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Biomedical subjects

A Skarstein

Publications and source records attributed to A Skarstein.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2005

Local resection of rectal tumors by transanal endoscopic microsurgery: experience with the first 70 cases.

BACKGROUND: Transanal endoscopic microsurgery (TEM) can access the whole rectum up to 20 cm from the anal verge. Due to its excellent view and accurate dissection, TEM is useful for the removal of adenoma and selected low risk cancers of the rectum. We report our experience with the first 70 patients presenting. METHODS: A prospective descriptive study of 70 patients treated for rectal tumor with TEM from December 99 until October 2002 at Haukeland University Hospital. RESULTS: TEM was performed in 37 men and 33 women, median age 70.5 (19-90) years, for anticipated adenoma (n = 64), adenocarcinoma (n = 3), rectal ulcer (n = 1), and re-resection after snare resection of rectal polyp with adenocarcinoma (n = 1) and carcinoid tumor (n = 1). The median observation time was 12 (1-33) months. The distance from the anal verge to the lower tumor border was 5.5 (2.5-14) cm. The median resected area was 15.4 (1.5-132) cm(2). 56 of the 64 anticipated adenomas were true adenoma, resected without recurrences; 8 (12.5%) were unexpected adenocarcinoma. Three of these underwent a secondary rectal resection and 5 patients have been observed without recurrence. Of the 3 patients with known adenocarcinoma, there was one recurrence which was treated with a secondary curative rectal resection. CONCLUSIONS: TEM can access tumors in the whole rectum. Large tumors may be removed with low frequency of per- and postoperative complications and short hospital stay. TEM is highly useful for removal of rectal adenoma. A role for primary treatment of selected low-risk rectal cancers may emerge.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed1998

Dieulafoy's vascular malformation: role of endoscopic ultrasonography in therapeutic decision-making.

BACKGROUND: Dieulafoy's vascular malformation may cause severe, potentially life-threatening gastrointestinal bleeding. Endoscopic diagnosis may be difficult because of minute mucosal lesions, and additional intramural abnormalities are usually not encountered. Endoluminal high-frequency ultrasonography is a new modality for imaging intramural and perivisceral structures. METHODS: We report two cases of recurrent severe gastric bleeding in which different endosonographic modalities were used in the diagnosis of Dieulafoy's malformation, and the impact of endosonography on therapeutic strategy is discussed. In the first case a radial-scanning 7.5/12-MHz echoendoscope and a linear 20-MHz miniature probe were applied for B-mode imaging in a stable-state patient who had undergone previous endoscopic sclerotherapy, and arterial flow signals from the small intramural lesion were recorded using a 10-MHz transendoscopic pulsed Doppler probe. In the other case urgent endosonography was performed shortly after a bleeding episode, disclosing an aberrant large-calibre artery entering the gastric wall with a long submucosal branch. RESULTS: Both patients were successfully operated on with a transabdominal approach. CONCLUSION: Endosonography is a quick and safe diagnostic method and should be considered when vascular malformations are suspected as the cause of gastric bleeding.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

Smoking and ulcer perforation.

BACKGROUND: The use of ulcerogenic drugs is the only well documented risk factor for peptic ulcer perforation, but accounts for only a quarter of the events. Smoking is a well known risk factor for uncomplicated ulcer disease, and patients with ulcer bleeding have increased death rates from smoking related disorders. AIM: To assess the role of smoking in ulcer perforation. SUBJECTS: A total of 168 consecutive patients with gastroduodenal ulcer perforation and 4469 control subjects from a population based health survey. METHODS: The association between ulcer perforation and smoking habits was analysed by logistic regression while adjusting for age and sex. RESULTS: Current smoking increased the risk for ulcer perforation 10-fold in the age group 15-74 years (OR 9.7, 95% CI 5.9 to 15.8) and there was a highly significant dose-response relationship (p < 0.001). The results were similar in men (OR 9.3, 95% CI 4.9 to 17) and women (OR 11.6, 95% CI 5.3 to 25), and for gastric (OR 10.5, 95% CI 4.5 to 25) and duodenal (OR 8.6, 95% CI 4.9 to 15.4) ulcer perforation. No increase in risk was found in previous smokers (OR 0.8, 95% CI 0.2 to 2.2). CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that smoking is a causal factor for ulcer perforation and accounts for a major part of ulcer perforations in the population aged less than 75 years.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1996

[High frequency ultrasonography of the gastrointestinal wall].

If an ultrasound probe comes close to the area of interest, high ultrasound frequencies can be applied. Endoscopic ultrasonography is performed by means of echoendoscopes or miniature probes using ultrasound frequencies between 7 and 30 MHz. A high frequency ultrasound image of the normal gastrointestinal wall usually shows five layers corresponding closely to the histological layers of the wall. Corrections have to be made, however, for interface echoes between layers with different acoustic impedances. We describe studies performed with the aim of correlating ultrasound images of the normal and diseased gastrointestinal wall with the histology. Ultrasound images of the normal gastrointestinal wall and pathological changes like ischemia, ulcers, tumours and inflammation are presented.

Gastric Mucosa↗
PubMed1995

Adjuvant tamoxifen for pre- and postmenopausal women with estrogen receptor positive, node positive breast cancer: a randomized study.

370 patients with operable, axillary node positive breast cancer, were randomized to receive tamoxifen (TAM) 20 mg/day for 2 years or no adjuvant hormone therapy. All patients had estrogen receptor (ER) positive (ER > 10 pmol/g) primary tumours. 350 patients, 93 younger than 50 years of age and 257 patients 50 years or older, were evaluable for the study. After a median follow up of 76 months, significantly (p = 0.0001) fewer loco-regional, but not distant (systemic), relapses have been recorded in the TAM group. Overall survival was also improved, but even though the study was designed to give maximum benefit from TAM statistically significant effect of TAM seemed to be limited to patients 50 years of age and older.

Antineoplastic Agents, Hormonal↗
PubMed1994

[Colonoscopy. In investigation, treatment and control of gastrointestinal diseases].

Colonoscopy is the initial examination for patients with manifest or occult rectal bleeding, inflammatory bowel disease and colorectal polyps. In addition to polypectomy, colonoscopy is useful in decompression of adynamic colonileus and laser palliation of intractable tumours. In adenoma patients controls should be limited to high risk patients, i.e. those with large and multiple tubular adenomas, villous adenomas, multiple hyperplastic polyps (> 30), and first degree relatives of patients with colorectal carcinomas. Control after radical surgical treatment of colorectal cancer is offered during the first two years after the operation and to persons younger than 40 years. The efficacy of control programmes for hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer families have to be evaluated in controlled series. Rectosigmoidoscopies could probably replace some total colonoscopies to examine ulcerative colitis patients for cancer, since cancer usually occurs in the distal colon. Complications are rare after diagnostic and therapeutic colonoscopies, but perforation, bleeding and injury to surrounding organs can be experienced.

Colonoscopy↗
PubMed1992

Androgen receptors in operable breast cancer: relation to other steroid hormone receptors, correlations to prognostic factors and predictive value for effect of adjuvant tamoxifen treatment.

Steroid hormone receptors have been evaluated as independent prognostic factors as well as predictive factors for endocrine manipulation in the clinical management of breast cancer. The contribution of each receptor or combinations of different receptors remains controversial. In cytosols from 224 patients with operable breast cancer (stages I & II), estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PgR) and androgen receptor (AR) content have been measured. An improved AR-assay has been used in order to circumvent some of the problems inherent in other methods. In this study, 91.1% of the patients were classified as AR 'positive' (i.e. greater than or equal to 10 pmol/g). The steroid hormone receptors were significantly correlated (P less than 0.001). Taking the median value of AR as cut-off (50.5 pmol/g), a significantly higher incidence (P = 0.004) of node negative patients was found in the group with a lower AR content. In a multivariate analysis the AR category (median value used as cut-off) was shown to be an independent predictor of the likelihood of axillary metastases (P = 0.001). AR category, however, did not reveal any significant prognostic information concerning relapse free survival. A subpopulation of node positive patients with ER positive tumors, have been included in a randomized trial on the role of tamoxifen as an adjuvant treatment compared with no endocrine treatment. In a multivariate analysis, PgR status was shown to be a single independent prognostic factor (P = 0.016) for relapse free survival in patients with a lower AR content (less than median value). The improved AR assay used in the present study may provide a basis for more correct estimation of the AR content in an individual tumor. The present study suggests that AR analysis and the use of a well-chosen cut-off level may add information about tumor biology to increase our understanding of breast cancer biology and treatment.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Palpation of the axillary nodes in breast cancer: what does the surgeon feel?

The findings on routine pre-operative palpation of the axilla in patients with infiltrative breast carcinoma are compared to the results of histological quantitation of the nodal lymphoid tissue and its tumour deposits in 91 consecutive cases in which a standardized axillary dissection had been carried out. The study demonstrates that lymphoid tissue, even when present in large amounts (up to 6 cm2 on histology), is seldom palpable. What the clinician identifies in favourable cases is the tumour deposit itself. When little lymphoid tissue is present very small tumour deposits (0.2 cm2) may be found on palpation, but large deposits (1 cm2) may be missed when surrounded by sufficient lymphoid tissue. These findings go far to explain the well documented unreliability of the nodal findings on axillary palpation in breast cancer.

Axilla↗
PubMed1987

Standardized treatment of colorectal cancer. A prospective study.

304 patients with colorectal adenocarcinoma underwent standardized, aggressive treatment which included wide resection, adjuvant radio- or chemotherapy and management of advanced disease. The mean age of the patients was 68 years; 50% were older than 70 years, and 17% above 80 years. The resectability rate was 86.2%. Overall postoperative mortality was 7.3%, in patients operated on for cure 5.7%, and in patients more than 80 years 16.3%. The highest postoperative mortality was seen following right hemicolectomy and deaths were mainly caused by anastomotic leakage and myocardial infarction. In patients with primarily inoperable rectal cancer treated with irradiation and followed by attempted curative surgery, the estimated 5-year survival was 38%. In patients with operable rectal cancer treated with preoperative irradiation followed by surgery the 5 year survival was 69% as compared to 45% for those treated with surgery only. Adjuvant cytostatic therapy in patients with colonic tumours of Dukes B and C stages did not improve survival.

Adult↗
PubMed1986

Risk of carcinoma following gastric operations for benign disease. A historical cohort study of 3470 patients.

The risk of stomach cancer was analysed in a cohort of 3470 patients who had had gastric surgery for benign disease between 1900 and 1969. In 87 patients (2.2%) stomach-stump cancer was diagnosed in the follow-up period 1970-84. By comparison with the total incidence of stomach cancer in the same region during the same time period, the observed versus expected ratio in the post-surgery group was 2.1 (p less than 0.001) and did not differ between men and women. At 5-10 years postoperative the risk of cancer was no different from that in the total population, whereas after 40-45 years it was 7.3-fold higher. The risk was unrelated to primary diagnosis or type of operation.

Adult↗
PubMed1986

Duodenal duplication--a case with special features.

A duodenal duplication almost as large as the stomach proper was found along the greater curvature of the stomach in a 6-month-old Caucasian girl. There was a wide communication with the proximal part of the duodenum, from which the duplication blood supply originated. The duplication and the stomach shared the serosal lining, but had individual, full thickness walls. The duplication was removed in toto, and the communication with the duodenum was closed by transverse suture. The luminal lining of the duplication consisted of corpus type of gastric mucosa. There was a 1 X 1 cm mucosal ulceration in the region of which respiratory tract elements were found. The condition is interpreted as a duodenal duplication with ectopic gastric mucosa and respiratory tract elements. To our knowledge, the occurrence of respiratory tract elements in an intestinal duplication BELOW the diaphragm is being reported for the first time. It offers a challenging explanation for the ulceration found within this duplication.

Barium Sulfate↗
PubMed1985

Influence of gastric banding on stomach blood supply with or without concurrent splenectomy.

A lethal gastric perforation occurred after a gastric banding procedure, which was complicated with splenectomy. Prompted by this incident, an experimental study was undertaken in which regional blood flow in the stomach was measured in anesthetized cats after gastric banding or splenectomy or both. A fatal course with an extensive ischemic lesion of the stomach near the banding area was seen in all the cats with the combined procedure after 5 to 12 days. Banding alone reduced gastric blood flow within 24 hours, particularly on the greater curvature. Splenectomy also reduced blood flow along the greater curvature within 2 weeks. The combined procedure showed similar flow changes within 24 hours. The implication of these experimental results is that, if the spleen must be removed, the performance of gastric partitioning for morbid obesity should be reconsidered.

Adult↗