[Achalasia and the possibility of cancer of the esophagus].
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Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to H Obertop.
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The management of patients with acute calculous cholecystitis has changed during recent years. The etiology of acute cholecystitis is still not fully understood. Infection of bile is relatively unimportant since bile and gallbladder wall cultures are sterile in many patients with acute cholecystitis. Ultrasonography is first choice for diagnosis of acute cholecystitis and cholescintigraphy is second best. Percutaneous puncture of the gallbladder that can be used for therapeutic drainage has also diagnostic qualities. Early cholecystectomy under antibiotic prophylaxis is the treatment of choice, and has been shown to be superior to delayed surgery in several prospective trials. Mortality can be as low as 0.5% in patients younger than 70-80 years of age, but a high mortality has been reported in octogenerians. Selective intraoperative cholangiography is now generally accepted and no advantage of routine cholangiography was shown in clinical trials. Percutaneous cholecystostomy can be successfully performed under ultrasound guidance and has a place in the treatment of severely ill patients with acute cholecystitis. Laparoscopic cholecystectomy can be done safely in patients with acute cholecystitis, but extensive experience with this technique is necessary. Endoscopic retrograde drainage of the gallbladder by introduction of a catheter in the cystic duct is feasible but data are still scarce.
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Perforation of the oesophagus was retrospectively analysed in 59 patients. Cause and extent of perforation, localization, quality of the oesophageal wall and therapeutic modes were subjected to univariate analysis. The perforations of the intrathoracic oesophagus (39) were also subjected to multivariate analysis. Perforation of the cervical oesophagus is seldom lethal and can be adequately treated conservatively in the majority of cases. Perforations of the intrathoracic oesophagus can be divided into two groups, with or without simultaneous perforation of the parietal pleura. The optimal treatment for the group with pleural perforation seems to be resection of the oesophagus and secondary reconstruction, although primary closure is indicated in selected early cases. Perforations of the intrathoracic oesophagus confined to the mediastinum can be adequately treated conservatively in most patients. Perforation of the intra-abdominal oesophagus should be treated like any other intra-abdominal visceral perforation, by closure or diversion, even if this results in resection of the oesophagus.
An unusual case of a patient with symptoms suggestive of oesophageal achalasia is described. Most oesophageal tumour growths causing secondary achalasia are associated with malignant tumours. This patient had a large oesophageal leiomyoma closely mimicking achalasia. Treatment consisted of oesophagectomy by laparotomy and right-sided thoracotomy. A gastric tube was constructed with a cervical oesophago-gastrostomy. The patient responded well to the treatment and left the hospital after 13 days. Five other cases of benign oesophageal tumours inducing achalasia-like symptoms could be traced. Three of these were leiomyomas.
In patients with carcinoma of the esophagus, it is advisable to perform a total esophagectomy. We prefer a cervico-abdominal procedure and use the stomach to reconstruct the alimentary tract. Sometimes the operation needs to be extended with a right-sided thoracotomy. We have used this method of positioning and draping successfully in more than 70 patients in the last two years. This method enables us to perform a three stage operation if necessary without repositioning the patient and renewed preparation of the operative field.
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Breast cancer is rare in females younger than 30 years. In a retrospective study of 25 women the effects of the early age on diagnosis, treatment and prognosis were investigated. In 21 women there was a clinical or radiological suspicion of carcinoma. Nevertheless, a delay in diagnosis was found in 9 of the 21 patients. In 16 patients stage I tumour was found, in 7 stage II, in I stage III and in I stage IV. After an average follow-up period of 68 months, 20 patients had no tumour recurrence. Tumour stage, treatment and prognosis were comparable with the characteristics reported for other age groups.
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Two patients with retroperitoneal cystic lymphangioma are reported with a review of the medical literature. In one, the patient was asymptomatic from the lesion but had a computed tomography (CT) and an ultrasound to evaluate the extent of disease with a known carcinoma of the colon. The second patient presented with an acute abdominal pain requiring surgical management. CT on this patient showed multiple cystlike cavities filled with fluid, in a retroperitoneal location. The preoperative diagnosis of retroperitoneal cystic lymphangioma was confirmed at surgery. Magnetic resonance (MR) performed on the second patient gave better delineation of craniocaudal extent and showed one of the cysts to have probable hemorrhage.
The influence of age and severity of peritonitis was studied in 111 (16%) out of a total of 694 patients treated for diverticular disease. These 111 patients had complications of the disease and were operated upon by four different approaches. The outcome after surgery was expressed as 30 days mortality, number of operations and postoperative complications per patient, overall hospital stay and number of permanent colostomies in surviving patients. The overall hospital stay lasted significantly longer for patients older than 70 years compared to the younger patients (64 versus 41 days). The complications per patient increased significantly from 1.0 to 1.9 and from 1.1 to 2.7 respectively for an age above 70 years and for peritonitis. Preoperative risk factors as age and peritonitis adequately predict the outcome after surgery for complicated diverticular disease. The type of surgery employed seems more dependent on the perioperative findings than on the superiority of one of the procedures.
The effect of optimal hydration on haemodynamics and renal function during infrarenal aortic cross clamping was studied in 26 consecutive patients operated on because of an infrarenal aortic aneurysm. The patients were randomly divided over two groups. The patients of group B (n = 13) were optimally hydrated before the operation. The Starling curve was used as standard. Patients of group A (n = 13) served as control. The pre-operative and postoperative renal functions of both groups were compared, as were the haemodynamic parameters. The haemodynamic parameters were measured at five minutes intervals during the entire procedure. During aortic clamping the heart rate was significantly lower in patients of group B, indicating a lower myocardial oxygen consumption. Neither the haemodynamic parameters nor the renal function showed other beneficial effects on optimal hydration.
Sphincter-saving operations for rectal cancer are performed with increasing frequency. In the present study outcome after low anterior resection (LAR) was compared with outcome after abdominoperineal resection (APR). Morbidity, mortality, local and distant failure and survival were retrospectively studied in 68 patients, surgically treated for rectal cancer without adjunctive therapy between 1980 and 1985. APR was performed in 29 patients (27 for cure) and LAR in 39 (32 for cure). Mean follow-up time was 60 months (range 39-95 months). Groups were comparable with regard to age and Dukes' staging, but not for location of the tumour. Anastomotic leakage was present in 15% after LAR; morbidity was otherwise similar in both groups. Hospital mortality was 5% after LAR and 0% after APR. Local recurrence occurred after a mean period of 17 months: in 15% after curative APR and in 13% after curative LAR. Distant recurrence was detected after a mean period of 28 months: in 30% after curative APR and in 26% after curative LAR. Estimated cumulative 5-year survival was not statistically different, with 72% after LAR and 59% after APR. These findings confirm that LAR does not lead to higher recurrence than APR in the treatment for rectal cancer.
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In this retrospective study, the long-term follow-up of patients undergoing choledochojejunostomy (Roux-en-Y) for bile duct stones with complex clearance of the bile duct is evaluated. Bile duct exploration and subsequent choledochojejunostomy (Roux-en-Y) was performed in 43 patients (median age 67 years) in the period 1976-82. There was no mortality and only one patient had a major complication. Twenty patients died during follow-up (median follow-up period 5 years); the median follow-up period for the remaining 23 patients was 8 years. Good long-term results were found in 98 per cent of cases. No signs or symptoms could be related to bile duct obstruction or to cholangitis. Nearly all liver function tests and serum bilirubin levels were normal in the 21 patients who were tested. We conclude that patients with bile duct stones with complex clearance of the bile duct can be safely treated by means of a choledochoenterostomy (in this study a choledochojejunostomy Roux-en-Y).
From 1980 till 1984 16 patients were entered into a non-randomized pilot study, to investigate the feasibility of five courses of adjuvant 5-fluorouracil, Adriamycin and mitomycin C (FAM) after a curative resection of pancreatic or periampullary cancer. The survival of this group of patients was compared with that of 36 patients who underwent a curative resection alone between 1977 and 1984. Four patients received less than 20%, 4 patients 50%-60% and 7 patients greater than or equal to 80% of the calculated dose of adjuvant chemotherapy. The chemotherapy was badly tolerated. Only 1 patient resumed some of his normal activity during chemotherapy. The 3-year actuarial survival after curative resection with and without FAM was similar, i.e. 24% and 28% respectively. These data suggest that adjuvant FAM after a Whipple's operation or total pancreatectomy is not feasible because of additive postoperative and chemotherapy-induced morbidity.