Minimally invasive therapy & allied technologies : MITAT : official journal of the Society for Minimally Invasive Therapy
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Minim Invasive Ther Allied Technol · Jan 2011
ReviewClinical suspicion of acute appendicitis - is the time ripe for more conservative treatment?
Traditionally, the diagnosis of acute appendicitis has been based mainly on a history compatible with acute appendicitis and pain at McBurney's point, and the treatment of choice in patients with right iliac fossa pain referring to acute appendicitis has been (laparoscopic) appendicectomy. In too many centers where these traditional rules are followed the accuracy of diagnosis of acute appendicitis still remains at the level of 80 to 85%. It is time to re-evaluate these general guidelines. ⋯ Although there is a clinical suspicion of acute appendicitis, it can be excluded in adult patient, if both leucocyte count and C-reactive protein value are normal on admission to hospital and remain normal in the follow-up. In expert centers, up to 100% sensitivity and specificity have been reported for contrast-enhanced multidetector computed tomography in the diagnosis of acute appendicitis. Antibiotic treatment can be considered a safe first-line therapy in selected patients with acute appendicitis.
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Minim Invasive Ther Allied Technol · Oct 2010
Gastric lymphatic basin dissection for sentinel node biopsy using hybrid natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery (NOTES).
The aim of the present study was to describe a method of gastric lymphatic basin dissection for sentinel node biopsy using natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery with laparoscopic assistance (hybrid NOTES) in a porcine model. Lymph node dissection was performed in three healthy female domestic farm pigs (each around 40 kg) between October, 2007, and December, 2007. The pigs were administered a general anesthetic and laparoscopy-guided transvaginal colpotomy was performed. ⋯ The mean number of detected and resected sentinel nodes was 2.6 (range 1-4, diameter 2~12 mm). Sentinel lymphatic basin dissection was performed successfully and without intraoperative complications in all three cases. Hybrid NOTES is technically feasible, and this procedure may represent an alternative to laparoscopic sentinel lymph node dissection of the stomach.
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Minim Invasive Ther Allied Technol · Apr 2010
Efficiency of ultrasound training simulators: method for assessing image realism.
Although ultrasound has become an important imaging modality within several medical professions, the benefit of ultrasound depends to some degree on the skills of the person operating the probe and interpreting the image. For some applications, the possibility to educate operators in a clinical setting is limited, and the use of training simulators is considered an alternative approach for learning basic skills. ⋯ This article describes a method that allows corresponding true and simulated ultrasound images to be generated and displayed side by side in real time, thus facilitating an interactive evaluation of ultrasound simulators in terms of image resemblance, real-time characteristics and man-machine interaction. The proposed method could be used to study the realism of ultrasound simulators and how this realism affects the quality of training, as well as being a valuable tool in the development of simulation algorithms.
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Minim Invasive Ther Allied Technol · Jan 2010
Clinical TrialPercutaneous endoscopic debridement and drainage in immunocompromised patients with complicated infectious spondylitis.
Percutaneous endoscopic debridement and drainage (PEDD) has been reported to be an effective procedure in treating early infectious spondylodiscitis. However, it is not clear whether PEDD can be effective in treating cases of complicated infectious spondylitis with significant abscess formation or vertebral destruction. Two women and four men with poor general health and complicated pyogenic spondylitis who underwent PEDD were evaluated. ⋯ No surgery-related complications were noted during or after the PEDD procedure. In conclusion, PEDD was effective in treating complicated infectious spondylitis. We propose that PEDD is an effective alternative to extensive surgery for complicated infectious spondylitis, especially in patients with multiple comorbidities.