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Biomedical subjects

M Saab

Publications and source records attributed to M Saab.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

[The surgical management of pneumothorax in patients with AIDS].

The occurrence of a pneumothorax occurring as a complication of AIDS is a poor prognostic sign. We have undertaken a review of 26 patients admitted to hospital for a pneumothorax of whom 25 were admitted for therapy: five resolved under simple drainage; twenty required a pleurodesis which was performed on thirteen under video thoracoscopy: these were recurrent pneumothoraces and were bilateral in half the patients; all had failed under simple drainage. The hospital mortality was 30%; the follow-up was unusually long in the majority of cases and only 20% had a simple follow-up. The analysis of this population showed that the results were not tied to the proposed treatment but to the state of the disease and to the pre-existence of pulmonary lesions most often in relation to pneumocystis. Video thoracoscopy enables one to inspect the lung and to resect the diseased area at the origin of the air leak. The technique also enables the pleurodesis to be achieved and a pleural or lung biopsy to be obtained in a relative non-invasive fashion.

AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections↗

[Prognostic factors of survival in resected N2 bronchial cancer].

This study was based on 206 patients with non small cell lung cancer and N2 nodal disease submitted to curative surgery: pneumonectomy 163, lobectomy 39 and segmentectomy 4. All accessible mediastinal lymph nodes were removed and classified according to their anatomical location in lymph node chains; "skip" metastases were present in 24.8% of cases. N2 disease would have been missed in 20% of cases if routine removal of mediastinal nodes had not been performed. There was solitary nodal chain involvement by metastasis in 126 cases (61.2%). Overall 5-year survival was 18.3% +/- 3. Survival was not influenced by site, size or extension (T) of tumor, adjuvant radiotherapy, tumor histology or presence of vascular invasion. The prognosis was significantly worsened by the presence of microscopic residual disease (22 cases) and of satellite nodules (18 cases). Survival was significantly improved when metastases involved a single node chain (25% versus 8.5%). The location and number of involved nodes in the chain, "skip" metastasis and presence of extracapsular spread of carcinoma did not influence prognosis. Routine mediastinal lymph node dissection is necessary to improve survival and for classification of lung cancer. Anatomical description allows better understanding of N2 disease which is not a contraindication to surgery when a complete gross resection can be achieved.

Adult↗

[Extrapulmonary intrathoracic pneumocystosis. Apropos of 4 cases in HIV positive patients].

The authors report 4 cases of intrathoracic extrapulmonary pneumocystosis; 3 of them involved the pleura and 1 the mediastinal lymph nodes. As in other rare but apparently increasingly frequent cases, everything seemed to incriminate the use of prophylactic Pentamidine aerosols, but only a prospective study of systemic versus aerosol prophylaxis can confirm this suspicion.

AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections↗

[The lymphatic drainage of the esophagus].

The study was carried on 65 cadavers: 50 adults and 15 newborns. The esophagus was injected at the level to the neck 16 times, in the thorax at the superior level 18 times, middle level 30 times and inferior level 21 times. The lymphatic pathways were named short when joining the nodes at the same level, half long when joining the nodes of the neighbouring level, long when joining third level, and very long. At the level of the neck were injected 24 lymph nodes chains: in 12.5% of the cases the pathways were long, joining the nodes of the arch of the Azygos vein. At the superior thorax level were injected 27 chains: half of the pathways were half-long: 7.5% long (-joining the pharynx once and the cardia once). At the middle thorax level were injected 37 chains: 27% were long and very long. At the inferior thoracic level were injected 21 chains: The pathways were half long in half cases and very long in 15% of the cases joining the cervical nodes. These results compare with experience in oncology and justify the need for total esophagectomies and nodes resection of all levels in surgical treatment of carcinomas of the esophagus.

Adult↗

[Chylomediastinum after mediastinoscopy. Apropos of a case].

A mediastinal chylous effusion occurred in a young woman after a mediastinoscopy. This effusion healed rapidly with medical treatment. An understanding of the anatomy of these intra-thoracic/lymphatic channels explains that intra-thoracic chylous effusions may occur in case of incontinence of the lymphatic vessels which connect the tracheo-bronchial nodes to the thoracic duct in the mediastinum. This is very important following the surgical excision of a node because incontinent lymphatic vessels are directly sectioned. When the lymph nodes are biopsied in an enclosed cavity such as the mediastinum, the quantity of lymphoid tissue acts as an obstacle to reflux of the lymph which is thus less significant and more easily controlled.

Adolescent↗

[Excision of mediastinal nodes using video-thoracoscopy].

A man of seventy-one years with gross respiratory failure was suspected of having a cancer of the right upper lobe with metastases to the right pretracheal and intertracheobronchial nodes. A diagnostic mediastinoscopy did not achieve a diagnosis, and a right sub-bronchial node biopsy was performed, using videothoracoscopy and this revealed the presence of tuberculosis without any further delay.

Aged↗

[Surgery for cancer with mediastinal lymph node invasiveness (N2)].

Resection is indicated in about 20% of N2 cases. When it is complete a 5-year survival rate may be expected. It represents for these patients a chance of cure and therefore must be considered in all cases of N2, either immediately or after an adjuvant treatment. Its results can be improved by strict selection of the patients and by an efficient chemotherapy.

Chemotherapy, Adjuvant↗

[Evaluation of a 20 years' experience of colo-anal anastomoses. Indications, results and pitfalls].

Seventy nine anastomoses were performed over a 20 year period. Indications included 68 rectal adenocarcinomas and 11 benign lesions. There was no operative mortality. Anastomotic leak was the main cause of morbidity: 12 clinical (15%) and 4 radiological leaks. The 5-year actuarial disease-free survival was 70%, 7 local recurrences (10%) were observed; 6 were Dukes C and 1 Dukes B. Functional results were assessed in 61 patients. They were considered to be excellent in 35 (57%), good in 24 (39%) and bad in 2 (4%). Six failures were noted: 3 technical, 1 oncologic and 2 functional. Pitfalls of coloanal anastomosis are discussed.

Adenocarcinoma↗

Bronchoscopic cryotherapy for advanced bronchial carcinoma.

A prospective study was carried out to assess the value of bronchoscopic cryotherapy for palliation of inoperable bronchial carcinoma with bronchial obstruction. Symptoms, lung function, and chest radiographic and bronchoscopic findings were recorded serially before and after 81 cryotherapy sessions in 33 consecutive patients. Most patients improved in terms of overall symptoms, stridor, and haemoptysis and they had an overall improvement in dyspnoea. Objective improvement in lung function was seen in 58% of patients and the changes in lung function correlated with symptoms. Bronchoscopic evidence of relief of bronchial obstruction was seen in 77% of patients and 24% showed improvement in degree of collapse on the radiograph. There were no important complications. These results compare favourably with the results in published series of patients having laser therapy. It is concluded that bronchoscopic cryotherapy is valuable for the palliation of inoperable bronchial carcinoma.

Aged↗

[Reconstruction of the left ventricle by circular endoventriculoplasty with septal exclusion].

Since 1984 the authors have developed a technical modification of left ventricular surgery after myocardial infarction. The principle is to reorganise the contractile muscle in a circumferential manner by excluding the fibrous akinetic parts of the interventricular septum. The operation consists of implanting sutures distally then resecting the exteriorized fibrous zones and finally mobilising the scarred endocardium in the zones inaccessible to resection (septum and the base of the anterior and posterior papillary muscles) up to the limits of the viable myocardium. A patch of septal endocardium or dacron lined with pericardium is sutured in the contractile muscular zone. One hundred and fifty patients have been operated for cardiac failure (37%), angina (40%) or arrhythmias (10%). One third of patients required intra-aortic balloon pumping in the preoperative period. Myocardial revascularisation was associated in 75% of cases. Surgery was performed as an emergency in 33 cases (25% mortality); in the remaining 117 cases the mortality was 5%. Postoperative control assessment (115 immediate postoperative and 60 one year controls) showed the left ventricular geometry to be almost normal and the global ejection fraction to have increased by an average of 17%. This technique of left ventricular remodelling with septal exclusion enables the surgeon to perform a more physiological repair in patients without cardiac failure and to extend the surgical indications in patients with cardiac failure.

Arrhythmias, Cardiac↗

Left ventricular aneurysm: a new surgical approach.

Since 1984, we have used a circular patch to reconstruct the left ventricle ("endoventricular circular plasty") in order to maintain a more physiologic cavity. This technique has three theoretical advantages over standard linear closure of the left ventricle (LV). First, it allows exclusion of the septal akinetic segment of the LV. Secondly, circular reorganization of the remaining LV muscle avoids the restraint caused by the linear suture closure and achieves a more physiologic LV cavity. Thirdly, circular plasty using the patch allows a complete resection of aneurysmal segments including resection of extensive subendocardial scar tissue, when appropriate, without critically compromising the cavity size. The technique involves the following steps: --Resection of dyskinetic or akinetic LV free wall and thrombectomy when indicated. --A dacron patch lined with pericardium is secured at the junction of the endocardial muscle and scarred tissue, thereby excluding non contractile portions of the LV and septum. --Myocardial revascularization is performed as indicated with particular attention paid to revascularizing the proximal left anterior descending segment. The group of patients forming this study includes 130 cases of LV reconstruction since 1984. The three main indications for surgery were angina (40%), cardiac failure (35%), arrhythmias (10%). There have been 8 hospital deaths, 4 late mortalities related to recurrence of cardiac failure in this group.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Heart Aneurysm↗

[Coronary endarterectomy associated with by-pass. A series of 111 patients controlled angiographically].

Out of 2 638 patients undergoing coronary bypass surgery at the Arnault Tzanck Centre from 1973 to September 1984, 305 (12%) also required coronary endarterectomy. One hundred and eleven of these patients had control angiographies at the Centre and were the object of this study. Endarterectomy was carried out on a totally occluded artery in 38% of cases and was performed out of necessity in the other cases. One hundred and twenty-nine disobliterations were performed in these 111 patients. The average number of bypass grafts per patient was 2.8. The overall hospital mortality was 6% (19 out of 305) which was higher than for bypass surgery alone. The postoperative myocardial infarction rate was 10%. The 117 control angiographies were performed on average during the 8th month after surgery; these controls were routine in 99 cases (84.5%) in Stage I of the NYHA classification and for recurrent angina in 18 cases (15.5%). The endarterectomised vessel was patent in 72% of cases, which was less than the patency rate of the bypass grafts. Considering the indications of necessity, this result is satisfactory and is compared which those of other reported series.

Adult↗