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Biomedical subjects

K Søndenaa

Publications and source records attributed to K Søndenaa.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Severe ARDS may cause right heart failure with extreme hepatomegaly but without hepatic failure.

A young trauma patient developed severe adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), right heart failure, hepatic congestion and an extreme hepatomegaly but no hepatic failure. The patient needed 100% oxygen during ventilatory support for 80 days and was weaned from the ventilator after more than 100 days. The hepatomegaly gradually disappeared. Four months after the injury, the anatomical shape of the lungs, heart and liver were normalized. This case illustrates that severe ARDS may cause right heart failure and extreme hepatomegaly due to venous congestion in the liver and spleen, but without hepatic failure.

Heart Failure↗

Symptomatic, non-complicated gallbladder stone disease. Operation or observation? A randomized clinical study.

BACKGROUND: Cholecystectomy has been recognized as the treatment of choice for symptomatic gallbladder stone disease. Not all patients are cured by an operation and the reason for having the gallbladder removed may rest on common practice rather than evidence-based medicine. The aim was to compare cholecystectomy with observation (watchful waiting) in patients with uncomplicated symptomatic GBS disease. Three-hundred-and-thirty-eight patients were considered for participation in the study; 45 patients were excluded according to predefined criteria and 156 did not join for other reasons. The remaining 137 were randomized to cholecystectomy (n = 68) or non-operative, expectant treatment (n = 69). METHODS: Randomized patients were contacted regularly and followed for a median of 67 months. All gallstone-related hospital contacts were registered in both randomized and excluded patients. RESULTS: Eight of the patients randomized to cholecystectomy did not undergo operation, while 35 of the patients randomized to observation later had their gallbladders removed. The cumulative risk of having a cholecystectomy seemed to level off after 4 years. Gallstone-related complications occurred in 3 patients in the observation group, 1 in the operation group and 5 of 201 excluded patients. After cholecystectomy, 16 of 222 patients had a major complication and 10 a minor. CONCLUSIONS: We found that non-operative expectant treatment carries a low risk of complications. Patients should be informed that watchful waiting is a safe option.

Adult↗

Long-term follow-up of 1059 consecutive primary and recurrent inguinal hernias in a teaching hospital.

OBJECTIVE: To study the early and late outcome of various methods of inguinal hernia repair. DESIGN: Retrospective study. SETTING: Teaching hospital, Norway. SUBJECTS: 1059 repairs of inguinal hernias in men and women by 43 surgeons. INTERVENTIONS: Analysis of patients charts, results of questionnaires concerning 712 hernias (67%) and follow-up consultations when needed. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Freedom from recurrence and postoperative groin symptoms after repairs of primary and recurrent hernias. RESULTS: After a median follow-up of 5.5 years, range 3-8, the recurrence rate was 8% for primary repairs and 29% after recurrent hernias. The incidence of permanent pain or discomfort was unexpectedly high, being 11% after primary repairs and 15% after recurrent hernia repairs. CONCLUSIONS: The number of recurrences at long-term follow-up after repairs of primary and recurrent inguinal hernias was unsatisfactory. The extent of postoperative pain was surprising as this was not given enough attention during the learning period. We have introduced a uniform treatment policy with a prospective surveillance programme with the aim of improving results in our teaching programme.

Adolescent↗

Complications and late outcome following percutaneous drainage of the gallbladder in acute calculous cholecystitis.

BACKGROUND: Acute septic cholecystitis (AC) remains a difficult problem in patients with coexisting severe illness, and ultrasonographically guided percutaneous puncture and drainage of the gallbladder (PTBD) may be an alternative treatment in this context. SETTING: University Hospital, Norway. METHODS: Retrospective study of the safety and efficacy of this approach in 86 consecutive patients treated from 1992 to 1999. RESULTS: Five patients died. Drainage did not seem to influence the condition in these patients, who were drained for a mean of 8 days after admission compared to 4 days for the survivors (p = 0.01), and had a higher S-bilirubin on the day of the drainage, 46 and 29 micromol/l (p = 0.05), respectively. Seven patients had an intraperitoneal bile leak and 2 had worsening septicemia. One of these patients had both, and the gallbladder was removed. An open cystic duct demonstrated at catheter cholangiography was associated with a bile leak in 3 (4%) of 76 patients as opposed to 4 (40%) of 10 patients with obstruction (p = 0.001). Only 60 patients survived another 6 months because of general debility and other diseases. Twenty-seven (45%) of these were asymptomatic during follow-up. Twenty-eight (47%) of the remaining patients had at least one recurrent episode of AC. One patient who was readmitted due to AC had urgent cholecystectomy and 8 others had elective cholecystectomy during follow-up for a total cholecystectomy rate of 12%. A common bile duct stone was demonstrated in 4 patients after ERCP and indicative signs were found in another 5 (10%). CONCLUSIONS: PTBD remains a good option in patients with septic AC who have severe coexisting disease and may be too ill to undergo an operation. It may not be necessary to remove the gallbladder in 45% or more of the patients as many remain asymptomatic after PTBD.

Acute Disease↗

The significance of personality in pain from gallbladder stones.

BACKGROUND: The aim of the study was to investigate the association between personality factors related to coping styles and reported pain due to gallstones. METHODS: Personality trait measures were completed by 28 consecutive gallstone patients to provide estimates of positive coping resources (Life Regard Index, Sense of Coherence Scale, Sense of Humor Questionnaire) and negative coping resources (Eysenck Personality Questionnaire on Neuroticism, Tension, and Effort Stress Inventory). An overall index of gallstone-related complaints (pain) over the past 7 days/6 months was also obtained. Ultrasonography confirmed the gallstone condition. Multiple regression analyses tested the hypothesis that pain would be moderated by positive coping resources and mediated by negative coping resources. RESULTS: Reported pain was less severe with positive coping resources (39% of pain variance explained) and more severe with negative coping resources (45% of pain variance explained). CONCLUSION: The results confirm that mental coping resources have a significant role in pain differences among gallstone patients.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

Upper gastrointestinal contrast study in the management of small bowel obstruction--a prospective randomised study.

OBJECTIVE: To find out whether contrast radiography helps to resolve small bowel obstruction. DESIGN: Prospective randomised trial. SETTING: University hospital, Norway. SUBJECTS: 98 consecutive patients with symptoms of small bowel obstruction and a plain abdominal radiograph that confirmed the diagnosis. INTERVENTIONS: The patients were randomly allocated to receive a mixture of barium and sodium diatrizoate (Gastrografin) (n = 48) or not (n = 50). Both groups were followed up clinically and by repeated abdominal films. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Non-operative resolution of small bowel obstruction; number of patients with strangulated bowel; bowel resections; mortality; complications; hospital stay; and time from admission to operation. RESULTS: No significant differences were observed between the groups in the incidence of non-operative resolution (31/48 in contrast group, 35/50 in control group, OR: 0.89), strangulation obstruction (1/48 in contrast group, 4/50 in control group, OR: 0.24), bowel resection (3/48 in contrast group, 4/50 in control group, OR: 0.76), complications (8/48 in contrast group, 5/50 in control group, OR: 1.80), mortality (3/48 in contrast group, 1/50 in control group, OR: 3.26), and hospital stay (0-7 days: 34/48 in contrast group, 38/50 in control group, p = 0.95). The contrast group had a shorter interval between admission and operation than the control group (0-24 hours: 12/48 in contrast group, 3/50 in control group, p = 0.005). CONCLUSION: The contrast examination did not contribute to the resolution of small bowel obstruction.

Adult↗

Traumatic and postoperative ischemic liver necrosis: causes, risk factors and treatment.

BACKGROUND: To study the cause and outcome of ischemic liver necrosis and suggest treatment of these patients. METHODS: Retrospective study of 13 patients with ischemic liver necrosis treated at our departments from 1990 until 1997. RESULTS: Ischemic liver necrosis was caused by general hypoxia (n = 1) or acute arterial occlusion (n = 12) of the celiac and superior mesenteric artery (SMA, n = 3), proper hepatic artery (PHA, n = 1), right hepatic artery (RHA, n = 2), left hepatic artery (LHA, n = 2) and intrahepatic vessels (n = 4). Six of the cases were related to surgical procedures, 5 of these (38%) were unintended arterial injuries after biliary surgery. Ten patients (77%) had risk factors contributing to the development of liver necrosis: septicemia (n = 4), jaundice and septicemia (n = 2), shock and hypoxia (n = 3) and alcoholic cirrhosis (n = 1). Five patients (38%) needed resection of the liver necrosis due to infected necrosis. Three patients (23%) died; two of these had celiac/SMA occlusion. One died due to complete gastrointestinal ischemia and severe lactacidosis, two died of multiorgan failure after bile leakage and septicemia. CONCLUSION: Ischemic liver necrosis is mainly caused by arterial occlusion due to arteriosclerosis, arterial transection during biliary surgery or blunt liver trauma, and seldom occurs without additional risk factors. 50% of the patients develop infected necrosis and need liver resection. Patients with sterile necrosis may recover without surgical procedures of the liver. The mortality in patients with central (celiac/SMA) and peripheral (CHA, PHA, RHA, LHA, intrahepatic branches) occlusions was 67% (2/3) and 11% (1/9), respectively.

Adult↗

Common pathogenetic mechanisms in symptomatic, uncomplicated gallstone disease and functional dyspepsia: volume measurement of gallbladder and antrum using three-dimensional ultrasonography.

Following cholecystectomy for uncomplicated gallstone disease (GS) some patients experience persistent symptoms suggesting an underlying functional disorder. To study this phenomenon, we have compared symptomatic GS with functional dyspepsia (FD) patients and healthy individuals (C) with respect to putative pathogenetic mechanisms. Gallbladder and gastric antrum volumes were estimated with three-dimensional (3D) ultrasonography before and 10 min after ingestion of 500 ml meat soup in 18 patients with GS. Volume estimation was performed digitally after interactive manual tracing and organ reconstruction in three dimensions. Respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) was calculated to index vagal tone. Abdominal symptoms were assessed by interview. The results were compared to previously published data in patients with FD and C investigated with the exact same methods. No significant differences were found between groups with respect to fasting gallbladder or gallbladder emptying. Antral volumes both fasting (P < 0.05) and postprandially (P < 0.01) were larger in GS and FD than in C. The soup meal induced dyspeptic symptoms in 2/18 (11%) of C, 12/18 (67%) of GS and 15/17 (88%) of FD patients (P < 0.001). Compared with C, both GS and FD patients had significantly decreased vagal tone (P < 0.001). There was no significant difference between GS and FD patients with respect to antral volume, vagal tone, or symptoms. We concluded that both gallstone and functional dyspepsia patients are characterized by dyspeptic symptoms in response to ingestion of 500 ml of meat soup, a wide gastric antrum, low vagal tone, but normal gallbladder size and emptying. Thus, patients with symptomatic, uncomplicated gallstone disease and functional dyspepsia seem to have common pathogenetic mechanisms.

Adolescent↗

Single-session alcohol sclerotherapy in benign symptomatic hepatic cysts.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the results of single-session alcohol sclerotherapy in benign symptomatic liver cysts. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Ten cysts (volume 200-4,800 ml) in 10 patients were treated by percutaneous catheterization and injection of 96% ethanol at a dose of 10% of the cyst volume but never more than 100 ml. The treatment was applied for a maximum of 20 min, after which the alcohol and catheter were removed. RESULTS: A satisfactory reduction in cyst volume was achieved in all patients. In 8 patients there was a re-accumulation of fluid during the first period after therapy, followed by a significant reduction in volume on later follow-up examinations. Except for pain, there were no complications. CONCLUSION: Sclerotherapy as a single-session procedure resulted in a significant reduction in cyst volume in all 10 patients. The postprocedural re-accumulation of fluid seen in 8 patients proved to be temporary. It was not necessary to repeat the sclerotherapy procedure in any patient.

Adult↗

Randomization to surgery or observation in patients with symptomatic gallbladder stone disease. The problem of evidence-based medicine in clinical practice.

BACKGROUND: The description and understanding of gallbladder stone disease in the medical literature are difficult because an assessment of the natural course of this symptomatic disease, with separation of patients in strictly defined groups, is generally lacking. METHOD: A multicenter study was carried out with patients randomized to either surgery or conservative, expectant treatment to examine optimal treatment and natural history in well-defined groups of symptomatic gallbladder stone disease with pain, episodes only (study group 1) or acute cholecystitis (study group 2). The patients were between 18 and 80 years of age and had right upper quadrant or midline epigastric pain and ultrasonographic evidence of gallbladder stone, with or without acute cholecystitis. Medical treatment was ordinated on the basis of signs and symptom severity. Patients randomized to surgery were placed on the hospital's waiting list and electively operated on with cholecystectomy as soon as conveniently possible. Preliminary results of follow-up are based on questionnaires mailed at regular intervals and consultations if required by the patients' symptoms. Quality of life and freedom from pain are study end points for evaluation. RESULTS: Five hundred and one patients were considered for the study, 318 patients (63.5%) belonging to group 1 and 183 (36.5%) to group 2. One hundred and eighty-four patients (36.7%) were randomized, 120 (24%) in group 1 and 64 (12.7%) in group 2. Three hundred and seventeen patients (63.3%), with an equal proportion from each study group, were excluded, the largest number of patients because of incapacitating pain or serious presenting symptoms (26%). More women (81%) than men (19%) had pain alone (group 1), but the sex ratio was reduced, 56% women and 44% men, in patients with acute cholecystitis (group 2), with a highly significant difference (P = < 0.001) between the two groups. A significant difference in patient withdrawal from randomized treatment was registered, with 24% from observation and 12% from surgery (P = 0.032), but with an equal distribution in the two study groups. CONCLUSIONS: A randomized trial of this nature is feasible but extremely difficult to perform because of the heterogeneous nature of gallbladder stone disease, leading to exclusion of many patients and difficulties in measuring and evaluating outcome variables.

Acute Disease↗

Successful management of eleven splanchnic artery aneurysms.

OBJECTIVE: To describe our experience with the management of aneurysms of the splanchnic arteries. DESIGN: Retrospective study. SETTING: Teaching hospital, Norway. SUBJECTS: Eleven consecutive patients with aneurysms of the splanchnic arteries treated between 1986 and 1996, six of them between 1994 and 1996. Four aneurysms were hepatic (37%), two splenic (18%), one coeliac (9%), one gastroepiploic (9%), one pancreaticoduodenal (9%), one superior mesenteric (9%), and one jejunal (9%). Five were pseudoaneurysms (46%). INTERVENTIONS: Six patients (55%) were treated by operation, four (36%) by embolisation and one (9%) expectantly. RESULTS: The pathogenesis was inflammatory (acute pancreatitis, anastomotic leak) in four patients (36%), athero-sclerotic in three (27%), arterial infusion of cytotoxic drugs in one (9%), and unknown in four (36%). Seven patients (64%) presented with rupture, two (18%) with other symptoms, and two patients (18%) were diagnosed incidentally. There was no mortality. CONCLUSION: There may be an increased incidence in splanchnic artery aneurysms, particularly those created by inflammatory lesions. The diagnosis should be suspected if acute bleeding occurs during the course of severe intra-abdominal inflammation. Arteriography should be used to diagnose an aneurysm in haemodynamically stable patients. Control of bleeding is obtained either by transarterial catheter embolisation or by operation.

Adult↗

[Hepatic artery aneurysm. Diagnosis and treatment].

From 1990 until 1995, four patients were successfully treated for symptomatic aneurysm of the hepatic artery, with rupture in three of them. In two of the patients, the aneurysm was located in the common hepatic artery. In one patient it ruptured. Both aneurysms were resected. One patient also underwent vascular reconstruction. The other two aneurysms ruptured in the left and right hepatic artery respectively. The aneurysm in the right hepatic artery was treated by selective embolization. The aneurysm in the left hepatic artery was ligated, and the patient was subsequently reoperated on for septic necrosis of the left lobe of the liver.

Adult↗

Recurrent pilonidal sinus after excision with closed or open treatment: final result of a randomised trial.

OBJECTIVE: To find out the recurrence rate of chronic pilonidal sinus after excision and primary suture compared with open excision and healing by second intention. DESIGN: Randomised trial. SETTING: Teaching hospital, Norway. SUBJECTS: 120 Patients treated between 1987 and 1989. INTERVENTIONS: 60 Patients were treated by excision and primary suture and 60 by open excision. The median follow-up period was 4.2 years. RESULTS: Recurrent pilonidal sinus was seen in six patients (10%) after primary suture compared with three patients (5%) after open treatment (p = 0.49); 57 (95%) and 55 (92%), respectively, were satisfied with the outcome of treatment at follow-up (p = 0.72). CONCLUSION: Excision and primary suture compares favourably with open excision and healing by second intention in the treatment of chronic pilonidal sinus.

Adolescent↗

[Surgical treatment of symptomatic pancreas divisum].

Pancreas divisum is found in 5% of the population. It is linked to three clinical entities; recurrent epigastric pain, and acute and chronic pancreatitis. The relation between chronic pancreatitis and pancreas divisum is, however, uncertain. Pancreas divisum is controversial as a cause of acute pancreatitis and abdominal pain. However, this association probably exists as surgical sphincteroplasty of the minor papilla alleviate symptoms in a high proportion of patients. We have treated two patients surgically. Patient 1 was hospitalized 11 times because of recurrent acute pancreatitis. Two and a half years after sphincteroplasty he has had no further attacks of abdominal pain. Patient 2 had had recurrent epigastric pain, mostly related to meals, since early childhood. Secretin stimulation initially showed normal pancreatic duct dilatation and emptying. After sphincteroplasty, and reoperation for stricture, she can eat normally without pain one year after the last operation. We conclude that in selected patients surgical treatment of symptomatic pancreas divisum is beneficial. Sphincteroplasty should be considered as treatment in patients with pancreas divisum and recurrent acute pancreatitis or pain, as long as other causes are excluded.

Abdominal Pain↗

Bacteriology and complications of chronic pilonidal sinus treated with excision and primary suture.

Two prospective studies were undertaken to examine the role of bacteria in the outcome after excision and primary suture for chronic pilonidal sinus disease. In the first study 52 consecutive patients were given cloxacillin as prophylaxis. In a second randomised study 51 patients were given 2 g cefoxitin intravenously (n = 25) or no prophylaxis (n = 26). From 49 out of 98 patients (50%) no microorganisms were isolated from sinuses preoperatively. Wound complications were observed postoperatively in 61% of the patients (63/103). A postoperative bacteriology sample was positive in 47 of 49 samples (96%). Preoperative presence of bacteria was not significantly associated with wound complications. Anaerobe isolates were present in 40% of patients preoperatively whereas aerobes were cultured in 43% postoperatively. After an observation period of 30-42 months, recurrences were 13% among the patients (7/52) who had been given cloxacillin. No recurrences were seen in the last study after an observation period of 18-30 months, for an overall 7% in both studies. We conclude that preoperative bacterial isolates, usually anaerobes, in chronic pilonidal sinuses do not influence the complication rate since bacterial isolates from infected wounds are mostly aerobes.

Adolescent↗