Natl Med J India
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The clinical spectrum of dengue fever ranges from asymptomatic infection through severe haemorrhage and sudden fatal shock. Increased capillary permeability is the diagnostic feature of dengue haemorrhagic fever (DHF). The pathophysiology of DHF/dengue shock syndrome (DSS) is related to sequential infection with different serotypes of the virus, variations in virus virulence, interaction of the virus with environmental or host factors and a combination of various risk factors. ⋯ Since all four serotypes of the dengue virus have been implicated in various outbreaks in this country and several outbreaks of DHF/DSS have been recorded since the first report in 1963, further epidemics of the disease are likely. The situation is aggravated by the recent emergence of DHF/DSS in Sri Lanka. In view of the potential of this disease to spread, effective preventive and control measures should be a priority.
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Comparative Study
Correlation of computed tomography with second-look laparotomy in ovarian carcinoma.
Cancer of the ovary is the second commonest gynaecological malignancy after cancer of the cervix. Surgery followed by cisplatin-based chemotherapy is the standard treatment approach. In patients with persistent disease, second-look laparotomy offers an opportunity to debulk the tumour. This is usually followed by an alternative method of chemotherapy. We compared the findings at surgery (second-look laparotomy) with the preoperative computed axial tomography scan assessments. ⋯ Computed axial tomography scan cannot detect small nodules often present in ovarian cancer, and thus even if a computed axial tomography scan is normal it should not exclude a second-look laparotomy.