Current trends in the detection and management of carotid body tumors.

Purpose: Because the natural history of carotid body tumors is believed to be unpredictable, immediate surgical removal has been recommended. The present study reviews our experience in the diagnosis and treatment of these uncommon lesions.

Methods: The medical records of patients who appeared for treatment with carotid body tumors between 1981 and 1997 were reviewed.

A clinical survey of aortobifemoral bypass using two inherently different graft types.

The performance of knitted Dacron and polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) bifurcated grafts are compared in this study of 312 patients at a single institution. Patients of the two graft groups were statistically well-matched in risk factors and degree of distal obstructive disease. Operating time needed to implant either graft was approximately equal.

Endoscopic drainage of pancreatic pseudocysts.

Enlarging pancreatic pseudocysts, as well as those that develop complications such as bleeding, leak, infection, and intestinal or biliary obstruction, require treatment. This treatment is usually surgical and consists of internal or external drainage or, less commonly, excision. Transcutaneous aspiration with or without drain placement has also been reported.

Routine use of a shunt for carotid endarterectomy.

A temporary inlying shunt used during carotid endarterectomy is the ideal method of cerebral protection. The data presented suggest that if meticulous technique is used, the potential complications of a shunt may be avoided and excellent clinical results expected. When a shunt is used properly, carotid endarterectomy may be performed in a teaching situation with a high degree of safety.

Cholecystosonography for the decision to operate when acute cholecystitis is suspected.

Forty-four patients admitted with a diagnosis of acute cholecystitis underwent immediate cholecystosonography, and if the findings were interpreted as showing gallstones, surgery was performed. The accuracy was 91 per cent. The routine use of cholecystosonography in acutely ill patients is recommended.