Magnetic resonance enterography in Crohn's disease: a comparison with the findings at surgery.

Aim: Magnetic resonance (MR) enterography is a radiation-free small bowel investigation which identifies luminal and extra-luminal pathology in patients with Crohn's disease. Most studies have validated MR against conventional radiology. We evaluated the results of MR enterography by comparison with findings at elective surgery for patients with Crohn's disease, including complex pathology.

Observations of mealtimes in hospital aged care rehabilitation wards.

Malnutrition is common in long-stay elderly hospitalized patients and their dietary intakes are often poor, despite the provision of adequate quantities of food to meet patient needs. The aim of this study was to identify environmental factors that were associated with achieving adequate food consumption in a hospital context. This study observed the daily routines of 30 elderly patients over 2days in rehabilitation wards in three Australian hospitals.

Abdominal malignancy masquerading as gastro-oesophageal reflux.

Gastro-oesophageal reflux disease is a common condition, and the typical symptoms of postprandial heartburn and upper abdominal pain usually respond well to acid-suppressive medication. Occasionally, the gastro-oesophageal reflux is secondary to gastric outlet obstruction, and rarely, it is due to more distal intestinal obstruction. Two patients are described who seemed to have a primary diagnosis of gastro-oesophageal reflux but who were subsequently found to have disseminated intra-abdominal malignancy.

Barrett's oesophagus: an audit of surveillance over a 17-year period.

Objective: To audit whether our patients with Barrett's oesophagus (BO) enter into our endoscopic surveillance programme and whether they continue with it after entry. We have determined the incidence of oesophageal adenocarcinoma among our surveyed patients.

Design: We retrospectively audited prospectively collected data from our BO surveillance programme over the years 1987-2003.

Intra-operative culture in appendicitis: traditional practice challenged.

Introduction: Traditionally, microbiological swabs are taken for culture during appendicectomy. However, the pathogens encountered are largely predictable, and sensitive to broad-spectrum antibiotics. Thus, we aimed to examine the clinical value of this practice, by determining the influence of microbiological results on postoperative outcome in patients undergoing appendicectomy.