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Biomedical subjects

F B Keane

Publications and source records attributed to F B Keane.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Early experiences of laparoscopic cholecystectomy in five Irish hospitals. Irish Laparoscopic Group.

There are many concerns about the widespread introduction of laparoscopic cholecystectomy. The initial experience of five hospitals in introducing laparoscopic cholecystectomy was reviewed. Three hundred and eight patients were operated upon, and the operations were completed laparoscopically in 279 (91 percent). One patient sustained a diathermy injury to the right hepatic duct. There was no mortality and the overall morbidity was 10 percent. Mean postoperative stay was 3.6 days. The participating surgeons considered training workshops to be desirable and felt that trainees should be supervised for at least ten cases. Laparoscopic cholecystectomy can be safely introduced and performed, and it should be considered in all patients undergoing cholecystectomy.

Adolescent

Piezoelectric lithotripsy for gallstones: analysis of results in patients with extended selection.

Extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL) is successful in fragmenting gallstones, but less than 28 per cent of patients with gallstone disease fulfil the conventional criteria for treatment. However, no data exist to substantiate these selection criteria. In this study, the selection criteria were broadened to include patients with radiolucent stones of any size and number, and radio-opaque stones less than 3 cm in diameter. To date; 108 symptomatic patients with gallstones have received treatment. All patients received up to six outpatient sessions of ESWL (6000 shock waves per session) without sedation or analgesia. The dissolution therapy consisted of combined bile salt and terpene administration. The clearance rates were 9 per cent within 2 months, 21 per cent at 2-4 months, 38 per cent at 4-8 months, 60 per cent at 8-12 months, and 78 per cent at 12-18 months. Of patients with a successful outcome only 19 (18 per cent) would have satisfied traditional selection criteria. There have been no significant complications except in one patient who developed mild acute pancreatitis, which settled on conservative treatment, and two patients who developed acute cholecystitis. This study would suggest that the previously accepted selection criteria underestimate the number of patients suitable for gallstone ESWL and dissolution therapy.

Adolescent

A safe new procedure for high-risk patients with symptomatic gallstones.

Cholecystectomy is associated with an appreciable mortality rate in elderly high-risk patients. Patients aged over 60 years with symptomatic gallstones, at high operative risk, underwent cholecystotomy under local anaesthesia through a 3-cm incision. Stones were removed and clearance was demonstrated endoscopically and by tube cholecystography. Catheter drainage was continued for 7 days until a further cholecystogram confirmed clearance. The procedure was attempted in 26 patients with concomitant cardiovascular, respiratory or malignant disease. Successful removal of all gallbladder stones was possible in 24 patients. Four patients had common bile duct stones demonstrated on cholecystography, all of which were successfully treated by endoscopic sphincterotomy. All patients are symptom-free at a mean follow-up of 36 weeks with no recurrent stones on ultrasonography.

Aged

Cystic duct obliteration and gallbladder mucosal destruction: a feasible alternative to cholecystectomy.

'Chemical cholecystectomy' has been proposed as an alternative to removal of the gallbladder. This study assessed cystic duct obliteration using bipolar electrocoagulation (with sham cannulation controls) and gallbladder mucosal treatment with tetracycline (or saline controls) in 29 mongrel dogs. Cystic duct obstruction was assessed by tube cholecystography at day 14, and epithelial damage by histology at day 42. Electrocoagulation by duct diathermy effectively occluded the cystic duct in 14 of 19 animals; however, this was associated with mucocele formation unless mucosal treatment with tetracycline was also performed. Immediate instillation of tetracycline after duct electrocoagulation produced only partial epithelial damage. The combination of duct electrocoagulation and delayed tetracycline instillation at 14 days produced complete destruction of all gallbladder epithelium and an effective chemical cholecystectomy.

Animals

Combined ultrasound-guided extracorporeal shockwave lithotripsy and MTBE instillation in the treatment of common bile duct stones.

We report on our initial experience in the treatment of 4 patients with common bile duct stones with extracorporeal shockwave lithotripsy, either alone or in combination with methyl-tert-butyl ether. In four patients, common bile duct stones were successfully fragmented employing a second-generation ultrasound-guided piezoelectric lithotripter (EDAP LT-01). In two of these patients direct application of methyl-tert-butyl ether to the gallstone was utilized to assist in dissolution. There was no mortality or morbidity attributable to either treatment modality. In this first report of this combination of treatments we conclude that ESWL probably has a complementary role to play in the management of patients with common bile duct stones.

Adult

Cholecystectomy is safer without drainage: the results of a prospective, randomized clinical trial.

Drainage after cholecystectomy remains routine despite the lack of scientific supportive data. Numerous clinical studies in the past have attempted to address this controversy but have failed to resolve the issue for different reasons. These include retrospective design, inclusion of only selected cases, and randomization before surgery. In this study 479 patients undergoing cholecystectomy were randomly allocated to a drainage group (a high-pressure suction drain in Morison's pouch for 48 hours) or a nondrainage group. Randomization was performed at the time of peritoneal closure. All patients undergoing cholecystectomy, both elective and urgent, were included and the operations were performed by all grades of surgeons. There were two deaths from cardiopulmonary causes, both in the drainage group. No patient required reoperation in either group. The incidence of both wound infections (15 vs 5; p less than 0.05) and chest infections (56 vs 19, p less than 0.02) was significantly higher in the drainage group. Three hundred fifty-six patients underwent abdominal ultrasonography 72 hours after surgery. The number of subhepatic fluid collections thus detected was significantly higher in the patients who received a drain (17 vs 6, p less than 0.05). None of these collections was clinically significant. The postoperative hospital stay was longer in the patients with drains (10.3 vs 9.1 days), but this difference failed to reach statistical significance. We conclude from this study that the use of a drain after cholecystectomy serves no useful purpose and is potentially harmful. This practice should be abandoned.

Cholecystectomy

Gallstone clearance: a randomized study of extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy and chemical dissolution.

Following extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy it is not known whether gallstone fragments are cleared from the gallbladder without the use of oral dissolution therapy. To assess the efficacy of lithotripsy and dissolution therapy, alone or in combination, 35 patients were randomized to one of three treatment groups: lithotripsy alone, dissolution therapy alone or combined lithotripsy and dissolution therapy. All patients had symptomatic gallstones, functioning gallbladders and comparable stone profiles. Lithotripsy was administered using a piezoelectric lithotripter. Dissolution therapy consisted of combined bile acid and terpene. Clearance was assessed at 6 months using ultrasound and oral cholecystography. Patients with less than 50 per cent stone clearance at the end of 6 months were considered failures. The number of patients with total or partial clearance in the combined group (7/10) was significantly greater than those in the lithotripsy alone group (0/10, P less than 0.002). Gallstone clearance following lithotripsy appears to be dependent upon dissolution therapy.

Adult

Biliary intervention via minicholecystostomy.

Minicholecystostomy was performed in 24 elderly patients, under local anaesthesia. All had symptomatic gallstones removed utilizing endoscopy and fluoroscopy. These procedures were well tolerated, with no significant complications, despite severe coexistent disease. One patient has had recurrent problems due to gallstones and one has died from disseminated malignancy. The remaining 22 are well and symptom-free. This combined surgical and radiological approach is a useful alternative procedure for patients with gallstones who are a poor risk for general anaesthesia.

Aged

Piezoelectric lithotripsy and soft tissue injury. Safety limits in the experimental and clinical setting.

Controversy surrounds the capacity of extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy to cause soft tissue injury. This study examines the influence of different dosages of shock waves on the gall bladder in both humans and an animal model. Sixty one guinea pigs were divided into groups and subjected to different numbers of shock waves (6,000, 24,000, and 48,000) at different frequencies (2.5, 5.0, 10, 20 shock waves per second) and sacrificed at different intervals. Soft tissue damage after lithotripsy seemed to be related to the number of shock waves administered. In addition, repeated administration of low dose lithotripsy (at weekly intervals for six weeks) did not seem to produce a cumulative injury. Finally, in the animals sacrificed one month after receiving high dose lithotripsy, no soft tissue damage was evident, indicating satisfactory healing. Thirty patients were subjected to either high dose (36,000 shock waves) or low dose (6,000 shock waves) lithotripsy 24 hours before elective cholecystectomy. Both macroscopic and microscopic evidence of soft tissue injury were detected in a significantly higher percentage of patients who received a high dose in a single treatment (p less than 0.05). The group who received repeated low dose lithotripsy showed no evidence of cumulative injury. We conclude that low dose lithotripsy produces minimal soft tissue injury and is safe when repeated up to six times at weekly intervals.

Animals