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Biomedical subjects

L A Michel

Publications and source records attributed to L A Michel.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2003

Management of oesophageal perforation after delayed diagnosis: the merit of tissue flap reinforcement.

Oesophageal perforation remains a life-threatening situation and its management represents a challenge for the surgeon, especially if diagnosis has been delayed. In most cases, a surgical approach is indicated. Simple primary repair often result in leakage. In order to avoid leakage, the primary repair should be buttressed with some kind of tissue flap. We here report our experience with 15 esophageal perforations and 10 tissue flap reinforcements performed during the last decade. The different types of tissue flap are illustrated and their results are compared with more aggressive alternatives such as oesophagectomy, T-tube drainage and oesophageal exclusion.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2002

Is surgical mystique a myth and double standard the reality?

Clinically relevant attitudes and guidelines issued by a rational evidence based medicine (EBM) approach, integrate individual clinical expertise with the best available external clinical evidence from systematic research. Many surgeons, however, while considering the ultraliberal world they are practising in, and fearing that the primary goal of managed care in a market environment is reducing cost in order to make profit or decrease spending, remain suspicious of this kind of tentative protocol driven medicine when applied to surgical practice. If surgeons want to develop a health policy agenda that emphasises patient care issues above providers' or payers' interests, they should also enhance education programmes, improve continuing objective assessment of the way surgery is performed, face moral issues raised by innovation, and assume an increased leadership role in sound critical evaluation of non-validated new techniques. They should no longer consider EBM as a weapon turned against the surgical profession, but rather see it as a tool that may provide some answers to chronically unresolved questions in the evolving art of surgery.

Cholecystectomy↗
PubMed2001

Occurrence of thyroid papillary carcinoma in young patients. A Chernobyl connection?

The risk of thyroid papillary carcinoma is increased by external radiation particularly in children under 15 years of age as shown by a marked increase in those exposed to radiation after Chernobyl. We were recently confronted in Belgium over a short period with four patients (3 F, 1 M) with papillary thyroid carcinoma who were aged 10 years, 2 months, 2 years and 6 years when the Chernobyl accident occurred. We thus raise the question of a possible relationship. The patients were aged 17, 11, 10, 19 years at presentation. They all presented fortuitously over 3 years which was a very unusual increase in our extensive experience in thyroid surgery (62 cases of thyroid cancer among 1014 thyroidectomies in adults vs 4 cases in 18 children since the Chernobyl accident in 1986). Two out of the four patients had psammoma bodies (identifiable on CT scanning and ultrasound) and thyroglobulin autoantibodies (TgAb). The first patient had positive lymph nodes at the time of surgery. The incidence of thyroid cancers in Belarus and Ukraine rose just 4 years after the Chernobyl disaster; because radioactive clouds passed over Belgium, we wonder whether the occurrence of thyroid cancer in our patients could be related to this irradiation. The mechanism of increased incidence of radiation-induced thyroid cancer is thought to be due to rearrangement of the tyrosine kinase domains of the RET and TTK genes. The other important similarities in our patients are the presence of psammoma bodies that can be visualized on radiological examination and the presence of TgAb that are more frequent in differentiated thyroid cancers. Whether or not these cases reflect an increased incidence in the population as a whole, clinicians must remain vigilant for this rare but curable cancer in young patients, especially if suggestive radiological features or TgAb are present.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1999

Asymptomatic adrenal tumours: criteria for endoscopic removal.

OBJECTIVE: Assessment of criteria for videoscopic removal of adrenal lesions discovered incidentally. DESIGN: Open prospective study. SUBJECTS: 63 patients operated on for 65 adrenal tumours. OUTCOME MEASURES: Relevance of proposed criteria: secreting adrenal lesion; diameter larger than 4 cm or increase in size at any re-evaluation; computed tomogram of intratumoral necrosis, haemorrhage, or irregular margins; high concentrations of dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEAS). RESULTS: Laparoscopic adrenalectomy was successful in 61 patients (97%). There were 4 minor complications. Criteria allowed us to identify correctly : phaeochromocytoma (n = 23), primary hyperaldosteronism (n = 18), Cushing's adenoma or disease (n = 7), single metastasis (n = 4), adenoma with DHEAS or cortisol hypersecretion (n = 3). 8 non-secreting incidental tumours (13%) were operated on. CONCLUSION: Simple criteria for videoscopic adrenalectomy for lesions discovered incidentally allowed us to reduce the number of doubtful indications (positive predictive value 87%).

Adolescent↗
PubMed1997

Spiral computed tomography with three-dimensional reconstructions for severe blunt abdominal traumas: a useful complementary tool?

Spiral computed tomography (CT) has proved to be a valuable tool by providing three-dimensional (3D) images of the studied structures. We hypothesized that a more realistic depiction of lesions by 3D CT could be of interest for surgeons who are treating blunt abdominal traumas and lead to less inappropriate triage. A good working relationship between surgeons and radiologists allowed us to perform a 3D CT examination in six patients. In the first patient, the 3D CT accurately demonstrated spleen fragmentation without devascularized fragment. The second patient had complete devascularization of the spleen upper pole. Conservative treatment was pursued for both patients. For the third patient, 3D CT helped us to differentiate peritoneal-perisplenic fluid from subcapsular fluid. The fourth patient had minor spleen injury associated with severe lacerations of the left kidney. 3D CT showed a complete separation of the kidney lower pole. A delayed partial lower nephrectomy was performed. The fifth patient presented a fragmented spleen and transient massive haematuria related to a well-contained laceration of the kidney upper pole that were amenable to nonoperative management. The sixth patient was emergency operated for active bleeding from a fragmented spleen. 3D CT performed 2 months after spleen repair allowed the assessment of the amount of devascularized tissue, as well as the status of the upper abdomen arteries. For haemodynamically stable patients, 3D CT could be a helpful addition to conventional axial CT for quantifying blunt abdominal traumas, for making the choice between nonoperative and operative treatment, but also between emergency and delayed surgical strategy.

Abdominal Injuries↗
PubMed1997

Direct carbon dioxide insufflation of the retroperitoneum under laparoscopic control for renal and adrenal surgery.

OBJECTIVE: Assessment of the videoscopic approach to the retroperitoneal space in the vicinity of the kidney and the adrenal gland. DESIGN: Open study. SETTING: University hospital, Belgium. SUBJECTS: 10 patients who underwent 11 operations (adrenalectomy, n = 3, nephrectomy, n = 5, partial nephrectomy, n = 2, and renal cystectomy, n = 1). INTERVENTIONS: Direct CO2 insufflation of the retroperitoneal space in order to obtain a convenient retroperitoneal working space for renal and adrenal surgery. OUTCOME MEASURES: Feasibility, morbidity and mortality. RESULTS: 8 patients were operated on exclusively by the retroperitoneoscopic approach; 2 required the retroperitoneal and transperitoneal routes to be combined to complete an adrenalectomy. No patients required blood transfusion and no patient died. Median postoperative stay was 3 days. CONCLUSION: The CO2 insufflation technique of the retroperitoneum is safe and reproducible. Nevertheless, far from excluding each other, both approaches-laparoscopic and retroperitoneoscopic-are complementary in difficult cases, particularly for adrenal endoscopic surgery and for larger renal lesions.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1997

Adrenal and renal surgery by the laparoscopic and/or retroperitoneoscopic approach.

Since its introduction 6 years ago, almost all abdominal procedures have been attempted laparoscopically. Despite their retroperitoneal location, kidneys and adrenals have also been reached by the blitz of endoscopic surgery since 1992. We present here the techniques, indications, advantages or disadvantages of the videoscopic approach-either laparoscopic or retroperitoneoscopic- of those solid retroperitoneal organs. Preliminary results of the international literature are presented, while objectively comparing currently available data about the efficacy and cost of endoscopic versus open procedure. Despite the time-consuming nature and high operative cost of the endoscopic approach, decreased convalescence and better patient comfort are evident. Furthermore videoendoscopic adrenal surgery performed, even sporadically, by surgeons experienced in laparoscopic surgery is as safe as the open approach, provided that those surgeons are also familiar with the rules and potential drawbacks of adrenal surgery for endocrine disorders.

Adrenalectomy↗
PubMed1995

From laparoscopic training on an animal model to retroperitoneoscopic or coelioscopic adrenal and renal surgery in human.

So far, laparoscopic approaches to kidney and adrenal have been limited because of their retroperitoneal location. We here report eight renal and adrenal endoscopic procedures performed in seven patients: two adrenalectomies for hyperaldosteronism, one adrenalectomy for isolated metastasis from an adenocarcinoma of the lung; two nephrectomies for end-stage infected hydronephrosis, two partial nephrectomies for small circumscribed lesions of the kidney, and one endoscopic resection for pain relief of a voluminous cyst at the kidney. The approach was transperitoneal in two cases and retroperitoneal in five cases using the retropneumoperitoneum insufflation technique. One patient was operated by a combined approach using the retro- and transperitoneal routes. All procedures were successfully completed endoscopically. The retroperitoneoscopic approach of the kidney is safe and does not interfere with the peritoneal organs. Its working space is tenuous, but allows a direct access on the kidney with good exposure of its pedicle. For adrenal surgery, the retroperitoneoscopic dissection is more difficult, because movements of instruments are often impaired by the closeness of the costal margin and the iliac crest. However, in case of difficulties we found it very convenient to switch from a retroperitoneal endoscopic approach to a combined coelioscopic and retroperitoneoscopic operation. Far from excluding each other, both approaches are complementary, particularly for difficult situations (i.e., previous peritoneal or retroperitoneal surgery).

Adrenal Gland Diseases↗