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Biomedical subjects

F W Gourdin

Publications and source records attributed to F W Gourdin.

9 recordsLinked to original sources

Acquired lymphangiectasis.

Acquired lymphangiectasis is a dilatation of lymphatic vessels that can result as a complication of surgical intervention and radiation therapy for malignancy. Acquired lymphangiectasis shares clinical and histologic features with the congenital lesion, lymphangioma circumscriptum. Diagnosis and treatment of these vesiculo-bullous lesions is important because they may be associated with pain, chronic drainage, and cellulitis. We describe two patients who had these lesions after treatment for cancer and review the pertinent literature. Although a number of treatment options are available, we have found CO2 laser ablation particularly effective.

Adenocarcinoma↗

Telemedicine evaluation of cutaneous diseases: a blinded comparative study.

BACKGROUND: Numerous telemedicine programs have been created in the United States, but studies documenting the fidelity and effectiveness of telemedicine for evaluation of skin diseases are lacking. OBJECTIVE: We attempted to determine the percentage of encounters in which two different dermatologists, one using telemedicine and one on-site, could independently arrive at the same primary diagnosis. METHODS: Two clinical telemedicine sites linked through the Georgia Statewide Telemedicine Program were used in this study of 60 patients with skin problems. One dermatologist evaluated the patients on telemedicine (interactive television) and a second then took the patients into a separate examination room and evaluated them on-site. Each investigator recorded their diagnoses with no discussion with each other. As a control group, the investigators independently and in a blinded fashion (to each other's diagnoses) recorded diagnoses for a group of patients from a third dermatologist's clinic. Raw data were evaluated and classified by this third dermatologist who assigned diagnoses to categories of complete agreement, partial agreement, or disagreement. RESULTS: There were no significant differences with regard to disagreement. However, there was a higher probability of complete agreement between the two dermatologists when each examined the patient on-site and in person than when one evaluated the patient on telemedicine and one examined the patient on-site and in person. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that telemedicine is an effective means of diagnosing cutaneous diseases. However, because partial interobserver agreement on diagnoses was greater for the telemedicine group than for the control group (p < 0.05), it is likely that optimum use of medical assistants at the remote site will be necessary to increase the likelihood of complete agreement on diagnoses among dermatologists using interactive television.

Dermatology↗

Nasal valve dysfunction after Mohs surgery for skin cancer of the nose.

BACKGROUND: The nasal valve is the narrowest part of the nasal vestibule and is an important regulator of airflow. Nasal valve insufficiency (NVI), which can be caused by nasal surgery, results in nasal stuffiness, or resistance to airflow on inspiration. This entity has not been well described in the dermatologic surgery literature. OBJECTIVE: To study nasal valve insufficiency in 100 consecutive patients who had Mohs surgery for skin cancer of the nose, review the literature, and report methods for prevention of this complication. METHODS: One hundred consecutive nasal Mohs surgery cases were studied retrospectively. Symptomatic patients were evaluated based on several parameters to determine causative and exacerbating factors, and possible methods of prevention. The pertinent literature was reviewed. RESULTS: Out of 100 patients, 92 responded--38 (41.3%) of whom were determined to be "at risk" for NVI based on the anatomic location of their defects. Out of those 38, five (13.2%) had new onset nasal stuffiness. An additional three of the 38 (7.9%) reported an exacerbation of prior nasal obstructive symptoms. Healing by secondary intention, bulky flaps, inadequate cartilaginous support, inappropriate choice of flap, mucosal scarring, and sacrifice of nasalis and levator labii superioris alaeque nasi fibers were identified as contributors to postoperative NVI. CONCLUSION: NVI is a relatively common complication of Mohs surgery and reconstruction of the lower third of the nose. Treatment is difficult, but prevention is possible in many instances. Therefore, surgeons should be well aware of this entity and techniques that may aid in its prevention.

Basal Cell Carcinoma↗

Metastatic Crohn's disease.

Metastatic Crohn's disease is the term used for granulomatous lesions of Crohn's disease involving sites other than the gastrointestinal tract. Metastatic Crohn's disease has been considered uncommon, when in actuality it may simply be underdiagnosed or misdiagnosed since the clinical findings can be different. We report on three patients with this condition: one with generalized plaques, another with perineal and perianal ulcerations, and a third with a painless forearm nodule.

Adult↗

Etiology of venous ulceration.

The etiology of venous ulceration is far more complex than Homans' theory of stagnation and hypo-oxygenation. Indeed, studies have shown that flow in lipodermatosclerotic limbs is actually faster than normal. We suggest, therefore, that the terms "stasis dermatitis" and "stasis ulcer" be dropped from medical parlance. The term "lipodermatosclerosis with ulceration" as used by the British, or simply "venous ulcer," would seem more appropriate. Venous hypertension, produced by incompetence of deep and communicating vein valves and thrombosis of segments of the deep system, is closely correlated with the development of venous ulcers. Precisely how this venous hypertension translates into ulceration is unclear. Burnand et al showed that fibrin cuffs are deposited around the capillaries in lipodermatosclerotic limbs. These cuffs may serve as barriers to the diffusion of oxygen, leading to local ischemia and epidermal necrosis. Others suggest that trapped leukocytes in the microcirculation alter capillary permeability by releasing various inflammatory mediators that hasten the flow of fibrinogen across the capillary membrane and promote the formation of fibrin cuffs. Proof of this hypothesis is still lacking, but may eventually come from using radioactive WBC tagging procedures. A synthesis of these two theories may in fact explain the etiology of venous ulceration.

Capillary Permeability↗

Aortovenous fistulas due to ruptured infrarenal aortic aneurysms: experience with six cases.

A review of patients undergoing aortic aneurysmectomy between 1970 and 1979 at the Emory University Hospital and the Atlanta Veterans Administration Medical Center disclosed six patients with aortovenous fistulas. Four fistulas were aorta to vena cava; one, aorta to left renal vein; and one, aorta to left iliac vein. Four of the arteriovenous fistulas were identified preoperatively. In another patient the symptoms and signs were masked by concomitant retroperitoneal rupture of the aneurysm. The final patient was asymptomatic preoperatively, but had an occluded fistula discovered at operation when laminated thrombus was removed from the wall of the aneurysm. One patient died while being prepared for operation; five were operated upon and survived. Successful management of this problem is contingent upon preoperative recognition, careful manipulation of the aneurysm with endoaneurysmal closure of the fistula, and judicious perioperative fluid management.

Aged↗