Neurosurgery in India.
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Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to A Goel.
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Baseline bronchial reactivity was studied in 36 patients with chronic obstructive lung disease (COLD) and 20 normal healthy controls using the inhalational histamine challenge test. Using a cut off PD20 dose of 0.195 mg of histamine, 83.3% patients of COLD demonstrated bronchial hyper-reactivity. Presence of bronchial reactivity correlated significantly with the baseline FEV1, FEF25-75 and the ratio FEV1/FVC (p = 0.0019, 0.00001 and 0.008) respectively. Thus, bronchial reactivity in subjects with COLD correlates most significantly with the maximum mid-expiratory flow rate (FEF25-75).
Sixty-five patients underwent unguided fiberoptic transbronchial biopsy on an out-patient basis. Satisfactory material for histopathological examination was obtained in 55 patients. A reasonably definite pathological diagnosis could be established in 51 patients. The commonest diagnosis arrived at was that of interstitial fibrosis. Complications were observed in 4 (6.2%) patients. Fiberoptic transbronchial biopsy is, therefore, a safe and efficacious out-patient technique for establishing a pathological diagnosis in patients with infiltrative, diffuse or localized pulmonary disease.
BACKGROUND: Community acquired pneumonia (CAP) is a common clinical problem. The present study was designed to evaluate the clinical and bacteriological profile of CAP in Shimla. METHODS: Seventy patients with community acquired pneumonia were enrolled in this study. In all the patients blood culture, sputum culture, pleural fluid culture (if available) and serological studies for the detection of Mycoplasma pneumoniae specific IgM antibodies by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) were done. RESULTS: Of the 70 patients, 53 (75.6%) had an identifiable atiology with 12 patients having evidence of mixed infection. No organisms could be isolated in 17 patients inspite of using serological methods for Mycoplasma pneumoniae, invasive procedures like bronchoscopic aspirations in addition to the conventional methods like sputum culture, blood culture and pleural fluid culture. The most frequent pathogen was Streptococcus pneumoniae (n = 19; 35.8%) followed by Klebsiella pneumoniae (n = 12; 22%), Staphylococcus aureus in (n=9; 17%), Mycoplasma pneumoniae (n = 8; 15%), Escherichia Coli (n = 6; 11%), beta-haemolytic streptococci (n = 4; 7.5%) and other Gram-negative bacilli (n = 5, 9%). CONCLUSION: Age smoking and under lying co-morbid conditions specially chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) were significantly associated with the development of CAP (p < 0.01).
Clinical features and serial cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples of 50 patients who underwent myelography with iophendylate were studied. Forty two patients (84%) developed one or more features suggestive of meningism lasting for 2-4 days. There was significant rise in the average (mean) CSF counts from 9.81 in the premyelogram sample to 532.6 at the end of 24 hours (p less than 0.001). Both neutrophil and lymphocyte (p less than 000) count increased. At the end of one week, there was significant decrease of total cells in the CSF to 204 (p less than 0.001). Both, neutrophils and lymphocytes decreased. There was significant rise in total proteins in the 24 hours sample, but the fall at one week was not significant statistically. The sugar and chloride values did not change significantly. All CSF samples were negative for bacterial cultures. In conclusion, a significant proportion of the patients undergoing iophendylate myelography develop clinical features suggestive of meningeal irritation and change in the CSF fractions suggestive of meningitis: however these changes are transient and do not warrant institution of chemotherapy or steroids.
A double-blind crossover trial of prednisolone was conducted in 70 patients of chronic obstructive lung disease (COLD). Emphysema dominated the clinical picture in 38, rest being chronic bronchitis with varying degrees of air trapping. None of the patients had clinical asthma. All the patients had obtained maximal benefit from an optimal dose of bronchodilators prior to entering the study. Prednisolone in a dose of 0.8 mg/kg was prescribed in a double blind crossover manner with identical appearing placebo tablets. Patients were evaluated on a weekly basis for an objective as well as a subjective response and side effects of therapy. Thirty-four patients demonstrated a statistically significant improvement in pulmonary functions. In 20 others only subjective response was observed. A good objective response was predicted by a pre-study variability in FEV1, disease duration of less than 10 years and a history of smoking less than 50 pack years.
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One hundred fifty-five cases of pleural effusion underwent a percutaneous pleural biopsy by the Cope needle. In the face of an inconclusive result in the first attempt, biopsy was repeated for upto three times. Diagnostic yields of biopsy in tuberculous and malignant effusion were 93.5 per cent and 66.7 per cent, respectively. When combined with pleural fluid cytology, a definite diagnosis of malignancy could be established in 80.95 per cent cases. Serial pleural biopsies significantly increased the diagnostic yield.
We studied the safety and efficacy of unguided transthoracic fine needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) in peripheral lung lesions in an outpatient setting in 62 patients. The diagnostic yield of unguided aspiration was 67.7 per cent. Smaller lesions usually required guided FNAB. Specific tissue diagnosis was obtained in all cases aspirated successfully. Complications were seen in 7 patients (pneumothorax in 4 and haemoptysis in 3 patients). With careful patient selection, unguided FNAB can be an effective out-patient procedure for diagnosing lung lesion beyond the reach of the fiberoptic bronchoscope.
Fiberoptic bronchoscopy (FOB) was performed for recurrent hemoptysis in 79 patients with normal chest roentgenograms. Seventy per cent were females with a mean age of 31.93 years. Normal findings were obtained in 60 patients. In 19 patients with abnormal findings on bronchoscopy underlying malignant disease was discovered in 3 patients following bronchoscopy. All these patients were elderly male smokers. In three patients unexplained left recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy was discovered. Thus, FOB as a diagnostic aid for cryptogenic hemoptysis is useful only in elderly male smokers.
Adenosine deaminase (ADA) activity was studied in 53 patients with pleural effusions. Patients with tuberculous pleural effusion (36) had significantly higher ADA activity (77.68 IU/L; P less than 0.001) in comparison to malignant (14.47 IU/L) and parapneumonic (28.65 IU/L) effusions. When tested with a reference limit of over 50.75 IU/L, the specificity of ADA activity was found to be 94.1 per cent. With a sensitivity of 100 per cent, low cost and easy performance pleural fluid ADA activity is proposed as a routine investigation for etiological diagnosis in pleural effusion.
Acute hypersensitivity pneumonitis is not a known side effect of D-penicillamine. Also, there are only a few reports of cholestatic hepatitis caused by this drug. The present report describes a case of rheumatoid arthritis where these manifestations appeared in the same patient ten days after the institution of D-penicillamine therapy. The etiological relationship with the drug was established, inadvertantly, by its accidental intake by the patient 5 months later with the reproduction of the same manifestations.
There now is extensive literature on the survival and function of replanted digits but little on the function of the hand as a whole after this procedure, as opposed to amputations. In our review of the literature, we found almost nothing on the patient's perspective of the outcome from these procedures. This study was a preliminary attempt to study the outcome of these procedures from the patient's viewpoint. There were nine replantations and ten amputations of digits in the final study groups, based on medical record screening and patient questionnaires. Multivariate analysis, Hotelling T2, was used to test significant differences between the variables in the two groups. Significant differences were found in the two groups. The replantations had longer lengths of treatment and therapy, were off work longer (34.4 wk of therapy and 40 wk off work), and rated their function poorer compared with amputations. The patients with digit amputations had 7.2 wk of therapy and lost 6.8 wk of work. Ninety percent of the amputees rated their function as good or excellent, in contrast to 44.4% of the replantation patients. These findings are supported by existing literature that suggests that single-digit replants do not help with function of the whole hand, which is the therapeutic aim.
A rare case of extracerebral dural cavernous angioma sited near the sigmoid sinus is reported. This 60 yr old male patient gave history of episodic ataxia of left sided limbs experienced twice on same day and occasional giddiness. Examination did not reveal any findings. A mass was diagnosed on CT Scan following which angiography was carried out. The features matched with those of a meningioma. Retro-sigmoid craniectomy was performed. Occipital artery was coagulated. Tumor was dissected out. Post-operative course of the patient was uneventful. Histopathology revealed that the mass was a cavernous haemangioma.
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We present a case of visceral larva migrans which came as a complete histologic surprise. The patient was operated as a case of chronic cholecystitis and was found at operation to have multiple hepatic nodules. A cholecystectomy with a biopsy of the liver nodule was performed. Histopathologically a diagnosis of visceral larva migrans was made. To our knowledge this is the first case report of the disorder from India. A discussion based on the review of literature is presented.
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An unusual presentation of bilateral otogenic cerebellar abscesses observed in two of our patients is reported. Both gave a history of otorrhoea, fever, headache, vomiting and had bilateral cerebellar signs and conductive hearing loss. The abscesses were detected on computerised tomography. X-rays revealed bilateral mastoiditis. The therapy followed was excision of abscesses, mastoidectomy and antibiotic therapy.