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Biomedical subjects

F Bassi

Publications and source records attributed to F Bassi.

88 records · Page 5Linked to original sources
PubMedDate not supplied

Comparison of marginal fit of 3 different metal-ceramic systems: an in vitro study.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to compare the marginal adaptation of metal-ceramic crowns made with 3 different metal substructures. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Seventy-five gypsum dies were fabricated from a master steel die. They were randomly divided into 3 groups of 25 dies each. A metal coping was prepared on each die using a different technique for each group: composite alloy, electroforming, and cast high-noble alloy. Ceramic was baked on all of the samples following the same protocol and simulating the shape and size of a maxillary central incisor. All specimens were evaluated under a stereomicroscope at 200x magnification. The marginal gap was measured at 8 different points on each specimen before and after ceramic application and also on the master steel die. A total of 3,600 measurements was evaluated. The results were statistically elaborated by means of a t test and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). RESULTS: The ANOVA revealed a significant difference in mean marginal gap before and after ceramic application within each group. Electroforming (mean 32 microns) and high-noble alloy (mean 31 microns) showed better marginal fit after ceramic application and on the master steel die compared to composite alloy (mean 68 microns; P < 0.0001). CONCLUSION: Marginal gaps are influenced by the application of ceramic and by the alloy used for the substructure, and the values obtained were within the limits of clinical acceptability (70 microns).

Analysis of Variance↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Norepinephrine can be useful for the treatment of right ventricular failure combined with acute pulmonary hypertension and systemic hypotension. A case report.

A 48-year-old woman who underwent emergency cardiac surgery for removal of a thrombus partially occluding the mitral valve, developed pulmonary hypertension right ventricular failure and systemic hypotension, in the immediate postoperative period, a clinical condition not well controlled by high doses of epinephrine and dobutamine. The addition of a continuous infusion of norepinephrine in incremental dosages, caused the rise in cardiac index accompanied before by the reduction in the pulmonary pressure and the stability in the systemic pressure, than by the further reduction in the pulmonary pressure and the increase in the systemic pressure. The conclusion is drawn that norepinephrine is useful in the treatment of right ventricular failure which follows a condition of acute pulmonary hypertension, because the improvement of cardiac performance established without adverse effects on the pulmonary pressures whose values on the contrary progressively declined.

Adrenergic alpha-Agonists↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Diagnostic dilemmas in biliary strictures mimicking cholangiocarcinoma.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Bile duct strictures may be malignant or benign. In the absence of previous biliary surgery a precise preoperative diagnosis is often difficult, in particular when a tumor mass is absent in the preoperative radiologic findings. METHODOLOGY: A review of 179 patients observed between 1982 and 2001 by the same surgical team with a preoperative diagnosis of malignant stricture of the biliary tree. A surgical procedure was performed in 153 of these cases. RESULTS: The presence of a malignant stricture was confirmed by final pathologic examination in 32 of 38 cases (96%) in which a curative resection was performed. A final diagnosis of inflammatory stricture secondary to choledocholithiasis was made in 3 of the remaining 6 cases (4%), along with one case each of sclerosing cholangitis, granular cell tumor and Mirizzi's syndrome, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Precise preoperative evaluation of biliary structures can be very difficult when a tumor mass is absent. Despite the use of invasive procedures and new techniques such as magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography, a false-positive rate of 4% may be expected. However, whenever a malignancy is not definitely excluded, biliary strictures should be treated as a cholangiocarcinoma.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[The extent of mandibular bone resorption in edentulous subjects in relation to their psychological profile].

The resorption of edentulous alveolar crests has been correlated to a variety of factors which may be briefly summarised as anatomic, metabolic, functional and prosthetic factors. With regard to functional factors, some researchers have found that some psychological aspects in edentulous subjects may be indicative of a parafunctional damaging habit leading to consequent alterations of the physical characteristics of forces applied to the bone. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether alveolar crest resorption in edentulous subjects was correlated to aspects of their psychological status, such as trait anxiety and the presence of psychosomatic symptoms. A group of 70 totally edentulous subjects were examined and trait anxiety and the presence of psychosomatic symptoms were evaluated. The orthopantomographies of the 70 subjects were then analysed in order to assess the degree of edentulous crest resorption. The present study showed the absence of statistically significant correlations between edentulous crest resorption and trait anxiety and between edentulous crest resorption and the presence of psychosomatic symptoms. These results appear to indicate that "anxious" subjects might not have parafunctional habits or that the latter play a minor role in the process of edentulous mandibular crest resorption.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[The effect of mandibular bone density assessed by orthopantomography on the bone resorption of the alveolar crests].

The present study aimed to determine the value of orthopantomography in evaluating mandibular bone density in edentulous subjects; the authors proposed to correlate bone density evaluated using this methods with residual ridge resorption, age, and time of edentulism in the subjects in question. Bone density was evaluated from panoramic X-rays in 70 completely edentulous subjects through the observation of characteristics of bone trabeculae in a constant site for all 70 OPT, in correspondence with the horizontal blade of the jawbone, and through the subdivision of panoramic X-rays into three classes according to the greater or lesser compactness of the trabeculae of the cancellous bone. The resorption of residual ridges was assessed from OPT using Wical and Swoope's method. Correlations between bone density and residual ridge resorption, expressed in both mm and %, was statistical not significant. Correlations between the age of subjects examined and bone density, and between time of edentulism and bone density were also statistically not significant. The results obtained however appear to have been influenced by the non-reliability of data provided by OPT and draw attention to the need, in fully edentulous subjects, when programming, for example, osseointegrated implants, to study the quality of mandibular bone using more accurate and precise methods.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[The 3rd national workshop on defecography: the functional radiology of (neo) rectal ampullae (ileal reservoir, colo-anal anastomosis, continent perineal colostomy)].

A survey was made in 13 Italian centers with a questionnaire concerning the (a) indications, (b) postoperative complications, (c) functional results and (d) diagnostic imaging modalities related to the making of an ileal or colonic (neo) rectum. Ulcerative colitis (100%), familial polyposis (61.5%) and Crohn's disease (15.3%) were the most common indications for an ileal pouch; rectal cancer (7.96%), chronic inflammatory diseases (15.3%), diverticulosis, rectal prolapse, redundant colon and imperforate anus (7.6% each) were the most common indications for a colonic pouch. Postoperative complications included pelvic abscess (14%), sinus tract/dehiscence (10%) and bowel obstruction (9%). When compared with the S and W variants, the J-shaped ileoanal pouch proved superior because urgency and fecal retention rates were lower (18.4% vs. 44.4% and 23% vs. 28.6%, p < 0.01 and p < 0.05, respectively), despite slightly more frequent staining episodes (15.8% vs. 11.1%; p < 0.05). As for colonic ampullae, fecal retention and provoked evacuation were more frequent in the J pouch and after gracileplasty; urgency and incontinence in the straight colo-anal anastomosis (33.3% vs. 22.2% and 41.6% vs. 33.3%, respectively). The functional outcome was assessed by anal endosonography (available in 4/13 centers), defecography and anorectal manometry. Abnormal findings included: (a) reduced capacity, barium leakage, anal gaping, sphincter damage (urgency and incontinence); (b) barium retention, pouch dilatation, split evacuation, knobs and strictures (fecal retention).

Defecation↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Surgery for esophageal achalasia. long-term results with three different techniques.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: In surgery for achalasia, the length of the myotomy and the opportunity of associating an antireflux procedure are still debated. Prospective and comparative studies on different techniques are few. The aims of this work is to compare the long term results of three different techniques successively adopted by the same surgical group. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between January 1955 and December 1991, 185 achalasic patients were submitted to myotomy by using in temporal sequence three different techniques. The first technique utilized (1955-1972) was a long esophagogastric abdominal myotomy (83 patients), secondly (1973-1978) a limited transthoracic myotomy (30 patients) and at last (1979-1991) a long esophagogastric abdominal myotomy associated to the Dor gastroplasty (72 patients). Since 1972, patients were prospectively followed up according to a protocol which included a clinical interview, x-rays, manometry and endoscopy at given dates. Post-operative esophagogastric transit and gastro-esophageal reflux were assessed to verify the therapeutical outcome. Results obtained with the three different techniques were analyzed and compared by using the actuarial Kaplan-Meier curves. RESULTS: The mean follow up was 193.3 months for the patient group that underwent abdominal myotomy (62/83 patients), 137.3 months for the thoracic myotomy group (30/30 patients) and 86.9 months for the abdominal myotomy plus Dor gastroplasty group (69/72 patients). Long-term results in the abdominal myotomy and in the thoracic myotomy groups were respectively poor in 51.6% and in 46.6% of patients. Major causes of failure were insufficient myotomy (6.5%), periesophageal scarring (9.6%) and reflux esophagitis (22.6%) for the abdominal myotomy group; insufficient myotomy (20%) and reflux esophagitis (23%) for the thoracic myotomy group. In the abdominal myotomy plus Dor gastroplasty group long-term results were excellent or good in 87% of patients and poor in 13%. Reflux esophagitis (10% of cases) was the principal cause of failure. CONCLUSIONS: The comparison of the actuarial curves shows a significantly better long term outcome for the abdominal myotomy plus Dor antireflux procedure than for the abdominal myotomy (p = 0.01) and for the thoracic myotomy (p = 0.002) techniques.

Actuarial Analysis↗