Longitudinal cholecystectomy study: patterns of care in a total community experience.

The purpose of this study was to determine outcomes and safety of laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) versus open cholecystectomy (OC) in a community setting at multiple open staff hospitals with multiple surgeons. This second-year study retrospectively examined all cholecystectomy records in one city at each of five hospitals over a 1-year period beginning in April 1991 through March 1992. All charts were examined for type of surgery, rate of conversion to open procedure, sex, weight, previous abdominal surgery, surgeon, hospital, preoperative workup, operative time, antibiotic prophylaxis, cholangiograms, concurrent procedures, drains, hospital stay, common duct stones and their follow-up, pathology, reoperations, complications, and mortality.

The value of axillary dissection in T1a breast cancer.

Background: Some authors have stated the undesirability of axillary lymph node dissections for very small breast cancers, because so few of their patients have lymph node metastases (3% for T1a lesions in one series).

Methods: Of 6,308 breast cancer cases reviewed from three large urban hospitals 3,077 single primary cases with both axillary dissection and accurate tumor measurements were statistically analyzed.

Results: For T1a lesions we found axillary metastases to be four times higher (12%) than others have reported.

Thermal profiles of electrocauteries, the Nd:YAG laser, and the electromagnetic-field focusing system.

Electromagnetic-field focusing (EFF) is a method of converging induced eddy current onto a pointed tip of a tuned length return circuit in the near field of a resonator, which results in the production of high temperature. Previously reported applications of this method include various devices for local hyperthermia and a precision surgical device. The latter is currently being used in human clinical trials under two investigational device exemptions from the Food and Drug Administration.

Thyroid peroxidase deficiency in Batten-Spielmeyer-Vogt disease.

Thyroid tissue from two patients with Batten-Spielmeyer-Vogt disease (BSV) was studied for peroxidase enzyme activity and for morphological abnormalities by light and electron microscopy. Diagnosis was confirmed by the demonstration of intracytoplasmic material identical to that described in other reported cases of BSV. There was a substantial decrease in peroxidase activity in the thyroid tissue from both patients.