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Biomedical subjects

J D Mellinger

Publications and source records attributed to J D Mellinger.

7 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1991

Endoscopy in gastric malignancy.

Gastric cancer remains, in most parts of the world, a disease of advanced presentation and associated resistantly high mortality. To date, fiberoptic endoscopy has yet to change this seemingly inexorable fact. Nevertheless, endoscopy plays a vital role in the evaluation and diagnosis of the gastric cancer patient and provides palliative options to patients suffering from advanced disease that may not respond to other modalities. With the advent of endoscopic screening protocols identifying cases at an early stage, there is early epidemiologic evidence of impact on the mortal consequences of this disease in high incidence areas such as Japan. Endoscopic ultrasound, flow cytometry of endoscopic biopsies, and photodynamic techniques offer the prospect of increasing definition of gastric malignancy prior to therapy, and new endoscopic therapies await further study to define their potential role in treating early cancer non-operatively. Twenty years ago, scientists intent on the study of gastric neoplasia played a major role in the advent of fiberoptic endoscopy. To date, their reward has been a wealth of information. As this material is digested and applied, it seems reasonable to believe their efforts may be eventually rewarded by a reduction in the epidemiologic impact of this disease, brought about not by changing global incidence patterns, but by knowledge and technology derived and administered endoscopically.

Biopsy↗
PubMed1991

A simple method of infundibular retraction during laparoscopic cholecystectomy.

Laparoscopic excision of the gallbladder has rapidly become a preferable technique for treating patients with symptomatic cholelithiasis. To date, new developments in instrumentation have hardly been able to keep pace with the rising popularity of this method. The use of techniques applied to other areas of endoscopy may be useful when adapted to laparoscopic surgery. We discuss herein the use of a standard colonoscopic polypectomy snare for retraction of the gallbladder during laparoscopic cholecystectomy. This adaptation facilitates the procedure and avoids the need for an additional trocar puncture.

Cholecystectomy↗
PubMed1991

Tract formation following percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy in an animal model.

Complications of percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) have often been related to the application of excessive traction to the gastrostomy tube in an attempt to achieve immediate juxtaposition of the gastric and abdominal walls. Recent clinical reviews have suggested that complication rates can be reduced by avoiding such traction and leaving a longer tract between these structures. Laboratory evaluation of tract development has been lacking. The present study was designed to evaluate tract formation in an animal model. Eight mongrel dogs underwent PEG placement using silastic (n = 4) or latex (n = 4) catheters. Two animals from each group were subsequently sacrificed at 1 week and the remaining animals, at 2 weeks. In each animal, 6 cm catheter length was left between the gastric and the abdominal walls. This distance was assured by crossbar and suture fixation of the catheter at the skin entry site. Complete tract formation was evident in all animals at the time they were sacrificed, with no significant gross or histologic differences being noted between the silastic and the latex groups. Increased collagen deposition was noted at 2 weeks in comparison with that observed at 1 week. In an additional three animals, the same procedure was performed, but the catheter was not secured to the abdominal wall at the site of skin penetration. In these animals, tract formation was incomplete as late as at 2 weeks, but there were no associated complications. We conclude that early PEG tract formation is not dependent on the immediate proximity of the gastric and abdominal walls. The type of catheter used does not dictate the time course of early tract development.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Abdominal Muscles↗
PubMed1991

Bleeding after endoscopic sphincterotomy as an underestimated entity.

Hemorrhage is the most frequent complication of endoscopic sphincterotomy, with a reported incidence of 2 to 9 per cent. Previous reports have generally defined this complication clinically, leaving the issue of occult bleeding after sphincterotomy essentially unaddressed. Seventy-five serial sphincterotomies were reviewed to further assess this complication. Nine patients had clinically evident hemorrhage and 27 patients had occult bleeding manifested only by a decrement in hematologic parameters, for a total postsphincterotomy bleeding rate of 48 per cent. No statistically significant risk factors for bleeding were delineated. Endoscopically recognized bleeding at the time of the sphincterotomy was 47 per cent sensitive and 85 per cent specific in predicting postprocedural bleeding. Significant delayed hemorrhage was manifest in three patients, one of whom had clinically occult bleeding. We conclude that bleeding complicates endoscopic sphincterotomy much more frequently than previously reported, although often in a clinically occult manner. Significant delayed bleeding can occur, and may not be clinically apparent. Bleeding recognized endoscopically at the time of sphincterotomy is an insensitive but relatively specific predictor of postprocedural bleeding. As use of endoscopic sphincterotomy increases, careful surveillance for hemorrhagic complications, as well as efforts to identify factors predisposing to the same, will be of increasing importance.

Aged↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Endoscopic retrograde hemorrhoidal sclerotherapy using 23.4% saline: a preliminary report.

Historically, injection sclerotherapy has had a prominent role in the treatment of symptomatic hemorrhoids. Concern over sclerosant-related morbidity and dissatisfaction with anoscopic injection techniques has limited the application of this modality in the United States. This study reports an initial evaluation of 23.4% saline, used as a nonallergenic sclerosant, in the flexible endoscopic treatment of symptomatic internal hemorrhoids. Initial results in 19 patients with symptomatic grade I, II, or III hemorrhoids suggest that the technique is very effective in relieving bleeding, and frequently alleviates prolapse as well. The technique has proven to be well tolerated and associated with high patient satisfaction and low complication rates, with no serious complications noted. This modality is eminently suited for single session examination and therapy of the patient undergoing endoscopic evaluation for lower gastrointestinal bleeding whose findings are limited to hemorrhoidal disease.

Colonoscopy↗