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R Britten-Jones

Publications and source records attributed to R Britten-Jones.

13 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1997

Prospective double-blind randomized trial of laparoscopic Nissen fundoplication with division and without division of short gastric vessels.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether division of the short gastric vessels (SGVs) and full mobilization of the gastric fundus is necessary to reduce the incidence of postoperative dysphagia and other adverse sequelae of laparoscopic Nissen fundoplication. SUMMARY BACKGROUND DATA: Based on historical and uncontrolled studies, division of the SGVs has been advocated during laparoscopic Nissen fundoplication to improve postoperative clinical outcomes. However, this modification has not been evaluated in a large prospective randomized trial. METHODS: One hundred two patients with proven gastroesophageal reflux disease presenting for laparoscopic Nissen fundoplication were prospectively randomized to undergo fundoplication with (52 patients) or without (50 patients) division of the SGVs. Patients with esophageal motility disorders, patients requiring a concurrent abdominal procedure, and patients who had undergone previous antireflux surgery were excluded. Patients were blinded to the postoperative status of their SGVs. Clinical assessment was performed by a blinded independent investigator who used multiple standardized clinical grading systems to assess dysphagia, heartburn, and patient satisfaction 1, 3, and 6 months after surgery. Objective measurement of lower esophageal sphincter pressure, esophageal emptying time, and distal esophageal acid exposure and radiologic assessment of postoperative anatomy were also performed. RESULTS: Operating time was increased by 40 minutes (median 65 vs. 105) by vessel division. Perioperative outcomes and complications, postoperative dysphagia, relief of heartburn, and overall satisfaction were not improved by dividing the SGVs. Lower esophageal sphincter pressure, acid exposure, and esophageal emptying times were similar for the two groups. CONCLUSION: Division of the SGVs during laparoscopic Nissen fundoplication did not improve any clinical or objective postoperative outcome.

Deglutition Disorders↗
PubMed1996

Laparoscopic surgery for gastro-oesophageal reflux: beyond the learning curve.

From September 1991 to October 1995, 320 Nissen fundoplications were undertaken laparoscopically by 12 surgeons at a single institution. To assess the performance of the procedure in the hands of five 'experienced' surgeons, the first 20 procedures performed by each surgeon or surgical trainee were excluded, providing a group of 174 patients for review. A short loose 360 degrees fundoplication was performed in all instances, with short gastric vessel division performed in 35.0 per cent of patients and hiatal repair in 66.7 per cent. Median operating time was 80 (range 30-210) min and median postoperative stay was 3 (range 1-19) days. Sixteen procedures (9.2 per cent) could not be completed laparoscopically and required conversion to open surgery. Some 144 patients were reviewed by a scientific officer 3 months after surgery, 85 at 12 months, and 32 at 2 years, using a standard clinical questionnaire. All but one were free from reflux symptoms, although 20.1 per cent reported some dysphagia at 3 months' follow-up; this figure declined to 11 per cent at 12 months and 6 per cent (two of 34 patients) at 2 years. At each follow-up interval, 91 per cent of patients were satisfied with the outcome of the surgery. Objective testing with oesophageal motility (75 patients) and barium swallow (113) studies 3-6 months after surgery confirmed the clinical outcome. Complications occurred in nine patients (5.2 per cent); four (2.3 per cent) of these required a subsequent operation within 30 days of surgery for bleeding (one patient), paraoesophageal herniation (one) and dysphagia (two). A further procedure was necessary in six other patients (3.4 per cent) for late problems, including paraoesophageal herniation (two), hiatal stenosis (three) and gastric obstruction (one). Revision was performed laparoscopically in two patients. The clinical results of laparoscopic Nissen fundoplication by 'experienced' laparoscopic surgeons were comparable with those of open surgery.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1995

Laparoscopic cardiomyotomy with a Dor patch for achalasia.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate early experience with laparoscopic Heller's cardiomyotomy with placement of a Dor patch for achalasia. DESIGN: A prospective case series. SETTING: A university teaching hospital. PATIENTS: Fourteen patients (5 men, 9 women, median age 47 years) with esophageal achalasia, treated between July 1992 and July 1994. INTERVENTIONS: Laparoscopic Heller's cardiomyotomy with a Dor patch. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Clinical relief of symptoms, confirmed by esophageal manometry, 24-hour ambulatory pH monitoring and barium-contrast radiography. RESULTS: Three of the 14 patients required conversion to an open procedure, and 1 underwent early laparotomy for postoperative bleeding. The median operating time was 120 minutes (range from 75 to 210 minutes), and the median duration of hospitalization was 4 days (range from 3 to 18 days). Normal physical activity was resumed after a median of 2 weeks (range from 0.5 to 6 weeks). Symptomatic dysphagia was completely relieved in 12 patients and improved in 2. Only one patient experienced symptoms of reflux postoperatively. Postoperative esophageal manometry (seven patients), 24-hour pH monitoring (five patients) and barium-meal radiography (seven patients) confirmed the clinical results. CONCLUSION: Laparoscopic Heller's cardiomyotomy with a Dor patch provides a viable alternative to open cardiomyotomy and forceful endoscopic dilatation.

Cardia↗
PubMed1994

Reoperation after failed antireflux surgery.

Between 1978 and 1992, 61 patients were operated on for new or recurrent problems after antireflux surgery. Indications for reoperation were recurrent reflux in 50 patients (associated with dysphagia in 14), dysphagia alone in six and postprandial pain in five. At reoperation the cause of the problem was apparent as anatomical breakdown of the repair in 19 patients, gastric pull-through (slipped Nissen procedure) in 14 and paraoesophageal hernia in six. In 18 patients the cause of the symptoms was not readily apparent. Reoperation consisted of fundoplication alone in 27 patients, fundoplication with pyloroplasty in eight, fundoplication with proximal gastric vagotomy in four, a Collis-Nissen procedure in 11 (four also had pyloroplasty), a Roux-en-Y procedure in four, total gastrectomy in one and reduction of a paraoesophageal hernia in six. Of the 20 patients with some form of destruction of the gastric outlet six experienced troublesome dumping symptoms and in two this was severe. Two patients died from cardiac causes after surgery. Of the remaining 59 patients, 51 rated the procedure as successful. Repeat antireflux procedures can give results almost as good as those of primary antireflux surgery. However, pyloroplasty and gastric resection should be avoided if at all possible.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

Laparoscopic Nissen fundoplication.

OBJECTIVE: The authors laparoscopic approach for a Nissen fundoplication is presented. SUMMARY BACKGROUND DATA: The technique has been undertaken in 155 patients over 29 months, with 137 patients having been observed for more than 3 months. METHODS: Three hundred sixty degree fundoplication was undertaken using three or four sutures to secure the wrap. Short gastric vessels were not divided, and the anterior wall of the stomach was used to construct the wrap around the esophagus with a large bougie in position. RESULTS: The operation was not completed laparoscopically in 19 patients because a satisfactory wrap could not be achieved. Ten patients undergoing laparoscopic fundoplication underwent a subsequent operation related to the laparoscopic procedure within 6 months, and there was one postoperative death. Seven other patients were readmitted to the hospital several days subsequent to their discharge, four because of pulmonary emboli. Of 137 patients who have been observed for more than 3 months, 133 patients are well and currently are free from reflux symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: In uncomplicated cases, laparoscopic fundoplication has similar advantages to laparoscopic cholecystectomy. In spite of the fact that it has not yet achieved the overall usefulness of open fundoplication, it seems likely that laparoscopic fundoplication will be used increasingly in the treatment of patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Recurrent peptic ulceration after highly selective vagotomy: long-term outcome.

A prospective assessment was made of the outcome 4 years after diagnosis of recurrence in a group of 27 patients with documented ulceration after highly selective vagotomy (16 symptomatic recurrence and 11 asymptomatic). In the 16 patients with a previous symptomatic recurrence, eight of the 11 patients with duodenal ulcer underwent a further endoscopy at 4 years and one active ulcer was found. Five patients with previous symptomatic gastric ulcer recurrence have all undergone further surgery. In the 11 patients who originally had an asymptomatic ulcer recurrence (five gastric, six duodenal) no patient has undergone further surgery, although two patients with a recurrent gastric ulcer and two with a recurrent duodenal ulcer subsequently developed symptoms from their ulcer and required H2 receptor blocker therapy. Eight of the 11 originally asymptomatic patients underwent further endoscopy at 4 years and two further duodenal ulcers were found. After highly selective vagotomy, asymptomatic ulcer recurrence occurs frequently and 40 per cent of these patients may develop symptoms.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Preliminary experience with a combined-modality approach to the management of oesophageal cancer.

A synchronous chemoradiotherapy schedule of modest dosage has been used in 36 patients with oesophageal cancer since July 1984 at the Royal Adelaide Hospital. The schedule, which comprises two five-day continuous infusions of 5-fluorouracil, each of which is followed by a short cisplatin infusion, together with 30-35 Gy of megavoltage irradiation over three weeks, has been used alone, or before surgical resection or further chemo-irradiation. It has been extremely well tolerated and has caused complete endoscopic resolution of disease before surgery or further chemo-irradiation in 69% of patients. At the end of the full course of treatment, complete relief of dysphagia has been achieved in 27 (84%) of the 32 patients in whom this symptom was present at the start of treatment. The median duration of relief has not yet been reached with a median follow-up of over one year. This degree of palliation is significantly better than that which was achieved in a series of patients who were treated radically either by surgery or radiation alone between the years 1978 and 1983 at the Royal Adelaide Hospital. The 12- and 18-month actuarial survival figures of 72% and 55%, respectively, for the 30 patients in this series whose disease remained apparently localized to the thorax at presentation, compare very favourably with the corresponding figures for the much more highly-selected group of patients who were treated surgically between 1978 and 1983.

Actuarial Analysis↗
PubMed1984

Symptomatic and asymptomatic ulcer recurrence following highly selective vagotomy.

An assessment of outcome has been made after highly selective vagotomy performed by two surgeons on 174 patients. The median time to followup was 36 months (range 3-94). The group comprised 74% males and 26% females (median age 45 years, range 19-75). Assessment was by review of medical history, endoscopy (irrespective of presence or absence of symptoms) and questionnaire. Symptomatic ulcer recurrence had already been diagnosed in 16 patients (9%). There were 2 unassociated deaths and 14 patients remained untraced. The remaining 142 patients were assessed by questionnaire and asked to undergo an endoscopy. One hundred and nineteen agreed to endoscopy and ulcers were found in 11 patients (9%). Five were sited in the duodenum and 6 in the stomach. Duodenitis was found in 30% of patients. Patients with ulcers in the pyloric region were at significantly greater risk than the general group for developing a recurrence. Patients who agreed to endoscopy (119) underwent Visick grading prior to endoscopy. A poor correlation was found between ulcer recurrence and Visick score. The "asymptomatic" recurrence rate of 9% following highly selective vagotomy should be considered when assessing the outcome of the surgery.

Adult↗
PubMed1975

A major advance in the management of pneumatosis coli.

A new treatment for gas cysts of the large bowel is described which involves the continuous inhalation of a high concentration of oxygen over a five-day period. Two patients with incapacitating symptoms due to diffuse pneumatosis coli were treated by this method. Oxygen therapy resulted in remission of symptoms and disappearance of cysts in both cases. The physiological basis of this simple, effective therapy is discussed, together with the precautions necessary in its use.

Aged↗