Percutaneous microdiscectomy versus epidural injection for management of chronic spinal pain.

In this study we present the efficacy of aspiration of disc material employing the Stryker Disc Dekompressor during percutaneous microdiscectomy for the treatment of chronic spinal and radicular pain due to contained lumber disc herniation and compare the short-term outcome in such patients with those who received lumber epidural injection. A total of 50 patients with chronic lumber discogenic pain and radiculopathy were enrolled in this study and were randomized into two groups. Group 1 (n=26) underwent first time, single-level lumber discectomy at either L3-4, L4-5, or L5-S1 using the Stryker Disc Dekompressor for aspiration of disc material and Group 2 (n=24) received epidural steroid/local anesthetic injection.

Efficacy of postoperative continuous wound infiltration with local anesthetic after major abdominal surgery.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the analgesic efficacy, safety, opioid sparing effects and improvement of respiratory function when using 0.2% ropivacaine continuous wound infiltration after major intra-abdominal surgery. Forty patients undergoing major intra-abdominal surgery requiring a midline incision of > or = 20 cm were enrolled into this IRB-approved, randomized, prospective controlled study.

Efficacy of ketorolac in lieu of narcotics in the operative management of laparoscopic surgery for morbid obesity.

Background: Prompt recovery of protective airway reflexes, freedom from pain, ability to cooperate with respiratory physical therapy, early ambulation and discharge from the postanesthesia care unit (PACU), coupled with a stable intraoperative environment have been desired goals of anesthesia management of morbidly obese patients. We used ketorolac in lieu of narcotics toward this goal and present our subjective and objective data in this study.

Methods: A total of 50 morbidly obese patients undergoing laparoscopic gastric bypass surgery were randomly assigned to 2 groups of 25 each.

Intraoperative wake-up test in neonatal neurosurgery.

Intraoperative wake-up test (WPT) still remains the gold standard to monitor anterior spinal cord function during spinal surgery. However, the test requires patient cooperation and hence difficult to perform in very young children or mentally challenged. In this report, we describe a WPT in a newborn during surgical repair of a large myelomeningocele.

Pharmacological characterization of isolated human prostate.

Purpose: Human prostate contains alpha-1 adrenergic, cholinergic and nonadrenergic noncholinergic neuroreceptors. Using agonistic and antagonistic agents at these neuroreceptors we studied the resultant contractile responses in isolated human prostate.

Materials And Methods: Human prostate tissue was obtained at prostatectomy for benign prostatic hyperplasia in 37 adult male patients.