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Biomedical subjects

A L Durst

Publications and source records attributed to A L Durst.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Splenic hematoma. A rare complication of colonoscopy.

An extremely rare yet potentially fatal complication of colonoscopy is reported. A 52-year-old female developed a splenic subcapsular hematoma following routine colonoscopy. Conservative treatment was successful. In the English literature, only 14 similar cases have been reported. Treatment of a splenic flexure lesion, previous surgery with splenocolic adhesions, and inflammatory bowel disease increase the risk of such a complication. Increased awareness by surgeons and gastroenterologists should lead to prompt treatment and favorable outcome.

Colonoscopy

Pancreaticogastrostomy after pancreatoduodenectomy. A retrospective study of 28 patients.

OBJECTIVE: To attempt to reduce the frequency and severity of postoperative anastomotic leakage from pancreaticojejunostomy in patients undergoing pancreatoduodenectomy. DESIGN: Retrospective case series. SETTING: Tertiary referral center, department of general surgery, in the 31-month period between April 1, 1993, and November 30, 1995. PATIENTS AND INTERVENTION: Twenty-eight patients underwent pancreatoduodenectomy with pancreaticogastrostomy. Indications for surgery included carcinoma of the pancreas (n = 14), carcinoma of the ampulla of Vater (n = 8), distal cholangiocarcinoma (n = 3), duodenal carcinoma (n = 1), an islet cell tumor (n = 1), and cystadenoma of the pancreas (n = 1). The median patient age was 62 years (range, 34-76 years). The median duration of surgery was 6.75 hours (range, 4-12 hours). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: An anastomotic leak was defined as a recovery of more than 50 mL/d of amylase-rich fluid from the drains (> 3 times the normal plasma levels) on or after the seventh postoperative day. RESULTS: An anastomotic leak that lasted between 7 and 14 days developed in 4 patients (14.3%). A pancreatic leak led to no major morbidity. In all cases, leakage was treated by temporary restriction of oral intake and nasogastric drainage. An intra-abdominal collection did not develop in any of these 4 patients. No patient required another surgical procedure for a pancreatic fistula or abdominal collection. One patient (3.6%) died postoperatively. The median duration of the postoperative hospital stay was 20 days (range, 12-43 days), and all patients were discharged from the hospital after restoration of normal oral feeding. CONCLUSIONS: Pancreaticogastrostomy is a safe method for reconstruction of the pancreatic remnant after pancreatoduodenectomy for periampullary tumors. It results in an acceptable incidence of anastomotic leakage that is easily controlled by conservative measures.

Adult

[Treatment of well-differentiated thyroid cancer].

Well-differentiated thyroid cancer is the most common malignancy of the thyroid gland, yet its optimal management remains controversial. 269 patients with such lesions were operated on, with or without supplementary treatment. It was concluded that young patients with stage I disease can be safely treated by subtotal thyroidectomy. Total thyroidectomy combined with radioactive ablation is indicated in patients with more advanced systemic disease.

Combined Modality Therapy

Malignant neuroepithelioma of the colon.

A rare case of malignant peripheral neuroepithelioma originating from the right colon is presented. The patient underwent right hemicolectomy followed by combination chemotherapy and there has been no evidence of tumour recurrence or metastases during three years of follow up. Emphasis is given to the extremely unusual location of this tumour and the favorable clinical outcome.

Adult

[CA15-3 tumor marker in early detection of breast cancer].

CA15-3 is a tumor marker associated with mammary tumors. Increased levels have been observed in patients with breast cancer, while normal low levels are usually found in women with no evidence of disease. The potential clinical uses of this marker include monitoring of patients with breast cancer, prognosis, and early detection of recurrence. Tumor markers are not usually used for diagnosis, as only in a few patients are elevated levels found. But when high levels of tumor markers are detected at an early stage, it may be of diagnostic value. In this study we describe a patient we believe to be the first in whom the CA15-3 tumor marker indicated breast cancer, while physical examination and the initial mammography were without suspicious findings. We also show sections of formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue stained by the CA15-3 indirect immunoperoxidase method.

Antigens, Tumor-Associated, Carbohydrate

Fat necrosis below musculocutaneous flap mimicking carcinoma of breast.

The increasing rate of breast reconstruction after modified radical mastectomy has led to the adoption of several techniques including transverse rectus abdominis musculocutaneous flap. Although the method creates a life-like breast both in texture and appearance, among other complications resulting from this operation, fat necrosis mimicking carcinoma on mammography clearly is common. We focus on the case history of 1 patient and detail our findings.

Breast Neoplasms

Experimental model of acute appendicitis in the rabbit with determination of leucine amino peptidase (LAP) and acid phosphatase (acid-P) activities in portal blood samples.

The activities of leucine amino peptidase (LAP) and acid phosphatase (Acid-P), conceivable markers of acute appendicitis, were determined in the portal blood of rabbits with acute appendicitis. An experimental model of acute appendicitis was established using No.-O silk ties to block the base of the appendix. The clinical and histopathological picture of acute appendicitis was seen after 12 hr in all the rabbits in the model group (9/9) and in none of the control group. Catheterization of the superior mesenteric vein was performed in rabbits with acute appendicitis, and portal blood samples were taken at 0, 6, and 12 hr for assay of LAP and Acid-P activities. No statistically significant difference between the experimental group and the control group, in the activities of LAP and Acid-P, was found at any time interval. The experimental model of acute appendicitis in the rabbit which is described here is simple and carries a high rate of success. This is probably the first report of using continuous catheterization and repeated sampling of portal blood, for the measurement of enzyme activities, in an experimental model of acute appendicitis. It was concluded that serum LAP and Acid-P activities cannot be used as markers for acute appendicitis.

Acid Phosphatase

[Papillary cystic neoplasm of the pancreas].

Papillary cystic neoplasm of the pancreas, usually found in the tail, is a relatively benign tumor that occurs predominantly in young women. We report a 17-year-old girl admitted for investigation of an abdominal mass found on routine examination. At operation a 12 cm solid mass was found originating from the tail of the pancreas. Distal pancreatectomy was performed and histopathological examination revealed a solid papillary cystic tumor.

Adolescent

[Extracorporeal shock-wave lithotripsy of gallstones].

We performed 16 extracorporeal shock-wave lithotripsies (ESWL) to fragment gallstones in 11 women and 2 men, aged 19 to 57 (mean 41 +/- 10) years, during the past 10 months. Criteria for selection included a history of biliary colic, not more than 3 stones with a total diameter of not more than 30 mm, and a functioning gallbladder. 210 patients were examined, of whom 98 were referred for additional screening by combined ultrasonography and oral cholecystography. This resulted in rejection of another 71 patients due to multiple stones (38%), nonfunctioning gallbladder (22%), calcified stones (12%), stones not visualized in the prone position (9%), excessively large stones (3%) and other reasons (16%). Only 27 patients fulfilled all the criteria. Under epidural or general anesthesia (11 and 2 patients, respectively), we administered 1200-3500 (mean 2250 +/- 750) shock waves at 20-24 KV with the Tripter X1 (Direx, Israel-USA). This is an ultrasound-guided, modular portable, shock-wave generator utilizing underwater high energy spark discharge. Chenodeoxycholic or ursodeoxycholic acid, 10 mg/kg/day, was started 1 week prior to ESWL and continued for 3 months after disappearance of fragments and debris. We encountered skin petechiae in all patients, transient hematuria in 8, mild biliary colic in 1 and a small liver hematoma in 1. To date, 3 patients are free of stones, while in 7 only sludge and tiny fragments are present which we expect to disappear as a result of the litholytic therapy. 3 patients had fragments larger than 5 mm and required a second ESWL. Thus ESWL, which was indicated in only 13% of screened patients, proved to be safe and can be expected to be successful in 75% of selected candidates.

Adult

Duodenal epithelial atypia. A specific complication of hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy.

Severe duodenal lesions developed in five patients during hepatic arterial infusion (HAI) employing 5-floxuridine (FUDR) as the basic antineoplastic agent. These lesions comprised ulcerative as well as proliferative processes. Striking structural distortion with cellular pleomorphism of the affected duodenal mucosa were the histological hallmark in all cases. These lesions are a specific complication of HAI chemotherapy and should not be misinterpreted as malignancy.

Adult