The British journal of surgery
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Comparative Study
Cost-effectiveness of ultrasound-guided foam sclerotherapy, endovenous laser ablation or surgery as treatment for primary varicose veins from the randomized CLASS trial.
The treatment of patients with varicose veins constitutes a considerable workload and financial burden to the National Health Service. This study aimed to assess the cost-effectiveness of ultrasound-guided foam sclerotherapy (UGFS) and endovenous laser ablation (EVLA) compared with conventional surgery as treatment for primary varicose veins. ⋯ The results suggest, for patients considered eligible for all three treatment options, that EVLA has the highest probability of being cost-effective at accepted thresholds of willingness to pay per QALY.
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A small subset of patients may develop late-onset palsy of the recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN) after thyroid surgery. However, no conclusive data have been published regarding the incidence of, and possible risk factors for, this complication. ⋯ Late-onset palsy of the RLN was diagnosed in a small subset of patients after thyroid surgery, and recovery of nerve function occurred less frequently than in patients with early-onset RLN palsy.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study
Impact of mechanical bowel preparation on survival after colonic cancer resection.
A randomized study in 1999-2005 of mechanical bowel preparation (MBP) preceding colonic resection found no decrease in postoperative complications. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the long-term effect of MBP regarding cancer recurrence and survival after colonic resections. ⋯ Patients receiving MBP before elective colonic cancer surgery had significantly better cancer-specific survival after 10 years.
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Review
Systematic review of congenital and acquired portal-systemic shunts in otherwise normal livers.
Portal-systemic shunts (PSSs) are rarely seen in healthy individuals or patients with non-cirrhotic liver disease. They may play an important role in hepatic metabolism as well as in the spread of gastrointestinal metastatic tumours to specific organs. Small spontaneous PSSs may be more common than generally thought. However, epidemiological data are scarce and inconclusive. This systematic review examined the prevalence of reported PSSs and the associated detection methods. ⋯ Congenital and acquired PSSs are rare. They are usually clinically asymptomatic and discovered incidentally by radiological techniques. They may be clinically relevant owing to drug, tumour cell, metabolic and pathogen shunting.