Limitations of cervical radiography in the evaluation of acute cervical trauma.
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Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to M M Solis.
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Spontaneous dissections of visceral arteries are rare, but when they do occur, they most commonly involve the superior mesenteric artery (SMA). We present a case of intestinal ischemia caused by a spontaneous dissection of the SMA in a patient with simultaneous celiac artery occlusion. The patient was a 45-year-old woman who presented with intestinal angina of sudden onset. Arteriography revealed the classic findings of SMA dissection and occlusion of the celiac artery. The patient underwent repair of both visceral vessels and made a full recovery. The 18 previously reported cases of isolated, spontaneous dissection of the SMA are reviewed. No previous case has been associated with celiac compression syndrome. The reported experience with symptomatic dissections of the SMA would suggest that prompt surgical repair is indicated and yields excellent results.
Despite the infrequent use in the United States, venous thrombectomy seems to have a beneficial effect in carefully selected patients with acute iliofemoral thrombosis. The final decision to proceed with venous thrombectomy should be based on a balanced analysis of two factors--the characteristics of the thrombus and the characteristics of the patient. First, the diagnosis of acute deep vein thrombosis must be unequivocally established preoperatively. Accurate anatomic localization is usually achieved with venography, but duplex Doppler examination may be sufficient in selected instances. Second, the distribution of thromboses should be determined. Venous thrombectomy should be considered only in instances of deep vein thrombosis involving the iliofemoral venous segment. Thrombectomy for venous thrombosis below the inguinal ligament has not been consistently beneficial. Third, the age of the thrombus should be estimated. This can usually be accomplished though a careful analysis of the clinical history, but may be corroborated by duplex Doppler or venographic features of the thrombus. Venous thrombectomy should rarely be attempted if the age of the thrombus is thought to be greater than 72 hours. Unfortunately, in many instances the clinical history substantially underestimates the actual age of the underlying thrombus. Fourth, patient characteristics must be assessed preoperatively. While venous thrombectomy can usually be accomplished using local anesthesia, substantial shifts in fluid and acid base balance may be poorly tolerated by elderly, frail patients. In the setting of widespread metastatic disease, rethrombosis rates may be too high to justify thrombectomy in some patients.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Between 1983 and 1990, 32 consecutive patients had 35 thru-knee amputations for ischemia causing infection or gangrene of the lower leg. Twenty-seven patients were nonambulatory, five had limited mobility, and none were considered to be candidates for rehabilitation with a prosthesis after surgery. The average age was 73 years. Thirty-day hospital mortality was 3 per cent. The incidence of complications was low, and healing was achieved in 97 per cent of survivors. One patients required revision to an above-knee amputation. Average postoperative hospital stay was 8.7 days. It is concluded from this study that thru-knee amputation is the treatment of choice in patients with nonsalvageable ischemic legs and in whom ambulation is not planned after operation.
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The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of anticoagulation on the incidence of thrombotic propagation and pulmonary embolism in patients with calf vein thrombosis after total hip or total knee arthroplasty. Patients undergoing arthroplasties had prospective surveillance for postoperative deep vein thrombosis by both bilateral contrast venography and venous duplex scanning. Calf vein thrombosis was documented by venography in 42 patients (50 limbs), including 29 of 253 patients undergoing total hip arthroplasty (11.4%) and 13 of 99 patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty (13%). Of patients on whom follow-up duplex scans were performed, heparin followed by warfarin anticoagulation was used in 11 (13 limbs) and withheld in 21 (25 limbs). Propagation of thrombosis to the popliteal or superficial femoral vein or both was detected by serial duplex scanning in 3 of 13 treated limbs (23%) and 2 of 25 untreated limbs (8%), (p = 0.43). All thrombus propagations were detected within 2 weeks of the operative procedure. There were no pulmonary emboli or deaths. Propagation of asymptomatic calf vein thrombosis after arthroplasty was not influenced by anticoagulation, suggesting that postoperative calf vein thrombosis need not be routinely treated. Serial venous duplex scanning is useful to identify the occasional patient in whom thrombotic propagation requiring anticoagulation develops.
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Thrombomodulin, a membrane glycoprotein present on normal vascular endothelium, binds circulating thrombin and is important in protein C activation. These functions contribute to the nonthrombogenic nature of endothelium. Damage during harvest and ex vivo storage of vein grafts may result in dysfunction of this endothelial anticoagulant barrier and possibly contribute to early graft thrombosis. We studied the functional activity and antigenic expression of thrombomodulin on saphenous veins before (initial) and after (harvested) harvest and storage for coronary artery bypass grafting in 15 patients. Also, fresh saphenous vein was studied after mechanical endothelial stripping. After storage for 2.7 +/- 0.6 hours at room temperature in heparinized saline, thrombomodulin functional activity in harvested vein segments was 28% less than initial segments (p = 0.08). Endothelial stripping resulted in a 79% reduction in thrombomodulin activity compared with initial segments (p = 0.04). Immunohistochemical staining confirmed thrombomodulin antigen on vein grafts after harvest and storage, but not on segments stripped of endothelium. Thrombomodulin functional activity and antigenic expression on human saphenous vein grafts is not significantly changed by harvest and relatively short periods of storage at room temperature in heparinized saline.
Thrombomodulin is an endothelial surface thrombin receptor. Thrombin bound to thrombomodulin loses all procoagulant activity and instead activates the protein C anticoagulant pathway. We developed a recombinant thrombomodulin analog and compared the effects of recombinant thrombomodulin (100 micrograms/ea), saline (controls), recombinant hirudin (1.0 mg/kg), and heparin (100 units/kg) on thrombus formation, activated partial thromboplastin time, and tail transection bleeding time in a rat model of stasis-induced venous thrombosis. Results showed that thrombus was detected in the vena cava in six of the six rats treated with saline solution, in zero of the six rats treated with recombinant thrombomodulin (p less than 0.05), in one of six rats treated with recombinant hirudin (p less than 0.05), and in zero of six rats treated with heparin (p less than 0.05). The activated partial thromboplastin time in rats receiving recombinant thrombomodulin was slightly longer than controls (22 +/- 8 vs 37 +/- 6, p less than 0.05). The bleeding times in rats receiving recombinant thrombomodulin were approximately twice as long as controls (215 +/- 68 vs 545 +/- 173, p = 0.037). In all rats treated with recombinant hirudin or heparin, activated partial thromboplastin times were greater than 120 seconds and bleeding times were greater than 1200 seconds. We conclude that recombinant thrombomodulin inhibits venous thrombosis in a rat model with less prolongation of activated partial thromboplastin time and bleeding time than heparin or hirudin.
Pleomorphic carcinoma of the pancreas is a rare malignancy that carries a poor prognosis. This case describes a patient with a pleomorphic carcinoma of the head of the pancreas, cured by a pylorus sparing pancreaticoduodenectomy. The literature is reviewed with emphasis on the surgical cures reported. The giant cell variety of pleomorphic carcinoma may carry a better prognosis. Pleomorphic histology of pancreatic neoplasms is not a contraindication for surgical resection.