Annales de chirurgie
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Annales de chirurgie · Jan 1992
[Role of resection of the celiac plexus in the analgesic treatment of pancreatic cancers].
The aim of this study was to evaluate the pain relief related to resection of the celiac plexus in pancreatic carcinoma. This technique was attempted in 26 consecutive patients and performed in 23 (feasibility: 88%), whose mean age was 64 years. Before surgery, patients were divided into two groups: patients not treated by narcotic analgesics (group 1, n = 10) and patients treated by narcotic analgesics (group II, n = 13). ⋯ The authors concluded that resection of the celiac plexus seems to be an effective pain treatment in pancreatic carcinoma. However, resection must be bilateral to provide analgesia. Specific morbidity of this technique may lead to the use of non-surgical methods if surgery is not indicated for pancreatic resection or by-pass.
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Annales de chirurgie · Jan 1991
Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial[Prolonged epidural analgesia following thoracotomy. Clinical study and serum levels over five days].
Prolonged continuous epidural analgesia allows perithecal infusion with fentanyl and bupivacaine for 5 postoperative days after thoracic surgery. This study included 27 thoracotomized patients randomised into two groups: group X consisted of 15 subjects, group Y consisted of 12 subjects. Each patient received 33 micrograms/hr or fentanyl for 48 hours, associated with 0.25% bupivacaine in group X, and 0.125% bupivacaine in group Y. ⋯ Mean fentanyl levels did not increase beyond 0.8 ng/ml. The use of 0.125% bupivacaine improved the margin of safety but did not impair clinical analgesia in the study. This method provides good analgesia for thoracotomized patients.
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Annales de chirurgie · Jan 1991
Case Reports[Streptococcus pneumoniae thyroid abscess associated with a toxic nodular goiter. Apropos of a case].
An unusual case of acute suppurative thyroiditis in association with toxic nodular goiter is reported by the authors. Surgical therapy was necessary due to the severity of the local and systemic inflammation induced by this association.
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Annales de chirurgie · Jan 1991
The diagnosis of acute abdominal pain with computer assistance: worldwide perspective.
This presentation describes the use of computer aided decision support in acute abdominal pain. The development of such support and the feasability of providing it are described with reference to worldwide studies involving nearly 100,000 patients in the UK, the European Community and worldwide. ⋯ As a result of this experience, it will be suggested: a) The diagnosis of acute abdominal pain by inexperienced emergency surgeons remains a difficult problem. 2) Doctors who have been assisted by a computer have, in many instances, improved their diagnostic and decision-making performance. 3) This improvement has not been due to superior "artificial intelligence" of the computer--but due to the computer acting as an educational focus and a stimulus to good clinical practice. 4) On an international level, these studies have been immensely valuable. They have helped bring together different national groups and helped to develop common medical terminology--as well as foster collaborative "spin-off" in terms of research around the world.
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Annales de chirurgie · Jan 1991
[Reduction in the incidence of postoperative diaphragmatic paralysis by using a phrenic nerve protector].
A prospective study of a consecutive series of 100 patients in whom a phrenic nerve protector was used during cardiac surgery under CPB demonstrated the existence of one case of postoperative left phrenic nerve palsy and three cases of postoperative right phrenic nerve palsy. Comparison with a previous series taken as the control revealed a very significant reduction in the incidence of left phrenic nerve palsy which decreased from 8% to 1%. The incidence of right phrenic nerve palsy was not significantly decreased which corroborates the role of pericardial cooling in the aetiology of these palsies and the absence of protection of the right phrenic nerve by the system used.