Barium Enema for Treatment for Diverticular Bleeding.

Diverticula of the colon are the most common cause of lower gastrointestinal bleeding in adults. In cases of persistent loss of blood or severe acute hemorrhage, treatment is required. However, if these modern intervention techniques are inadequate, surgical resection of the colon may be required.

Mesh versus suture repair of umbilical hernia in adults: a randomised, double-blind, controlled, multicentre trial.

Background: Both mesh and suture repair are used for the treatment of umbilical hernias, but for smaller umbilical hernias (diameter 1-4 cm) there is little evidence whether mesh repair would be beneficial. In this study we aimed to investigate whether use of a mesh was better in reducing recurrence compared with suture repair for smaller umbilical hernias.

Methods: We did a randomised, double-blind, controlled multicentre trial in 12 hospitals (nine in the Netherlands, two in Germany, and one in Italy).

Prophylactic Mesh Placement During Formation of an End-colostomy Reduces the Rate of Parastomal Hernia: Short-term Results of the Dutch PREVENT-trial.

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the incidence of parastomal hernias (PSHs) after end-colostomy formation using a polypropylene mesh in a randomized controlled trial versus conventional colostomy formation.

Background: A PSH is the most frequent complication after stoma formation. Symptoms may range from mild abdominal pain to life-threatening obstruction and strangulation.

[Elastofibroma dorsi: a characteristic, benign, subscapular swelling].

Two female patients, 63 and 67 years old, visited the outpatient department with a growing soft tissue swelling bilaterally in the subscapular region. Using CT imaging and core needle biopsy, the first patient was diagnosed with an 'elastofibroma dorsi'. Because of the benign character of this lesion an expectative policy was followed.

An early observation on the anatomy of the inguinal canal and the etiology of inguinal hernias by Petrus Camper in the 18th century.

The famous Dutch medical doctor Petrus Camper (1722-1789) was appointed professor of anatomy and surgery at the University of Franeker, Amsterdam, and Groningen. As Praelector Anatomiae of the Amsterdam Guild of Surgeons, he gave public anatomy lessons in the Anatomy theatre in Amsterdam. During the mid 18th century he performed dissections on corpses of children and adults to investigate the anatomy and etiology of inguinal hernias.

Mechanical bowel preparation or not? Outcome of a multicenter, randomized trial in elective open colon surgery.

Purpose: Mechanical bowel preparation is common practice in elective colon surgery. In recent literature the value of this procedure is under discussion. To verify the value of mechanical bowel preparation in elective open colon surgery, a randomized clinical trial was conducted.

18F-2-fluoro-2-deoxy-d-glucose positron emission tomography in staging of locally advanced breast cancer.

Purpose: To prospectively evaluate the effect of adding whole-body (18)F-2-fluoro-2-deoxy-d-glucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) to conventional screening for distant metastases in patients with locally advanced breast cancer (LABC).

Patients And Methods: All women with LABC referred for participation in the LABC Spinoza trial were considered eligible for this study. Patients were included if chest x-ray, bone scan, liver ultrasound, or computed tomography scan performed by the referring physician failed to reveal distant metastases.

Determinants of diagnostic performance of [F-18]fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography for axillary staging in breast cancer.

Objective: To prospectively investigate determinants of the accuracy of staging axillary lymph nodes in breast cancer using [F-18]fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG PET).

Methods: Patients with primary operable breast cancer underwent FDG PET of the chest followed by sentinel node biopsy (SNB, n = 47) and/or complete axillary lymph node dissection (ALND, n = 23). PET scans were independently interpreted by three observers in a blinded fashion with respect to the FDG avidity of the primary tumor and the axillary status.