The Australian and New Zealand journal of surgery
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Intussusception of intestinal lesions in the adult is an infrequent event, indeed, those occurring in the distal large bowel are quite rare. Popular management options centre on laparotomy with resection of involved bowel. Two recent cases of intussuscepting polypoid lesions of the rectosigmoid that were successfully managed using an endo-anal approach are presented.
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A case is described in which computerized tomography scanning aided in a prompt diagnosis and assessment of an intravenous catheter-induced septic thrombus. Computerized tomography scanning detected gas bubbles within the thrombus, which extended from the right subclavian vein into the superior vena cava, and retrograde propagation of the thrombus into the right internal jugular vein. Computerized tomography scanning also helped in the assessment of the amount of deep tissue swelling present and the competence of the upper respiratory tract.
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Isolated splenic abscess is an uncommon condition. Seven cases seen between 1980 and 1990 are reviewed. ⋯ Pseudomonas species as a causative organism is reported to be rare, but were present in three of the present cases. Antibiotic therapy alone is insufficient and splenectomy remains the treatment of choice.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical Trial
Role of the pre-test in the progressive assessment of medical students.
A prospective, randomized, controlled trial was conducted to see if a pre-test, given immediately before teaching, improved performance in a subsequent post-test. The study was also used to assess the educational value of a structured teaching method. Third year medical students were randomized into study and control groups. ⋯ The experimental groups did, however, increase their marks significantly when their post-test results were compared with pre-test marks (P less than or equal to 0.0001, phase I and II). It was concluded that the pre-test did not result in a measurable increase in learning. The study did demonstrate that the teaching method was effective as post-instructional knowledge increased by nearly half when compared with pre-test levels.