Simulation of the ductile machining mode of silicon.

Diamond wire sawing has been developed to reduce the cutting loss when cutting silicon wafers from ingots. The surface of silicon solar cells must be flawless in order to achieve the highest possible efficiency. However, the surface is damaged during sawing.

Anti-infectious prophylaxis after splenectomy: current practice in an eastern region of Switzerland.

Overwhelming post-splenectomy infection (OPSI) is a long-term risk in asplenic patients, which may be minimised by appropriate preventive measures. In this survey anti-infectious strategies after splenectomy were evaluated in an eastern part of Switzerland. We found 91 individuals in the canton of Thurgau, who underwent splenectomy between 1998 and 2003.

Chronic necrotizing pulmonary aspergillosis complicated by pneumothorax.

A 61-year-old man presented with left-sided pneumothorax. On the chest computed tomograghy (CT), severe bilateral emphysema and left-sided pleural thickening were seen. His pneumothorax was drained with a chest tube.

[Pancreatic pseudocysts--possibilities in surgical therapy].

Based on the classification of pseudocysts according to D'Egidio and Schein the different surgical techniques for the treatment of pancreatic pseudocysts, i.e. drainage procedures and resections are discussed.

Laparoscopic wedge resection for benign gastric tumors.

Background: Both laparoscopic wedge resection and formal laparoscopic resection are used in the treatment of benign and malignant gastric diseases.

Methods: We performed totally laparoscopic wedge resection using stapling devices and three or four trocars.

Patients: Four patients were treated with this technique.

[Stomach surgery--are the requirements for specialist in general surgery still realistic?].

This paper discusses the possibility for a surgical trainee to acquire the necessary experience in gastric operations for his fellowship in general surgery. All operations of the stomach performed at the surgical unit of Lucerne Hospital between January 1994 and September 1997 were analysed retrospectively. Of 184 operations performed only nine were done by a trainee, four of which were gastrostomies and five operations of a perforated ulcer.

[Does every patient with pancreatic disease need ultrasound examination?].

The following paper discusses the indications for ultrasound examinations in pancreatic diseases. Transcutaneous, intraoperative, endoscopic, laparoscopic and interventional ultrasound techniques are reviewed in the context of acute and chronic pancreatitis, as well as pancreatic cancer and endocrine tumors of the pancreas. In acute pancreatitis the results of sonography are inferior to CT-scanning, which is still the examination of choice in cases with a necrotising course.

[Anal fissure--a new therapy concept].

The anal fissure is one of the most frequent causes for anal pain. Conservative treatment usually consists of laxatives, local anesthetics and nitroglycerin cream. These therapies have a high recurrency rate.

Ultrasound scans done by surgeons for patients with acute abdominal pain: a prospective study.

Objective: To evaluate the routine use of abdominal ultrasonography (US) in patients admitted to the surgical emergency unit with acute abdominal pain.

Design: Prospective study with a three-step evaluation of patients over a 12-month period.

Setting: University hospital, Switzerland.

Laparoscopic gastro- and hepaticojejunostomy for palliation of pancreatic cancer: a case controlled study.

Background: Most patients presenting with pancreatic cancer are irresectable at the time the diagnosis is made. Therefore, they are in need of palliative treatment that can guarantee minimal morbidity, mortality, and hospital stay. To address this need, we designed a study to test the feasibility of laparoscopic gastroenterostomy and hepaticojejunostomy and to compare their results with those achieved with open techniques.

[Laparoscopic palliation of pancreatic carcinoma: initial experiences].

The greater part of patients presenting with pancreatic cancer is irresectable at the time of diagnosis. They are in need of palliative treatment. We report our first experience with a new concept of laparoscopic palliation based on the findings of preoperative imaging and diagnostic laparoscopy.

[Management of pancreatic injuries].

This is a retrospective analysis of the treatment of 18 patients with pancreatic injuries at our institution. 13 were victims of blunt abdominal trauma. 17 sustained a polytrauma and had an ISS > 15.

Fatal intraoperative pulmonary embolism from a hepatic hydatid cyst.

A 43-yr-old woman was operated for recurring hydatid cysts of the liver. One of the cysts was located in segment 8 adjacent to both inferior vena cava and right hepatic vein. During the operation, after application of traction on the liver the patient suddenly went into cardiac arrest.

Percutaneous drainage of abdominal abscesses: are large-bore catheters necessary?

Objective: To find out whether small-bore catheters (7 F) are as effective as the 14F sump drains generally used for drainage of abdominal abscesses.

Design: Retrospective review.

Setting: University hospital, Switzerland.

Intussusception of the small bowel due to Peutz-Jeghers syndrome: a case report.

We report the case of a 45-year-old woman with an intussusception of the small bowel due to Peutz-Jeghers syndrome. Immediate laparotomy was performed, and approximately 5 cm of the small bowel had to be removed because of ischemic areas. Six other polyps were removed through buttonhole enterotomies.

[Severe mitral regurgitation with ejection fraction below 40%: pharmacologic therapy is the treatment of choice].

Severe chronic mitral regurgitation with severe left ventricular dysfunction is uncommon. Mitral valve repair is not appropriate and unpredictable in a large proportion of these patients. Mitral valve replacement results in a poor outcome for patients with severe left ventricular dysfunction.

Stones spilled during cholecystectomy: a long-term liability for the patient.

Within the last 2 years, an increasing number of case reports concerning stone spillage during laparoscopic cholecystectomy and its long-term consequences have been published. Recently three patients were treated for abscesses caused by spilled stones at our institution. One of them had the longest interval between cholecystectomy and abscess formation on record.

Long-term results of hepaticojejunostomy for benign lesions of the bile ducts.

Background: Hepaticojejunostomy has been the method of choice for the treatment of benign lesions of the extrahepatic bile ducts for years. In the era of minimally invasive and interventional techniques, a review of its long-term results is necessary to set the standard with which these new techniques have to be compared.

Methods: A retrospective analysis was carried out for 51 patients (16 females, 35 males) aged 24 to 83 years (average 48 +/- 13) who had undergone hepaticojejunostomy for benign lesions at our institution between 1980 and 1989.

Long-term complete remission of melanoma liver metastases after intermittent intra-arterial cisplatin chemotherapy and surgery.

This paper presents the case of a female patient with liver metastases of a malignant melanoma showing complete remission after 10 courses of regional, intra-arterial chemotherapy with cisplatin. The drug was administered as continuous infusion for 5 days. The daily dosage amounted to 30 mg/m2.

[Surgery in malignant obstructive jaundice: laparoscopic surgery--the future?].

The systematic staging of pancreatic cancer has facilitated exact evaluation of a patient's prognosis in recent years. Minimally invasive surgery, on the other hand, has produced new procedures which necessitate a distinct dichotomy between open, curative surgery and minimally invasive, palliative procedures. Diagnostic modalities facilitating an accurate assessment of resectability have to be found.

[Value of Hartmann's operation as an emergency intervention in sigmoid diverticulitis].

Introduction: Improvements in antibiotic and intensive care treatment have facilitated the conservative therapy of patients suffering from complicated diverticulitis of the sigmoid for the time necessary for preparation in view of early elective resection of the sigmoid colon. Consequently, early elective resection of the sigmoid colon with primary anastomosis has become very popular as the treatment of choice in complicated diverticulitis. This has led us to a retrospective evaluation of our own results with both Hartmann's operation and resection with primary anastomosis.

Intravenous cholangiography is superfluous prior to laparoscopic cholecystectomy.

Objective: Intravenous cholangiography (IVC) re-introduced into the preoperative diagnostic work-up of cholecystectomy after the change to the laparoscopic technique, was suggested to detect anatomical anomalies and bile duct stones. The value of IVC in this context was to be evaluated by this study.

Design: Prospectively controlled study.

Laparoscopic ultrasonography during cholecystectomy.

The routine use of intraoperative cholangiography during cholecystectomy has been debated extensively. Intraoperative ultrasonography was a quick, efficient alternative in open cholecystectomy. A prospective controlled trial to evaluate its usefulness in laparoscopic cholecystectomy is reported.

[Efficacy of basic surgical diagnosis in acute abdominal pain].

This report describes a retrospective study concerning 314 patients suffering from acute abdominal pain admitted to the surgical emergency unit of Zürich University Hospital in 1992. Basic diagnostic work-up (history, physical examination, blood tests, sonography and abdominal X-ray) revealed the final diagnosis in 188 patients. Sonography was essential in 77 cases.