The Australian and New Zealand journal of surgery
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A critical evaluation of free paper abstracts accepted for the 1996 RACS Annual Scientific Congress.
Abstracts form a major part of medical information dissemination and a measure by which papers are accepted for meetings. Concerns have been raised about the quality of abstracts presented to the Annual Scientific Congress (ASC) and second, about the validity of the term 'scientific' to describe this meeting. ⋯ The quality of the presentation of abstracts was adequate but could clearly be improved, especially with regard to the specific instructions to authors. The ASC abstracts were significantly less scientific in content that those of the SRSA abstracts. The criteria used to select abstracts for the ASC should be reviewed and the title of the annual College meeting should be reconsidered.
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The purpose of this study was to examine existing data on women diagnosed with breast cancer in New South Wales in 1991 and 1992 and to describe surgical treatments received on an inpatient basis. ⋯ Women with a localized degree of spread living in non-metropolitan areas (Health Regions) were almost twice as likely to have a mastectomy as compared with similar women who were resident in metropolitan areas (Area Health Services). The concentration of radiotherapy services may have contributed to the urban/rural variation in breast-conserving therapy in New South Wales, but it is also likely that some of the variations that were observed may be a reflection of the failure of clinicians to use best current practice.
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The optimal method of restoring intestinal continuity after rectal resection has been controversial. This study aims to compare the morbidity, mortality and survival of patients having either single-stapled (SS) or double-stapled (DS) colorectal anastomoses following resection of the rectum for cancer. ⋯ These results suggest that the double-stapling technique is as safe as the single-stapling technique for constructing an anastomosis after excision of the rectum for cancer, in terms of the risk of leakage, the development of an anastomotic stricture, or local recurrence.
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Biography Historical Article
John Wilkins, surgeon, 1826-1905: experiences in Williamstown (Melbourne) and New Zealand.
John Wilkins was a prominent colonial surgeon for 15 years in Williamstown, Victoria. During the early gold rushes he prospered from investments in property. ⋯ After 10 years he moved to Dunedin where he produced the first publication on anaesthesia in New Zealand. He moved to Christchurch, but found contentment in Auckland where he practised general medicine with special consultations in general surgery and diseases of the eye, ear, nose and throat, and where he lived for the remainder of his life.
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The philosophy and practice of minimally invasive surgery have fundamentally altered the practice of general and gynaecological surgery, and are currently transforming the practice of neurosurgery. The goal of minimally invasive surgery is to reduce tissue disruption and thus morbidity. This is a review of the development, applications, and benefits of minimally invasive neurosurgery, and its wider surgical implications. ⋯ Minimally invasive neurosurgery is a major force in contemporary neurosurgery and many of the current neurosurgical applications will have far-reaching effects on the practice of surgery in general.