The fabulous destiny of surgeons and residents in Belgium: A reflexion on COLLA's Law.
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Belgium↗
Biomedical subjects
T Defechereux
Publications and source records attributed to T Defechereux.
The inferior non recurrent laryngeal nerve: a major surgical risk during thyroidectomy.
It is now widely established that systematic intraoperative location and diligent dissection of the recurrent inferior laryngeal nerve during thyroidectomy are the keystones to assure its anatomic and functional preservation. The possibility of abnormal routes, like a non-recurrent cervical course of the inferior laryngeal nerve is an additional major argument for its systematic identification to avoid surgical damage. In 2517 cervicotomies performed between 1992 and 1997 for at least right thyroid lobe excision or parathyroid glands exploration, 20 cases of non recurrent laryngeal nerve were identified (0.79%). The embryological nature of such a nervous anatomical variation results originally from a vascular disorder, named arteria lusoria in which the fourth right aortic arch is abnormally absorbed, being therefore unable to drag the right recurrent laryngeal nerve down when the heart descends and the neck elongates during embryonic development. The surgeon must be aware of the possibility of a non recurrent laryngeal nerve, which arises directly from the cervical vagus and therefore represents a severe potential pitfall during thyroidectomy. Given the absence of reliable clinical symptoms and signs or investigations indicating preoperatively the possibility of a non recurrent nerve, guidelines are given to prevent intraoperatively this major surgical risk.
Aorta↗
Iatrogenic thyrotoxicosis. Causal circumstances, pathophysiology and principles of treatment. Review of the literature.
Thyrotoxicosis is the clinical syndrome that results when tissues are exposed to high levels of circulating thyroid hormones. In most instances, thyrotoxicosis is due to hyperthyroidism, a term reserved for disorders characterized by overproduction of thyroid hormones by the thyroid gland. Nevertheless, thyrotoxicosis may also result from a variety of conditions other than thyroid hyperfunction. The present report focuses on the etiologies, pathophysiology and treatment of iatrogenic thyrotoxicosis. Iatrogenic thyrotoxicosis may be caused by 1) subacute thyroiditis (a result of lymphocytic infiltration, cellular injury, trauma or radiation) with release of preformed hormones into circulation, 2) excessive ingestion of thyroid hormones ("thyrotoxicosis factitia"), 3) iodine-induced hyperthyroidism (radiological contrast agents, topical antiseptics or other medications). Among these causes of iatrogenic thyrotoxicosis, that induced by the iodine overload and cytotoxicity associated with amiodarone represents a significant challenge. Successful management of amiodarone-induced thyrotoxicosis requires close cooperation between endocrinologists and endocrine surgeons. Surgical treatment may have a leading yet often underestimated role in view of the potential life-threatening severity of this disease, whereas others kinds of iatrogenic thyrotoxicosis are usually treated conservatively.
Amiodarone↗