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Biomedical subjects

C Havard

Publications and source records attributed to C Havard.

3 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2001

Does age play a role in mylohyoideus muscle function?

Because swallowing disorders are frequent in the elderly, we assessed the relationship between age and mylohyoideus muscle contraction, which is an important component of the initial step in swallowing. In a prospective study, 120 subjects without any personal history of diseases associated with swallowing disorders underwent electromyographic recording (EMG) of mylohyoideus muscle activity. Four groups of equal size (n = 30) were defined according to age (< or = 50, 51-70, 71-85, >85 years). The frequency and duration of mylohyoideus muscle asynchronisms were compared among the four groups. The comparison of mylohyoideus muscle EMG among groups did not show a significant difference in the mean number of asynchronisms, in duration per subject or in the frequency of long-lasting asynchronisms. Asynchronisms were a very frequent event, observed in 98% of subjects, and were mostly short, lasting less than 0.1 s in 90% of subjects. In healthy elderly patients, there was no linear relationship between the mean duration of asynchronisms and ageing. The occurrence of one or more long-lasting asynchronisms or of at least six asynchronisms during a sequence of 10 successive swallows should be considered to be abnormal.

Aged↗
PubMed1976

Cholecystostomy.

The role of cholecystostomy in the sugical treatment of gallstones has been considered. In a consecutive series of 558 patients who underwent surgery for gallstones, 30 (5-4 per cent) had cholecystostomy alone and a further 17 (3-1 per cent) cholecystostomy combined with exploration of the bile ducts. Cholecystostomy was done because cholecystectomy was technically very hazardous in 15 patients. In the remaining patients cholecystostomy was preferred to cholecystectomy because o f the poor general condition of the patient or the presence of pancreatitis. Of the 47 patients submitted to cholecystostomy, 2(4-2 per cent) died postoeratively and 4(8-4 percent) subsequently underwent cholecystectomy. Of 24 patients who were available for long term follow-up, only 1 patient had pain which was definitely considered to be due to gallstones, although 3 other patients also had abdominal pain, while 7 patients showed radiological evidience of gallstones. It is contended that cholecystostomy has a small but definite part to play in the immediate surgical treatment of gallstones and that the long term results of the operation are sufficiently good to justify its use in selected patients.

Adult↗