The use of isobutylcyanoacrylate as a tissue adhesive in abdominal surgery.

Background: The use of cyanoacrylate substances as tissue adhesives is of valuable aid in surgery, especially in cases of injuries of the intraabdominal organs, where the haemorrhage is very difficult to control.

Materials And Methods: We investigated the efficiency of isobutyl-2-cyanoacrylate as a tissue adhesive in the haemostasis and adhesion of different types of wounds in solid and hollow organs. Forty-six dogs underwent single-organ (26 dogs) and combined-organ (20 dogs) procedures; cuneiform excisions of the liver and the spleen, as well as incisions of the small intestine were carried out.

Protective effect of a novel antioxidant non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agent (compound IA) on intestinal viability after acute mesenteric ischemia and reperfusion.

Reactive oxygen species play an important role in the basic pathophysiology of ischemia-reperfusion injury. We investigated whether the administration of a novel non-steroidal anti-inflammatory compound with antioxidant properties, the compound [5-(2-amino-ethylamino)-1-phenyl-2-pentanone] (compound IA), has a beneficial effect on the repair process of the intestinal mucosa after transient mesenteric ischemia in a randomized blind trial. Six groups of rats were subjected to a model of 60 min of intestinal ischemia that was produced by occluding the superior mesenteric artery.

Assessment of voice quality after carotid endarterectomy.

Objectives: vocal cord paralysis is considered a rare complication of carotid endarterectomy (CEA), but alteration in voice quality may be more common. The aim of this prospective study was to evaluate the effect of CEA on voice quality and to correlate any changes with the extent of the dissection. DESIGN-MATERIAL-METHODS: thirty-five patients who underwent CEA were divided in two groups, according to the level of surgical dissection performed.

The effect of various types of splenectomy on the development of B-16 melanoma in mice.

Two hundred and sixty CB57BL/J6 mice were used in an experimental protocol designed to investigate the effects of four different varieties of splenectomy on the growth rate of subcutaneously implanted GB-16 melanoma. In addition, the mean and absolute survival of the mice, the histopathology of the tumour and the effects of the same procedures on the immunological status of the tumour-bearing animals as assessed by serum IgG levels and immunoelectrophoresis were determined. The effects of timing of splenectomy and the removal of the primary tumour after splenectomy on the above parameters were also annotated.

Evolving techniques in the treatment of carotid artery kinking: the use of resected redundant arterial segment.

Internal carotid artery kinking is frequently accompanied by atheromatous disease at the carotid bifurcation, and in this case both lesions may be treated simultaneously. Various surgical techniques have been used to correct carotid kinking but no particular one has been widely established. We conducted a retrospective review of 18 patients operated upon for internal carotid kinking during the last 5 years, which represents 4.

Role of malignancy and preoperative embolization in the management of carotid body tumors.

The purpose of this retrospective study is to present our approach to the management of patients with carotid body tumors (CBTs), emphasizing the role of malignancy and preoperative embolization. Between 1975 and 1998 a series of 18 patients with CBTs were treated, and 16 of them underwent successful excision of the tumor. According to the Shamblin classification, six of the tumors were type I, six type II, and six type III.

Recurrent liposarcomas of the abdomen and retroperitoneum: three case reports.

We report three cases of patients with liposarcomas of the abdomen who had been treated during the last 13 years (1980-1993). Two patients were men, aged 29 and 51 years, with tumors of the retroperitoneal space and the third patient was a woman aged 64 years with a tumor in the peritoneal cavity. Therapeutic treatment was as aggressive as possible excision of the tumor.

Experimental echinococcus infection in the mouse model: pericystic cellular immunity reaction and effects on the lymphoid organs of immunocompetent and thymectomized mice.

Echinococcus can infect man as an accidental intermediate host causing hydatid disease. The infection persists and the growth of the cysts advances, while the patient usually remains asymptomatic for years. Experimental Echinococcus infection in mice provides a well described model for the study of the parasite-host relationship that permits the evolution of the disease despite the activation of the host's immune system.

Computer-assisted ultrasonographic analysis of carotid plaques in relation to cerebrovascular symptoms, cerebral infarction, and histology.

The objective of this study was to determine the relationship between plaque echogenicity as measured by computer and the incidence of cerebrovascular symptoms and cerebral infarction. The correlation between carotid plaque echogenicity and plaque histology was also evaluated. In this prospective nonrandomized study, 38 consecutive patients with 54 atherosclerotic carotid plaques producing 50-99% stenosis were reviewed.

The effect of various types of splenectomy on the development of B-16 melanoma in mice.

260 CB57BL/J6 mice were used in an experimental protocol designed to investigate the effects of 4 different varieties of splenectomy on the growth rate of subcutaneously implanted GB-16 melanoma. In addition, the mean and absolute survival of the mice, the histopathology of the tumour and the effects of the same procedures on the immunological status of the tumour-bearing animals as assessed by serum IgG levels and immunoelectrophoresis were determined. The effects of the timing of the splenectomy and the removal of the primary tumour after splenectomy on the above parameters were also annotated.

Rupture of an abdominal aortic aneurysm following acute descending thoracic aortic dissection. Case report.

The coexistence of an abdominal aortic aneurysm and an acute aortic dissection seems to be rare and only a few reports are to be found in the literature. We report a case of a patient with acute aortic dissection of the descending thoracic aorta that caused rupture of a pre-existing abdominal aortic aneurysm. The literature is also thoroughly reviewed.

Preliminary evaluation of the potential prognostic value of serum levels of immunoglobulins (IgA, IgM, IgG, IgE) in patients with gastric cancer.

Sixty patients with advanced gastric carcinoma who refused to receive cytotoxic chemotherapy were examined for serum immunoglobulin levels (IgG, IgM, IgA, IgE). Three samples were obtained every two months thereafter. The group of patients who had above-normal values of one or more of the examined immunoglobulins had a longer survival than the other (p < 0.

Combined epirubicin, 5-fluorouracil and folinic acid vs no treatment for patients with advanced pancreatic cancer: a prospective comparative study.

The combination of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) and folinic acid (FA) has demonstrated activity in most gastrointestinal tumors. The addition of epirubicin (EPI) may increase the efficacy of the combination for cancers of the upper gastrointestinal tract, such as advanced pancreatic cancer. We examined two groups of patients, explaining the potential benefits and limitations of therapy, and those patients who agreed to undergo chemotherapy formed Group A and the remaining formed Group B.

[Aneurysms of splanchnic arteries].

Aneurysms of splanchnic arteries represent an uncommon but important vascular disease, which many times presents itself as clinical emergency and often results in death. 11 patients with splanchnic aneurysms were treated in our Department during the last 15 years. These aneurysms were located in 5 cases in splenic artery, 4 cases in hepatic artery, 1 case in celiac axis and 1 case in right gastroepiploic artery.

Estimation of the percentage of carotid atheromatous plaque components and investigation of a probable correlation with the neurologic status of the patients.

The aim of this study was to estimate the percentage of the carotid atherosclerotic plaque components using image analysis in 50 cases of carotid endarterectomies as well as the search for a probable correlation with the neurologic status of the patients. According to their preoperational neurologic status, the patients were classified as asymptomatic (Group I), symptomatic-TIA (Group II) and symptomatic-previous stroke (Group III). For the image analysis and the exact estimation of the carotid plaque components, special algorithms were developed.

Changing trends in management of carotid body tumors.

Unlabelled: The purpose of this retrospective study was to evaluate the preoperative diagnostic modalities and aggressive operating management as well as the determination of benefit of preop embolization on the course of carotid body tumor (CBT). Between 1975 and 1993, 14 patients were treated for CBT in our department. The preoperative evaluation included angiography (14/14, 100%), Duplex scanning (6/14, 43%), and CT scanning (9/14, 64%).