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Biomedical subjects

P Chaffanjon

Publications and source records attributed to P Chaffanjon.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Comparison of epidural analgesia and cryoanalgesia in thoracic surgery.

A prospective study was carried out in 120 patients undergoing elective thoracotomy for parenchymal disease. Patients were randomized into three groups: A (control group), B (epidural analgesia), C (freezing of intercostal nerves). Subjective pain relief was assessed on a linear visual analog scale. Analgesic requirements were evaluated during the 12 days following surgery, or until discharge if earlier. The vital capacity (VC) and forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) were measured on the day before operation and on the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 7th postoperative days (POD). Subjective pain relief was significantly better in Group B in comparison with Group A (P < 0.05) or C (P < 0.05). Group C had the lowest score on the 11th and 12th POD but differences were not statistically significant. Requirements for intravenous analgesics were lower in Group B than in the control group (P < 0.05) during the first 3 POD, and in group C than in the control group the day of operation (P < 0.05). Oral analgesic requirements, when compared with controls, were lower in group B during the first 5 POD, and lower in group C on the 3rd and the 4th POD (P < 0.05). Cryoanalgesia led to a slight but not significant increase in VC and FEV1. Epidural analgesia led to a significant increase when compared with controls in FEV1 during the first 3 POD, and in FVC on the 7th POD (P < 0.05). It is concluded that epidural analgesia led to the best pain relief and restoration of pulmonary function after thoracotomy.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Analgesia, Epidural↗

Magnetic resonance imaging of the liver by oblique sections.

The authors have applied magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to the anatomic study of the liver by comparing cadaveric sections with those obtained with MRI. This study deals with sections oblique in relation to a sagittal or frontal plane, whose orientation is determined from landmarks visible on transverse sections. Oblique sections were made in 10 cadavers using an original method. First, adjacent transverse sections were made of the frozen trunk and two landmarks were located in these sections: the course of the middle hepatic v. and the direction of the division of the portal venous trunk. The transverse sections were then stacked and the block so reconstituted was refrozen and then cut in adjacent oblique sections oriented either along the plane of the middle hepatic v. (sagittal oblique sections) or along the plane of division of the portal venous trunk (frontal oblique sections). Oblique MRI sections were made in 15 healthy volunteers, mainly based on the same venous landmarks but sometimes on other landmarks visible on the transverse sections. Oblique MRI sections can be made in the plane of any anatomic structure located in the transverse sections in order to define its position. Sections based on identical landmarks differently oriented in different subjects allow for definition of the individual anatomy of the liver investigated. The frontal oblique sections clearly show the course of the trunk of the portal v. and the junctions of the hepatic vv. with the inferior vena cava. The sagittal oblique sections are particularly useful for investigating the thinnest part of the left side of the liver and also the caudate lobe.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Hepatic Veins↗

[Value of anticardiolipin antibody assay in human immunodeficiency virus infection].

Recently published encouraging data concerning the value of anticardiolipin antibody assays in patients with HIV infection, both for prognostic purposes and to diagnose pneumocystosis, have prompted us to evaluate these assays in a series of 116 patients. We were unable to demonstrate any correlation between the levels of these antibodies and the clinical stage of the infection or the presence of thrombocytopenia. Varying levels of anticardiolipin antibodies were found in 29.3 percent of our patients. More frequent positivity and higher levels seemed to be associated only with the development of cerebral toxoplasmosis. The value and the possible physiopathological role of these antibodies in patients with HIV infection should be reconsidered.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗

[Persistent fever of dental origin].

Based on 5 cases of unexplained prolonged fever, the authors stress the need to systematically look for a dental focus of infection. They discuss the difficulties in determining the site of the probable causal focus and stress the uncertain pathogenic relationship between the dental focus of infection and the fever. The extraction of infected teeth leads to a cure, however, the functional disadvantages of multiple extractions need to be carefully taken into account.

Adult↗

[Intestinal spirochetosis in homosexuals infected with HIV. 3 cases].

We report 3 cases of intestinal spirochetosis in homosexuals infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (2 group III and 1 group IV C1, according to the Centers for Disease Control classification) presenting with moderate, chronic diarrhea. The diagnosis was made based on the histological examination of colorectal biopsies showing a layer of spirochetes carpeting the epithelium. Electron microscopy evaluation and culturing of the microorganism provided information on the bacterium's morphology. Metronidazole effectively treated the diarrhea. Intestinal spirochetes, whose existence has been recognized for more than a century, constitute a heterogeneous group of bacteria whose pathogenic role in man remains controversial. The systemic search for these organisms in a large series of patients would help to situate their place among the various etiologies of infectious diarrhea in immunodepressed subjects.

Adult↗

[Waldenström's macroglobulinemia with cerebral lymphoproliferative involvement of tumor appearance (Bing and Neel syndrome). An anatomo-clinical case].

The authors report the case of a 58 year old woman with a 5 year history of Waldenström's disease, who presented with perivascular confluent and multifocal lymphoproliferative cerebral involvement (Bing and Neel syndrome). The lymphoproliferative process was limited to the brain matter and respected the meninges, posing the problem as to its origin. It resulted in a tumoral syndrome with intracranial hypertension leading to coma and death after 6 months. This case is reviewed in the light of two similar cases in the medical literature.

Brain Diseases↗

[Diffuse diverticulosis of the small intestine and malabsorption syndrome. Apropos of a case].

A case of acquired jejuno-ileal malabsorption complicated by vitamin B12 malabsorption with macrocytic anemia and posterior column dysfunction is reported. Few such observations have been published in the medical literature. In the light of published studies and case-reports the authors review the pathogenic hypotheses concerning the formation of diverticula, the part played by bacterial infection in the mechanisms of malabsorption and the value of antibiotic therapy in the initial treatment of this condition.

Aged↗