Prospective multicenter observational trial on the safety and efficacy of LEVORAG® Emulgel in the treatment of acute and chronic anal fissure.

Background: Anal fissure (AF) is a common cause of anal pain with a tendency not to heal spontaneously because of ischemia of the anoderm caused by sphincter spasm. Lateral internal sphincterotomy, while very effective, can cause fecal incontinence and chemical sphincterotomy by application of cream may have discouraging side effects and/or low efficacy. The aim of this prospective multicenter study was to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of a new medical treatment based on Emulgel cream, with emollient, soothing and protective agents, on AF healing.

Pelvic floor imaging: comparison between magnetic resonance imaging and conventional defecography in studying outlet obstruction syndrome.

Purpose: This study prospectively compared the diagnostic capabilities of magnetic resonance (MR) imaging with conventional defecography (CD) in outlet obstruction syndrome.

Materials And Methods: Nineteen consecutive patients with clinical symptoms of outlet obstruction underwent pelvic MR examination. The MR imaging protocol included static T2-weighted fast spin-echo (FSE) images in the sagittal, axial and coronal planes; dynamic midsagittal T2-weighted single-shot (SS)-FSE and fast imaging employing steady-state acquisition (FIESTA) cine images during contraction, rest, straining and defecation.

Hemoperitoneum as severe and unusual complication in the stapler recto-anopexy for hemorrhoidal prolapse. Case report.

We report unusual but severe complication after Longo recto-anopexy for hemorrhoidal prolapse, i.e. large intramural hematoma of the rectum and subsequent hemoperitoneum.

Ultrasound-guided percutaneous treatment of abdominal collections.

Abdominal abscess is a very important problem nowadays, being responsible for prolonged hospitalisation, because these infections still cause substantial morbidity and mortality. For many years, surgical drainage has been considered the best therapeutic option in abdominal abscesses but several studies have subsequently shown that the percutaneous approach is as effective as surgical drainage. Starting from this background, the aim of this study was to evaluate whether or not percutaneous drainage is a valid treatment of choice.

Laparoscopic surgical treatment of perforated duodenal ulcer.

Perforation of peptic ulcer is a surgical emergency which still carries a risk of mortality. The main risk factors are delayed diagnosis > 24 hours, ASA-III or ASA-IV, age over 70 years, and associated cardiorespiratory pathologies. There is no unanimous consensus regarding the gold standard treatment of such complications.

Idiopathic myenteric ganglionitis underlying acute 'dramatic' intestinal pseudoobstruction: report of an exceptional case.

Inflammation of the myenteric plexus of the gastrointestinal tract is a very rare pathological condition, with few reports in the medical literature. This pathological condition causes atonic gut motor dysfunction and is principally secondary to other diseases, being reported nearly solely as a paraneoplastic phenomenon in neuroendocrine lung tumors, including small cell carcinomas or neuroblastomas. In addition it can also be associated with disorders of the central nervous system, although it has rarely been described in Chagas disease.

[Hyponatremia: etiopathogenetic observations in the personal experiences].

Aim: Hyponatremia, an electrolyte disturbance, can be due to loss of solutes or to an increase of ''free'' water concentration, predominantly caused by excessive antidiuretic hormone (ADH) secretion. When acute, hyponatremia is threatening, because it can cause cell swelling and severe neuromuscular symptoms (central pontine myelinolysis).

Methods: In a sample of 220 subjects with hyponatremia (123 males, 97 females) aged from 47 to 83, hospitalized in the Department of Clinic Medicines and Emergent Pathologies, from 2000 till today, age, serum and urinary sodium concentration, urine specific gravity, signs, symptoms and causes of electrolyte disturbance were evaluated.

Anastomotic dehiscence after gastrectomy for cancer. Personal series.

Background/aims: Nowadays the risk of anastomotic dehiscence after gastrectomy still exists. So the aim of this study was to analyze our experience regarding these anastomoses.

Methodology: In our Surgical Unit, which is located in the Department of Surgical Sciences, Organ Transplantation and Advanced Technologies of the University of Catania, from January 1st 1985 to December 31st 2000, 249 patients underwent surgery for gastric cancer.

Anal GIST in older old patient: a case report.

Unlabelled: GIST are a group of quite rare neoplastic pathologies. This type of pathology is currently the subject of discussion as for their origin and treatment. It is generally difficult to determine if they are to be considered as a benign or malignant neoplastic disease.

Thermic ablation with RF of liver metastases from colorectal cancer.

Aim of this study was to evaluate the role of radiofrequency ablation in the treatment of the hepatic metastasis of colorectal cancer. From November 1997 to July 2002 49 radiofrequency ablations have been performed in 19 patients (11 male and 8 female; mean age 65 years: range 50-78 years). The disease-free period was between 5 and 32 months.

Hemorrhoidal stapler prolapsectomy vs. Milligan-Morgan hemorrhoidectomy: a long-term randomized trial.

Background And Aims: The notable success of stapled prolapsectomy in recent years led us to compare this technique with Milligan-Morgan hemorrhoidectomy in terms of the results obtained both in the immediate postoperative period and in the long term.

Patients And Methods: We performed conventional hemorrhoidectomy on 50 randomly selected patients and operated on a further 50 using the stapler technique. The patients were monitored over the immediate postoperative period (e.

[Clinical approach in hypertensive elderly patients].

Hypertension in the elderly represents a cardiovascular risk factor which increases due to ageing and to the raise of blood pressure (BP) values. The occurrence of hypertension depends on an interaction between genes and environment. An available antihypertensive therapy causes a reduction in the incidence of cardiovascular events.

[The surgical therapy of renal carcinomas. The prognostic factors and long-term results].

Background: Image diagnosis of kidney neoplasms allows good preoperative staging using the TNM system, but surgical management cannot be based on these data because a tumour apparently confined to the kidney may have produced metastasis in extraregional lymph nodes.

Methods: Thirty-three patients with renal carcinoma were observed over a seven-year period. Preoperative staging using the TNM system was performed and then compared with postoperative staging.

Usefulness of microsurgery in the training of the general surgeon.

It is a common opinion that general surgery is the first step for whoever approaches a surgical discipline, and that whoever practices training in general surgery should learn the rudiments of each surgical branch. The role of microsurgery in the training of the general surgeon has not been well-established. Clinical applications of microsurgery in general surgery are few and are rarely required, and have been connected strictly to restricted indications.

Monitoring carcinoembryonic antigen in colorectal cancer: is it still useful?

The results of a study conducted to determine the usefulness of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) monitoring in the follow-up of patients with resected colorectal cancer are reported herein. The subjects of this study were 125 patients in whom CEA had been determined preoperatively and 239 patients in whom CEA had been monitored postoperatively. The results revealed increased preoperative CEA in only 24% of the subjects, and that this increment was correlated with subsequent more advanced tumor stage and a higher recurrence rate (P < 0.

[Severe myogenic pain in an unfit subject after intensive and prolonged abdominal muscle exercise].

The authors report the case of an unfit patient who, following intensive and prolonged physical exercise involving the abdominal muscles, presented a massive and diffuse subcutaneous edema (abdomen, scrotum, chest and face) together with abdominal and thoracic pain which increased in response to finger pressure. In addition, this was accompanied by a marked increase in CK, CK-MB and LDH, and TGO and TGP. Chest or heart pathologies were excluded by monitoring ECG and other clinical parameters, like heart rate and blood pressure, and by performing a chest X-ray.

[Morpho-functional evaluation of subjects who had undergone surgery for ano-rectal malformations using the Peña technique].

The approach to patients with Ano-Rectal Malformations (ARM) has undergone a substantial change in these last years due to the evolution of the studies of the anatomy and physiology carried out by Peña and de Vries. The authors report their experience on 15 patients and analyse the clinical and instrumental results according to the quality of life of the patients. There are different clinical criteria for the postoperative evaluation of these patients.

[Therapeutic strategy in thymomas].

Between July 1989 to February 1994 eight patients with thymoma were operated in the First surgical Clinic of University of Catania; in seven the neoplasia was associated with myasthenia gravis, the severity of which was evaluated according to the Osserman's classification. The surgical treatment has been: total thymectomy in four patients, in two total and partial resection was carried out respectively, and in two a macrobiopsy was performed. The postoperative staging was carried out according to Masaoka.

Favourable anatomical variation for the resection of a Klatskin tumour.

The liver and the biliary tract are rich in anatomical variations, knowledge of which is important for the surgeon. A case of an anatomical variation is reported, which allowed easy and oncologically correct resection of a Klatskin tumour. The variation consisted of abnormally long right and left extrahepatic ducts and an abnormal distal bifurcation, with a cystic duct joining the distal end of the right duct.

Retroperitoneal abscesses--rare causes and atypical manifestations: report of two cases.

Retroperitoneal space abscesses are a life-threatening illness which is difficult to diagnose and treat because of both their rarity and insidious clinical manifestations. The insidious development of this illness is a challenge for all medical and surgical subspecialists. The discovery of the real source of the infection is very important but not always possible, and knowledge of the anatomy and borders of the retroperitoneal space is helpful in understanding all such atypical cases and for establishing a definitive treatment.

[The diagnostic significance of the small bowel enema in lesions of the small intestine requiring surgery].

Given its anatomical location the small intestine is the section of the digestive tract most inaccessible to objective clinical and instrumental examination. For this reason, traditional investigation methods provide inadequate data. In the barium meal X-ray, images are superimposed and the barium excessively fragmented due to the tortuosity and length of the intestinal loop.

[Motor disorders of the esophagus in gastro-esophageal reflux disease].

The Authors report their experience in the study of oesophageal motor abnormalities in patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease. By an electromanometric test in 50 subjects (20 healthy volunteers and 30 patients with oesophagitis), they evaluated the results concluding that: 1) LES low pressure is correlated significantly with oesophagitis; 2) oesophageal peristaltic dysfunction could be the effect of oesophagitis rather than its cause.

[Carcinoma of the male breast].

The Authors, after a brief review of the most important epidemiologic, etiologic, diagnostic and therapeutic problems related to male breast cancer, report their personal experience. They point out the importance of an early diagnosis in order to obtain satisfactory results, comparable to those achieved in female breast cancer treatment.