Comparison of different methods of circumferential tracheal reconstruction: an experimental study.

Objectives: This study was designed to compare different prefabrication models for circumferential tracheal reconstruction.

Materials And Methods: Thirty adult female New Zealand rabbits were divided into six groups for circumferential tracheal reconstruction with a different tissue combination. Prefabrication of neotrachea was performed without anastomosis.

The value of Tc-99m tetrofosmin in the imaging of pituitary adenomas.

Aim: Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computerized tomography (CT) are used in the diagnosis and follow-up of pituitary adenoma cases. Sometimes, these methods cannot display the post-operative residual tissue. It has been shown that some radionuclides were taken up by the pituitary adenomas.

Drug delivery systems.

Intrathecal drug delivery (IDD) is a proven and effective treatment alternative in carefully selected patients with chronic pain that cannot be controlled by a well-tailored drug regime and/or spinal cord stimulation (SCS), and may be specifically trialed in patients who fail to respond to SCS. While the lack of randomized controlled trials is often perceived as a limitation of IDD, many studies attest to the efficacy of this therapy, and a number are large-scale and with follow-up periods of up to five years. Good to excellent pain relief is achieved in many patients who have failed more conservative therapies, and there is often a reduced need for analgesia.

Intrathecal morphine and bupivacaine for phantom limb pain: a case report.

Besides the causes and prevention issues, chronic nonmalignant pain must be considered as a combination of multidimensional disorder of neurophysiology, behavior, culture, social, economic aspects.

Precautions during epidural neuroplasty.

Scar formation in the epidural space due to previous operations or presence of inflammation in and around the nerve roots or spinal nerves in patients with back pain or radiculopathy have been documented in patients suffering from spinal pain. Several methods targeting the scar formation and inflammation have been used. Epidural neuroplasty is one of the recently used methods.

Effectiveness of olanzapine in neurosyphilis related organic psychosis: a case report.

The clinicians usually do not consider syphilis in the differential diagnosis for patients with acute and chronic psychiatric symptoms. To familiarize clinicians particularly with neurosyphilis (NS) and to discuss the atypical antipsychotic alternatives, we wish to present a case with agitated, resistant psychotic symptoms related to neurosyphilis. The case was a 55-year-old male who has had anxiety, irritability, auditory hallucinations, ataxia, dysarthric speech, paranoid and persecutory delusions and agitated behaviour.

Expression of bcl-2 in papillary thyroid cancers and its prognostic value.

Purpose: Papillary thyroid cancer has a good prognosis. This favourable prognosis may be attributed to the apoptotic tendency of the cancer cells. This study aims to evaluate the expression of bcl-2, which is an antidote of apoptosis, and aims to evaluate the value of bcl-2 as a prognostic marker in papillary thyroid cancer.

Unusual extension of the first branchial cleft anomaly.

First branchial cleft is the only branchial structure that persists as the external ear canal, while all other clefts are resorbed. Incomplete obliteration and the degree of closure cause the varied types of first branchial cleft anomalies. They were classified based on the anatomical and histological features.

Relationships between hemodynamic alterations and Child-Pugh Score in patients with cirrhosis.

Background/aims: In this study, central and nonsplanchnic hemodynamic alterations in liver cirrhosis and correlation between Child-Pugh Score and these hemodynamic alterations were evaluated.

Methodology: With this aim, angiotensin-I, aldosterone, femoral blood flow, cardiac index, free water clearance and renal blood flow index were evaluated in 30 cirrhotic patients and 10 healthy control subjects.

Results: Child-Pugh score was found to be directly related with serum levels of angiotensin-I and aldosterone, cardiac and renal blood flow index (r = 0.

Importance and advantages of intermittent external pneumatic compression therapy in venous stasis ulceration.

Venous ulcers are seen following postthrombophlebitic syndrome with venous insufficiency and can begin as a result of minor trauma. In this retrospective study the authors examined the value of external intermittent pneumatic compression therapy in chronic venous ulcers. Results in 1,250 patients with postthrombophlebitic syndromes, 235 of these patients with leg ulcers, revealed that this modality of therapy shortens the therapy duration, lowers the total therapy cost, and hastens the return to active life in comparison to the classical therapy with compression stockings and antiaggregant or low-dose oral anticoagulant therapy.

Value of petrosal sinus sampling: coexisting acromegaly, empty sella and meningioma.

Simultaneous occurrence of an intracranial meningioma and a growth hormone (GH)-producing pituitary adenoma is exceedingly rare, as is coexistence of an empty sella and acromegaly. We report all these rare entities in the same patient. We evaluated the role of inferior petrosal sinus sampling for lateralisation of an adenoma in this patient.

Laryngeal chondroma presenting as a laryngopyocele.

The abnormal dilatation of saccules in direct communication with the laryngeal lumen is termed laryngocele. A simple laryngocele is an air-filled dilatation of the saccule and is mostly asymptomatic. When the neck of the laryngocele is obstructed, the laryngocele becomes filled with mucus.

How does neonatal thymectomy affect the immune system?

Background: The aim of this study was to determine the effects of neonatal thymectomy on the immune system in later life.

Methods And Results: Immune system tests were performed in 26 children at 1 year of age. Thirteen of them had been operated for transposition of the great arteries and had thymectomy in the same operation in the neonatal period.

Management of portal hypertension in children: a retrospective study with long-term follow-up.

Objectives: Data regarding the management of the portal hypertensive haemorrhage in the paediatric patients have yielded conflicting results. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of beta-blocker (propranolol) alone, sclerotherapy alone and beta-blocker + sclerotherapy combination in the management of portal hypertension in the paediatric population.

Methods: Medical information was retrieved from the records of 62 children with portal hypertension who were under treatment during at least two years of follow-up period.

Adrenal neuroblastoma in an adult: report of a case.

Neuroblastomas comprise a major part of adrenal tumors in children. However, they are seldom reported in adults. In this report we present the case of a 30-year-old woman who was operated on for an incidentaloma.

A novel technique for the repair of complete atrioventricular septal defects: simplified 2-patch technique.

Today complete atrioventricular septal defects can be corrected with acceptable mortality and postoperative morbidity. Although opinions still differ regarding the most appropriate method of choice, some surgeons have proposed a new technique that involves the direct suturing of common atrioventricular valve leaflets to the crest of the ventricular septum. However, we believe that this new approach may be associated with left ventricular outflow tract obstruction and neomitral valve regurgitation.

A comparison between minilaparotomy and standard median laparotomy for reconstruction of aorto-iliac occlusive disease.

Objective: Minimally invasive surgical procedures have become increasingly used in all surgical branches. In this respect we compared the minilaparotomy (ML) technique with standard median laparotomy (SML) for the surgical treatment of aorto-iliac occlusive disease.

Methods: 120 patients were included in this prospective study, with 60 patients in the minilaparotomy group and 60 patients in standard median laparotomy group.

Peri-operative comparison of different transient external shunt techniques in bidirectional cavo-pulmonary shunt.

Objective: In patients with functional single ventricular physiology, the avoidance of cardiopulmonary bypass offers many advantages including earlier extubation, decreased necessity of inotropic support, improved hemodynamical status and reduced likelihood of post-operative prolonged pleural effusion. We believe that the bidirectional cavopulmonary anastomosis operations may be performed with transient external shunt techniques. The purpose of this prospective study is the peri- and post-operative comparison of different transient external shunt methods used in bidirectional cavopulmonary shunt operations.

The role of nitric oxide in pediatric patients with portal hypertension.

The hyperdynamic circulation of cirrhosis and portal hypertension has been postulated to be due to the vasodilatory effects of nitric oxide. However, there have been conflicting results in adults and no studies in children. We aimed to measure the nitric oxide level in serum of pediatric patients with portal hypertension with and without cirrhosis, in order to assess its role in the development of hemodynamic changes.

Anterior spinal artery syndrome after infrarenal abdominal aortic surgery.

Background: Neurological complications such as paraplegia or paraparesis due to spinal cord ischemia has been an unpredictable, devastating event after infrarenal abdominal aortic surgery. The aim of our study is to focus the importance of this entity and in this connection to review the vascular anatomy of the spinal cord, incidence and etiology of spinal cord ischemia, methods of prevention, and management of the patient.

Methods: Eight patients were identified with spinal cord ischemia manifested by paraplegia or paraparesis after 1331 abdominal aortic operations.

Single-stage unifocalization and correction with median sternotomy in complex pulmonary atresia.

Objective: This study assessed the surgical and post-operative outcome of single-stage complete unifocalization and repair procedure in patients with complex pulmonary atresia.

Methods: From 1999 to 2001, we performed complete unifocalization and correction in 10 patients with complex pulmonary atresia. Their ages ranged from 10 months to 17 years.

Comparison of efficacy of intraarticular application of tenoxicam, bupivacaine and tenoxicam: bupivacaine combination in arthroscopic knee surgery.

Arthroscopic knee surgery is one of the most common surgeries done in outpatient settings; however, postoperative pain is believed to be the major barrier for discharge and early rehabilitation. In this study we evaluated and compared the efficacy of intraarticular application of long-lasting non-steroidal analgesic drug tenoxicam, a long-lasting local anaesthetic bupivacaine and combination of the two on postoperative pain after arthroscopic knee surgery. With the approval of the local ethics committee and signed informed consent of the patients, 75 American Society of Anesthesiologists I-II patients aged between 18 and 65 years going under elective arthroscopic meniscectomy were included in this randomized, blind, prospective study.

Laparoscopic resection of an esophageal epiphrenic diverticulum.

Epiphrenic diverticulum of the esophagus is an uncommon disease. In the light of the benefits of minimally invasive treatment of such a functional disorder, we used the laparoscopic approach for resection of an epiphrenic diverticulum. We found that laparoscopic repair of symptomatic esophageal epiphrenic diverticula is a safe and effective technique with minimal postoperative pain and morbidity.

Factors influencing the duration of exclusive breastfeeding in a group of Turkish women.

This study was conducted to evaluate the influence of demographic characteristics, hospital practices, maternal psychosocial factors, and knowledge about infant feeding and breast milk on duration of breastfeeding. The mothers of 91 healthy, term infants delivered at a university hospital between June 1998 and December 1998, and first seen in the well-child unit within 10 days of delivery, participated in the study. Forty-nine (54%) infants were exclusively breastfed at 4 months of age.