Biomedical subjects

J Scicchitano

Publications and source records attributed to J Scicchitano.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed1996

Baseline correlates of the response to the treatment of chronic localized myofascial pain syndrome by injection of local anaesthetic.

Myofascial pain syndromes (MPS) occur commonly in the community. Treatment by injection of local anaesthetic has met with variable success. We studied 50 out-patients with chronic localized MPS in order to find baseline correlates related to response to treatment. Data collected included sociodemographic and clinical histories as well as psychometric measures of self-efficacy, health locus of control and illness behaviour. Pretreatment pain intensity and scores on the Denial scale of the Illness Behavior Questionnaire (IBQ) were found to be associated with an immediate improvement in pain, while scores on the Affective Inhibition scale of the IBQ were associated with pain relief lasting up to 24 hours. The immediate response was not predictive of the duration of the effect of the treatment. This study shows that the severity of the pain and its role as part of a psychological coping strategy are related to the response to local treatment of MPS.

Adult↗

PubMed1996

Illness behavior and somatization in general practice.

In the primary care setting, the early recognition that a patient has psychological problems is frequently hindered by the deceptive mode of presentation known as somatization. In a cross-sectional survey of patients attending suburban General Practitioners in a large metropolitan city, the General Health Questionnaire-30 (GHQ-30) and the Illness Behavior Questionnaire (IBQ) were completed by 201 patients. A comparison was made between somatizing and nonsomatizing patients with new inceptions of illness in terms of the risk of the presence of a mild nonpsychotic psychiatric illness and aspects of illness behavior. For the group as a whole, somatizing patients were more likely to be older and female. Male somatizers differed from male nonsomatizers by showing greater disease conviction and affective disturbance and more readiness to acknowledge difficulties in their lives other than health problems. No differences were found between female somatizing and nonsomatizing patients. We conclude that, while male patients who somatize psychological distress may be distinguished from male nonsomatizers early in their illness, in terms of their illness behavior, these differences are not seen as early distinguishing characteristics in female patients who present to their General Practitioners with physical problems for which no organic cause can be established.

Adult↗

PubMed1993

Maxon is an optimal suture for bile duct anastomoses in pigs.

BACKGROUND: Three commonly used sutures were tested in a pig model of bile duct anastomosis to assess their relative contributions to inflammation and scarring. METHODS: Thirty pigs were randomised to bile duct division and anastomosis with either polyglyconate (Maxon), polyglactin 910 (Vicryl) or polypropylene (Prolene). Half the animals were sacrificed at two weeks and the remainder at 23 weeks. Anastomoses were assessed by cholangiography, scanning electron microscopy and light microscopy. RESULTS: There was less short term histological reaction with the two monofilament materials, Prolene and Maxon, compared to the braided suture Vicryl. Maxon was associated with less long term inflammation than Prolene, was found to handle better, and has an advantage over Prolene by being absorbable. CONCLUSION: Maxon is an optimal suture for bile duct anastomoses. Its long term absorption characteristics make it suitable for situations where bile duct healing may be delayed.

Anastomosis, Surgical↗

PubMed1991

Reproducibility of endoscopic sphincter of Oddi manometry.

Results from endoscopic sphincter of Oddi manometry are being used to support the diagnosis of sphincter dysfunction in patients with unexplained pain after cholecystectomy. However, there are few data on the reproducibility of manometric records or motility diagnosis during a second test. In this study, the reproducibility of manometric records was assessed in 12 patients with pain after cholecystectomy by performing a second study after three months. Manometric tracings were evaluated without access to patients details and scored for sphincter basal pressure, frequency and amplitude of phasic contractions, propagation of phasic contractions, and responses to intravenous injection of cholecystokinin octapeptide (20 ng/kg). At the initial manometric study, four patients were diagnosed as normal, four as stenotic, and four as dyskinetic. Those diagnosed as normal and stenotic at the first study had an identical diagnosis at the second study. However, the diagnosis of dyskinesia was reproduced only in two of the four patients. In the other two patients a diagnosis of "stenosis" and "normal" was made at the second study. Cholecystokinin octapeptide (20 ng/kg intravenous bolus) produced inhibition of phasic contractions in all studies, both initially and at three months. We conclude that endoscopic sphincter of Oddi manometry is reproducible when the initial diagnosis is either normal or stenosis. However, the diagnosis of dyskinesia is poorly reproducible, perhaps due to the episodic nature of this manometric disorder or to progression of sphincter of Oddi dysfunction.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

How safe is endoscopic sphincter of Oddi manometry?

The safety of endoscopic manometry of the sphincter of Oddi was evaluated in a prospective survey of 158 consecutive procedures in 126 patients with either unexplained pain after cholecystectomy or idiopathic recurrent pancreatitis. The only complication was that of pancreatitis which was defined as the development of abdominal pain in association with a plasma amylase above the reference range. This occurred in 13 patients (8%) and was more frequent (P = 0.001) when the indication for the procedure was idiopathic recurrent pancreatitis (29%) than unexplained pain (6%). Pancreatitis was also more frequent (P = 0.02) in patients with abnormal manometry (14%) than in those with normal manometry (3%) and occurred at highest frequency (50%) in a subgroup of patients with idiopathic recurrent pancreatitis and sphincter stenosis (high sphincter basal pressure). All episodes of pancreatitis were mild with a median increase in hospital stay of 2 days; no patients died. The risk of pancreatitis after endoscopic manometry is relatively low but increases in patients with abnormal sphincter manometry, particularly those with idiopathic recurrent pancreatitis.

Abdominal Pain↗