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Biomedical subjects

S L Michel

Publications and source records attributed to S L Michel.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

'Malignant' diverticulitis: a clinical entity.

A form of severe diverticulitis exists that is characterized by (1) phlegmonous inflammation of the sigmoid and rectosigmoid colon, often extending below the peritoneal reflection, (2) frequent fistulization to skin, urinary bladder, and small intestine, (3) frequent colonic obstruction, and (4) high postoperative morbidity and mortality. The clinical similarity to granulomatous colitis is very apparent, but pathologic findings are consistent with severe diverticulitis rather than granulomatous colitis. The term "malignant" diverticulitis is suggested because of the progressive nature of the disease process and the frequency of severe morbidity associated with it. Seventeen patients have been studied since 1965, comprising approximately 7% of patients operated on for diverticular disease at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.

Aged

Control of hepatic bleeding with microfibrillar collagen.

Microfibrillar (Avitene) is a new absorbable topical hemostatic agent whose mechanism of action is platelet entrapment and activation of platelet clotting factors. It adheres to moist tissue surfaces to form a firm, flexible hemostatic coagulum. It has been used clinically in 36 patients with hepatic bleeding of diverse etiology, including bleeding from the gallbladder fossa, lacerations, resectional surfaces, biopsy sites, capsular denudations, and hepatic tumors. Although not intended to control major hemorrhage were major vessel ligation or resection is properly indicated, its topical use for diffuse small vessel bleeding may be life-saving. It is exceptionally useful in such conditions as cirrhosis and in thrombocytopenic or thrombasthenic coagulopathies. One treatment failure out of 36 occurred.

Aged

'Routine' liver biopsy in upper abdominal surgery.

Liver biopsy was done at the time of operation in 125 consecutive upper abdominal procedures to assess the incidence of unsuspected or undiagnosed hepatic abnormalities. Specifically excluded were hepatic lesions unexpectedly identified at laparotomy. Sixty-seven percent of the liver biopsy specimens were abnormal, the most frequent findings being fatty metamorphosis, cholestasis, triaditis, fibrosis, inflammatory infiltrate, cholangitis, cirrhosis, and hepatitis. The most frequent operation performed was cholecystectomy. In 63 patients with chronic cholecystitis, there was a 51% incidence of abnormal liver histology, while in nine patients with acute cholecystitis, the incidence was 78%. In 83% of all other operations, abnormal liver biopsy specimens were identified. Bile leakage, hemorrhage, and infection did not occur in this series, despite inclusion of patients with severe biliary obstruction, abnormal clotting factors, and intra-abdominal sepsis. New techniques of histochemical enzyme analysis and electron microscopy are expected to enhance the clinical correlation of occult hepatic lesions. We conclude that liver biopsy in a safe, informative adjunct to all upper abdominal procedures.

Abdomen

Fruit pit obstruction. "The propitious pit.".

Ingestion of fruit pit must be a frequent and innocuous phenomenon, judging from the expected frequency of such occurrences and the relative dearth of medical reports to the contrary. Reported here are four cases in which fruit pits of varied nature completed an otherwise incomplete intestinal obstruction. On of these was in the terminal ileum, with incomplete obstruction due to regional ileitis, in which the offending pit was seen radiologically but was not recognized as such. The other three were in the transverse colon, at the site of annular carcinomatous lesions. The completion of the obstruction by the fruit pits eventuated in earlier symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment. In one case, the fruit pits were multiple; in the remainder, they were single.

Aged