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Biomedical subjects

P Gertsch

Publications and source records attributed to P Gertsch.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1992

Acute mesenteric ischaemia.

To identify any differences in presentation among the four types of acute mesenteric ischaemia, and to correlate time between presentation and treatment with outcome, we retrospectively analysed 100 cases of acute mesenteric ischaemia at a University hospital diagnosed by radiography (n = 21), at laparotomy (n = 61), or at necropsy (n = 18). A total of 68 patients died. Mortality was 50% when the aetiology was embolic occlusion of the superior mesenteric artery and 95% when the occlusion was thrombotic; 67% when the disease was "non"-occlusive; and 30% in cases of splanchnic vein thrombosis. We conclude that early diagnosis is critical for successful management of acute mesenteric ischaemia, but outcome is also influenced by the aetiology.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1992

[Surgery of chronic pancreatitis].

Surgery for chronic pancreatitis may be indicated for local complications, or if the differential diagnosis between cancer and pancreatitis is uncertain, or if pain does not respond to conservative treatment. Local complications of chronic pancreatitis are the most frequent indications for operation. Pseudocysts are often associated with other local complications, and a high mortality rate is observed when haemorrhage occurs. Duodenopancreatectomy can be performed with low mortality, and is indicated if malignancy cannot be excluded, or in the patient with medically intractable pain in whom a pancreatico-jejunostomy is technically not feasible.

Chronic Disease↗
PubMed1992

Systematic assessment of massive bleeding of the lower part of the gastrointestinal tract.

A study of 83 patients admitted with massive bleeding in the lower part of the gastrointestinal tract is presented using a diagnostic approach primarily of angiography and colonoscopy with the adjunctive investigations of scintigraphy, small intestine series and computed tomographic scan. The source of bleeding was identified preoperatively in 74 patients. Nine patients had a diagnostic laparotomy and the cause was found in an additional seven. A source was not identified in two patients at exploration and a blind resection was not performed. The two patients have not had recurrent bleeding four and nine years postlaparotomy. The sites of bleeding were colon in 44 patients, small intestine in 24 and the anorectum in 11. Sixty-five patients were treated operatively, two by angiographic embolization and two by endoscopic electrocoagulation. Fourteen patients were managed conservatively. The mortality rate was 10.8 percent and five patients rebled after treatment. We conclude that a thorough systematic assessment of patients with bleeding in the lower part of the gastrointestinal tract is important to localize the site of the hemorrhage. Exploratory laparotomy is the final diagnostic modality, and if a source has not been identified, a blind colonic resection should not be performed.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

César Roux--Swiss pioneer in surgery.

César Roux of Lausanne, Switzerland, typified the pioneers in surgery at the turn of the nineteenth century. He was inspired by his mentor Theodor Kocher of Berne and the surgeons Theodor Billroth and Richard von Volkmann. Although he is best known for the Roux-en-Y loop, the first esophagojejunostomy and the first adrenalectomy are also evidence of his innovative approach to operative surgery. Despite his many contributions and honors he remained a surgeon in the field. His exemplary career is recalled here.

General Surgery↗
PubMed1992

[Indications and results of liver resection].

A liver resection should only be performed after complete investigation of a detected hepatic lesion and represents a choice between other possible treatments. This choice is influenced by the natural history of the lesion and its extension, by its precise intrahepatic localization by the general condition and symptoms of the patient, and by the results expected from therapeutic alternatives. The most usual indications for hepatectomies are discussed.

Follow-Up Studies↗
PubMed1992

[Is surgical bile duct revision in choledocholithiasis still indicated?].

Endoscopic papillotomy with stone extraction is increasingly performed for the management of common bile duct stones either before cholecystectomy or as a sole procedure leaving the gallbladder in situ. We have therefore evaluated the method of operative common duct exploration. 94 cases with bile duct stones treated by cholecystectomy and common bile duct exploration were reviewed. The 30-day mortality was 2.1% with an overall morbidity of 19%. A retained stone was found on postoperative T-tube cholangiography in 6 patients and in all cases was removed percutaneously via the T-tube track. Patients were divided into three age groups (less than or equal to 60, 61-75, greater than 75 years). In each patient various risk factors were recorded. Correlation was made between age, risk factors and patient's morbidity. No correlation was found between age and morbidity. Patients with up to two risk factors had a morbidity of 10%. With three to four risk factors the morbidity increased to 19%, reaching 47% in patients with five and more risk factors. Cholecystectomy with common bile duct exploration is a safe procedure even in the elderly patient. Careful evaluation of risk factors is necessary. Endoscopic papillotomy with or without cholecystectomy should be considered in high risk patients.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

[Continence-preserving proctocolectomy using an ileum-pouch-anal anastomosis].

Between 1985 and 1990 restorative proctocolectomy with ileo-anal anastomosis was performed in 19 patients (in 15 cases for ulcerative colitis, in 2 cases for familial adenomatous polyposis and in 2 cases for multiple synchronous colorectal carcinomas). Restoration of intestinal continuity was performed by ileo-anal J-pouch (j-shaped ileal reservoir) by the method of UTSUNOMIYA. Eleven patients were operated upon in a two-stage procedure and 8 patients in a three-stage procedure. There was no mortality and no pouch had to be removed. Mean bowel frequency is 5-6 times during daytime and 0-once during nighttime, a fact which speaks for the excellent quality of life in these patients.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1991

[The role of surgery in portal hypertension].

Following a historical review of the treatment of portal hypertension, the evaluation of the patient with bleeding esophageal varices is discussed. The aim of preoperative evaluation is to determine the best option for either emergency or elective treatment of bleeding esophageal varices. The most recent medical and surgical randomized studies with meta-analyses are discussed.

Esophageal and Gastric Varices↗
PubMed1991

Combined surgical and interventional radiological approach for complex benign biliary tract obstruction.

In patients with complicated high benign biliary strictures surgical technique alone cannot exclude the possibility of recurrent problems, and hepatic atrophy/hypertrophy, portal hypertension and intrahepatic stones may all complicate surgical management. A multidisciplinary approach to these complex cases, which minimizes the need for repeated surgical interventions, has been pursued. Roux-en-Y hepaticojejunostomy was performed and an extended limb of the jejunum brought to the abdominal wall to allow access for later radiological intervention. Over a 30-month period 58 biliary-enteric anastomoses for benign disease were performed. Seventeen of these 58 patients were managed using the combined approach. Ten of these 17 patients had complex postcholecystectomy strictures and seven had strictures resulting from inflammatory disease, hepatic resection or congenital problems. A new classification of results of management of bile duct strictures is proposed. Seven patients were classified as 'excellent', six 'good', two 'fair' and two 'poor'. Results were obtained at a mean follow-up of 16 months and it seems likely that in some patients major surgical reinterventions were avoided.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Experimental evaluation of an endoscopic balloon for manometry of esophageal varices.

Measurement of pressure in esophageal varices may be performed using an endoscopic balloon technique. Improvements in this technique are described, and a complete experimental assessment of its potentials and limitations using an in vitro model consisting of an artificial esophagus containing a water-filled tube (varix) is reported. The influence of the varix diameter (3, 5, and 7 mm) and wall thickness (0.031, 0.144, and 0.256 mm) and the possible effect of the elasticity or peristalsis of the esophageal wall were investigated. Four hundred eighty pressure measurements were performed between 5 and 40 cm H2O. Linear regression analysis showed a good correlation between the pressure in the varix and that measured endoscopically (r greater than 0.9). No obvious measurement bias was found for any of the varices. Variability in pressure measurement was low in all thin-walled varices, and only in a 3-mm thick-walled varix was it found to be high [lower limit, -11.2 (1.4) cm H2O; upper limit, 6.4 (1.4) cm H2O]. Pressure measurement in a 7-mm varix was not affected by simulated peristalsis or esophageal wall elasticity. Intraobserver and interobserver reliability of measurement assessed in a series of 324 pressure measurements by three endoscopists was excellent. The authors conclude that this method may give reliable results in large and medium-sized varices and may be unaffected by peristalsis or esophageal wall elasticity. However, further assessment in vivo remains necessary.

Electronics, Medical↗
PubMed1991

Chronic rejection and extrahepatic biliary tract obstruction 8 years after orthotopic liver transplantation using the gallbladder-conduit technique.

A case of delayed biliary obstruction and cholangitis, occurring in the setting of chronic allograft rejection, 8 years after liver transplantation using the gallbladder-conduit, is presented. Extrahepatic biliary obstruction may be seen in the late follow-up of liver grafting and rejection phenomena may play a significant role in the development of such obstruction.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Biliary stricture following hepatic resection.

Anatomic distortion and displacement of hilar structures due to liver lobe atrophy and hypertrophy occasionally complicates the surgical approach for biliary stricture repair. Benign biliary stricture following hepatic resection deserves special consideration in this regard because the inevitable hypertrophy of the residual liver causes marked rotation and displacement of the hepatic hilum that if not anticipated may render exposure for repair difficult and dangerous. Three patients with biliary stricture after hepatectomy illustrate the influence of hepatic regeneration on attempts at subsequent stricture repair. Following left hepatectomy, hypertrophy of the right and caudate lobes causes an anteromedial rotation and displacement of the portal structures. After right hepatectomy, the rotation is posterolateral, and a thoracoabdominal approach may be necessary for adequate exposure. Radiographs obtained in the standard anteroposterior projection may be deceptive, and lateral views are recommended to aid in operative planning.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Magnetic resonance angiography of abdominal vessels: early experience using the three-dimensional phase-contrast technique.

Based on three-dimensional acquisition of three sequences sensitive to one flow-direction, abdominal magnetic resonance phase-contrast angiography (MRA) was performed in 13 volunteers and 20 patients. The subjects received no antiperistaltic medication and were allowed to breath normally during the three acquisition periods of 11 minutes. The frequency of demonstration of the normal aorta, superior mesenteric and right and left renal arteries was 100%/100%/91%/100%, and of the inferior vena cava, splenic, superior mesenteric and portal veins was 92%/67%/92%/100%, respectively, whereas other abdominal vessels were seen less constantly. In renal artery stenosis or occlusion, MRA detected eight out of nine pathological arteries, missed only a minimal stenosis and was never false positive. In all 10 cases of portal hypertension, MRA demonstrated the venous collaterals detected by conventional angiography and in six cases showed more collaterals, particularly paravertebral vessels. A Budd-Chiari syndrome was investigated as well. If the accuracy of MRA can be proved in larger studies, it may become an important diagnostic tool in evaluating abdominal vascular pathology, such as renal artery stenosis or portal hypertension.

Abdomen↗
PubMed1991

[Orthotopic liver transplantation at the Island Hospital. Initial experiences 1985-1990].

Between 1985 and 1990 22 orthotopic liver transplantations (OLT) were realized in 19 patients. Active infection and diffuse splanchnic venous thrombosis were the only contra-indications to the intervention. Sixteen patients were transplanted electively; three had to be retransplanted urgently. Three patients had an urgent primary transplant. The incidence of surgical complications related to liver implantation was fair. One patient (5%) developed a late portal vein thrombosis; another patient (5%) had to be retransplanted because of hepatic artery thrombosis. All patients presented one or more major postoperative complications. All, but one, patients had a rejection of the allograft; five of them needed treatment with mono- or polyclonal antilymphocytic sera to reverse the rejection. One patient was retransplanted because of a hyperacute rejection. The six-month survival in this series is 68.5% (13 of 18 patients); one patient died 7 months post-OLT due to a neurological complication of her Wilson disease. Quality of life (from 6 to 64 months post-OLT) is excellent in the 12 long-term survivors. This small experience of the Bernese transplantation program shows that liver transplantation is a safe surgical procedure allowing excellent quality of life in a majority of patients.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

[Colorectal cancers: therapy of recurrences and metastases].

Recurrent disease from colorectal carcinomas is common. 25 percent of patients have apparent metastases at the time of first detection of the tumor, and at least 50% of patients die from their tumor. The aim of the postoperative follow-up of patients with carcinoma of the colon and rectum is thus to detect recurrent tumor when cure is still possible. Clinical examination and CEA-measurement is widely recommended as a reliable indicator for recurrence and metastases of colonic cancer. This may be combined with regular coloscopic surveillance for detection of anastomotic recurrences or a second colonic cancer. In case of suspicion of a recurrence or metastasis a full range of examinations should be performed to detect the site of recurrent tumor and to exclude wide spread disease. In case of a circumscribed lesion the patients may benefit from local radical resection. Patients with four or less unilateral liver metastases show a five year disease free survival reported of more than 30% and a disease free survival reported of more than 25%. Unfortunately because of wide spread misunderstanding of the potential of hepatic Rx only about 1/3 of potentially curatively resectable patients with liver metastases finally undergo liver surgery. A more active policy towards patients with colorectal disease concerning surveillance may lead to a better survival in selected cases.

Colorectal Neoplasms↗