Biomedical subjects

R D Riether

Publications and source records attributed to R D Riether.

11 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed1991

Hemorrhoidectomy during pregnancy: risk or relief?

Acute hemorrhoidal crisis can occur in the pregnant female. When medical therapy fails to relieve pain, operative intervention may be necessary. The surgeon, however, may be reluctant to operate due to potential complications to the mother and fetus. From July 1983 to July 1989, hemorrhoidectomy was performed in 25 of 12,455 pregnant women (0.2 percent) who delivered in our institution. Twenty-two women were in their third trimester, 80 percent were multiparous, and each had a remote history of hemorrhoidal symptoms, including intermittent pain, bleeding, and protrusion. Closed hemorrhoidectomy was performed under local anesthesia. The surgery was directed at removing only symptomatic disease, which included three quadrants in 14 patients, two quadrants in seven patients, and one quadrant in four patients. All patients experienced relief of intractable pain the day after surgery, except one patient who required a hemostatic packing during the immediate post-operative period. There were no other maternal or fetal complications. Subsequent follow-up for anorectal disease ranged from 6 months to 6 years. Six (24 percent) patients required additional hemorrhoid treatment. Hemorrhoidectomy in selected pregnant patients is safe in our experience.

Adult↗

PubMed1989

Metronidazole vs. erythromycin, neomycin, and cefazolin in prophylaxis for colonic surgery.

A prospective, double-blind, randomized study was undertaken to compare perioperative parenteral metronidazole and erythromycin, One neomycin, and cefazolinhundred fifty-five patients were randomized into two groups by the pharmacy department. The resulting difference between the overall septic complication rate in patients receiving erythromycin, neomycin, and cefazolin (10.9 percent) and the rate in patients receiving metronidazole alone (31.9 percent) was significant. This indicates that an antibiotic to cover aerobic bacteria should be added to the regimen when metronidazole is used.

Cefazolin↗

PubMed1989

Mass screening for colorectal cancer.

A voluntary community colorectal cancer screening project to detect occult blood in the stool of asymptomatic individuals was undertaken; 49,353 Hemoccult II kits were distributed. A total of 23,674 completed kits were returned to a central repository and processed (compliance rate, 48 percent); 851 participants had positive results (3.6 percent). Of the 640 who underwent further medical evaluation, 299 participants (46.7 percent) who had adequate follow-up had no evidence of disease. Diverse disease entities were detected in 341 participants, which was 1.4 percent of those enrolled. Forty-one patients (0.17 percent) showed significant findings that included 29 cancers (0.12 percent) and 12 (0.05 percent) noninvasive malignant polyps. Of the cancers, there were 27 colorectal, one non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, and one carcinoma of the vocal cord. In addition, 107 patients (0.45 percent) had benign polyps and 193 patients (0.82 percent) had various diseases of the gastrointestinal tract and other medical conditions. The cost of the program was modest and the results conformed to those found in previous screening surveys. The heightened public awareness of testing for colorectal disease and the detection of early lesions justifies the guaiac test screening program for mass survey.

Adult↗

PubMed1989

Current status of ileorectal anastomosis for inflammatory bowel disease.

Between September 1959 and December 1986, a total of 210 patients in a consecutive series were operated on for inflammatory bowel disease. One hundred ten (66 percent) had ileorectal anastomosis performed. There were no postoperative deaths. There were six failures in 53 ileorectal anastomoses for ulcerative colitis (11 percent), and five failures (8 percent) in 61 for Crohn's disease. The overall failure rate was 11 in 110 (10 percent). Ileorectal anastomosis, in suitable patients, is still a viable operation in the late 1980s.

Anastomosis, Surgical↗

PubMed1987

The Bacon pull-through procedure.

Twenty-eight patients who underwent the Bacon pull-through procedure for carcinoma of the midrectum were reviewed retrospectively. The results were comparable to low anterior resection and abdominoperineal resection. Although the indications are limited, it is a viable option in a highly selected group of patients.

Aged↗

PubMed1987

Endoscopic retrieval of foreign bodies from the rectum.

A technique is described and illustrated by case reports wherein removal of foreign bodies of the rectum is simplified by using the flexible sigmoidscope. Evidence from the literature indicates that delayed perforation is rare in this situation, and that outpatient management would suffice for most patients.

Adult↗

PubMed1986

Comparing predictive decision rules in postoperative CEA monitoring.

To evaluate the usefulness of serial postoperative carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) assays, seven previously published decision rules for predicting tumor recurrence were compared retrospectively using CEA values from 214 patients followed 36 to 120 months after surgery for colorectal carcinoma. Decision rules employing cutoff values to predict tumor recurrence were found inadequate for the asymptomatic patient. This attenuation of prognostic usefulness appeared attributable to inadequacies of CEA assays for predicting late recurrences. From these analyses, elevated CEA results without other objective evidence might be insufficient to justify second-look surgery. In addition, late recurring tumors tended not to cause elevated CEA levels.

Adult↗

PubMed1986

Follow-up on a prospective study of continuous hepatic perfusion with implantable pump.

Continuous chemotherapy for hepatic metastases secondary to carcinoma of the colon and/or rectum was delivered via implantable pump in 20 patients. This is a follow-up to a preliminary report published in January 1985. Pumps were placed by a single surgeon in a community hospital; there was no mortality and minimal morbidity. Follow-up of these patients revealed a significant long-term complication rate secondary to effects of chemotherapy. Nine patients were alive at the cutoff date of this report; mean follow-up was 16 months. Eleven patients have died following implantation, with a mean survival of 14 months. Statistical analyses demonstrated increased survival rates for those patients whose tumors were poorly differentiated when compared with those with moderately differentiated or well-differentiated tumors. The objective response of liver metastases was overwhelmingly positive, as judged by CT scan and serial CEA levels. The significant rehospitalization rate for complications and the marginal increase in survival, however, have discouraged implantation of the pump at our institution.

Aged↗

PubMed1986

Management of anal incontinence.

Anal incontinence can be attributed to anatomic and physiologic alterations in the external sphincter, internal sphincter and puborectalis muscle. Altered compliance or changes in the sensory threshold are contributing factors. In addition to history and physical examination, anal manometry and radiologic examination of the anorectal angle are helpful in determining the exact causative factors. Depending on the cause, either medical therapy or surgical repair can control anal incontinence.

Anal Canal↗

PubMed1985

A prospective study of continuous hepatic perfusion with implantable pump.

The delivery of chemotherapy through the implantable hepatic infusion pump in the management of patients with hepatic metastases secondary to carcinoma of the colon and rectum is evaluated in this preliminary prospective study. Patients were selected according to hepatic lobar distribution and magnitude, age, and general systemic evaluation. Infusion pumps were implanted in a total of 14 patients who were judged to be unsuitable for hepatic resection. After pump implantation all patients were alive and well and receiving regional perfusion chemotherapy. For the nine patients in this study who have been monitored for a full six months, the median decrease in CEA levels was 49 percent. On computerized axial tomography (CT) and/or liver-spleen scan, five patients showed greater than 50 percent reduction in tumor size. All patients have demonstrated minimal systemic toxicity and have maintained a good quality of life. The results encourage further evaluation of perfusion chemotherapy.

Aged↗

PubMed1985

Clinical and manometric evaluation of continence after the Bacon two-stage pull-through procedure.

Twenty-eight patients who underwent the Bacon pull-through operation were evaluated for continence by clinical and radiologic means. Six patients were available for anal manometry. Eighty-three percent of those patients followed for function did not have the sensation to defecate spontaneously. They had normal functioning of the external sphincter, failure of reflex inhibition of the internal sphincter, and decreased rectal compliance secondary to fibrosis of the presacral space. These factors created a distal high-pressure zone which, when combined with sensory loss due to transection of the levators, rendered the patient continent but without the ability to defecate spontaneously unless an enema was administered.

Adult↗