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Biomedical subjects

K L Rao

Publications and source records attributed to K L Rao.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Choledochal cysts in infants and children.

OBJECTIVE: To study the clinical spectrum and management of choledochal cyst in children below 12 years of age. DESIGN: Descriptive study. SETTING: Tertiary care hospital. METHODS: Twenty three children with choledochal cysts were managed between January 1991 to September 1997 and their clinical details, investigations and management were recorded. Choledochal cyst was diagnosed by ultrasonography and confirmed by ERCP or peroperative cholangioram (POC) Children were treated with antibiotics and/or percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage if there was cholangitis and subsequently subjected to surgery (excision of the cyst and jejunal loop interposition hepaticoduodenostomy). RESULTS: The median age of these children was 3 years with an almost equal sex ratio. Predominant presentation was jaundice in 18, pain abdomen in 15, fever in 12, and lump abdomen in 9 cases. The classical triad of jaundice, pain and lump was present in only 4 cases. ERCP conducted in 7 and POC in 14 cases yielded positive findings in all. Clinically there were two distinct forms of presentation: (i) infantile form (< or = 1 year) comprised 9 infants which presented with jaundice in all, acholic stool in 6, lump abdomen in 4 but only one had classical triad; and (ii) childhood form (> 1 year) presented with pain abdomen in 12 and jaundice and cholangitis in 9 subjects each. Type I cyst was seen in 20 and type IVa in 3. Two children refused surgery, and the rest underwent surgery. Three infants died after surgery, the remaining 18 were alive and well on follow-up (median 25 months). Secondary biliary cirrhosis was seen in 6, extra hepatic biliary artresia in 2 and congenital hepatic fibrosis in 1 on histology. CONCLUSIONS: Choledochal cysts present in two clinically distinct forms. Infantile form is an important cause of cholestasis of infancy. Early diagnosis and referral is essential to prevent complications and death, and prognosis after surgery is good.

Abdominal Pain↗

Administration of anti-IL-12 antibody in vivo inhibits rejection of a rat histiocytoma and suppresses cytokine response in a tumour-bearing host.

Activated macrophages are the major producers of heterodimeric cytokine interleukin-12 (IL-12). Earlier evidence suggested that early rejection of AK-5 tumours is mediated by IL-12 through interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) production, involving activation of natural killer (NK) cells and upregulation of T-helper 1 (Th1)-type cytokine response. Injection of anti-IL-12 antibody into AK-5 tumour-bearing animals resulted in a large number of changes in the host immune response towards the tumour. These animals showed diminished NK-mediated antibody-dependent cell-mediated cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) activity, down-regulation of Th1-type cytokine response, decreased anti-tumour antibody response ultimately leading to either delay or inhibition of the tumour-regression process. There was also increased production of IL-10 in the animals that had received anti-IL-12 antibody thereby resulting in the down-regulation of IL-2 and IFN-gamma production. IL-12 plays a major role in the activation of the different immune parameters responsible for early rejection of AK-5 tumour. We also studied the activation status of macrophages from tumour-transplanted animals and their ability to produce IL-12. Monocytes/macrophages from antibody-injected animals were less active and produced lower quantities of IL-12, IL-1 beta and tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) as compared with the macrophages from AK-5 tumour-bearing animals.

Animals↗

Effect of shunt surgery on spleen size, portal pressure and oesophageal varices in patients with non-cirrhotic portal hypertension.

Shunt surgery is considered to be the treatment of choice in patients with non-cirrhotic portal hypertension. There is little data on the effect of side-to-side lieno-renal (SSLR) shunt on oesophageal variceal size, splenic size and splenic pulp pressure (SPP) in patents with non-cirrhotic portal hypertension. We evaluated pre- and postoperatively endoscopic grading of varices, splenic size and SPP for predicting shunt patency in 86 patients with non-cirrhotic portal hypertension: 56 with extrahepatic portal venous obstruction (EHPVO) and 30 with non-cirrhotic portal fibrosis (NCPF). The EHPVO patients with patent shunts (n = 47) showed significant reduction in SPP (pre-operative 43.56 +/- 7.9 vs postoperative 29.96 +/- 0.5 vs 0.92 +/- 0.8). Patients with blocked shunt (n = 9) did not show significant reduction in SPP and varices grades. However, there was reduction in spleen size (8.6 +/- 3.0 vs 6.3 +/- 4.3). In the NCPF group, 28 had patent shunts and showed significant reduction in SPP (46.3 +/- 13.5 vs 33.8 +/- 7.6 cm of saline), splenic size (9.1 +/- 3.3 vs 6.8 +/- 4.6 cm below costal margin) and varices grades (2.8 +/- 0.7 vs 1.05 +/- 0.96). As only two patients with NCPF had blocked shunts, no statistical comparison between patients with patent and patients with blocked shunts could be done. In conclusion, following SSLR, there is a significant reduction in SPP and varices grades in patients with patent shunts. Endoscopic grading of varices can be used to predict shunt patency. However, spleen size is not a good criteria for predicting shunt patency.

Adolescent↗

Renal failure following unilateral nephrectomy in Wilms tumour.

A three year old male child with left sided Wilms tumour with vena caval involvement developed acute renal failure following nephrectomy. The likely etiology of acute renal shut down postoperatively and the relevance of differences in venous anatomy of the right and left kidneys in such a situation are discussed.

Acute Kidney Injury↗

Side-to-side lienorenal shunt without splenectomy in noncirrhotic portal hypertension in children.

Noncirrhotic portal hypertension is a common cause of upper gastrointestinal bleeding in infants, children, and adolescents in India. More than one major bleeding episode, severe hypersplenism, presence of fundal varices, rare blood group, remoteness from the hospital, and patient noncompliance to sclerotherapy formed the main indications for shunt surgery. One hundred four cases of noncirrhotic portal hypertension (age range, 18 months to 20 years) underwent side-to-side lienorenal shunt (SSLR) without splenectomy in a period of 15 years. Splenic veins varying in diameter from 4 to 18 mm and in length from 3 to 4 cm were skeletonized through the root of transverse mesocolon and a shunt of at least 1.5 cm in diameter was constructed. At a mean follow-up of 54 months, 87% of shunts were patent, 13% of shunts were blocked, and 2% were inadequate. Ten percent of the children had rebled, all of whom had a blocked shunt. Growth and development was normal and no patients developed encephalopathy. There was a good correlation between shunt patency on splenoportography and endoscopic disappearance of varices, reduction in the size of spleen and splenic pulp pressure, and improvement of hypersplenism.

Adolescent↗

Fetus in fetu.

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Female↗

Jejunal diaphragm.

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Child, Preschool↗

A randomized trial of fully intermittent vs. daily followed by intermittent short course chemotherapy for childhood tuberculosis.

Fully intermittent short course chemotherapy regimens have been used successfully in adults but not in children. We report the results on 76 children with tuberculosis, excluding central nervous system tuberculosis and primary pulmonary complex. Isoniazid, rifampin and pyrazinamide were used for treatment. They were randomly allocated to Regimen A (52 doses) and Regimen B (94 doses). Overall efficacy of both schedules was greater than 95% in 27 children with lymphatic, 43 with pulmonary and 6 with disseminated tuberculosis. Compliance in 10 children after 2 to 4 months of therapy was poor because rapid improvement was mistaken by parents for cure. Two children died, probably of underlying lung disease. Follow-up for up to 2 years did not reveal any case of relapse or recurrence of the disease. Therapy for 6 months involving administration of only 52 or 94 doses of drugs was found to be economical, effective and safe for treating children with tuberculosis.

Adolescent↗

Role of fine-needle aspiration cytology in childhood malignancies.

During the last 4 yr, fine-needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) has been employed in 1,474 patients in 0-15-yr age group at our institute. Of these, 245 patients were found to have malignant disease, including primitive neuroectodermal tumors, hepatoblastoma, nephroblastoma, sarcoma, and epithelial malignancies. Four metastases from medulloblastoma and two each from astrocytoma and meningioma were confirmed without open biopsy. FNAC interpretation was easy when cytologic findings were correlated with relevant clinical and radiologic data.

Adolescent↗

The clinical spectrum of anomalous pancreatobiliary junction.

Anomalous junction of pancreatobiliary ducts (AJPB) is known to be associated with choledochal cyst and gallbladder cancer. This report describes our experience with eight patients with AJPB, six of whom were diagnosed at endoscopic retrograde cholangiography and two at transhepatic cholangiography. Four of the patients with AJPB had an associated congenital choledochal cyst, two had a normal biliary tree and one each had inspissated bile syndrome and cholangiocarcinoma. The last two associations have not been previously described. It is felt that the clinical spectrum of AJPB may unfold further with the widespread use of the cholangiographic techniques.

Adult↗