Endoscopic treatment of common bile duct stones. Experience of 64 consecutive patients.

Sixty-four consecutive patients who underwent endoscopic sphincterotomy (ES) for common bile duct stones were reviewed. In the early phase, duct clearance was confirmed in 39 patients (61%). In the majority (21 patients), the stone/stones passed spontaneously after ES.

Laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Experience of the first 150 patients.

Between April 1991 and May 1992, 150 patients were treated by laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Eleven patients (7.3%) required conversion to open laparotomy and five (3.

Expression of epidermal growth factor and epidermal growth factor receptor genes in healing colonic anastomoses in rats.

This study uses complementary DNA probes to find out if epidermal growth factor (EGF) and EGF receptor genes are activated in healing colonic anastomoses in rats. 35 rats had a colocolonic anastomosis which was removed for study 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, or 14 days after operation. Six animals without surgery served as controls.

Fibronectin and collagen gene expression in healing experimental colonic anastomoses.

The temporal and spatial expression of fibronectin and type I and III collagen genes were studied 1-14 days after surgery in the healing rat colonic anastomosis using recombinant deoxyribonucleic acid techniques. Messenger ribonucleic acids (mRNAs) coding for fibronectin and type III collagen synthesis increased from the first day after operation and type I collagen synthesis increased from the second day after operation, as demonstrated by Northern hybridizations. Maximal mRNA production for fibronectin and collagens was seen at 2 and 7 days, respectively, after anastomosis.