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Biomedical subjects

O Havig

Publications and source records attributed to O Havig.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Serum carcinoembryonic antigen in relation to survival, DNA ploidy pattern, and recurrent disease in 406 colorectal carcinoma patients.

Serum carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) levels in relation to survival, flow cytometric DNA ploidy pattern, Dukes stage, and recurrent disease was prospectively evaluated in 406 patients with colorectal carcinoma. In 246 patients (61%) the carcinomas were DNA aneuploid. Increased preoperative CEA levels (> 5 micrograms/l) were found in 151 of 363 evaluable patients (42%). Dukes stage-B patients with preoperative CEA elevation showed significantly poorer prognosis than those with normal CEA values (p = 0.001). A weak but significant correlation was found between preoperative CEA level and Dukes stage (Kendall's tau = 0.25, p < 0.01). Of 50 evaluable patients with clinical recurrence and postoperative normal or normalized CEA levels, 28 (56%) had a rise in CEA before or at the time of clinical recurrence. The sensitivity of the CEA test for primary and for recurrent disease was not significantly different in the DNA aneuploid and the DNA near-diploid groups.

Adenocarcinoma

Association between DNA ploidy pattern and cellular atypia in colorectal carcinomas. A new clinical application of DNA flow cytometric study?

Fresh tissue specimens from 406 colorectal carcinomas were analyzed by DNA flow cytometric study, and the DNA ploidy pattern was compared with Dukes' stage, histologic grade, and degree of cellular atypia. Sixty-one percent of the carcinomas had a distinct aneuploid DNA pattern. The proportion of aneuploid carcinomas was significantly higher in the advanced Dukes' stages than in the localized ones. A highly significant association was found between DNA ploidy pattern and degree of cellular atypia, whereas no association was demonstrated between DNA ploidy pattern and histologic grade. This finding might indicate that cellular atypia has a stronger prognostic impact than the growth pattern of the tumor. The authors suggest that flow cytometric DNA quantification may replace assessment of cellular atypia in the histologic evaluation. Furthermore, together with earlier findings by others, these results indicate that the degree of cellular atypia may be conserved during the development from adenomas to carcinomas.

Adenocarcinoma

Predictive ability of choledocholithiasis indicators. A prospective evaluation.

To assess the predictive ability of various indicators of common bile duct calculi, 457 patients undergoing cholecystectomy for gallstone disease were prospectively screened for the presence of 11 predefined criteria of possible choledocholithiasis. The predictive ability of the criteria, individually and in combinations, was determined. For all criteria, except a history of pancreatitis, a significantly increased incidence of choledocholithiasis was found. The number of positive criteria correlated positively with the frequency of common bile duct calculi. The negative predictive value and sensitivity of the total set of criteria were 98% and 89.5%, respectively. Following common duct exploration, the number of complications and the duration of postoperative hospitalization were significantly increased as compared with simple cholecystectomy. Peroperative cholangiography with cholecystectomy is recommended in all patients, with one or more criteria of possible choledocholithiasis. Routine peroperative cholangiography in patients with no positive criteria does not seem to be necessary.

Cholangiography

Nonoperative internal drainage of obstructive common bile ducts.

A new nonoperative method for internal drainage of common bile duct obstructions by endoscopic retrograde cannulation of the papilla of Vater is described. After introduction of a tube in the common bile duct, a substantial decrease in serum activity of bilirubin, alkaline phosphatase, and gamma-glutamyl transferase was found. In addition, a rapid improvement of the clinical condition could be observed. No serious complications occurred. It is concluded that internal drainage of common bile duct obstructions might be of great value in the preoperative treatment of patients with common bile duct obstructions.

Aged

The value of preoperative haemostatic screening.

The value of preoperative haemostatic screening tests in prediction of surgical bleeding was examined in 101 patients, mainly with abdominal and thyroid lesions. The study demonstrated complete lack of correlation between the preoperative evaluation of bleeding risk and the observed surgical bleeding (phi2 test P approximately 0.85).

Blood Coagulation Tests