A simplified thoracoscopic technique in performing pleurectomy for spontaneous and recurrent pneumothorax.
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Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to A Flamme.
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Patients with one internal carotid artery occlusion and a contralateral stenosis run a significantly higher risk of stroke. We performed endarterectomy of the stenotic carotid in 44 such patients and followed them for mean 54 months (range 1-172 months). Early mortality was 2%. Life-table analysis shows that the incidence of a new stroke was 0.6% per year, the survival rate was 78% after three years, and 70% after five years. We conclude that carotid endarterectomy can be safely performed in patients with contralateral internal carotid artery occlusion and can significantly improve the long-term prognosis of these patients.
In 17 Belgian surgical centers, 324 operations have been performed for acute cholecystitis in patients 80 years of age or older. In this group of patients: 1. The incidence of acute cholecystitis is hardly higher in women than in men. 2. The patients were operated within 24 hours of admission in 38% of cases. The main bile duct was surgically explored in 1/3 of patients. Cholecystostomy or simple drainage were used in 1/10 of cases only. 3. Operative mortality was 19%. It was higher for patients operated as emergencies than for delayed operations and higher also when the cholecystectomy was associated with an exploration of the bile duct. The ideal treatment for such patients should thus be a cholecystectomy with an endoscopic sphincterotomy.
Presentation of the results of a national, multicentric and retrospective study regarding the surgery of the octogenarian. The series counts 7,407 patients accepted for surgery, and which can be divided into 4,581 women (61.8%) and 2,826 men (38.2%) of an average age of 84.4 years old (extremities 80-101 years old). The global mortality of this population of elderly (whether operated on or not) amounts to 16.7%. The postoperative mortality of the 4,177 operated patients is 18.2% with different rates according to the surgical disciplines: 34.7% for surgery of the colon, 23.2% for bone surgery, 22.4% for vascular surgery, 15.3% for biliary surgery, 8.7% for urologic surgery and 5.6% for cardiac surgery.
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Thirteen centres, specialized in pacemakers and studying the implantation, brought together their material. Consequently, 785 patients living with a pacemaker (PM) were grouped. The average age at the time of the first implantation is 83,5 years old. The mortality of 7.5% as well as the morbidity of 16% lie very low. Nevertheless, their causes are discussed and compared to those resulting from other types of surgical pathologies on the octogenarian. It seems that the implantation of a PM, even on a person of 80 or older, is an efficient therapeutic gesture, benign and capable of normalizing the chances and quality of life on a long term basis.
This report concerns a joint study of fourteen centres about the treatment of arterial occlusion of the low extremity. Eight hundred and two patients older than 80 years have been studied during a period from 1 to 27 years. The operative mortality was 25.2%. There was no significant difference in mortality between emergency cases and those patients who were operated under elective conditions. Leg amputations are followed by a significant higher mortality than more conservative surgery such as arterial by-pass, sympathectomy or embolectomy. The most frequent cause of death was from cardiopulmonar origin (57%). The postoperative morbidity of cardiac, pulmonary, urinary or infectious origin was frequent (50%). Surgical complications in the true sence of the word are quite rare and their frequency is limited to 7%. The conclusion of this study is that conservative surgery such as reascularisation or sympathectomy is, whenever possible, to be preferred over amputation not only because of their lower mortality (13 to 19%) but also since they permit better revalidation of these elderly patients.
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The Kaunitz' procedure in the surgical treatment of gastroesophageal reflux associated with a hiatal hernia. In patients with pathological gastroesophageal reflux associated with a hiatal hernia, simple repositioning of the lower esophageal sphincter (L.E.S.) without fundoplication can restore the competence of the L.E.S., provided there is adequate mobilisation of the esophagus and fixation to strong tissues. The procedure proposed by Kaunitz consists of a left thoracotomy, with fixation of the gastroesophageal junction to the diaphragm. In the period May 74-May 83 we performed the procedure on 85 patients. There was no operative mortality and a low early complication rate. All but one patient showed a good repositioning on the postoperative barium swallow and improved dramatically, with complete cessation of reflux symptoms. Seventy-eight patients (92,8%) are followed up regularly by means of a standard questionnaire, barium swallow and esophagoscopy. At this stage of the study, with follow-up periods ranging from 6 months to 9 years, 65 patients (83,3%) show an excellent result, six (7,7%) are greatly improved, with disappearance of the preoperatively existing esophagitis, but keep some mild residual reflux symptoms. In one patient repositioning was impossible. Six recurrences were noted, four of them in patients operated during the early period of our experience with the Kaunitz technique. This simple and effective procedure is a valuable alternative in the surgical treatment of pathological gastroesophageal reflux.
In order to augment the vein donation area of arm veins for infrainguinal bypass, we performed an arteriovenous AV fistula prior to the revascularization procedure. This technique was used in 5 patients. The diameter enlargement of the vein obtained by this technique enabled us to construct completely autologous grafts with gratifying results.
Seventy-five consecutive thoracotomies through a lateral axillary thoracotomy incision are reviewed. The limited approach is a muscle-splitting incision with preservation of the Latissimus Dorsi and Pectoralis Major muscles and splitting of the Serratus Anterior muscle. Detailed description of the operative technique is given, and a review of morbidity and mortality is included. We conclude that the lateral axillary incision is a good alternative to the standard postero-lateral approach, as it provides excellent visibility and allows for all pulmonary surgical procedures, with minimal postoperative discomfort.