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Biomedical subjects

M Meurisse

Publications and source records attributed to M Meurisse.

191 records · Page 11Linked to original sources

[Injuries and seat belts].

The effectiveness of the seat belt in reduction of road fatalities and injuries is well known. Nevertheless, improper or incorrectly wearing of the seat belt can induce specific cervical, thoracic or abdominal lesions. With reference to the literature and clinical reports, the authors describe the specific lesions of the seat belt syndrome. Superficial lesions are frequently associated with underlying deep lesions.

Accidents, Traffic↗

Acute liver failure. Diagnosis, management and results after orthotopic liver transplantation.

From february 1989 till october 1992, we performed 13 orthotopic liver transplantations on 8 patients admitted with the diagnosis of fulminant hepatic failure. The mortality of this affection, despite many treatments is very high, from 60 to 90% at three months according to the literature. Liver transplantation seems to be actually the treatment of choice in many cases. The purpose of this study is to review current concepts about this affection, indications for liver transplantation and results in our small series with a survival rate of 85% at 3 months, 75% at 6 months and 1 year.

Acute Disease↗

Laparoscopic adrenalectomy in pheochromocytoma and Cushing's syndrome. Reflections about two case reports.

Laparoscopic adrenalectomy is possible as well on the left as on the right side using a percutaneous transabdominal approach. The exposure of the glands seems better than it could be achieved with an open method. In combination with intraoperative infusion of nicardipine, a calcium-channel blocker, the laparoscopic removal of a pheochromocytoma was performed safely and under stable conditions. In case of Cushing's syndrome, the laparoscopic approach reduces the problems related to poor healing. In all cases of laparoscopic adrenalectomy, this approach could offer the clear advantages of smaller incisions, reduced postoperative pain and incisional discomfort as well as complications related to large and invasive procedure and finally allows quicker recovery. Moreover, conversion to open surgery remains always possible, if needed.

Adrenal Gland Neoplasms↗

Prediction of malignancy in solitary thyroid nodules: value of preoperative explorations.

The thyroid nodule is a topic in clinical medicine which remains controversial because any thyroid disease can virtually turn up a thyroid nodule. The reliability of the diagnostic techniques for making the distinction between a benign and a malignant lesion varies. The various techniques for the assessment of a solitary nonfunctional thyroid nodule are described and their comparative values in establishing the nature of the nodule, identifying patients with low likelihood of malignancy--making it possible to defer surgery or to avoid it altogether--are analyzed. According to the results and for several reasons, controversy over the best approach of solitary cold nodule management can remain. We propose an alternative approach and provide a personal guideline for the use of these tests.

Adolescent↗

The treatment of amiodarone-induced hyperthyroidism. Is there a place for surgery?

In many instances amiodarone-induced hyperthyroidism has been reported as mild, thyroid functions returning to normal after discontinuation of the drug. Nevertheless, life-threatening amiodarone-induced thyrotoxicosis has also been described. Conventional treatments such as with antithyroid drugs (Thionamide) and corticosteroids are essentially ineffective or fail to stop the dramatic course of the thyroid crisis. This limited efficacy of medical therapy, particularly in patients with previously--neglected or unknown--thyroid disease, prompted us to intervene surgically. We report a series of six patients who underwent total or nearly total thyroidectomy as first line therapy for four of them. Surgery resulted in rapid resolution of thyrotoxicosis with an uneventful postoperative course. This approach has the advantage of immediate and safe efficacy, low risk of relapse and finally, appears to be the only antithyroid treatment that permits continued therapy with amiodarone.

Amiodarone↗

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↗

Combined liver-spleen-small intestine grafting in a rat model: role of transplanting additional lymphoid tissue on survival.

The aim of this study was to develop suitable models of combined intestinal grafting to examine the enhancing effect of intestinal grafting with additional lymphoid tissue using 30% of the liver mass and the whole spleen on recipient survival in the absence of immunosuppression. Grafts from DA (RT1a) rats were transplanted orthotopically to PVG (RT1(1)) recipients according to the following design: group 1 (n = 6), en bloc 30% liver/entire SB/spleen; group 2 (n = 7), en bloc 30% liver/SB; group 3 (n = 7), SB/spleen and group 4 (n = 7), SB control for the preceding groups. The orthotopic nature and proximal interposition of the SB graft allowed the assessment of protection afforded by components of the cluster on the SB graft using survival endpoints. Although group 4 hosts survived half as long compared to other groups, statistical significance was reached only in the case of group 1; group 1 MST equalled 15.3 days, significantly higher than group 4 (p = 0.01). Acute rejection was present in every grafted tissue and was equivalent whether liver was included or excluded in the cluster. GVHD was absent postoperatively using clinical or histological criteria; recipient spleens showed hyperplasia, donor spleens depicted lymphocytic depletion on histology. This study determined that statistically proven enhanced survival was obtained only after grafting 30% liver plus spleen with the entire SB. GVHD was rare in the fully allogeneic system despite transplanting a massive load of lymphoid tissue. The surgical models used in this study employing liver in the cluster, address the important question of how best to evaluate the role of heterotopic accessory liver grafting in providing tolerance to co-transplanted small intestine.

Animals↗