion (70% vs 46%). The results of the present study emphasize the difficulties of clinical assessment. These findings suggest a routine angiography as an evaluative tool in the planning of optimal management especially as most of the patients today can be treated simultaneously by thrombolysis.
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To evaluate the change in the type of acute leg ischaemia and the outcome of its treatment in relation to the experience of the surgeon responsible for the treatment. ⋯ Mortality and amputation rates in acute ischaemia are high. By judicious use of different treatment modalities, as judged by vascular surgical experience, better limb salvage rates may be achieved especially in patients with acute on chronic ischaemia.
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Barrett's esophagus is a premalignant metaplastic change in the lining of the distal esophagus. It represents a peculiar form of healing which can occur at any time in patients with reflux esophagitis. Ninety percent of patients with Barrett's esophagus have a mechanically defective lower esophageal sphincter and 93% have abnormal esophageal acid exposure on 24 hour esophageal pH monitoring. ⋯ Despite extensive endoscopic sampling of the esophageal mucosa the differentiation between high grade dysplasia and invasive adenocarcinoma is unreliable. Esophagectomy remains the treatment of choice for patients with high grade dysplasia. Barrett's adenocarcinoma can be cured by en bloc esophagectomy in selected patients with early disease.
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Fifty-two patients underwent laparoscopic Nissen fundoplication. Oesophagogastroscopy, ambulatory 24-hour pH-recording and oesophageal manometry were evaluated both preoperatively and at follow-up. Forty-seven operations were completed laparoscopically, five were converted to laparotomy. ⋯ Dysphagia (28%) and gas bloating (17%) were the most frequent postoperative complaints. A total of 94% of the subjects were satisfied with the result. Our initial experience of laparoscopic Nissen fundoplication shows that the operation is safe and efficient in the treatment of gastro-oesophageal reflux disease.