Biomedical subjects

M B Orringer

Publications and source records attributed to M B Orringer.

At least 127 records · Page 7Linked to original sources

PubMed1985

Gastric interposition following transhiatal esophagectomy: radiographic evaluation.

Gastric interposition was achieved in 138 patients following transhiatal esophagectomy without thoracotomy. Among these, 33 had benign and 105 malignant lesions. All patients were evaluated on the 10th postoperative day with a barium swallow examination. However, if an anastomotic leak was suspected clinically before this time, a water-soluble contrast study was initially obtained. Early postoperative complications included anastomotic leaks (15), cricopharyngeal incoordination with aspiration (6), and gastric perforation (2). Late postoperative complications included anastomotic strictures (12), pyloric stenosis (4), recurrence of tumor (3), and transhiatal visceral herniation (2). Our technique of postoperative radiographic evaluation, particularly when a leak is suspected clinically, is discussed.

Adult↗

PubMed1985

Esophageal carcinoma: CT findings.

Preoperative CT scans of 33 patients with esophageal cancer were reviewed to assess staging accuracy and define the role of CT in patients being considered for transhiatal blunt esophagectomy. Surgical and pathological verification was obtained in all cases. Only 13 tumors were staged correctly according to the TNM classification. In addition, CT was not useful in assessing resectability because of its low accuracy in evaluating aortic invasion and the fact that few patients had tracheobronchial or aortic invasion or hepatic metastases at presentation.

Adenocarcinoma↗

PubMed1985

Gastric interposition following transhiatal esophagectomy: CT evaluation.

Transhiatal esophagectomy without thoracotomy (THE) but with gastric interposition results in less morbidity and mortality than standard transpleural esophagectomy with thoracotomy. Barium examination has been the primary radiographic study following THE for detecting postoperative complications. We reviewed computed tomography (CT) scans of 21 patients who had undergone THE and correlated CT appearance with clinical status and with findings of the barium studies. Local mediastinal recurrent neoplasm was detected by CT in seven patients; barium study within 2 weeks of the CT scan failed to detect tumor recurrence in three of these patients. A mediastinal abscess well delineated by CT was percutaneously drained under CT guidance. Water-soluble contrast medium/barium study is preferable for the evaluation of certain postoperative complications such as anastomotic leak. However, CT is the modality of choice for detecting locally recurrent neoplasm and distant metastases following THE and may also be helpful in patients with postoperative mediastinal abscess. Normal mediastinal CT anatomy after esophagectomy is reviewed in order to warn against pitfalls in scan interpretation.

Abscess↗

PubMed1985

Esophageal imaging by MR and CT: study of normal anatomy and neoplasms.

In 20 patients with normal esophagi, spin-echo magnetic resonance (MR) imaging was performed to determine the appearance at different pulse sequences and T1 and T2 values. Twelve patients with esophageal carcinoma were also studied by both MR and computed tomography (CT); in ten, there was correlation with surgical and pathologic findings. Both MR and CT showed low accuracy in staging the tumors (40% and 70%, respectively), mainly because of difficulty in detecting tumor invasion through the muscle layer into periesophageal fat. Relatively T1-weighted images (repetition time, 0.5 second; echo time, 28 msec) were best for depiction of both normal esophageal anatomy and esophageal tumors. T1 and T2 measurements varied widely for both normal and abnormal esophagi and thus were not useful in predicting histologic findings.

Carcinoma↗

PubMed1985

Normal mediastinal lymph nodes: number and size according to American Thoracic Society mapping.

CT was used to investigate the number and size of normal mediastinal lymph nodes at 11 intrathoracic nodal stations defined by the American Thoracic Society lymph-node mapping scheme. Nodal size was measured both as short- and long-axis diameters in the transverse plane. Findings for 56 patients show the largest normal mediastinal nodes to be in the subcarinal and right tracheobronchial regions. Upper paratracheal nodes were smaller than lower paratracheal or tracheobronchial nodes, and right-sided tracheobronchial nodes were larger than left-sided ones. From the distributions of node sizes, thresholds were set above which nodes in any region might be considered enlarged. These thresholds, in agreement with a prior investigation of patients with lung cancer, suggest 1.0 cm as the upper limit of normal for the short axis of a mediastinal node in the transverse plane.

Adult↗

PubMed1985

Chest wall invasion by lung cancer: limitations of CT evaluation.

Thirty-three patients with peripheral pulmonary malignancies contiguous with a pleural surface were evaluated for chest wall invasion by computed tomography (CT). CT criteria included pleural thickening adjacent to the tumor, encroachment on or increased density of the extrapleural fat, asymmetry of the extrapleural soft tissues adjacent to the tumor, apparent mass invading the chest wall, and rib destruction. The CT scans were classified as positive, negative, or equivocal for invasion, and a decision matrix was constructed comparing CT results with pathologic data. The sensitivity of CT was 38%, specificity was 40%, and accuracy was 39% for evaluation of invasion if equivocal CT results were counted as radiologic errors. CT scanning has low accuracy in assessing chest wall invasion in patients with peripheral lung cancers.

Adult↗

PubMed1985

Imaging of the pulmonary hilum: a prospective comparative study in patients with lung cancer.

Using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), dynamic computed tomography (CT), and 55 degrees posterior oblique tomography, the authors prospectively evaluated the pulmonary hilum in 35 patients with lung cancer; 19 of these patients had surgical excision of ipsilateral hilar lymph nodes and formed the study group. Their results showed no significant differences between the three imaging methods in overall accuracy of hilar evaluation. Both MRI and dynamic CT were highly sensitive but relatively nonspecific for diagnosing hilar metastasis, whereas oblique tomography had fair sensitivity and specificity. The low specificity of MRI and dynamic CT was due to detection of mildly enlarged (10-16 mm) benign hilar nodes, which were present in five (26%) of 19 patients. The calculated magnetic relaxation times, T1 and T2, were not useful in distinguishing between benign and malignant enlarged hilar nodes. The authors conclude that accurate staging of the pulmonary hilum in patients with lung cancer is not currently possible using MRI, CT, or oblique tomography.

Adenocarcinoma↗

PubMed1985

The combined Collis gastroplasty-Nissen fundoplication: surgical procedure and radiographic evaluation.

The combined Collis gastroplasty-Nissen fundoplication consists of a combination of an esophagus-lengthening Collis gastroplasty with 360 degrees complete Nissen fundoplication operation. This report reviews the clinical and radiographic features of 60 consecutive patients who underwent this operation for the control of symptomatic gastroesophageal reflux. The surgical procedure, the technique of postoperative radiographic examination, normal radiographic anatomy, and abnormalities detectable radiographically are briefly described. All patients were examined on the seventh postoperative day initially with iodinated water-soluble contrast medium followed by barium to establish integrity of the gastroplasty tube, fundoplication wrap, and dilated esophageal stricture. Later in the postoperative period, elective barium esophagrams were prompted by complaints of dysphagia (three patients) and symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux (five patients).

Adult↗

PubMed1985

Cardiac paragangliomas. A clinicopathologic and immunohistochemical study of four cases.

Cardiac paragangliomas are extremely rare neoplasms. Four surgically resected tumors were examined by immunohistochemistry and electron microscopy. The patients ranged in age from 18 to 36 years. All patients had hypertension and elevated urine catecholamine levels. Three tumors were located on the posterior left atrium, and one tumor was located in the interventricular groove at the aortic root. The tumors ranged in size from 5 to 7 cm, and they displayed a prominent Zellballen pattern without significant necrosis or mitosis. The tumors were mostly unencapsulated and infiltrated adjacent cardiac tissue in two cases. Immunoperoxidase staining showed that all tumors were positive for chromogranin and neuron-specific enolase. Three tumors were positive for methionine enkephalin. Positive staining for S-100 protein was seen in the sustentacular cells of all tumors but was negative in chromaffin cells. All tumors were negative for insulin, glucagon, gastrin, vasoactive intestinal polypeptide, somatostatin, adrenocorticotropic hormone, calcitonin, serotonin, pancreatic polypeptide, and rat atrial peptide. Ultrastructural studies of all four tumors showed moderate numbers of predominantly norepinephrine-type granules and a few epinephrine-type granules. These results show that cardiac paragangliomas are commonly found in close proximity to the left atrium and have immunohistochemical and ultrastructural features similar to other paragangliomas.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1985

Surgical treatment of cardiac pheochromocytomas.

The development at our institution of the radiopharmaceutical 131-I-metaiodobenzylguanidine has permitted for the first time scintigraphic localization of pheochromocytomas. By the use of this scan in combination with contrast-enhanced computed tomography, intrapericardial pheochromocytomas have been demonstrated in eight patients at our hospital during the past 2 years. Four of these patients have been operated upon by us, and each was found to have a pheochromocytoma arising from the heart (left atrium in three and interventricular groove at the aortic root in one). While in one patient it was possible to "shell" the tumor away from the left atrial wall without cardiopulmonary bypass, in the remaining patients, bypass and cardioplegia were required to resect the pheochromocytomas without inducing life-threatening intraoperative hypertension and cardiac arrhythmias. One patient required coronary artery reconstruction and two, excision of the posterior left atrial wall with pericardial replacement. One of these latter two patients died intraoperatively of uncontrollable hemorrhage. The three remaining patients are well and normotensive after more than 1 year of follow-up. Cardiac pheochromocytomas should not be approached as typical posterior mediastinal tumors, or as they are in the abdomen, with the expectation that they will "shell away" from contiguous structures. Cardiopulmonary bypass should be available, and resection of involved myocardium may be necessary for complete removal.

3-Iodobenzylguanidine↗

PubMed1985

Transhiatal esophagectomy for benign disease.

Transhiatal esophagectomy without thoracotomy has been performed in 65 adult patients with dysphagia from benign esophageal disease: strictures (30), neuromotor dysfunction (24), acute iatrogenic perforation (five), acute caustic injury (four), and recurrent gastroesophageal reflux (two). Nearly 70% (45) had undergone at least one prior esophageal operation, and 26% (17) had a history of between two and four esophageal operations. The esophagus was replaced with stomach in 53 patients (82%), colon being used only when there was a history of either prior gastric resection or caustic injury to the stomach (10 patients). Intraoperative blood loss averaged 1,050 ml. Intraoperative complications included pneumothorax in 38 patients (58%) and a tracheal laceration in one patient. Postoperative complications included transient recurrent laryngeal nerve paresis (11 patients, 17%), chylothorax (four patients, 6%), anastomotic leak (four patients, 6%), and small bowel obstruction (two patients). There were five hospital deaths (8% mortality), none related to the technique of esophagectomy. Follow-up ranges from 1 to 84 months (average 28 months). Of 46 patients with a cervical esophagogastric anastomosis in the original esophageal bed, 42 have had an excellent functional result although 17 have required at least one postoperative esophageal dilation. Two have developed true anastomotic strictures. Clinically significant gastroesophageal reflux has not occurred. Transhiatal esophagectomy for benign disease is feasible and safe, even after multiple previous esophageal operations. The stomach appears to be a better visceral esophageal substitute than colon, because it allows an initially easier technical operation and superior long-term functional results.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1985

Modern management of adult thoracic empyema.

Seventy adult patients with thoracic empyema were treated at the University of Michigan Medical Center between 1978 and 1982. Twenty-two (31%) of the empyemas were associated with pneumonia, 23 (33%) occurred as postoperative complications, and seven (10%) were iatrogenic. When used as the initial mode of drainage, repeat thoracentesis was successful in only four of 11 cases (36%). Similarly, closed tube thoracostomy, as initial treatment, was successful in only 14 of 40 cases (35%). Rib resection, however, provided cure or control in 10 of 11 patients (91%) when employed as the first treatment method. Eight of 12 patients (67%) with parapneumonic empyemas were treated successfully with closed tube thoracostomy, in contrast to only two of 17 patients (12%) with postoperative empyemas so treated. Eventual control or cure of empyema was achieved in 57 patients (81%), whereas 13 (19%) died (five from their empyema and eight with empyema as an active problem at the time of death). All of the five empyema-caused deaths occurred in patients who underwent chest tube drainage as the most invasive treatment modality. The mortality rate for immunosuppressed patients was 40% (four of 10 patients). This analysis of a large recent series of adult empyemas suggests that chest tube drainage is often inadequate and more aggressive management is likely to result in fewer treatment failures and fewer total procedures. Early rib resection, especially for postoperative empyemas and those in immunocompromised patients, is recommended.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1984

Technical aids in performing transhiatal esophagectomy without thoracotomy.

Transhiatal esophagectomy without thoracotomy has been utilized in 200 patients: 57 with benign disease and 143 with carcinomas at various levels of the esophagus (35 pharyngeal or cervicothoracic, 7 upper third, 47 middle third, and 54 distal third). Stomach has been used to replace the esophagus in 93% of patients undergoing single-stage esophagectomy and reconstruction, and colon has been used in 7%. Among patients with intrathoracic esophageal carcinomas, intraoperative blood loss averaged 1,000 ml, and the hospital mortality was 6%. No patient in the entire series has required a thoracotomy for control of bleeding, either during the esophagectomy or postoperatively. This report reviews the technical maneuvers that my collegues and I have found useful in performing transhiatal esophagectomy without thoracotomy.

Diaphragm↗

PubMed1984

Transfer factor in the treatment of carcinoma of the lung.

From 1976 to 1982, 63 patients with carcinoma of the lung underwent curative pulmonary resection, mediastinal lymph node dissection, and postoperative mediastinal irradiation when indicated. After operation, the patients were randomized by cell type and stage of disease into two groups. Beginning 1 month postoperatively, Group 1 patients (N = 28) received 1 ml of transfer factor that had been extracted from the blood of normal individuals. Subsequent doses were administered at 3-month intervals. Group 2 patients (N = 35) served as controls. There were no significant differences between the two groups with respect to age, sex, extent of resection, histological cell type, or stage of disease. Twenty of the 28 treated patients were alive and free from disease from 7 to 77 months after treatment, whereas 17 of the 35 control patients were free from disease. The 1-year survival for Group 1 was 84% and for Group 2, 81%. The 2-year survival was 78% for Group 1 and 46% for Group 2 (p = 0.045). The survival rates by stage of disease were as follows: Stage I, 15 out of 17 or 88% in Group 1 and 15 out of 23 or 65% in Group 2 (p = 0.097); Stages II and III, 5 out of 11 or 45% in Group 1 and 3 out of 12 or 25% in Group 2 (p = 0.304). The results of the study suggest that the administration of transfer factor to patients who have undergone pulmonary resection for carcinoma of the lung can have a significant impact on the prolongation of life.

Adenocarcinoma↗

PubMed1984

Transhiatal esophagectomy without thoracotomy for carcinoma of the thoracic esophagus.

Transhiatal esophagectomy (THE) without thoracotomy was performed in 100 patients with carcinoma of the thoracic esophagus (7 upper, 45 mid, and 48 lower third). The esophagus was replaced with stomach (96) or colon (4). Intraoperative complications included pneumothorax requiring a chest tube(s) (63) and membranous tracheal tear (2). Blood loss averaged 880 ml. Postoperative complications included transient recurrent laryngeal nerve paresis (31), anastomotic leak (5), and chylothorax (2). There were no intraoperative deaths or re-explorations for postoperative bleeding. Six hospital deaths resulted from aspiration pneumonia (2), retroperitoneal or mediastinal abscess (2), pulmonary embolus (1), and respiratory insufficiency (1). Postoperative hospitalization averaged 14 days. Actuarial survival among the 94 operative survivors is 82% at 6 months, 52% at 12 months, 32% at 24 months, 22% at 36 months, and 17% at 48 months. Of the operative survivors, 15% have lived 2 years or more and 10% are clinically disease free. THE is safe, associated with a low morbidity, and achieves excellent palliation and survival at least as good as that reported in many series of transthoracic esophagectomies for esophageal carcinoma.

Chylothorax↗

PubMed1984

Computed tomography of pericardial masses: further observations and comparison with echocardiography.

Eight patients with surgically proven primary intrapericardial masses were evaluated over the past 3 years using a variety of radiologic tests. Dynamic CT prospectively identified the masses in all eight patients, esophagography was positive in four of five patients, chest radiography was prospectively positive in one of eight patients, and echocardiography identified a mass in only one of seven patients. Furthermore, precise CT localization of the masses proved important in surgical management of these patients, suggesting in several instances the need for cardiopulmonary bypass. Although echocardiography is the modality of choice in evaluating potential pericardial effusion, CT should be the preferred diagnostic test for suspected intrapericardial mass lesions.

Contrast Media↗

PubMed1984

Colonic interposition: radiographic evaluation.

This report reviews the clinical and radiographic features of 40 patients who underwent visceral esophageal substitution with colon for benign or malignant lesions of the esophagus. The incidence and radiographic identification of complications are discussed. All patients were routinely examined with barium esophagrams on postoperative day 10. If an anastomotic leak was suspected clinically before this time, studies were performed using water-soluble iodinated contrast material. Follow-up barium esophagrams were obtained 1-96 months after operation (average, 60 months) in 24 patients. Eight patients (21%) demonstrated asymptomatic "jejunization" of the colonic mucosa with no attributable clinical manifestations; this finding resolved in 1-3 months, without sequelae, and has not been reported before. The spectrum of ischemic changes in the colonic segment included mucosal edema, spasm, ulceration, loss of haustration, and frank necrosis. Radiographically detectable early postoperative complications included anastomotic leak in six (three pharyngocolic, three cervical esophagocolic) and aspiration of barium into the tracheobronchial tree due to incoordinated swallowing in eight. Late postoperative complications included anastomotic narrowing (12) malfunctioning of the colon due to impaired emptying (five), recurrent aspiration pneumonia (three), small bowel obstruction (three), transhiatal herniation of small bowel through the diaphragmatic hiatus (one), and reflux into the retained bypassed esophagus (one).

Adolescent↗

PubMed1984

The mediastinum in non-small cell lung cancer: CT-surgical correlation.

Computed tomography was used to evaluate the mediastinum preoperatively in 60 patients with non-small cell lung cancer; 49 of these patients had thorough surgical-pathologic determination of mediastinal node status. Mediastinal lymph nodes were located by CT using the node-mapping scheme suggested by the American Thoracic Society and were considered abnormal when larger than 100 mm2 in cross-sectional area. The sensitivity of CT was 95% in detecting malignant mediastinal adenopathy; however, specificity was only 64%. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis showed that the optimal size criterion for diagnosing malignant mediastinal adenopathy is 1.0-1.5 cm when the short axis of a node is measured. CT staging of the mediastinum in patients with non-small cell lung cancer is clinically useful; negative mediastinal CT makes mediastinoscopy unnecessary, whereas positive CT should lead to biopsy of the enlarged node.

Carcinoma↗