Ultrasound assisted percutaneous endoscopic jejunostomy.

The percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) cannot be performed for the patient after total gastrectomy. We design the new procedure to make jejunostomy with using an ultrasonography and a regular PEG kit. We name the procedure Ultrasound assisted Percutaneous Endoscopic Jejunostomy (USPEJ).

Different effects of simvastatin and losartan on cytokine levels in coronary artery disease.

Background And Objective: Use of HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors (statins) and angiotensin II type 1 (AT(1)) receptor antagonists reduces the incidence of cardiovascular events. The cytokines macrophage colony-stimulating factor (M-CSF) and transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta may exert proatherogenic and antiatherogenic effects, respectively. In this study, we examined whether treatment with a statin or an AT(1) receptor antagonist alters M-CSF and TGF-beta levels in patients with coronary artery disease.

Personal experience of laparoscopic cholecystectomy.

Background/aims: We performed laparoscopic cholecystectomy with a surgical team consisting of the same operator and the same first assistant to evaluate a personal learning curve of laparoscopic cholecystectomy.

Methodology: In the 135 patients who underwent the laparoscopic cholecystectomy, operative complications, postoperative complications and operative time were evaluated on the basis of using different camera assistants and the chronological advancement of the same operator and the same first assistant.

Results: The average operative time was 120 +/- 54 minutes.