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Biomedical subjects

L Vereecken

Publications and source records attributed to L Vereecken.

25 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Limy bile and laparoscopic cholecystectomy.

OBJECTIVE: To determine incidence of 'limy bile' in patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy; to analyze patient characteristics and preoperative imaging modalities in these patients and evaluate surgical treatment. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A retrospective analysis of 1800 laparoscopic cholecystectomies performed between March 1990 and March 1998 for symptomatic gallbladder disease. RESULTS: Five patients with limy bile (0.27%) were identified. Four were female and one was male, age varied from 42 to 66. Most patients were symptomatic longtime before presentation. Ultrasound was not able to differentiate between normal gallstones or sludge. In three patients the diagnosis was made before operation, in one patient it was an incidental finding. Surgery in these patients is not more difficult than in any other patient. CONCLUSION: Limy bile is a rare finding (0.27% in 1800 cholecystectomies). Plain abdominal X-rays mostly suggest the presence of calcium carbonate precipitate in the gallbladder, but ultrasound cannot differentiate between cholelithiasis and limy bile. Laparoscopic resection can be performed without problems in most patients. Preoperative diagnosis of this rare entity is not essential, as it does not alter treatment.

Adult↗

Actinomycosis of the ano-rectum: a rare infectious disease mimicking carcinomatosis.

Abdominal actinomycosis is an infectious disease caused by Actinomyces israeli, a usual germ of the gastro intestinal tract. It gives unusual tumoral lesions with abcesses and fistulas. More rarely is abdominal actinomycosis at the end of the abdominal tube. Cope in 1949 said: "Actinomycosis occurs so seldom in the colon and the rectum that no surgeon, even if he be a proctologist is likely in a life time to see more than a few cases" (4). An anorectal actinomycosis case that looked like rectal cancer is reported. It was treated successfully by surgery and antibiotherapy. Some anatomopathologic and mainly histologic characteristics lead to the diagnosis. General and pathological aspects, symptoms, diagnosis, differential diagnosis and therapy of anorectal actinomycosis are discussed.

Actinomycosis↗

[Hamartoma of the breast].

Two cases of hamartoma of the breast are presented. The clinical findings of this benign, rare lesion are not specific. It is characterized radiologically by its typical features of a clear or heterogeneous well defined picture with radiolucent zones on mammography. Echography provides no specific picture. Histologically, the tumor is composed of normal or dysplastic mammary tissue. Surgical treatment is mandatory, an enucleation can usually be performed.

Adult↗

[A comparative study of 2 treatment methods for onychocryptosis (ingrown toenail)].

One hundred and fifty-six patients, on whom 200 procedures for ingrowing toenails were performed, were randomly allocated into one or two treatment groups: segmental phenolization and wedge excision. There were 94 segmental phenolizations and 106 wedge excisions. Post-treatment discomfort was assessed on an analytical graph. There was a clear difference between the two groups one week after treatment. Over a mean follow-up period of 12 months a total of 27 nail spikes occurred, 8 in the phenolized group and 16 in the wedge excision group, this being not a significant difference at the five per cent level.

Adolescent↗

[Interdigital pilonidal sinus or barber's disease].

A case of barbers disease is presented. The pathogenesis, clinical course and therapy is reviewed. This rare occupational disease must be regarded separate from the postnatal sinus pilonidalis. Therefore the authors suggest a revalorization of the distinguishing name of fistula interdigitalis crinogenita given by G. J. N. Vleugels Schutter in 1963.

Adult↗

Videoendoscopic adrenalectomy: multicentric study from the Belgian Group for Endoscopic Surgery (BGES).

This paper reports the experience of five Belgian surgical teams with 18 videoendoscopic adrenalectomies performed on 16 patients between October 1993 and May 1995. The adrenal gland diseases were pheochromocytoma (4 patients), primary hyperaldosteronism (2 cases), Cushing's adenoma (2 cases), Cushing's disease (1 case), nonfunctional adenoma (3 cases), single metastasis from adenocarcinoma (2 cases), functional adenoma with dehydro-epiandrostenedione (DHEAS) and cortisol hypersecretion (1 case), ACTH secreting metastases from a thymoma (1 case) Two patients underwent bilateral adrenalectomies. Eleven left and three right adrenal glands were removed in 14 other patients. The eight women and eight men range in age from 17 to 72 years (median 47). Six patients demonstrated a body mass index greater than 30. Median tumor size was 3 cm (range 1.3 - 5). Laparoscopic adrenalectomy was successful in 14 patients (87%). The median duration of the procedure was 132 minutes (range 59-360). The median postoperative stay was 6 days (range 2-13). No patient required blood transfusion. We conclude that the videoscopic approach can safely be used for surgical removal of adrenal lesions. However this approach should be performed by surgeons well versed in the techniques of open adrenalectomy for endocrine disorders, but also well trained in videoendoscopic surgery.

Adrenal Gland Diseases↗