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Biomedical subjects

A Zwaveling

Publications and source records attributed to A Zwaveling.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1995

Mechanical factors influencing the incidence of burst abdomen.

OBJECTIVE: To compare laparotomy closure with interrupted polyglactin 910 (Vicryl) and continuous polydioxanone (PDS II), and assess the mechanical and other factors that influenced the incidence of burst abdomen. DESIGN: Retrospective study. SETTING: University hospital, The Netherlands. SUBJECTS: A random sample of 346 patients who did not burst their abdomens, taken from the total of 3768 patients who underwent primary midline laparotomy from 1986-1990, together with the 45 (1%) from the total series who did burst their abdomens. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Incidence of burst abdomen, and the association with mechanical and others risk factors. RESULTS: There were no differences in the incidence of burst abdomen between those sutured with interrupted polyglactin 910 and those sutured with continuous polydioxanone (p = 0.12). Layered closure resulted in significantly more burst abdomens than any other method of closure (p < 0.001 in each case). Postoperative wound infection (14/43, 33%, compared with 33/343 10%) and pulmonary complications (25/43, 58%, compared with 44/344, 13%) were also significantly associated with the development of burst abdomens (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: A continuous, monofilament, absorbable suture should be used to close a laparotomy incision. Elastic suture material, loop sutures, an the continuous figure-of-eight technique should be investigated.

Abdomen↗
PubMed1991

Psychological variables as predictors of the length of post-operative hospitalization.

The extent to which measures of anxiety and personality characteristics, which had been assessed preoperatively, could predict the length of hospital stay following surgery, above and beyond what could be predicted on the basis of biographical, medical-status and post-operative anxiety variables, was examined in 58 patients with gall-bladder disease. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis revealed that gender, previous operations, complications and State Anxiety (A-State) measured on the third day post-operatively, jointly explained a significant proportion of the variance in the length of hospitalization. Neither preoperative anxiety measures nor personality characteristics had any significant incremental value in the prediction.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

[Relationship between perioperative anxiety and postoperative recovery].

One day before surgery and three days postoperatively, 118 cholecystectomy patients were investigated by means of several self-report anxiety-question(naire)s. On the basis of these, the patients were assigned to either the category more anxious postoperatively (A+) or the category less anxious postoperatively (A-). A+ patients rated preoperatively lower and postoperatively higher on the anxiety-question(naire)s than A- patients, and they stayed longer in hospital postoperatively.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Conservative versus operative treatment of displaced noncomminuted tibial shaft fractures. A retrospective comparative study.

The results of conservative (mainly, functional bracing) and operative treatment (mainly, plate fixation) have been compared in a retrospective study of 170 displaced noncomminutive tibial shaft fractures. The characteristics of the fractures in both treatment groups showed no significant differences. The follow-up analysis revealed no statistical differences in outcome between the two methods. However, because of the many factors analyzed and the restricted number of patients studied, it is impossible to compare all factors independently. Surgical treatment resulted in a higher rate of complications (such as implant failure, osteitis, and refracture) and a longer total hospitalization time. Conservative treatment showed a longer duration of fracture healing and a higher rate of malalignment. Malalignments of up to 10 degrees with no adverse effects have been seen so far. In conservative treatment, two fracture types were identified with a higher rate of malalignment: short oblique isolated tibial fractures and fully dislocated transverse crural fractures. Conservative therapy is favored, because there is less discomfort for the patient and the treatment is cost contained.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1989

Prognosis and morbidity after total thyroidectomy for papillary, follicular and medullary thyroid cancer.

The prognosis and the morbidity results after total thyroidectomy are reported for 148 patients with differentiated thyroid cancer. Ninety-two patients (62%) had papillary cancer, 27 (18%) had follicular cancer and 29 (20%) had medullary cancer. In the latter group, 16 patients had no clinical signs of a tumour and underwent total thyroidectomy after elevated calcitonin levels were found in a family screening programme. The mean follow-up period was 9.7 years in the present series. The 5- and 10-year overall survival in the patient group with papillary cancer was 97% and 95% respectively, in the group with follicular cancer it was 78% and 50% respectively and in the group with medullary cancer it was 91% and 82% respectively. Significantly associated with reduced disease-free survival were: extrathyroidal growth (P less than 0.0001), distant metastases at diagnosis (P less than 0.0001), follicular histology (P less than 0.0001), age over 40 (P less than 0.001) and male sex (P less than 0.05). In patients with papillary cancer, recurrences were in most cases located in the neck, while recurrences at distant sites were encountered more frequently in patients with follicular or medullary cancer. Accidental permanent unilateral recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy were registered in 1.4% of the nerves at risk; all on the side of the tumour. Permanent hypoparathyroidism was present in 4% of the patients.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed1988

In vivo isolated liver perfusion technique in a rat hepatic metastasis model: 5-fluorouracil concentrations in tumor tissue.

An in vivo method of isolated rat liver perfusion was developed with true vascular isolation and recirculating perfusate. This new surgical technique to temporarily isolate the liver vascularly, and the perfusion procedure are described in depth. Twelve inbred WAG/RIJ rats were subjected to 25 min of normothermic liver perfusion without chemotherapy, and all rats survived the procedure. Hepatic functional and histological integrity were not significantly altered during perfusion. To determine the role of isolated liver perfusion (ILP) as a means of improved targeting of antitumor agents, 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) concentrations were monitored in hepatic tumor and liver tissues and in systemic plasma using high-performance liquid chromatography. Fifty-one rats with hepatic tumors of colonic origin were randomly assigned to one of three dosage groups (20, 40, or 80 mg/kg) receiving 5-FU by ILP, hepatic artery infusion (HAI), or jugular vein infusion (JVI). ILP resulted in significantly increased 5-FU concentrations in liver tissue. However, no significant differences were found in tumor tissue concentrations of 5-FU between the three treatment modalities. 5-FU concentrations in tumor tissue increased as a function of the dose with ILP, HAI, and JVI. ILP was associated with the lowest systemic drug concentrations. The low systemic 5-FU concentrations with ILP suggest a higher maximum tolerable dose. This mode of treatment deserves to be studied further in our model before conclusions can be drawn regarding its therapeutic potential.

Animals↗
PubMed1988

Effects of sounds presented during general anaesthesia on postoperative course.

In a double-blind, randomized study, patients undergoing cholecystectomy were administered one of four different sounds during general anaesthesia: positive suggestions, nonsense suggestions, seaside sounds or sounds from the operating theatre. The effect of these sounds on the postoperative course was examined to assess intraoperative auditory registration. No differences were found between the four groups in postoperative variables.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Adenocarcinoma of the colon and rectum: a report on 624 cases.

A total of 624 patients with adenocarcinoma of the large bowel and operated between 1958 and 1978 were retrospectively studied. According to the period of operation, patients were divided into group A (1958 to 1968, n = 259) and group B (1969 to 1978, n = 365). Symptoms were closely related to tumour location. Blood loss and change in bowel habits were most frequent in patients with left-sided cancer, while anaemia, loss of body weight and abdominal pain turned out to be the predominant symptoms in patients with right-sided cancer. Patients with cancer of the transverse colon or splenic flexure showed a high incidence of ileus (19%). Resection of the primary tumour was possible in 86% of the cases. The overall morbidity was 48% and the postoperative mortality was 8%. Anastomotic dehiscence occurred in 4% of our patients. There was no significant difference in postoperative mortality between the two patient groups. The mortality is closely related to the Dukes stage (Dukes A 4%, Dukes D 19%). The overall crude survival was 45%, the corrected survival 57%. Patients with cancer of the descending colon or (recto)sigmoid had a higher corrected 5-year survival when compared to patients with cancers in other tumour sites (65% versus 52%, p less than 0.01). Dukes stage, ileus as primary symptom were also correlated with survival, while sex distribution, age and duration of symptoms were not.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed1987

Perioperative blood transfusion and cancer prognosis. Different effects of blood transfusion on prognosis of colon and breast cancer patients.

A detailed retrospective analysis was undertaken of the effect of perioperative blood transfusion on long-term survival of 113 patients with Dukes' Stages A, B and C1 cancer of the colon and 383 patients with invasive cancer of the breast who were treated in our institution between 1973 and 1978 and followed for 5 to 10 years. In the patients with colon cancer, a significant adverse effect of transfusion on long-term survival was seen. In this group there was a cumulative 5-year overall survival of 48% for the transfused and 74% for the nontransfused patients (P = 0.007, log-rank test). Perioperative blood transfusion was associated with a relative risk of 3.42 for all deaths (P = 0.005) and 4.25 for death due to cancer (P = 0.03), after adjustment for other important variables such as age, sex, stage, location of tumor, surgical procedure, and preoperative hemoglobin level. In contrast, in our study group of patients with breast cancers, who all underwent a modified radical mastectomy, no effect of blood transfusion on long-term survival was seen. Multivariate analysis adjusting for size of tumor, number of positive regional lymph nodes, menopausal status, estrogen receptor status and the addition or absence of chemotherapy, did not show any increased risk in all deaths or death due to cancer associated with blood transfusion. Although no definite explanation is available, our data show that there seems to be a difference in the relationship between perioperative blood transfusion and survival for colon and breast cancer patients.

Aged↗
PubMed1987

Diagnostic evaluation and survival analysis of colorectal cancer patients with liver metastases.

Clinical features and their prognostic value were evaluated in 83 colorectal cancer patients with liver metastasis. The clinical features analysed included presenting symptoms and signs, liver function tests, extent of liver involvement, associated extrahepatic tumor growth, and physical condition of the patients. Overall median survival time after diagnosis of liver metastases was 8.4 months. Prognostic factors related to survival were symptoms, when referable to liver metastasis, and 5' Nt. Information is supplied to survey what selection of patients should be considered for various treatment options. A predominance of the patients showed bilobar liver involvement (79.6%), extrahepatic tumor growth (49.4%), or had an unresectable primary tumor (30.1%), thus leaving only 6% of the patients with liver metastases for surgical treatment with the intention of cure.

Actuarial Analysis↗
PubMed1987

An evaluation of routine follow-up for detection of breast cancer recurrences.

Four hundred patients who were radically treated for breast carcinoma during the period May 1974 to December 1980 were followed for a minimum of 4 years. The outcomes of the 128 patients with recurrences were studied. A differentiation into two groups was made: those in whom recurrences were detected as a real result of follow-up (27%) and those in whom this was not the case (73%). Both groups were comparable as regards age, period "at risk," nature and site of recurrence, type of therapy instituted, and their response to it. No differences could be found in any of these factors. The recurrence-free interval, the survival after institution of therapy, and the total survival after the primary procedure were the same in both groups.

Breast Neoplasms↗
PubMed1986

Breast scintigraphy with 99mTc-diethylene triamine penta-acetic acid for the detection of malignant disease.

A single-blind prospective study of 99mTc-diethylene triamine penta-acetic acid (DTPA) breast scintigraphy was performed on 160 women who presented at the outpatient clinic with suspected breast tumour. The sensitivity of scintigraphy in establishing the diagnosis of breast cancer was 75 per cent. The specificity of scintigraphy in excluding the presence of breast cancer was 91 per cent. The diagnostic value of DTPA breast scintigraphy is at present too low in comparison with mammography to be clinically useful.

Adult↗
PubMed1986

Prognoses and surgical treatment of patients with stage I melanomas of the skin: a retrospective analysis of 211 patients.

From 1960 to 1982, a total number of 216 patients with Stage I melanoma underwent local excision as the single treatment. Life-table analysis was performed on 211 evaluable patients to investigate the prognostic value of several factors on survival as well as disease-free survival. The influence of sex, age, localization of the tumor, and margin of the excision on prognosis was not statistically significant. The Clark level and Breslow thickness were important factors to predict the prognosis. Local recurrence occurred in only one patient; in most cases tumor growth close to the original site of excision indicates early manifestation of hematogenic spread. Lymph node metastases developed in 31 patients; ten of them remained free of disease after node dissection. Six patients died from hematogenic metastases without nodal involvement. Tumors with thickness less than 1.5 mm have excellent prognosis regardless of the location of the melanoma or the margin of the excision. With increasing thickness of the tumor, prognosis is proportionally worse. By performing wide excisions the final outcome can not be improved.

Adolescent↗