Intraoperative infusion of S(+)-ketamine enhances post-thoracotomy pain control compared with perioperative parecoxib when used in conjunction with thoracic paravertebral ropivacaine infusion.

Objective: The authors explored the use of continuous postoperative subpleural paravertebral ropivacaine alone combined with intraoperative S(+)-ketamine or perioperative parecoxib as a new approach to pain control after major thoracotomy.

Design: A randomized study.

Settings: A single university hospital.

A long-term survivor of Bland-White-Garland syndrome with systemic collateral supply: a case report and review of the literature.

Background: Bland-White-Garland syndrome (anomalous origin of the left coronary artery from the pulmonary artery) is a rare disease which may result in myocardial infarction, congestive heart failure and sometimes death during the early infantile period.

Case Presentation: A successfully treated case of a 45-year-old mother of 2 children with Bland-White-Garland syndrome and concomitant severe mitral regurgitation is presented. Subsequent therapy consisted of ligation of the anomalous origin of the left coronary artery, anastomosis of the left internal mammary artery to the left anterior descending branch and mitral valve replacement.

Improvement of pain treatment after major abdominal surgery by intravenous S+-ketamine.

Unlabelled: The use of intraoperative racemic ketamine for pain prevention after abdominal surgery is controversial. We compared one preincisional i.v.

Preincisional local infiltration of levobupivacaine vs ropivacaine for pain control after laparoscopic cholecystectomy.

Background: Postoperative pain is less intense after laparoscopic surgery than after open surgery. However, patients may gain additional benefit from a preincisional local infiltration of anesthetic. The aim of this study was to compare the analgesic efficacy of two local anesthetics, ropivacaine and levobupivacaine, for tissue infiltration as a means of improving postoperative pain control after laparoscopic cholecystectomy.

Sufentanil or clonidine for blunting the increase in intraocular pressure during rapid-sequence induction.

Background And Objective: The aim was to determine if the intravenous administration of sufentanil or clonidine before the induction of anaesthesia could obtund the increase of intraocular pressure associated with rapid-sequence induction.

Methods: Thirty-two ASA I-II patients with no history of eye illness scheduled for elective non-ophthalmic surgery were randomly assigned to receive either sufentanil 0.05 microg kg(-1) i.

Tropisetron vs ondansetron for prevention of postoperative nausea and vomiting after laparoscopic cholecystectomy: a randomized double-blind, placebo-controlled study.

Background: Postoperative nausea and vomiting are observed in increased frequency after laparoscopic surgery. This study was performed in order to compare the efficacy of two 5-hydroxytryptamine-3 (5-HT3) receptor antagonists, ondansetron and tropisetron, in preventing postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) after laparoscopic cholecystectomy.

Methods: Using a randomized, double-blind study design, 87 ASA I and II patients scheduled for laparoscopic cholecystectomy were randomly assigned to receive 4 mg ondansetron (Group A, n = 29), 5 mg tropisetron (Group B, n = 31), or placebo (Group C, n = 27) intravenously (IV) before induction of anesthesia.

Preincisional intravenous low-dose ketamine and local infiltration with ropivacaine reduces postoperative pain after laparoscopic cholecystectomy.

Background: The preincisional use of ketamine combined with local tissue infiltration with Ropivacaine may reduce noxious input during surgery. The goal of this study was to examine whether this combination improves postoperative pain control after laparoscopic cholecystectomy.

Methods: A total of 55 patients were randomly assigned to one of three groups.

[The incidence and treatment effect on headache in patients with craniomandibular disorders].

After a short review of the recent literature on headache the close relationship between headache and craniomandibular disorders was studied. In a total of 116 patients with craniomandibular disorders in the Stomatognathic Physiology Clinic of the Dental School of the University of Athens, 73 patients (62.9%) were found suffering from headache.