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Biomedical subjects

R Lombardo

Publications and source records attributed to R Lombardo.

34 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1990

Effects of plasma exchange (PE) in primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC). A pilot study.

Six patients were studied to evaluate the efficacy and safety of plasma exchange (PE) in the treatment of primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC). All patients were affected by PBC at stage III-IV and presented symptoms refractory to pharmacologic therapy. Patients underwent PE for a mean period of 40 weeks (range 10-88). A mean of 33 liters (range 17-64) of plasma per patients was removed. Patients reported less fatigue (4/6), pruritus (5/5), nausea (3/3), Sjogren's syndrome (2/6), and painful neuropathy (2/3). A reduction of xanthomata was noted in one of the three affected patients. Definitive improvement was seen in the patient with Raynaud's phenomenon. A significant reduction was noted for serum cholesterol and gammaglobulins. ALT, AST, gamma-GT, alkaline phosphatase, bilirubin, prothrombin activity, AMA titers were not affected by PE. All patients suffered some mild adverse effects during PE. Two patients (IV stage) developed late edema and ascites after 34 and 44 weeks of treatment. We conclude that PE can be considered effective chronic treatment for advanced symptomatic PBC refractory to pharmacological therapy.

Aged↗
PubMed1984

Plasma exchange in myasthenia gravis.

Results obtained with P.E. therapy on 19 myasthenic patients are reported. 15 of them improved during treatment and 4 remained unchanged. We believe P.E. is an useful therapy in M.G. because it produces a rapid improvement in most patients.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1984

Plasma exchange in radiculopolyneuropathies.

The AA. report the results obtained with Plasma Exchange (P.E.) therapy on 24 cases of polyradiculoneuritis; eleven patients had typical Guillain-Barré Syndrome (G.B.S.) ten suffered from a chronic progressive form and three were affected by a relapsing form. The acute patients were selected according to criteria established by the NNCDS Committee (1978) while guidelines laid down by Pineas & Load (1978) were followed in choosing chronic cases. Patients with G.B.S. had four sessions of P.E. at intervals of one or two days while those with chronic forms of polyradiculoneuritis had a total of 6 sessions spaced one to three days apart. P.E. produced no apparent change in chronic progressive patients but two out of three cases with the chronic relapsing form showed rapid and steady improvement resulting in complete cure within a few months. Nine of the eleven G.B.S. patients showed after only one or two sessions a clear and rapid improvement which led to a complete cure within a matter of weeks. The remaining 2 cases showed only partial improvement at first and remained stationary thereafter. The findings confirm the usefulness of P.E. in acute and chronic relapsing radiculopolyneuritis. However, potential side effects and the procedure's high cost suggest that its use should be limited to carefully selected cases, and in particular to those involving respiratory disorders.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1975

Endogenous ethanol production and hepatic disease following jejunoileal bypass for morbid obesity.

In this study, we sought to determine whether or not elevated levels of ethanol were present in the systemic circulation, resulting from endogenous ethanol production, which might contribute to the hepatic damage following jejunoileal bypass for morbid obesity. Venous serum samples for assay of ethanol by gas-liquid chromatography were obtained in 8 normal subjects, 9 obese patients prior to surgery, 20 obese patients 2 weeks to 40 months after jejunoileal bypass, and in 2 dogs before and after jejunoileal bypass. Ethanol was detected after jejunoileal bypass in only 7 of the 20 patients and in the 2 dogs. Serum ethanol concentrations ranged from 0.15 to 4.12 mg/100 ml with a mean of 1.18 +/- 1.59 (SD)( mg/100 ml in the 7 patients and ranged from 0.20 to 2.23 mg/100 ml in the dogs. Incubation of the contents of the bypassed intestine of a dog with dextrose resulted in the production of significant amounts of ethanol. However, there was no correlation between the presence of ethanol in the serum and liver histology, when liver biopsy was obtained, postoperatively. Since ethanol was detected in the serum in only small concentrations and in only one-third of the patients, it is unlikely that ethanol production by bacteria in the intestine is of significance in the pathogenesis of liver disease following jejunoileal bypass.

Acetone↗
PubMedDate not supplied

A new alternative technique to preserve native flow, for continuous hepatic artery chemotherapy, in presence of a right hepatic artery arising from superior mesenteric artery.

A new alternative technique for regional perfusion chemotherapy in the presence of a right hepatic artery arising from the superior mesenteric artery is described. The cystic artery branch of the right hepatic artery and the gastroduodenal artery can be used to place two catheters and thus apply two implantable systems. This risk-free, straightforward technique preserves native flow and achieves homogeneous distribution of the chemotherapeutic agent.

Antineoplastic Agents↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Totally implantable venous access device inserted during major abdominal operations for cancer. A new technique.

Totally implantable venous access devices are usually implanted by surgical cut-down technique or by percutaneous approach, after a first surgical procedure. The authors describe a new surgical approach utilizing the right gonadal vein or the vena cava for totally implantable venous access device placement in patients submitted to major digestive surgical procedures for tumors. This new surgical approach allows one to avoid a second operative procedure.

Antineoplastic Agents↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Multimodal therapy of hepatocarcinoma: personal experience on 90 cases.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: In recent years, surgical and non-surgical options have been developed in the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma in cirrhotic patients. We review our personal series from 1995-1999, in order to assess the choice of treatment. METHODOLOGY: Of 90 cases of hepatocellular carcinoma observed in the years 1995-1999, 15 underwent curative resective surgery; in 42 cases TAE, PEI or RITA were utilized (9 of them as multimodal therapy). In the remaining 33 patients any kind of therapy was scheduled. RESULTS: The mean survival of the 15 resected patients was 18 months, non-statistically better than RITA survival, compared by Log-Rank test. Perioperative mortality calculated in all procedures was 5.2% (2 pts surgery, 1 pt TAE). CONCLUSIONS: The high percentage of not treated hepatocellular carcinomas in our series is generally due to large tumor size diagnosed in advanced Child's stage. PEI, TAE and RITA have to be considered effective and safe for palliation for HCCs. However, surgical resection represents the curative therapy in selected cirrhotic patients affected by HCC.

Aged↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Assessment of patient's comfort and functioning of a totally implantable venous system placed in the safenous vein].

BACKGROUND: When venous system of superior vena cava is not useful or when chest wall is not utilizable to place a reservoir, saphenous vein can be utilized for totally implantable venous access device (TIVAD) placement. Aim of this work is to establish the best location of the reservoir for the function and the comfort of the patient. PATIENTS AND METHODS: All the patients submitted to TIVAD placement from January 1995 to October 2004 at the Department of Surgical Science, Organs Transplantations and Advanced Technologies of University of Catania have been considered to the present study. Age, sex, kind of disease, surgical procedure, early and late complications, function of the system and comfort to the patients in relation to the different site of reservoir placement have been studied. RESULTS: 447 TIVAD have been implanted in 258 males and 189 females aged from 31 to 79 years in the period considered for the study. Solid tumors represent the majority of the indications and all the TIVAD have been implanted by surgical cutdown to avoid all the early complications related to the percutaneous approach. Two patients received their TIVAD using saphenous vein by surgical cut-down, and no early complications have been recorded. The reservoirs have been placed respectively: in the chest wall in the first patient; and in the anterior wall of the abdomen, close to the anterosuperior iliac crest, firstly and later in the anterolateral face of the thigh in the second one. The first patient had non complications instead the second one referred discomfort with both reservoir locations. CONCLUSIONS: For the comfort of the patient related to the reservoir position in case of saphenous vein utilization chest wall should represent the best studies are required to validate the appropriate reservoir location.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Atherosclerotic aneurysm of the subclavian artery.

Aneurysm of the subclavian artery is unusual and may have several causes. Cases of atherosclerotic origin have been very uncommon, specially if the aneurysm involves normal subclavian arteries. The authors report a case with these characteristics: a 62-year-old female had noted a tumor in the right supraclavicular fossa for thirty years. Angiographically, it proved to be an aneurysm. She was operated on, and a Dacron tubular prosthesis of 6 mm was implanted. The anatomo-pathologic study of the aneurysm showed typical atherosclerotic changes.

Aneurysm↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Cancer of the extrahepatic bile ducts. Clinical experience and anatomic/surgical considerations].

Cancer of the extrahepatic biliary tract is a rare disease related to a severe prognosis. The resection of the extrahepatic biliary tract is a complex procedure and the preoperative assessment of resectability is made difficult because of the malignancies. Biliary cancer resection can be curative in some patients but in some cases a liver resection has also to be performed. The authors retrospectively analyzed their recent cases closely examining some anatomical and technical aspects of biliary cancer resection. Eight patients were treated, three had distal cancer, two a central and three a proximal one (Klatskin tumor). In seven patients (87%) the cancer had spread to the liver. In one patient there was a favourable anatomical variation. All eight patients underwent laparotomy and in two (25%) the biliary cancer could be resected but curatively only in one case. Six patients underwent palliative procedures with a maximal survival of 8 months. The only curatively resected patient is well, without recurrence, 13 months after surgery. These results are similar to those reported concerning resectability and survival but a higher rate of liver metastases strongly reduced the amount of possibly curative resections. The experience shows the importance of laparotomy and of the knowledge of anatomy for a correct approach to resection and palliation of this cancer.

Aged↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Acute pre-hepatic portal thrombosis: diagnosis and therapy].

Portal vein thrombosis is a rare pathology. The etiopathogenetic causes that most frequently lead to this pathology are myeloproliferative syndromes. The authors present a case of acute pre-hepatic portal vein thrombosis and discuss its etiopathogenesis, diagnosis and therapy.

Acute Disease↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Advantages of reabsorbable intradermal sutures in general surgery. Experience on 201 sutures].

Surgical wound suture is often considered of minor importance compared to the whole surgical operation. The aesthetical result of a wound suture is still hardly considered in general surgical practice compared to other "traditional" wound sutures. The Authors carried a prospective study an 201 intradermal absorbable sutures in clean general surgery. The results clearly show that with a limited increase of the mean operation time of 90 seconds, for a 10 cm suture, there are such positive clinical, and aesthetical results that it is advisable to use routinely this type of suture in elective clean surgery.

Absorption↗