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Diagnosis and treatment of bowel perforation following pediatric orthotopic liver transplantation.

OBJECTIVE: Bowel perforation is a frequent cause of mortality after pediatric orthotopic liver transplantation. The aims of this study were to identify the cause of this phenomenon and to examine current methods of treatment. DESIGN: This is a retrospective analysis of 246 pediatric patients who underwent orthotopic liver transplantation at a large, urban, tertiary care medical center between 1984 and 1992. We examined the frequency of bowel perforations after transplantation and identified predisposing factors and signs. In this series, bowel perforations occurred in 24 of 246 recipients and were common in those who had previous liver-related surgery (22 patients). Clinical signs included fever (13 patients), leukocytosis (14 patients), and free air on abdominal roentgenograms (11 patients). RESULTS: Perforation occurred at the Roux-en-Y limb in 15 of 24 recipients as well as in the right transverse colon (five patients), terminal ileum (three patients), and duodenum (one patient). The repair was resection and/or primary closure (18 patients), or diversion (six patients). Recurrent perforations (nine patients) could not be attributed to the method of the repair. Perforation-related sepsis was the primary cause of death in 12 patients (50%) and was more common among patients who developed recurrent perforation (seven [78%] of nine patients). CONCLUSIONS: The occurrence and location of bowel perforation after pediatric orthotopic liver transplantation suggests that the cause is related to bowel injury during difficult hepatectomy. Mortality may be reduced by early second-look operations in high-risk patients.

Child↗

Inadvertent perforation during rectal cancer resection in Norway.

BACKGROUND: Inadvertent perforation of the bowel or tumour is a relatively common complication during resection of rectal cancer. The purpose of this study was to examine intraoperative perforation following the introduction of mesorectal excision as a standard surgical technique in Norway. METHODS: This was a prospective national cohort study of 2873 patients undergoing major resection of rectal carcinoma at 54 Norwegian hospitals from November 1993 to December 1999. RESULTS: The overall perforation rate was 8.1 per cent (234 of 2873 patients). In a multivariate analysis, the risk of perforation was significantly greater in patients undergoing abdominoperineal resection (odds ratio (OR) 5.6 (95 per cent confidence interval (c.i.) 3.5 to 8.8)) and in those aged 80 years or more (OR 2.0 (95 per cent c.i. 1.2 to 3.5)). The 5-year local recurrence rate was 28.8 per cent following perforation, compared with 9.9 per cent in patients with no perforation (P<0.001); survival rates were 41.5 and 67.1 per cent respectively (P<0.001). CONCLUSION: The risk of intraoperative perforation was significantly greater in patients with rectal cancer undergoing abdominoperineal resection and in those aged 80 years or more. The high local recurrence rates and reduced survival following perforation call for increased attention to avoid this complication.

Adolescent↗

Analysis of bowel perforation in necrotizing enterocolitis.

The most severe complication of necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is bowel perforation. Identification of neonates at high risk for perforation and optimization of radiologic imaging to identify bowel perforation are necessary to reduce the high mortality rate associated with this catastrophic event. One hundred and fifty-five cases of NEC were seen at our institution during a 5.5-year period. Nineteen (12%) progressed to perforation. A review of surgical findings, autopsy results and radiographs from these patients shows only 63% had radiographic evidence of free air in the peritoneal cavity at the time of perforation. Twenty-one percent had radiographic evidence of ascites but no pneumoperitoneum, and 16% had neither free air nor ascites. Thus purely radiographic criteria for bowel perforation in NEC are imprecise, and paracentesis is mandatory in NEC patients with ascites or clinical findings indicative of peritonitis. Timing of radiographic studies and site of bowel involvement are also important. Seventy-nine percent of perforations occurred by 30 h from confirmation of diagnosis (by clinical or radiographic criteria). Surgery or autopsy revealed involvement of the ileo-cecal region in 89% of cases with the actual site of perforation occurring in this area in 58% of patients.

Enterocolitis, Pseudomembranous↗

Perforated peptic ulcer: main factors of morbidity and mortality.

It is well stated in the literature that medical treatment for peptic ulcer is based on a combination of proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) and antibiotics to eradicate Helicobacter pylori. This treatment is associated with a high rate of immediate success and a low rate of recurrence at 12 months, although it is not effective in all patients. Peptic ulcer (PU) perforation is a serious problem that leads to high complication and mortality rates. Surgical treatment, with its various possibilities, constitutes the ideal treatment. Surgical intervention in these cases, however, can be directed to treating the perforation alone, or it can offer definitive treatment of the ulcer itself. With the hope of establishing why such complications and mortality were seen in the patients in our hospital population, we gathered the facts about PU perforations and the types of surgery performed. We studied 210 consecutive patients (150 men, 60 women) who had undergone surgery at our hospital because of perforation between January 1, 1990 and December 31, 2000. The patients' median age was 53.0 +/- 20.6 years (men 47.7 +/- 17.3 years; women 66.3 +/- 22.0 years). Altogether, 86 patients had significant associated illnesses, 62 were admitted more than 24 hours after the perforation, and 25 were admitted in shock. We performed resections in 10 patients; 88 patients were treated by suturing the perforation with or without a patch of epiploon; and 112 underwent a troncular vagotomy with drainage (VT + Dr). A total of 21 patients died (10%). Significant risk factors that led to complications were identified by statistical studies. They were a perforation that had been present more than 24 hours, the coexistence of significant associated illnesses, and resection surgery. The significant risk factors that led to death were the presence of shock at admission, the coexistence of significant illnesses, and resection surgery. There was no statistically significant difference concerning morbidity and mortality between simple closure of the perforation and definitive surgery (VT + Dr).

Age Distribution↗

Trends in perforated peptic ulcer: incidence, etiology, treatment, and prognosis.

After increasing steeply at the beginning of the twentieth century, ulcer perforation incidence during the last decades has declined in the young and in men, and it has risen among the elderly and in women. These changes can be attributed to a cohort phenomenon: Ulcer perforation risk is particularly common in the cohorts born after the turn of the twentieth century and is less common in previous and succeeding birth cohorts. A decline in total incidence is expected with the death of the high risk cohorts. Most ulcer perforations among subjects < 75 years of age can be attributed to smoking. Subjects with a history of ulcer perforation therefore have poorer long-term survival than the general population, most pronounced for younger generations. About one of four ulcer perforations can be attributed to the use of nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs, a risk factor of particular importance in the elderly. Ulcer perforation was frequently treated by gastric resection in former days, whereas suture, being the first method introduced in 1887, is the method of choice today. The introduction of antibiotics improved the prognosis of ulcer perforation surgery greatly. Postoperative lethality decreased until 1950 but has remained stable since then. Lethality is higher in the elderly and is higher after gastric than after duodenal perforation. The delay before surgical treatment is a strong determinant for lethality, complication rates, and hospital costs. Treatment delay seems to have increased during the last

Age Factors↗

Treatment of esophageal perforation in a referral center in taiwan.

PURPOSE: The high mortality associated with esophageal perforation can be reduced by aggressive surgery and good critical care. We report our experience of treating esophageal perforation in a clinic in Taiwan. METHODS: The subjects were 28 patients who underwent surgery for a benign esophageal perforation. RESULTS: The esophageal perforation was iatrogenic in 11 patients, spontaneous in 8, and caused by foreign body injury in 9. Most (22/28) of the patients were seen longer than 24 h after perforation, and 77% had empyema preoperatively. The perforation was located in the cervical area in 5 patients and in the thoracic esophagus in 23. We performed primary repair in 24 patients, esophagectomy in 3, and drainage in 1. Leakage occurred after primary repair in ten (41%) patients, resulting in one death, and two patients died of other diseases. Postoperative leakage prolonged the hospital stay but had no impact on mortality. Overall survival was 90%. Univariate analysis revealed that age, timing of treatment, and cause and location of the perforation influenced outcome, but multivariate analysis failed to identify a predictor of mortality. CONCLUSIONS: Early diagnosis and intervention are crucial to prevent morbidity and mortality in patients with esophageal perforation. Primary repair is feasible even if the diagnosis is delayed.

Adult↗

Anatomic and clinical correlates of uterine perforation.

We reviewed cases of uterine perforations which occurred at or were referred to the Boston Hospital for Women, Lying-In Division, over the 2 year period from mid-1975 to mid-1977. There were 25 uterine perforations; twenty patients were pregnant and five were not. In the pregnant patients, 16 perforations involved the cervix or the lower uterine segment, whereas only four were located in the uterine fundus; in the nonpregnant patients, all five were fundal perforations. In the pregnant patients, 12 required laparotomy, eight had serious lacerations of the uterine artery, and three had hysterectomy while none of the nonpregnant patients had lacerations or required subsequent procedures. Thus, there is a significant anatomic difference between those perforations which occurred in the pregnant patients and in the nonpregnant patients, the manner in which they presented clinically, and the need for intervention via laparotomy, subsequent morbidity, and outcome as reflected in future reproductive capability. Perforation at or near the cervix may be more common than previously assumed. Furthermore, two distinct clinical entities of cervical perforation exist in pregnant patients as based on the anatomic location of the defect. The anatomy of cervical perforations, their recognition, and their management are discussed.

Adolescent↗

Oesophageal resection after instrumental perforation.

Between 1981 and 1987, 11 patients underwent oesophageal resection following endoscopic perforation of the oesophagus. They had a median age of 67 years with a range of 36 to 88 years. They all were managed either by one- or two-stage oesophageal resections. Six patients were perforated at other hospitals, 5 on site. Seven had carcinoma of the middle or lower third of the oesophagus, 2 of these were perforated at attempted palliative intubation. Four had benign peptic strictures perforated during dilatation. Seven were resected within the first 24 hours and 4 between 2 and 10 days after perforation. All 4 patients with benign disease survived but 4 of the 7 patients with cancer died giving an operative mortality of 36.3%. Respiratory complications were the most common postoperative problem: all deaths were attributed to respiratory failure. Perforation of the thoracic oesophagus carries a high mortality. Resection after perforation in benign strictures may be life saving in a potentially lethal condition but resection after perforation, even in operable cancer, still carries a high mortality.

Adult↗

Perforation of the colon in neonates.

PURPOSE: Gastrointestinal perforation is a catastrophic condition in neonates, especially in premature neonates. Although perforation is commonly observed in the small intestine during the neonatal period, perforation of the colon is a rare condition. This study analyzed the clinical findings and results of perforation of the colon in neonates. METHODS: Between 1989 and 2004, 8 neonates were treated for spontaneous perforation of the colon at our institute. These patients were retrospectively reviewed. RESULTS: Gestational ages ranged from 36 to 41 weeks. Seven patients weighed above 2500 g, whereas one patient weighed 1800 g at birth. Perforations developed within 7 days after birth in 6 patients and before birth in two. Associated bowel diseases included rectosigmoid type of Hirschsprung's disease in two patients, immature ganglia in one, imperforate anus in one, colonic atresia in one, and necrotizing enterocolitis in one. An obvious cause was not identified in the remaining two. Six patients without definite anatomic obstructions, such as imperforate anus or colonic atresia, required evaluations for suspected Hirschsprung's disease. All 8 patients underwent colostomy and recovered from peritonitis. Seven survived, but one died of sudden infant death syndrome. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, perforation of the colon during the neonatal period mostly occurred in term or near-term neonates and carried a good prognosis. During management, it was important to identify Hirschsprung's and its allied disorders as a cause of perforation.

Colonic Diseases↗

Outcome of acutely perforated colorectal cancers: experience of a single district general hospital.

INTRODUCTION: Perforation of colorectal cancer (CRC) is rare and is associated with a significantly high mortality and morbidity. The aim of the current study was to evaluate various factors influencing the outcome in these patients. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A retrospective analysis of 42 patients with perforated CRC between 1999 and 2003 was performed. A number of variables including age, sex, site of perforation, presence of faecal peritonitis, grade of surgeon, presence of metastasis, stage of tumour, type of surgery, ASA grade and CR POSSUM score were analysed for their influence on the outcome in these patients using MS Excel, MS Access and Stata. RESULTS: Of the 42 patients 19 were female and 23 were male. The mean age of the patients was 70.5 (range 44-96yr). Thirty patients had perforation at the tumour, 10 proximal to the tumour, and one distal to the primary tumour. The perforation was localised in 25 patients. However, 17 patients had free perforation with frank faecal peritonitis. Twenty-one patients had resection and anastomosis, 18 patients had resection without restoration of bowel continuity and 3 had palliative colostomy. The in-hospital mortality (within 30d) was 40.5% (n=17) with only 15 patients being alive at the end of 2yr with an overall mortality of 64.3% (n=27). The outcome was not altered by variables such as sex, surgeon's grade, surgical procedure, Dukes' staging or the site of perforation (p>0.5). Univariate analysis showed that advanced age (p<0.01), higher ASA grade (p<0.001), higher CR POSSUM score (p<0.001) and degree of peritonitis (p<0.01) were strongly associated with adverse outcomes. However, in stepwise multivariate logistic regression analysis ASA grade (p=0.01) and CR POSSUM score (p=0.01) were the only significant predictors of in-hospital mortality. CONCLUSION: The outcome of perforated colonic cancer continues to be poor. ASA score and CR POSSUM score are good predictors of the short-term outcome.

Acute Disease↗

Surgical decisions in the management of duodenal perforation complicating endoscopic sphincterotomy.

The management of duodenal perforation associated with endoscopic sphincterotomy is controversial. Despite the fact that many patients recover without surgery, surgical opinion tends to favor immediate operation upon diagnosis since the mortality is high when sepsis is advanced. To refine the criteria for operative management, all duodenal perforations after endoscopic sphincterotomy over a 5-year period were studied. In a series of 464 consecutive endoscopic sphincterotomies, 8 duodenal perforations occurred; additionally, 4 patients with duodenal perforation were referred from elsewhere for management. Six patients were managed initially with nonoperative treatment (group I), and six underwent exploratory surgery upon diagnosis or hospital transfer (group II). One patient in group I was operated on 4 days after diagnosis. Of the seven surgically treated patients, three had repair of the duodenal perforation and drainage of the abscess or phlegmon, but four had no gross inflammation or visible duodenal perforation requiring repair at exploration. The clinical features of abdominal pain with physical signs significantly correlated with operative findings of pus or phlegmon (p < 0.05). Improvement in symptoms within 24 hours is correlated with spontaneous recovery (p < 0.01). Neither the presence of retroperitoneal air nor contrast leak is predictive of the need for surgery, and neither correlated with the size of the perforation. It is concluded that duodenal perforation may be treated successfully without surgery when the symptoms are mild and improve rapidly with medical treatment, but surgery should be undertaken if pain and abdominal signs are prominent, if suppuration is suspected, or if symptoms do not improve after a brief period of nonoperative management.

Abdominal Pain↗

[Perforation and rupture of the oesophagus: treatment and prognosis].

AIM OF THE STUDY: To analyze treatment and prognosis of perforations and ruptures of the oesophagus. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This retrospective study included 40 patients (26 men and 14 women; mean age = 59 +/- 17 years) with a perforation or a rupture of the oesophagus. Seven perforations were cervical: iatrogenic (n = 6) or following ingestion of a foreign body (n = 1). Thirty-three perforations were thoracic: iatrogenic (n = 15), spontaneous rupture (n = 14), following ingestion of foreign body (n = 3) or traumatic (n = 1). All patients with cervical perforations were operated on (suture or drainage). One patient with thoracic perforation died before surgery, 2 underwent non-operative treatment and 30 were operated on. Twenty-eight underwent an oesophageal procedure: suture (n = 13), oesophagectomy (n = 11) or double exclusion (n = 4). Two uderwent surgery without oesophageal procedure (one pleural decortication, and one ablation of a pleural foreign body). RESULTS: The overall mortality rate was 17% (7/40), 21% (3/14) after spontaneous ruptures and 19% (4/21) after iatrogenic perforations (no death for other aetiologies). The mortality rate was 14% (1/7) for cervical lesions and 18% (6/33) for thoracic ones. It was 8% (1/13) after intrathoracic suture, 18% (2/11) after oesophagectomy and 50% (2/4) after double exclusion. CONCLUSION: Iatrogenic perforation and spontaneous rupture had the same poor prognosis. Non-surgical treatment is rarely indicated. oesophagectomy is a good option in case of non suturable oesophagus or delayed operation.

Adult↗

Thoracic esophageal perforations: a decade of experience.

BACKGROUND: Perforation of the thoracic esophagus is a formidable challenge. Treatment and outcome are largely determined by the time to presentation. We reviewed our experience with esophageal perforations to determine the overall mortality and whether the time to presentation should influence management strategy. METHODS: A retrospective chart review was performed on all patients treated for perforation of the thoracic esophagus from 1990 to 2001. There were 26 patients (14 men and 12 women; median age, 62 years; range, 36 to 89 years). Fourteen patients presented within 24 hours (early), and 12 patients presented after 24 hours (delayed). Nine of the 12 patients in the delayed group presented after 72 hours. The causes of the perforations were as follows: instrumentation (19 patients), Boerhaave's syndrome (2 patients), intraoperative injury (1 patient), and other (4 patients). In the early group, 3 patients were treated conservatively, 10 patients underwent primary repair, and 1 patient required esophagectomy for carcinoma. In the delayed group, 3 patients were treated conservatively, 6 underwent successful repair of the perforation, 1 had a T-tube placement through the perforation and eventually required an esophagectomy, and 2 had an esophagectomy as primary surgical treatment. RESULTS: Hospital mortality was 3.8% (1 of 26) and morbidity was 38% (10 of 26). Persistent leaks occurred in 3 patients, 2 after primary repair and 1 after T-tube drainage. All patients selected for conservative management successfully healed their perforation. CONCLUSIONS: Primary repair can be carried out in most cases of thoracic esophageal perforation regardless of time to presentation, with a low mortality rate. A small but carefully selected group of patients may be treated successfully without operation. Esophagectomy should be reserved for patients with carcinoma or extensive necrosis of the esophagus.

Adult↗

Diagnosis and recommended management of esophageal perforation and rupture.

Over the past 47 years (1937 to 1984), a total of 127 patients with esophageal perforation or rupture were evaluated at Duke Medical Center or the Durham Veterans Administration Medical Center. In 13 patients, the diagnosis was established at the time of autopsy and in the remaining 114, the diagnosis was established clinically. The etiology, radiological findings, underlying esophageal disease, time interval between onset of symptoms and therapy, and eventual outcome were evaluated. Patients with anastomotic leaks and those in whom carcinoma resulted in perforation or fistula were excluded. Iatrogenic causes were responsible for 55% of perforations, followed by spontaneous rupture in 15%, foreign body perforation in 14%, and traumatic perforation in 10%. Of the 127 patients, 114 underwent treatment involving primary closure (43%), drainage alone (28%), resection (9%), or nonoperative therapy (20%). The overall mortality among these 114 patients was 21%. Fourteen patients sustained a major complication requiring additional operative intervention. The overall mortality among patients requiring reoperation was 57%. Survival was significantly influenced by a delay in treatment of greater than 24 hours. With the exception of nonoperative therapy, survival was improved for all forms of treatment instituted within 24 hours. Primary closure within 24 hours resulted in the most favorable outcome (92% survival). In addition to early treatment, other factors associated with a favorable outcome included traumatic perforation (100% survival), foreign-body perforations (94% survival), and iatrogenic causes (80% survival). Spontaneous rupture resulted in the lowest survival (37%). The incidence of esophageal perforation has increased dramatically since 1967.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Esophageal Perforation↗

Indomethacin-associated bowel perforations: a study of possible risk factors.

BACKGROUND: The association between indomethacin administration and bowel perforation in premature infants is well known. The goal of this study was to examine possible risk factors for this complication. METHODS: Fifteen cases of indomethacin-associated bowel perforation occurred from 1993 to 1996. All had a birth weight < or = 1,100 g. These patients were compared with a control group of 51 infants who were cared for contemporaneously, had birth weights < or = 1,100 g and received indomethacin. RESULTS: Survival rate in the control group was 96%. For the group with perforations, it was 53%. Two types of perforation were seen, one occurring in the setting of necrotizing enterocolitis, and the other, a simple perforation in an otherwise normal-appearing bowel. For the latter group, the survival rate was 86%, and, when possible, primary repair was the procedure of choice. Use of aminophylline was greater in the control group. Otherwise, there were no significant differences between the two groups in any of the variables observed. However, when the simple perforations were observed separately, these patients had, on average, received indomethacin at a younger age than the controls (P < .05). The clustering of perforation cases from May through August suggests an infectious agent might be involved. CONCLUSIONS: Earlier administration of indomethacin correlates with an increased risk of focal perforation. It is unclear, however, whether the risk factor is the drug itself or the earlier need for it. Aminophylline use was somewhat more in the control group, but this is not likely to reflect a protective role for that drug. The possible involvement of an infectious agent should be considered.

Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal↗

Gastrointestinal perforation and peritonitis in infants and children: experience with 179 cases over ten years.

BACKGROUND: Premature infants continue to have a high mortality after gastrointestinal perforation. This report describes 179 patients with gastrointestinal perforation and peritonitis and compares etiologic factors, mortality, and causes of death in premature infants and older children in an attempt to predict outcome. METHODS: The 113 boys (63.1%) and 66 girls (36.9%) had an age range of newborn (n = 139, 77.6%) to 17 years. Site of perforation was gastric in 16, duodenal in 9, small bowel in 105, colon in 37, and undesignated in 12. Eighteen had multiple perforations. Etiologic factors in newborns (younger than 2 months) included necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) (75, 41.9%), isolated ileal perforations (30, 21.5%), malrotation/volvulus (8), iatrogenic causes (5), and others (6). Gestational age was 29.6 +/- 4.3 weeks for NEC versus 31.4 +/- 5.4 weeks for non-NEC. Birth weight for patients with NEC was 1.45 +/- 0.8 gm and 1.81 +/- 1.0 gm for non-NEC babies. Etiologic factors in 33 older children (older than 2 months to 17 years) were trauma (10), Meckel's diverticulum (4), intussusception (2), pseudomembranous colitis (2), adhesions (2), stomal leak (2), others (4), and nondesignated (7). Gastric perforations (n = 16) were iatrogenic in 7, idiopathic in 5, and caused by an ulcer in 4. RESULTS: Mortality for NEC was 36 of 75 (48%), 15 of 55 (27.2%) for non-NEC infants (p < 0.05 versus NEC), 15.1% (5 of 33) for older children (p < 0.05 versus NEC), and 4 of 16 (25%) for gastric perforation. Infant deaths were related to overwhelming sepsis, immaturity of systems, and multiorgan failure. Deaths for older children were a result of sepsis, multiorgan failure, and immunodeficiency. CONCLUSIONS: Gastrointestinal perforation is more common in premature infants with the highest mortality (48%) noted in NEC. Despite surgical intervention and advances in neonatal intensive care unit care, premature low birth weight infants (especially NEC) continue to have a high mortality.

Adolescent↗

Do perforated duodenal ulcers need an acid-decreasing surgical procedure now that omeprazole is available?

If a chronic duodenal ulcer perforates, the choice of operation will depend on the patient's condition. Preoperative shock, concurrent medical diseases, severe generalized peritonitis, or the presence of an intra-abdominal abscess are contraindications to a definitive ulcer operation; hence, simple closure or omental patch closure is performed. Omeprazole can then be used to heal the ulcer in the early postoperative period, with long-term H2-blocker therapy to follow. The patient without a contraindication to a definitive operation should have a proximal gastric vagotomy in addition to an omental patch closure of the perforation. The addition of this procedure does not change the operative mortality rate in properly selected patients, does not cause the gastrointestinal sequelae associated with truncal vagotomy and pyloroplasty or resection, and has a low rate of recurrent ulcer in experienced hands. The presence of a synchronous posterior "kissing" duodenal ulcer would prompt some to choose a vagotomy and pyloroplasty in preference to a proximal gastric vagotomy. The appropriate operation to perform after perforation of an acute duodenal ulcer in a patient with any of the contraindications listed above is simple closure or omental patch closure. In the stable nonseptic patient, the choice is not as clear. Boey and associates noted cumulative recurrent ulcer rates of 37% and 31% at 3 years in separate studies in which omental patch closure was used for perforated acute duodenal ulcers. This may reflect the asymptomatic nature of chronic duodenal ulcers in some patients prior to perforation, the failure of the surgeon to recognize the extent of periduodenal scarring at operation, or differences in the length of postperforation follow-up in series reporting perforations of acute or chronic ulcers. Jordan has suggested that all stable patients with perforated duodenal ulcers should undergo a proximal gastric vagotomy in addition to omental patch closure. In his hands, the addition of proximal gastric vagotomy has an operative mortality rate of 0 to 1%, a recurrent ulcer rate of 3% to 5%, and no adverse postoperative sequelae. He has noted that "this operation gives protection from further ulcer disease to those who need it and will produce no harm to the unidentifiable patients that might not have benefited from definitive surgery." Boey and Wong suggested that omental patch closure is indicated for "acute ulcers associated with drug ingestion or acute stress" in addition to those that occur in patients who are considered to be poor risk, while proximal gastric vagotomy should be added in the remaining patients with perforations of acute ulcers.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Duodenal Ulcer↗

Paper patching for chronic tympanic membrane perforations.

OBJECTIVE: This study was designed to evaluate the results of paper-patch myringoplasty in patients with chronic perforations of the tympanic membrane of different sizes. STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING: A retrospective survey of paper-patch myringoplasties performed in a tertiary referral academic medical center on 77 patients with chronic perforations of the eardrum was carried out. Data consisted of the causes of the perforations, time the perforations had been present, their size, number of patch applications, duration of application, and number of successfully closed perforations. RESULTS: Closure rate was 63.2%, 43.5%, and 12.5% for small, medium, and large perforations, respectively. Small perforations needed the least number of repeated applications and the least time for closure. CONCLUSIONS AND SIGNIFICANCE: Paper patching is technically simple, time saving, safe to perform, cost effective, and suitable as an outpatient procedure and has a good success rate, It should be tried in perforations smaller than 5 mm before a patient is referred for surgery.

Adolescent↗