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Biomedical subjects

D Russello

Publications and source records attributed to D Russello.

45 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

Colorectal surgery: short-term prophylaxis with clindamycin plus aztreonam or gentamicin.

A randomized study was conducted to compare the effectiveness of aztreonam plus clindamycin with that of gentamicin plus clindamycin for prophylaxis of infection following colorectal surgery. A total of 138 patients undergoing elective colorectal surgery were randomized to treatment with clindamycin (600 mg) plus either aztreonam (1 g) or gentamicin (80 mg) 30 minutes before and 8 and 16 hours after surgery. The study included 122 patients (88.4%) with colorectal carcinoma. Samples from the abdominal cavity and from the subcutaneous tissues were taken for bacteriologic study. All samples from the abdominal cavity yielded microorganisms; both aerobic and anaerobic bacteria were isolated. Wound infections occurred in eight patients (12.1%) in the aztreonam group and in 12 patients (16.7%) in the gentamicin group. Escherichia coli, Bacteroides species, enterococci, and staphylococci were isolated most frequently from wounds and were often isolated from bacteriologic samples from the abdominal cavity of the same patients. The incidence of septic complications reflected the extent of nutritional and immunologic impairment. No significant differences were found between groups in the rate of urinary tract or lower respiratory tract infections. Aztreonam/clindamycin appears to be a valid alternative to gentamicin/clindamycin for the prophylaxis of infections following colorectal surgery.

Adult↗

[Ileal endometriosis. A clinical case and a review of the literature].

Ileal localization of intestinal endometriosis is not extremely rare, but there are always problems related to the preoperative diagnosis. Symptoms of intestinal endometriosis offer often problems to the surgeon in the differential diagnosis with many more pregnant illnesses like appendicitis, diverticulitis, inflammatory bowel diseases and abdominal neoplasms. The authors report a case of endometriosis of the ileum clinically mimicking Crohn's disease. Crohn's disease of the ileum is the most frequently reported illness that is considered in the differential diagnosis. The review of the literature shows that a correct preoperative diagnosis of endometriosis of the ileum is very seldom done. All common diagnostic tools are not able to resolve diagnostic doubts. Also during explorative surgery the diagnosis of endometriosis is not easy. The authors conclude that endometriosis of the ileum has to be more often considered as possible cause of common intestinal symptoms mimicking inflammatory bowel disease and that this illness induces to reevaluate the importance for a correct diagnosis of an accurate clinical history.

Adult↗

Totally implantable venous access device inserted during major abdominal operations for cancer. A new technique.

Totally implantable venous access devices are usually implanted by surgical cut-down technique or by percutaneous approach, after a first surgical procedure. The authors describe a new surgical approach utilizing the right gonadal vein or the vena cava for totally implantable venous access device placement in patients submitted to major digestive surgical procedures for tumors. This new surgical approach allows one to avoid a second operative procedure.

Antineoplastic Agents↗

Oesophageal perforation after sclerotherapy. Description of a case.

Surgery is considered mandatory for major oesophageal perforations but the operative risk in cirrhotic patients is very high. The best treatment of these perforations is unknown as these have been always analyzed together with all other kinds of oesophageal perforations. A case is reported of spontaneous healing of severe postsclerosal perforation in an aged cirrhotic patient treated conservatively who otherwise should have been treated surgically. Conclusions are that due to the rarity and the cirrhosis, the common guidelines for the treatment of major esophageal perforations are not to be automatically extended to these perforations as postsclerosal perforation is clinically particular, etiologically and prognostically different than all other oesophageal perforations. Conservative but active treatment is to be tried first also with major postsclerosal oesophageal perforations.

Aged↗

[Difficulties in defining and diagnosing gastroesophageal reflux: practical implications in surgery].

Today, it is difficult to set a correct definition and diagnosis of gastroesophageal reflux disease. The attempt to define it on the basis of "typical" symptoms, like heartburn and regurgitation, or "atypical" symptoms, like chronic cough, asthma, hoarseness and thoracic pain, or on the basis of endoscopic esophagitis presents notable difficulties. Moreover, the problem of a correct definition is tightly tied up to the ability to set a correct and early diagnosis. There are many diagnostics tools, but none of them is the golden standard. Today, the trend is to emphasize the role of the 24-hour pH-monitoring in diagnosing the reflux in those symptomatic patients with no visible esophagitis. However, its limit is to underline only the acid, not the duodenogastric alkaline reflux, which is also very important in the genesis of the inflammatory esophageal lesions. The esophageal manometry, however, evaluates only the mechanical state of the lower esophageal sphincter and the peristaltic function of the esophageal body but does not provide any direct information about the exposure of the esophagus to the gastric juice. The aim of this study is to analyze the problems concerning the definition and the diagnosis of the gastroesophageal reflux disease with particular attention to the practical implications on the common surgical practice, and to review some solutions reported in the literature for the difficult clinical approach to the patient with this pathology.

Gastroesophageal Reflux↗

Chronic liver herniation through a right Bochdalek hernia with acute onset in adulthood.

Congenital right diaphragmatic hernia of Bochdalek rarely occurs in adults and usually is asymptomatic. We report a right Bochdalek hernia with chronic liver herniation and intestinal malrotation in a 55-year old woman who presented with acute intestinal occlusion. The diagnosis required definitive confirmation by CT scan. With impending strangulation, emergency surgery through a thoracoabdominal approach resulted in an easy hernia repair and reduced the technical difficulties due to the intestinal malrotation.

Acute Disease↗

Efficacy and safety of elective laparoscopic cholecystectomy in elderly: a case-controlled comparison with the open approach.

BACKGROUND: Minimally invasive laparoscopic surgery is the method of choice for the surgical treatment of gallbladder disease. However, surgery of the biliary tract in the elderly is often associated with high morbidity and mortality. PATIENTS AND METHOD: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of the laparoscopic cholecystectomy in the elderly with symptomatic, uncomplicated gallbladder disease, we retrospectively compared the records of 24 consecutive patients over 70 years of age with symptomatic uncomplicated gallbladder disease, who underwent elective laparoscopic cholecystectomy, with a similar cohort of patients who underwent elective open cholecystectomy for the same indications. RESULTS: In the laparoscopic group we found a significantly low incidence of postoperative complications, low analgesics and antibiotics administration, rapid recovery, short length of stay and considerable cost savings. CONCLUSION: We conclude that elective laparoscopic cholecystectomy in elderly with uncomplicated gallbladder disease is safe and effective and we suggest that it may become the surgical procedure of choice.

Age Factors↗

[Toxic adenoma of the thyroid gland: personal experience].

The Authors analyzed the thyroid diseases series of the Institute of 1a Clinica Chirurgica of the University of Catania which includes 1022 patients over the last 17 years, reviewing clinical and laboratory tests usually used in a register of diagnosis for autonomous adenomas of the thyroid. The Authors discuss pathogenesis, likely etiology and epidemiology of Plummer's adenoma, taking into consideration the therapy and the complications related to the therapy itself. They conclude stating that the adenoma is a pathology where the surgical operation solves the dismetabolic condition in a lasting way.

Adenoma↗