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Biomedical subjects

R Hilgers

Publications and source records attributed to R Hilgers.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Role of bladder neck mobility and urethral closure pressure in predicting outcome of tension-free vaginal tape (TVT) procedure.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate how urethral mobility and urethral closure pressure affect the outcome of tension-free vaginal tape (TVT) insertion for stress incontinence. METHODS: A total of 191 consecutive women with genuine stress urinary incontinence with or without intrinsic sphincter deficiency were evaluated prospectively with multichannel urodynamics, 24-h voiding diaries, clinical stress tests and introital ultrasound measurements preoperatively and 6 months after surgery. Additional introital ultrasound examinations were performed immediately after the operation, at 12 months and annually thereafter. 177/191 patients had completed a 36-month follow-up at the time of writing. Urethral mobility was described as linear dorsocaudal movement (LDM), with hypermobility being defined as LDM > 15 mm on sonography. Intrinsic sphincter deficiency was defined by a maximum urethral closure pressure (MUCP) of <20 cm H(2)O. RESULTS: The overall cure rate at the 36-month follow-up was 89.5% (Kaplan-Meier estimator), with secondary cure (within 6 months of surgery) in 10.5% of these patients. The operation failed in 4.2% of the women and recurrence was seen in 6.3% of the cases. Bladder neck mobility was significantly reduced at the 6-month follow-up (P < 0.001). Compared with primary cure, therapeutic failure and secondary cure were associated with a significantly lower postoperative bladder neck mobility (P < 0.05). Postoperative hypermobility reduced the risk of therapeutic failure. In addition, women with therapeutic failure or secondary cure had a significantly lower MUCP than did those with primary cure (P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: The effectiveness of the TVT sling appears to depend on adequate postoperative urethral mobility and urethral closure pressure.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Cerebral inflammatory response during and after cardiac surgery.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Neurological dysfunction is a common problem after cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). Cerebral ischaemia associated with the use of CPB may result in a release of neuronal-ischaemic markers and a subsequent cerebral inflammatory response which may additionally release inflammatory cytokines. In order to locate the origin and to quantify the release of neuronal-ischaemic markers and cytokines we investigated arterial-cerebral venous concentration gradients during and after CPB in a clinical setting. METHODS: In twenty-five patients scheduled for coronary artery bypass grafting surgery we measured the plasma concentration of neuron-specific enolase, S-100beta protein as well as interleukins (IL) IL-6, IL-8 and IL-10 from arterial and cerebral venous blood samples prior to surgery (baseline), during hypothermic CPB at 32 degrees C, after termination of bypass, as well as 2, 4 and 6 h after admission to the intensive care unit. RESULTS: Arterial-cerebral venous concentration gradients of neuron-specific enolase, S-100beta, IL-6, IL-8 and IL-10 were neither detectable during nor after CPB. Compared to the baseline period, S-100beta and neuron-specific enolase significantly increased during hypothermic CPB. After termination of CPB, neuronal-ischaemic markers as well as cytokines were increased and remained elevated during the investigated time course without reaching baseline values. CONCLUSIONS: Although we found an overall increase in plasma concentrations of neuronal-ischaemic markers, IL-6, IL-8 and IL-10 during and after CPB, arterial-cerebral venous gradients were not detectable for any of these parameters. Our results suggest that the increase of investigated parameters associated with the use of CPB are not primarily caused by a cerebral inflammatory response but rather reflect a release from other sources in the systemic circulation.

Aged↗
PubMed2004

Determination of bladder neck position by intraoperative introital ultrasound in colposuspension: outcome at 6-month follow-up.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether open colposuspension modified by intraoperative ultrasound to prevent overcorrection is a safe and effective procedure. METHODS: Ninety women operated on for urodynamically proven genuine stress urinary incontinence underwent intraoperative introital ultrasound in a prospective observational clinical study. The positions of the bladder neck and proximal urethra were assessed by determining the parameters height (H), distance (D) and the urethrovesical angle (beta) perioperatively and for up to 6 months postoperatively. Colposuspension of the bladder neck was performed with a vertical height correction, DeltaH (resting H(intraop) - resting H(preop)) of 1 to 10 mm. Bladder neck positions were determined on an individual basis by introital ultrasound before, during and after surgery. RESULTS: Surgical elevation of the bladder neck (median height correction, DeltaH 4 mm) resulted in a median intraoperative elevation of 9 mm (6 months: 8 mm). All postoperative measurements showed a significant reduction of the median linear movement of the bladder neck during straining (P < 0.0001). Anti-incontinence surgery resulted in a significant reduction of funneling and hypermobility 6 months after surgery (P < 0.0001). At 6-month follow-up, 94% (85/90) of the women were continent. Evaluation immediately after surgery showed voiding difficulties and urge symptoms in 9% (8/90) of the patients each and de novo urge incontinence in 1% (1/90). CONCLUSIONS: Intraoperative introital ultrasound can help to optimize the colposuspension procedure. Ultrasonographic measurement of height H allows for objectively assessing the surgical procedure and can reduce postoperative complications by preventing excessive correction.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Introital ultrasound of the lower genital tract before and after colposuspension: a 4-year objective follow-up.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the topography of the bladder neck by introital ultrasound before and after open colposuspension. METHODS: Three hundred and ten women with urodynamically proven stress urinary incontinence were included in this long-term study to investigate the position and function of the bladder neck at rest and during straining. Height (H), distance (D), and urethrovesical angle of the bladder neck (beta) were measured by means of preoperative and postoperative introital ultrasound. Women were followed up; 152 of them (49%) completed 48 months of follow-up. RESULTS: At the 6-month follow-up examination, 90.0% of the women were continent (279/310), 3.5% (11/310) showed voiding difficulties, 3.5% (11/310) had urgency, and 1.6% (5/310) had developed de novo urge incontinence. At the 48-month follow-up, 76.8% of the patients were still continent. All postoperative measurements yielded significantly lower values for angle beta at rest and during straining compared with the preoperative results (P < 0.0001). The median linear movement of the bladder neck during straining decreased from 18.0 mm before surgery to 6.4 mm at the 48-month follow-up (P < 0.0001). The median level of ventrocranial elevation of the vesicourethral junction was 14.3 mm immediately after surgery, 9.9 mm after 6 months and 6.6 mm after 48 months. The degree of surgical bladder-neck elevation was associated with postoperative urgency/de novo urge incontinence (P < 0.0001) and voiding difficulty (P < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: The colposuspension procedure reduces angle beta at rest and during straining, restricts linear movement with straining, and elevates the bladder neck. Perioperative introital ultrasound improves understanding of this surgical procedure and might help to prevent postoperative complications.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Patients with lymphatic metastasis of cutaneous malignant melanoma benefit from sentinel lymphonodectomy and early excision of their nodal disease.

Early versus delayed excision of lymph node metastases is still being assessed in malignant melanoma. In the present retrospective, multicentre study, the outcome of 314 patients with positive sentinel lymphonodectomy (SLNE) was compared with the outcome of 623 patients with delayed lymph node dissection (DLND) of clinically enlarged lymph node metastases. In order to avoid the lead-time bias, survival was generally calculated from the excision of the primary tumour. Survival curves were constructed using the Kaplan-Meier product-limit estimate. Cox's proportional hazards model was used to perform a multivariate analysis of factors related to overall survival. Compared with SLNE and early performed complete lymph node dissection, DLND yielded a significantly higher number of lymph node metastases. Median and mean tumour thickness were nearly identical in the two therapy groups. The estimated 3-year overall survival rate was 80.1+/-2.8% (+/-standard error of the mean (SEM)) in patients with positive SLNs, and 67.6+/-1.9% in patients with DLND (5-year survival rates 62.5+/-5.5 and 50.2+/-5.4%, respectively). The difference between the two survival curves was statistically significant (P=0.002). Using multifactorial analysis, SLNE (P=0.000052), American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) Breslow thickness category (P<0.000001), age (P=0.01) and gender (P=0.028) were independent predictors of overall survival. The location of the primary tumour (P=0.59) was non-significant. Considering only those centres with sufficient data for epidermal ulceration, this risk factor was also significant. In cutaneous malignant melanoma, early excision of lymphatic metastases, directed by the sentinel node procedure, provides a highly significant overall survival benefit.

Female↗
PubMed2004

Changes of jugular venous blood temperature associated with measurements of cerebral blood flow using the transcerebral double-indicator dilution technique.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: The transcerebral double-indicator dilution technique is a recently developed method to measure global cerebral blood flow at bedside. It is based on bolus injection of ice-cold indocyanine green dye and simultaneous recording of resulting thermo- and dye-dilution curves in the aorta and the jugular bulb. However, with this method 40 mL of ice-cold solution is administered as a bolus. Therefore, this prospective clinical study was performed to elucidate the effects of repeated administration of indicator on absolute blood temperature and on cerebral blood flow and metabolism. METHODS: The investigation was performed in nine male patients scheduled for elective coronary artery bypass grafting. Absolute blood temperature was measured in the jugular bulb and in the aorta before and after repeated measurements using the transcerebral double-indicator dilution technique. RESULTS: During the investigated time course, the blood temperature in the jugular bulb, compared to the aorta, was significantly higher with a mean difference of 0.21 degrees C. The administration of an ice-cold bolus reduced the mean blood temperature by 0.06 degrees C in the jugular bulb as well as in the aorta. After the transcerebral double-indicator dilution measurements a temperature recovery to baseline conditions was not observed during the investigated time period. Cerebral blood flow and cerebral metabolism did not change during the investigated time period. CONCLUSIONS: Repeated measurements with the transcerebral double-indicator dilution technique do not affect absolute jugular bulb blood temperatures negatively. Global cerebral blood flow and metabolism measurements remain unaltered. However, accuracy and resolution of this technique is not high enough to detect the effect of minor changes of physiological variables.

Aged↗
PubMed2003

[Ultrasound imaging of the lower urinary tract in women before and after colposuspension: a 6-month follow-up].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the position of the bladder neck before and after open Burch colposuspension, using introital ultrasound. DESIGN: Retrospective longitudinal study using pre- and post-operative sonographic assessment of the position and function of the bladder neck. SETTING: Urogynecology units at the universities of Marburg/Göttingen and Witten/Herdecke and the DRK district hospital in Alzey, Germany. PATIENTS: 310 women undergoing open Burch colposuspension for primary genuine stress incontinence between September 1992 and December 2001. METHOD: Two-dimensional introitus sonography of the bladder neck prior to, one week and six months after surgery. RESULTS: The median age at surgery was 55 years (26 - 85). Open colposuspension lead to a 90.0 % (279/310) cure rate at 6 months with only 3.5 % (11/310) of the patients showing persistent micturation problems. A further 11.6 % (36/310) had symptoms of urgency and in 7 patients (2.3 %) a de novo urge-incontinence occurred. Post-operative bladder neck angles and movements at rest and during valsalva manoeuvre were significantly reduced while the resting bladder neck position was significantly elevated (p < 0.0001). Anatomical elevation of the bladder neck after open colposuspension varied between 2 - 39 with a median of 14.3 mm of neck elevation after one week and 9.9 mm at 6 month, respectively. Incontinence surgery lead to a significant reduction of the urethral funneling (p < 0.0001). CONCLUSION: In our series, open Burch colposuspension decreased both the bladder neck angle and the linear movement at rest and on valsalva as a result of the surgically stabilized bladder neck. Thus, our results support the hammock hypothesis that even small changes in the position of neck position are sufficient to reverse incontinence. We believe that perioperative introitus sonography is a helpful tool for the clinical assessment and documentation of not only morphological but also functional changes of the female continence organ before and after open Burch colposuspension.

Colposcopy↗
PubMed2001

Propranolol treatment of congestive heart failure in infants with congenital heart disease: The CHF-PRO-INFANT Trial. Congestive heart failure in infants treated with propanol.

AIM: Infants with congenital heart disease and left-to-right shunts may develop significant clinical symptoms of congestive heart failure in spite of therapy with digoxin and diuretics. We investigated the effects of beta-blockade in infants with severe heart failure. METHODS AND RESULTS: We performed a prospective, randomized, open monocenter trial in infants treated with digoxin and diuretics (n=10) in comparison to 10 infants receiving additional beta-blocker therapy. After 17 days on average beta-blocker treated infants (propranolol:1,6 mg/kg/day) improved significantly with respect to Ross heart failure score (3.3+/-2.3 vs. 8.3+/-1.9, P=0.002), lower renin levels (338+/-236 vs. 704+/-490 microU/l, P=0.008) and lower mean heart rates in Holter ECG (118+/-10 vs. 142+/-11 beats/min, P<0.001). While digoxin and diuretic treated infants had unchanged mean heart rate (149+/-8 vs. 148+/-10 beats/min), less decrease of symptoms (Ross Score: 8.5+/-1.7 vs. 6.8+/-2.3, P=0.02) but a significant increase of renin levels (139+/-102 vs. 938+/-607 microU/l, P=0.001). CONCLUSION: Additional propranolol treatment but not digoxin and diuretics alone can effectively reduce clinical symptoms of heart failure in infants with congenital heart disease, who suffer from increased neurohormonal activation.

Adrenergic beta-Antagonists↗
PubMed1996

Diltiazem improves cardiac function and exercise capacity in patients with idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy. Results of the Diltiazem in Dilated Cardiomyopathy Trial.

BACKGROUND: Evidence is arising that calcium antagonists in idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy (IDC) may have beneficial effects on virus-induced cardiopathology, alcohol toxicity, micro-circulatory disorders, and impaired calcium cycling, all possibly involved in the pathogenesis of the disease. Thus, the effect of adjunct diltiazem (60 to 90 mg TID) on standard treatment was investigated. METHODS AND RESULTS: The Diltiazem in Dilated Cardiomyopathy (DiDi) trial was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicenter trial of 186 patients (92 receiving diltiazem, 94 receiving placebo) with IDC diagnosed by coronary angiography, catheterization of the left side of the heart, and a left ventricular ejection fraction of < 0.50 (mean, 0.34 +/- 0.11). The effect of adjunct diltiazem treatment on transplant listing-free survival, hemodynamics, exercise capacity, and subjective status was investigated. During the 24-month study period, 33 patients dropped out of the study; 153 patients finished the study protocol. Twenty-seven patients died or had a listing for heart transplantation: 16 in the placebo group and 11 in the diltiazem group. The transplant listing-free survival rate was 85% for diltiazem and 80% for placebo recipients (P = .444). After 24 months, only diltiazem significantly increased cardiac index at rest (P = .01) and under a workload (P = .02), systolic and diastolic pressures (P = .003 and P = .004), stroke volume index (P = .003), and stroke work index (P = .000) and decreased both pulmonary artery pressure under workload (P = .007) and heart rate (P = .001). Diltiazem also increased exercise capacity (P = .002) and subjective well-being (P = .01). Adverse reactions were minor and evenly distributed in both groups, except for an increase in the PQ interval in the diltiazem group. CONCLUSIONS: In patients with IDC, the adjunct therapy of diltiazem improves cardiac function, exercise capacity, and subjective status without deleterious effects on transplant listing-free survival.

Calcium Channel Blockers↗
PubMed1993

[Comparison of complications after intra- and extracapsular cataract extraction with lens implantation. Results of a prospective, randomized, clinical study].

BACKGROUND: The postoperative complications of ICCE with ACL implantation are compared with those of ECCE and PCL. Our clinical experience with ICCE and ACL implantation can not confirm the widespread rejection of this method. PATIENTS AND METHOD: A prospective, randomized, clinical study with participation of medical statisticians was performed. A total of 190 patients with ICCE and ACL and 170 patients with ECCE and PCL were followed up for 2 years. The follow-up examinations were performed upon dismission from the hospital, after 6, 12 and 24 months. The data were compiled in a computer program designed for this study and evaluated by the statisticians. The surgical procedures and the surgeons were defined prior to the beginning of patient recruitment. RESULTS: ICCE with ACL shows much less postoperative complications as usually emphasized. There were only 2 (1.2%) of retinal detachment and no case of corneal decompensation. Cystoid macular edema 8 (4.7%), postoperative vitreous prolaps into the anterior chamber 4 (2.3%) and spontaneous complaints of pain 16 (9.4%) occurred in a low percentage after ICCE with ACL. These complications did not occur after ECCE with PCL. The patients with ECCE and PCL showed capsular fibrosis in 48 (28%) making it the most frequent complication of the whole study. 33% of these patients required YAG-laser capsulotomy. Since retinal detachment occurs in 2.5% after YAG-laser capsulotomy we can not regard capsular fibrosis as a totally harmless complication. It is noteworthy that visual acuity is almost identical 1 year after surgery in both methods. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study show that the evaluation of ICCE with ACL is too negative. The elimination of postoperative complications in this method is more difficult. ECCE with PCL is burdened by frequent capsular fibrosis. Visual acuity is almost the same in both methods 1 years after the operation. ACL-implantation remains our method of choice for secondary implantation in patients with an intact iris diaphragm.

Aged↗
PubMed1993

[Cystoid macular edema and visual acuity with intracapsular cataract extraction and Choyce anterior chamber lens vs. extracapsular cataract extraction and posterior chamber lens in the partner eye].

A prospective study was conducted on 65 patients who had a cataract operation. One eye had intracapsular cataract extraction (ICCE) with a Choyce-IX anterior chamber lens (ACL) and the fellow eye extracapsular cataract extraction (ECCE) with a posterior chamber lens (PCL). To evaluate the cystoid macular edema (CME), a fluorescence angiogram was recorded on the day of discharge and after 6 months. The severity of the CME was classified in three stages (degrees I-III). At discharge, no eye had CME grade III. CME grade I or grade II was seen in the ICCE group in 23% and in the ECCE group in 7.6%. After 6 months one eye of each group showed CME grade III (1.5%). CME grades I and II were seen after ICCE in 13.8% and 7.8% while the eyes with ECCE presented CME in 6.1% of grade I and of grade II, respectively. Visual acuity (VA) in the eyes with grades I and II CME was the same as in eyes without CME. The VA (median) of the ICCE group was 0.8 and of the ECCE 0.7. Because of infection of the capsular bag (toxic lens syndrome), in one case the PCL together with the capsular bag had to be explanted after 7 months. As for visual acuity and clinically significant CME (grade III), there was no statistical difference between ICCE plus Choyce-IX ACL eyes versus ECCE plus PCL eyes in the same patient.

Aged↗
PubMed1992

[Precision control in blood alcohol determination].

The German supreme court (BGH [1]) summons that by proclaiming four or five single measuring values of every blood alcohol determination to prove that the resulting standard deviation lies under the highest amount stated in the official verdict of 1989 (10). On the one hand the control of the proceedings must be guaranteed by the successful participation of the ring tests, yet on the other hand the evidence to retroactively prove the accuracy of every blood alcohol determination from it's single values is always called for anew. In the example case the average value is 1.11 g/1000, the standard deviation is 0.036 g/1000. The standard deviation summoned by the BGH (1) is thereby exceeded. On account of the fundamental scientific regularies the parameter standard deviation is not qualified to retroactively verify the required accuracy of the procedure by means of the single values. The blood alcohol result in question can be used without proviso. A reduction of the present approved 10% variation of the single values is not significant. Only according to todays accuracy requirements does this limit nearly appear to be appropriate.

Alcoholic Intoxication↗
PubMed1990

[Studies of the bond of two different types of composites to etched enamel].

The strength of the bond between a microfilled or, respectively, a hybride composite and acid-etched enamel was examined in a shear test and by SEM in human teeth after different modes of preparation. The results showed that the best bond strengths were obtained with microfilled resin without use of a bonding agent. The retention of the hybride composite was better in combination with a bonding agent. Mechanical reduction of the enamel increased the bond strengths of all tested materials.

Acid Etching, Dental↗
PubMed1989

[Dose-dependent effect of locally administered sulprostone gel on serum luteal and placental hormones in cervix priming in the 1st trimester].

In a prospective, randomised study 30 primigravidae were treated with 25 micrograms, 50 mu, or 100 micrograms sulprostone gel in order to soften the cervix prior to first trimester termination of pregnancy. 10 multigravidae received only the gel vehicle tylose. For objective demonstration of the priming effect, the force required for dilatation of the cervical canal was measured in Newton by a special tonometer before prostaglandin (PG) application and before operation. Serum progesterone, 17-beta-estradiol and hP1 levels were determined radioimmunologically prior to PG application and at two-hours intervals until curettage. A sonographic examination for determing the vitality of the pregnancy was performed before PG administration and immediately before the surgical intervention. There were no significant differences in the primig effect between the 50 micrograms and 100 micrograms sulprostone-treated group; the application of 25 micrograms sulprostone was significantly less effective. After 100 micrograms sulprostone gel abortion occurred in 2 patients, 6 women showed a marked decrease in hPl concentrations, progesterone levels were found to be reduced to 31.6-78.7% and 17-beta-estradiol to 10-40% of the initial values before PG application. We found a close time correlation between the occurrence of contraction-induced lower abdominal pain and the fall in hormone concentrations. No abortions occurred in any of the patients treated with 50 micrograms sulprostone gel; in 9 women without clinical symptoms no significant changes of the hormone concentrations were observed. In contrast to the previously published literature our results indicate that effective cervical ripening can be achieved by this method without disturbance of the feto-placental unit and the trophoblast respectively.

Abortifacient Agents↗
PubMed1988

[Therapy of pancreatogenic steatorrhea. Comparison of 2 acid-protected enzyme preparations].

In an open, randomised cross-over trial nine patients with severe exocrine pancreatic insufficiency and considerable steatorrhea (greater than 25 g fecal fat excretion daily) received for five days, after a treatment-free period of three days, two new acid-protected enzyme preparations: Kreon, three times six capsules daily, pellets of 1-2 mm diameter; Panzytrat 20.000, three times three capsules daily, microtablets of 2 mm diameter. Both preparations significantly decreased fecal weight and fecal fat excretion. With equivalent lipase dosage there was no difference in effect between the two preparations.

Adult↗