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F Nifosì

Publications and source records attributed to F Nifosì.

9 recordsLinked to original sources

[Role of surgical splanchnicectomy in the treatment of pancreatic carcinoma].

Palliative surgical procedures offer considerable benefit for the patients with unresectable pancreatic cancer: surgical splanchnicectomy performed in conjunction with biliary-enteric by-pass offers good results as regard pain relief without increased morbidity and mortality. We treated 25 patients with unresectable pancreatic cancer by mean of biliary-enteric by-pass plus bilateral splanchnicectomy performed through different surgical approaches. In this series of patients postoperative mortality was nil, mean survival time was 7.2 months (range 3-14 months). Preoperatively, we assessed all patients as affected by visceral pain: Scott-Huskisson 10 mark-scale value in quantitative assessment of pain was equal or above the 7th mark in 87.5% of patients. One month later in the postoperative follow-up, 96% of the patients had a significant reduction in pain intensity from a preoperative median of 7 mark to a postoperative median of 1.5 mark (p = 0.0001). The mean period free of pain recurrence was 4.8 months. However, after 6 months only 46% of survivors were pain-free with such rate decreasing further to a 10% of survivors after 8 months. Nevertheless, the patients had around 70% of their survival span free of pain. We strongly believe that failure in relief of pain is due to a mistake in preoperative evaluation of the type of pain (somatic and not visceral, or both) and to the onset of somatic pain in the course of the disease rather than to surgical technical errors. Recurrence of pain has been considered inevitable in the biological progression of unresected cancer, and would be treated by combination of therapies, such as non steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, transaortic coeliac plexus block, narcotics and cervical cordotomy.

Abdominal Pain↗

[Primary germinal tumors of the mediastinum: our experience in 9 cases].

9 patients (8 males 1 female, middle age 24.3 years, range 20-41) affected by primary mediastinal germ cell tumor were surgically treated in our department. They were 4 seminomas, 2 embryonal carcinomas, 1 malignant teratoma and 2 benign teratomas. Three patients were asymptomatic; cough, dyspnea and chest pain were the most frequently observed symptoms. The staging work-up did not show signs of metastatic disease in the malignant types. Benign teratomas underwent complete excision. In one patient suffering from seminoma radiotherapy and chemotherapy caused complete remission of the disease. In the others cases remission of the neoplasm was obtained by resection and adjuvant therapy in 3 cases, by neoadjuvant treatment and excision of the residual mass in 3 cases. Among the patients suffering from seminoma, 2 are dead at 60 months since initial treatment and 2 are alive at 132 and 120 months respectively. Among the patients with malignant nonseminomatous tumours, 2 are alive at 60 and 36 months and 1 patient is dead at 13 months. Two patients with benign teratoma are alive at 189 and 168 months respectively. At present a multimodality treatment including surgery, radiotherapy and cisplatin-based combination chemotherapy, give the most satisfactory results in the treatment of malignant mediastinal germ cell tumours.

Adolescent↗

[Clinical results after proximal selective vagotomy (considerations on 42 cases)].

The authors report the results of a 6-8 year follow-up of 42 patients treated by selective proximal vagotomy with pyloroplasty for gastric or duodenal ulcer disease. On the basis of Visick's classification, the patients broke down into the following categories: Cat. 1: 66.6%; Cat. 2: 26.1%; Cat. 3: 2.3%; Cat. 4: 4.7%, with 92.7% belonging to the first two categories. These data are in agreement with other data reported in the literature, and show no significant differences as compared to follow-up one year after surgery.

Duodenal Ulcer↗

[Retroperitoneal neurilemmoma (considerations on 4 cases)].

The authors show 4 cases of retroperitoneal neurilemmoma, surgically treated by simple excision of the tumour. From the general observations, as well as from the analysis of the literature, they can remark the rareness of the location in such anatomical region. The clinical symptoms are common to those of the region retroperitoneal tumours, and are due to the compressive effect developed by the tumour on the contiguous structures. As regards the diagnostic procedures, they emphasize the primary value of axial computed tomography in the evaluation of the retroperitoneal pathology. The diagnosis cannot be but histologic, and is based upon the presence of the typical histologic pictures according to Antoni A and B types.

Adult↗

[Epithelial splenic cysts].

The authors describe a case of an epithelial cyst of the spleen treated successfully by splenectomy. Diagnostic techniques and the principles adopted in treatment this rare disease are discussed.

Adult↗

[Our experience with selective proximal vagotomy].

The authors show a casuistry of 125 operations of SPV, and comment on the clinical and physiopathologic presuppositions justifying the indications to SPV in the field of gastroduodenal peptic pathology. They report the results of the gastric probings, both basal and after stimulation with pentagastrin in the pre- and postoperative phase, and after a year. They face the problem of pyloroplastics, and appraise the elements indicating and contra-indicating it in association to SPV.

Adolescent↗

Pancreatic abscess and other pus-harboring collections related to pancreatitis: a review of 108 cases.

This is a report on 108 cases collected from 1970 to 1987, in the same department, of surgically-detected pancreatic abscesses or pus-harboring collections. The purulent areas were either of a spreading pattern or represented a clearly localized mass. To the spreading pattern belong 47 cases of necrotizing pancreatitis, without discontinuity in the clinical course from the early toxic to the late septic phase, 4 cases of acute pancreatitis, initially in remission and later complicated by septic collections, and 4 cases which developed after an acute attack of chronic pancreatitis. The abscess pattern was made up of 19 each of pseudocysts and predisposing pancreatitis, 10 cases of chronic pancreatitis, and only 5 necrotizing "nonstop" pancreatitis. The surgical treatment in all cases consisted of multiple drainages and postoperative irrigation. We exclude 3 cases of associated open packing. The etiological, clinical, and biochemical features of each group of patients are reported and discussed. Computed tomography availability seems to be the most important improvement reported as regards diagnosis and surgical tactics. The overall mortality rate was 15.7% with a significant difference between the 2 patterns (23.6% for the spreading pattern versus 7.5% for the abscess pattern). On the basis of this experience, it is possible to establish a relationship between the gross appearance of the collection and the underlying pancreatic disease with differences in terms of prognosis, morbidity, and mortality. Finally, a simple nomenclature can be chosen which is capable of distinguishing between the diverse pancreatic purulent collections. While the presence of pus may characterize the course of severe acute pancreatitis in many cases, the low incidence of "true" pancreatic abscess is emphasized.

Abscess↗

Strangulated traumatic hernia of the diaphragm. A report of two cases.

The herniation of abdominal viscera in the thorax can immediately follow diaphragmatic rupture or be delayed even years after the injury. The herniated viscera can strangulate; this consequence may lead to a dangerous misdiagnosis which could be lethal for the patient. Radiological procedures, serial chest X-ray studies, CT and MRI scans are mandatory to confirm diagnosis. The insertion of a naso-gastric tube is a very helpful method in ruling out hypertensive pneumothorax in the presence of an air-fluid level in the thorax. We report 2 cases of strangulated traumatic hernia of the diaphragm occurring just a few hours (case 1) and 18 months (case 2) after the trauma. During thoracotomy, a rupture of the left diaphragmatic cupola was demonstrated with herniation of the stomach in case 1, the stomach, spleen and transverse colon in case 2. No postoperative mortality or morbidity were detected.

Adolescent↗