Voice restoration after total laryngectomy with tracheoesophageal puncture and voice prosthesis.

Removal of the voice box or larynx is the usual treatment for advanced cancer of the larynx. Tracheoesophageal puncture (TEP) has become an accepted method for voice restoration following total laryngectomy. Eleven patients under went total laryngectomy with TEP at San Pablo Hospital Medical Center between March 1989 and October 1995.

Efficacy of ceftibuten for pediatric patients undergoing adenotonsillectomy.

A survey between Otolaryngologist Head and Neck Surgeons in Puerto Rico and a prospective study was done, to evaluate the efficacy of ceftibuten in pediatric patients undergoing adenotonsillectomy. Surgery of the tonsils and adenoids is the most common operation performed in the pediatric age by the Otolaryngologist Head and Neck Surgeons in Puerto Rico. Over 70% are performed in a ambulatory setting and almost all of the patients are given antibiotics after surgery.

Differences in membrane ion transport between hepatocytes from the periportal and the pericentral areas of the liver lobule.

We studied the Na+/K+ pump, Na+/K+ ATPase activity, and oxygen consumption (QO2) in hepatocytes isolated from the periportal (PH) and pericentral (CH) regions of the liver lobule, to provide an insight into the functional properties of these cells. Na+/K+ pump activity was determined using 86Rb+ (a functional analog of K+) and ouabain, a specific inhibitor of this transport system. Our results indicate the the Na+/K+ pump and Na+/K+ ATPase activity are significantly lower in CH than in PH, although basal ouabain-sensitive (OS) QO2 was negligible in both of these cell preparations.

Changing trends in adenotonsillectomy at San Pablo Hospital 1983 vs. 1993.

The purpose of this paper is to review the changing trends in Adenotonsillectomies performed in San Pablo Medical Center during the last ten years. We have reviewed using a 25 variable questionnaire all patients undergoing this surgical procedure during the first six months in 1983 and compared the information with the patients having this procedure during the first six months of 1993. We conclude that the number of interventions, the indications, prior medical history and cost effects have changed substantially.