The association of concha bullosa and deviated nasal septum with chronic rhinosinusitis in functional endoscopic sinus surgery patients.

Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) remains a prevalent disease and a major cause of morbidity for many patients and functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS) is the gold standard for the treatment of CRS. Many factors contribute to the development of CRS, among others nasal anatomic variation. The authors aim to study the association of concha bullosa and deviated nasal septum with CRS patients requiring FESS amongst the diversified multiethnic Malaysian race.

Comparison between preloading with 10 ml/kg and 20 ml/kg of Ringer's lactate in preventing hypotension during spinal anaesthesia for caesarean section.

This prospective, randomized, study was designed to compare the effect of two different preloading volumes of Ringer's lactate for prevention of maternal hypotension induced by spinal anaesthesia for Caesarean section. Eighty ASA I or II obstetric patients were randomized to two groups. Group 1 (n = 40) received 20 ml/kg of Ringer's lactate and Group 2 (n = 40) 10 ml/kg of Ringer's lactate over 20 minutes before spinal anaesthesia.

A rare case of disciform keratitis in a silicone-filled eye presenting with 'sticky oil' on the endothelium.

An unusual case of disciform keratitis developing in a patient with silicone oil-filled eye following vitrectomies for posterior globe rupture.

Saved by the buckle: primary buckle vitrectomy for macular hole detachment due to rapid progression of premacular fibrosis in acute retinal necrosis.

This report describes the rapid progress of a case of unilateral acute retinal necrosis (ARN) that led to formation of a macular hole rhegmatogenous retinal detachment with advanced proliferative vitreo-retinopathy (PVR) changes over the space of 2 weeks. This necessitated primary vitrectomy with circumferential scleral buckle placement, which facilitated reattachment of the retina.

Intracameral injection of ranibizumab caused regression of iris neovascularisation and clearance of hyphaema in a non-diabetic patient with ischaemic remnant retinal flap in a silicone filled eye.

The use of 0.5 mg/0.05 ml of ranibizumab intracamerally, to induce regression of iris neovascularisation in a non-diabetic patient, is reported.

Adrenal insufficiency in acute coronary syndrome.

Introduction: Acute coronary syndrome (ACS) is an acute stressful condition which stimulates the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis that regulates neurovascular and hormonal responses. Functional hypoadrenalism has been shown to be associated with significant morbidity and mortality in the critically-ill patient, but there is to date no known study done to determine its prevalence in patients with ACS.

Methods: 37 patients who fulfilled the diagnostic criteria of ACS were subjected to the low-dose (1 microg) ACTH stimulation test (LDT), followed by a standard-dose (250 microg) ACTH stimulation test (SDT) two hours later.

Is 6% hydroxyethyl starch 130/0.4 safe in coronary artery bypass graft surgery?

The aim of this study was to compare 6% hydroxyethyl starch 130/0.4 with 4% succinylated gelatin for priming the cardiopulmonary bypass circuit and as volume replacement in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass, in terms of postoperative bleeding, blood transfusion requirements, renal function, and outcome after surgery. Forty-five patients received 6% hydroxyethyl starch 130/0.

Severe left anterior descending artery stenosis with proximal arteriovenous malformation presenting as acute myocardial infarction.

Congenital coronary artery anomalies are rare, with an incidence of about 0.06-1.3 percent of all patients undergoing cardiac catheterisation.

The TB--Crohn's affair--a never ending dilemma.

An 80 year old lady presented with signs and symptoms of sub-acute intestinal obstruction which failed conservative management. CT scan abdomen revealed circumferential ileum thickening with proximal bowel dilatation. Laparotomy and segmental resection was done.

Radiation effects on the intima-media thickness of the common carotid artery in post-radiotherapy patients with head and neck malignancy.

Background: Post-radiation large vessel injury has not received as much attention as microvascular irradiation injury. A few studies have shown that common carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) is increased after radiotherapy to the head and neck. However, in most of these studies, the irradiated subjects also had other major risk factors for atherosclerosis.

Interstitial deletion of the distal long arm of chromosome 4, del (4)(q33-q35), in association with paternal balanced translocation.

Interstitial deletions of the long arm of chromosome 4 are rare. The deletions may occur at the proximal or the distal portions of the chromosome and different breakpoints may be involved. We report an interstitial deletion of 4q: 46XY der 4 (q28;q35) in a six-year-old boy with dysmorphic features associated with moderate mental retardation.

Extramedullary plasmacytoma in the maxillary sinus.

Extramedullary plasmacytoma is a rare malignant plasma cell tumour. We report an extremely aggressive case of extramedullary plasmacytoma of the right maxillary sinus, which had metastasised to the brain and rib. A 56-year-old man presented with recurrent epistaxis and acute anaemia.

Bowel dysfunction in spinal cord injury.

Bowel Dysfunction is one of the least looked at problems in Spinal Cord Injury (SCI). The goals of this study are to understand bowel dysfunction in SCI and its effects on quality of life (QOL). Cross-sectional study based on interview and assessment of 41 clients.

Perforated ileal duplication cyst presenting with right iliac fossa pain mimicking perforated appendicitis.

Enteric duplication is an uncommon malformation of the gastrointestinal tract which is either asymptomatic or presents with vague symptoms mimicking other more common pathology. It is most commonly diagnosed when complications such as bleeding, intestinal obstruction or perforation occurs. This is a case report of a patient with this condition presenting with right iliac fossa pain and localised peritonitis mimicking acute appendicitis.

Foreign body aspiration in an adult: the great mimic.

A middle-aged lady presented with a three-month history of chronic cough. After a long and extensive investigation, CT thorax revealed collapse consolidation of the right lower lung lobe and bronchoscopy showed a polypoidal tumour within the involved bronchus. Thoracotomy and segmental lung resection revealed a peanut in the airways of the fibrotic and infected lung tissue.

Hand-assisted laparoscopic nephrectomy and nephroureterectomy: our experience in Hospital Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia.

Hand-assisted laparoscopic nephrectomy (HAL-N) and nephroureterectomy (HAL-NU) were introduced to bridge the gap between open and laparoscopic surgery. This newer technique has the benefits of both laparoscopic and open surgical approaches but has a shorter learning curve and decreased operative time compared to laparoscopic surgery. A review of our 2-year experience showed that for the seventeen cases of HAL-N that was performed, the mean operative time was 187.

Graft selection in rinoplasty: indications and limitations.

The nasal profile and skin thickness in the Caucasian Indian vary from the Oriental Chinese or Malay noses. Reduction rhinoplasty is more common in the Caucasian Indian noses whereas augmentation rhinoplasty is more common in the Oriental Chinese or Malay noses. Graft selection remains the greatest challenge for surgeons performing rhinoplasty.

Minichromosome maintenance protein 2 is a reliable proliferative marker in breast carcinoma.

This is a study aimed to examine the distribution pattern of a specific minichromosome maintenance protein 2 (MCM2) in benign and malignant breast tissue. We also aim to correlate the frequency of expression of MCM2 with the degree of tumor differentiation. We used immunohistochemistry to examine the distribution and expression pattern of MCM2 on formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue sections of benign (n = 30) and malignant breast tissue (n = 70) (IDC 56, DCIS 4, ILC 2, nonductal 4, mixed type 4).

Infected intraparenchymal bronchogenic cyst mimicking recurrent lung abscess in a young adult.

A 23 year old female with a past history of a lung abscess diagnosed at the age of 13 years presented with recurrent episodes of productive cough. Chest radiograph and a high resolution CT scan of the thorax led to the diagnosis of a left lower lobe lung abscess. She underwent a successful thoracotomy and a left lower lobe lobectomy.

Nitrous oxide pollution in the operating room. A comparison of two modes of ventilation.

The use of laryngeal mask airway (LMA) as an alternative to the endotracheal tube (ETT) is becoming more popular in the practice of anesthesia. It is undeniable that this device has numerous advantages over endotracheal tube, however it does not provide an airtight seal between the airway and atmospheric gases. This may lead to pollution of the operating room environment with nitrous oxide.

The predictors of subclinical cerebral infarcts in ischaemic stroke patients.

Subclinical cerebral infarcts (SCI) have been increasingly shown to cause a significant clinical impact. However, there are limited data available on Asian patients. The objectives of this study were to determine the prevalence of SCI in ischaemic stroke patients seen in the Hospital Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (HUKM) and to identify its associated risk factors.

Empty Nose Syndrome post radical turbinate surgery.

Empty Nose Syndrome (ENS) is a rare and controversial sequelae from previous radical turbinate surgery. We report on a 50-year-old Chinese gentleman with long-standing nasal problems who has had radical turbinate surgery many years prior to presenting at the ENT clinic with mucoid nasal discharge and chronically blocked nose. His nasal cavities were ironically very patent and there were only minor remnants of his turbinates bilaterally.

Intramuscular injection of botulinum toxin for the treatment of wrist and finger spasticity after stroke.

Botulinum toxin is effective in reducing spasticity post stroke. As there are limited data on post stroke spasticity in Asia, we undertake this study to determine the effectiveness and safety of intramuscular injection of botulinum toxin type-A (BTX-A), in the treatment of chronic focal post-stroke hand spasticity, and the impact of BTX-A on the activities of daily living and quality of life, in comparison to placebo, in Malaysian stroke patients. This was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study to assess the efficacy and safety of BTX-A in 27 subjects with wrist and finger spasticity after a stroke.

Infective endocarditis in pregnancy complicated by septic embolization to the cerebellum.

This report describes a pregnant lady in early trimester that was admitted with fever and left loin pain and was initially treated as presumed pyelonephritis. Subsequently she was found to have infective endocarditis with vegetation on the mitral valve. The course of her illness was complicated by acute pulmonary edema and septic embolization to the cerebellum.

Piperacillin-tazobactam plus amikacin as an initial empirical therapy of febrile neutropenia in paediatric cancer patients.

Introduction: We evaluated piperacillin-tazobactam in association with amikacin in the initial empirical therapy of febrile neutropenic children.

Methods: An open-labelled, non-randomised, prospective trial to assess the efficacy and safety of this association was conducted from June 1, 2001 to December 31, 2002. Children and adolescents were treated for a haematological malignancy or a primary, refractory or relapsed solid tumour, and presented with febrile neutropenia.