OBJECTIVES: To assess the modifications of oesophageal function after major lung resection and whether these modifications are correlated with the extent of resection (pneumonectomy vs others). METHODS: In the last 5 years, 40 consecutive surgical patients with lung cancer were prospectively enrolled and divided in two groups: Group A (n ...

AIM: To investigate possible alterations of T-lymphocyte subpopulations in patients with cirrhosis complicated with infection and variceal bleeding, and to evaluate the relationship between T-lymphocyte subpopulations and outcome. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This was a prospective study on 99 patients with liver cirrhosis, who were admitted to a university hospital over ...

PURPOSE: Little data is available on the relationships between sagittal balance and spinopelvic parameters in osteoporosis. We analyzed sagittal spinopelvic parameters in osteoporotic patients. METHODS: In this prospective study, the patient and control groups comprised 124 osteoporotic patients and 40 controls. Average age was 72.4 ± 6.8 in the osteoporosis group and ...

To explore effectiveness and safety of polyglycosides of Tripterygium wilfordii (GTW) and mesalazine (5-aminosalicylic acid [5-ASA]) in preventing postoperative clinical and endoscopic recurrence of Crohn's disease. In this prospective, single-centre, single-blind study, postoperative Crohn's disease patients in remission were randomized to receive 1 mg/kg GTW daily, orally, or 4 g 5-ASA daily, ...

BACKGROUND: Robotic totally endoscopic coronary artery bypass grafting (TECAB) is an evolving minimally invasive technology with the potential to reduce hospital length of stay (LOS). Little is known about the factors that influence LOS after this procedure. The aim of this study is to define the preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative ...

BACKGROUND: There are conflicting data regarding improvements in postoperative outcomes with perioperative epidural analgesia. We sought to examine the effect of perioperative epidural analgesia vs. intravenous narcotic analgesia on perioperative outcomes including pain control, morbidity, and mortality in patients undergoing gastric and pancreatic resections. METHODS: We evaluated 169 patients from ...

PURPOSE: To assess whether hang-back or conventional bilateral lateral rectus muscle recessions were more successful in achieving a satisfactory postoperative ocular alignment in patients with true divergence excess intermittent exotropia. METHODS: The medical records of consecutive patients with true divergence excess intermittent exotropia who underwent bilateral lateral rectus muscle recession ...

BACKGROUND: Cannulation of the internal jugular vein (CVC) is a blind surface landmark-guided technique that could be potentially dangerous in patients with very low platelet counts. In such patients, ultrasonography (US)-guided CVC may be a valid approach. There is a lack of published data on the efficacy and safety of ...

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to review the results of a single anterior incision distal biceps tendon repair that reattaches the tendon to its posterior anatomic insertion site. We hypothesize this repair maximizes the supination torque of the biceps muscle throughout the full arc of forearm rotation. METHODS: ...

CONTEXT: Residual neuromuscular blockade still presents despite the use of intermediate duration muscle relaxants and is a risk factor for postoperative morbidity. OBJECTIVE: To determine the incidence of incomplete postoperative neuromuscular recovery from anaesthesia in a postanaesthesia care unit. DESIGN: Multicentre observational study. SETTING: Public Portuguese hospitals. PATIENTS: Adult patients ...

OBJECTIVES: The present analysis compared clinical and mid-term outcomes of patients with previous cardiac surgery undergoing transapical transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) with propensity-matched patients undergoing conventional redo aortic valve replacement (cAVR). METHODS: Since 2008, 508 patients were treated with TAVI. Fifty-three of these patients presented with a history of ...

INTRODUCTION: Autonomic modulation of the cardiac activity plays an important role in the pathogenesis of atrial fibrillation (AF). The aim of this study was to assess the differences in the atrial electrical and structural properties between patients with vagal and sympathetic AF. METHODS: The study included 30 patients (53 ± ...

AIMS: A novel duty-cycled bipolar/unipolar ablation catheter pulmonary vein ablation catheter (PVAC) has been developed to achieve pulmonary vein (PV) isolation in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). Ablation with PVAC was recently found to induce PV narrowing at 3 months follow-up. The long-term effects of this catheter on PV dimensions ...

OBJECTIVES: To define the impact of surgical strategy [concomitant mitral valve surgery or isolated aortic valve replacement (AVR)] in patients with moderate secondary mitral regurgitation (MR) at the time of AVR. METHODS: From January 1999 to December 2009, 3339 patients underwent AVR of whom 255 had secondary MR >2+ and ...

OBJECTIVE: The goal of this article is to report the preliminary results of infrapopliteal percutaneous transluminal angioplasty stenting with the Nile Croco coronary bifurcated stent (Minvasys, Gennevilliers, France) for selected patients with critical limb ischemia (CLI). METHODS: From October 2006 to December 2010, 31 patients with CLI with below-the-knee TransAtlantic ...

BACKGROUND: Evaluate the incidence of biopsy-proven giant cell arteritis (GCA) for seasonal or annual variability from a tertiary care center in the Mid-Atlantic United States. DESIGN: Retrospective chart review of all patients seen in the Neuro-Ophthalmology Service undergoing temporal artery biopsy (TAB) from 1994 to 2011. PARTICIPANTS: The charts of ...

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the functional results of a new cutaneous continent reservoir, the Turin pouch (TP), consisting of an ileocolonic pouch with an innovative efferent channel (EC). METHODS: Since 2006, we have performed the TP on 14 patients in whom the appendix was absent. The distal ileum (10 cm) and ...

Purpose: In this pilot study, we tested a newly developed electrospun multilayered, self-sealing graft, AVflo™, specifically designed for early hemodialysis access. 
Methods: Ten eligible consenting patients had a polycarbonate-urethane graft (AVflo™) implanted and were followed up prospectively for at least six months. Performance measures included graft patency, complications and time ...

Definitive endovascular techniques have been developed for pacemaker lead extraction; however, a few patients require immediate secondary open heart surgery because of incomplete transvenous lead extraction. This study examined the safety, effectiveness, and long-term outcome of the removal of cardiovascular implantable electronic device (CIED) via median sternotomy under cardiopulmonary bypass. ...

Several studies have demonstrated a relation between the rennin-angiotensin-aldosterone system and atrial fibrillation (AF), but there are no reports on the effect of eplerenone, a selective aldosterone blocker, on the prevention of AF recurrence after radiofrequency catheter ablation (RFCA). The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of ...

BACKGROUND: One cross-linked polyethylene (XLPE) liner is manufactured using a lower dose of radiation, 5 Mrad, which may result in less cross-linking. The reported in vivo wear rate of this XLPE liner in patients undergoing THA has varied, and has included some patients in each reported cohort who had greater ...

OBJECTIVESThere is an increasing trend to perform the bidirectional superior cavopulmonary (Glenn) anastomosis without cardiopulmonary bypass. In this report, we present our results of off-pump bidirectional Glenn operation done without using a venoatrial shunt to decompress the randomized comparative study was superior vena cava during clamping.METHODSA prospective, non-randomized comparative study ...

ABSTRACT: Backgroud: While serum levels of hyarulonic acid (sHA) is known to be useful for a burden of disease biomarker in knee OA, it is far from practical. The reference intervals must be established for biomarkers to be useful for clinical interpretation. The aim of this study was to establish ...

Although second-generation everolimus-eluting stents (EESs) have demonstrated superiority over first-generation paclitaxel-eluting stents for a broad subset of patients and lesions, it is unclear whether the same applies to sirolimus-eluting stents (SESs). The present study compared the long-term clinical outcomes between EESs and SESs in patients with small coronary artery disease. ...

OBJECTIVE: The objective of the study was to identify incidence, aetiology, and outcomes of extubation failure in infants with shunt-dependent pulmonary blood flow at a single tertiary care, academic children's hospital. The second objective of this study was to determine the haemodynamic effects of transition of positive pressure ventilation to ...

OBJECTIVES: Because of concerns regarding interactions between midazolam and antiretroviral therapy (ART), alternative sedatives are sometimes used during procedural sedation. Our objective was to compare outcomes in patients on ART who received intravenous (iv) midazolam vs. iv diazepam, a second-line agent, during colonoscopy. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective analysis of ...

PURPOSE: To compare the clinical outcomes in patients who had triamcinolone acetate-assisted anterior vitrectomy and patients who had anterior vitrectomy without triamcinolone acetate after phacoemulsification complicated by posterior capsule rupture and vitreous loss. SETTING: Arrowe Park Hospital, Wirral, United Kingdom. DESIGN: Retrospective consecutive case note review. METHODS: Consecutive case notes ...

Alloplastic temporomandibular total joint replacement (TJR) for end-stage disease, congenital disorders and following ablative oncological surgery has been shown to reduce pain and improve function. The purpose was to assess the maximum voluntary bite force and maximum interincisal opening (MIO) in patients undergoing alloplastic total temporomandibular joint replacement (TJR). Seventeen ...

OBJECTIVE: This multicenter, prospective, nonrandomized trial was undertaken to evaluate the first-in-human experience with the INCRAFT endograft (Cordis Corporation, Bridgewater, NJ), an ultralow-profile trimodular bifurcate device for the repair of abdominal aortic aneurysms. METHODS: Patients with asymptomatic infrarenal abdominal aortic aneurysms were eligible for enrollment in the trial. Anatomic eligibility ...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The role of surgery after primary intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) is controversial. To explore whether hematoma evacuation after ICH had improved short-term survival or functional outcome we conducted a retrospective observational population-based study. METHODS: We identified all subjects with primary ICH between 1993 and 2008 among the population ...

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: The failure scenario in total hip arthroplasty (THA), in younger patients, is dependent on the fixation and wear of the acetabular component. In selected cases, where endoprosthetic replacement of the femoral head is unavoidable for limb saving or functional recovery, hemiarthroplasty can be chosen as an alternative. The ...

Background/Aims: We hypothesized an advantage of using carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA19-9) over carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) in postoperative surveillance of colorectal cancer (CRC) patients with elevated preoperative serum CA19-9 (PreCA19-9). Methodology: We analyzed 197 CRC patients with elevated PreCA19-9 (>=37U/mL). Serum levels of CEA and CA19-9 were monitored postoperatively, according to ...

Rotator cuff tears are a common clinical problem, and few long-term studies concerning the outcomes of rotator cuff repairs have been performed. The purpose of this study was to report the fifteen-year outcomes of arthroscopic subacromial decompression with mini-open rotator cuff repair. The study included seventy-nine patients who had undergone ...

BACKGROUND: Thirty-day unplanned readmission after lower extremity bypass represents a large cost burden and is a logical target for cost-containment strategies. We undertook this study to evaluate factors associated with unplanned readmission after lower extremity bypass. METHODS: This is a retrospective analysis from a prospective institutional registry. All lower extremity ...

BACKGROUND:: Acute diverticulitis (AD) is the most common complication of diverticular disease and affects 10% to 25% of patients. Data regarding the natural history of AD are lacking. GOALS:: Our aim was to prospectively assess the occurrence of recurrent attacks, surgeries, and accompanying symptoms in patients who were hospitalized with ...

PURPOSE: The objective of this study was to compare the outcome of constrained and unconstrained primary total knee arthroplasty (TKA) in the management of the valgus deformity. METHODS: This is a retrospective review of patients with type II valgus knee who underwent primary TKA from 1999 to 2011. There were ...

ABSTRACT:: Percutaneous patent foramen ovale (PFO) closure is a treatment for cryptogenic stroke (CS) and migraine headache. The goal of this study was to assess long-term outcomes of patients treated with percutaneous PFO closure. Records of patients with percutaneous PFO closure at Emory University Hospital from February 2002 to July ...

A prospective cohort study of the Ludloff osteotomy, stabilized with either lag screws or a locking plate, was undertaken from May 2001 to November 2010, involving patients treated for hallux valgus with a first intermetatarsal angle greater than 15°. All patients were assessed using the American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle ...

Slipped capital femoral epiphysis is a condition with potentially severe complications. Controversy remains as to when to undertake prophylactic pinning. We aimed to assess the utility of the posterior sloping angle as a predictor for contralateral slip in a large, multi-ethnic cohort including Polynesian children with a high incidence of ...

BACKGROUND: Avascular necrosis (AVN) of the femoral head is a potential complication in patients with slipped capital femoral epiphysis (SCFE), radiographically occurring in 3-60%. This may lead to early hip fusion or hip arthroplasty. Free vascularized fibular grafting (FVFG) may provide a reasonable means to preserve the femoral head. QUESTIONS/PURPOSES: ...

BACKGROUND: We compared hemiarthroplasty (HA) and total shoulder replacement (TSR) for the treatment of osteoarthritis at minimum of 10 years from primary arthroplasty. METHODS: Thirty-three patients (13 HA and 20 TSR) were intraoperatively randomized to HA or TSR after glenoid exposure and were assessed to a minimum of 10 years ...

This study was undertaken to determine whether unilateral hallux valgus progresses unilaterally and to evaluate the demographics, etiologies, and radiographic findings associated with symptomatic unilateral hallux valgus deformities. Patients treated for hallux valgus between January 2004 and December 2008 were identified, and of these, 33 patients with unilateral deformities were ...

The aim of this cohort study was to evaluate the stability after multi-segmentation of the maxilla for correction of anterior open bite deformities. A total of 33 patients who underwent segmented maxillary osteotomy between 1994 and 2006 were included in the study. Rigid fixation with plates and postsurgical intermaxillary fixation ...

PURPOSE: We sought to examine prostatectomy pathology, oncologic and functional outcomes of men progressing from active surveillance (AS) to radical prostatectomy (RP). MATERIALS AND METHODS: We identified AS patients treated by RP (ASRP). First, we compared AS patients ultimately treated with RP to age- and PSA-matched men undergoing immediate RP ...

BACKGROUND: Hip resurfacing arthroplasty has some advantages, including improved metal-on-metal articulation, a lower dislocation rate and preserved femoral bone. This procedure is a surgical option for younger and more active patients with osteoarthritis and osteonecrosis of the femoral head. Although there have been some reports about the efficacy of this ...

Background: Only 2 articles related to the recently developed Mobility Total Ankle System (Johnson & Johnson Medical/DePuy International, Leeds, UK) have been published to date. The purpose of this study was to determine the perioperative complications associated with the Mobility Total Ankle System and whether a learning curve exists for ...

BACKGROUND: A bulky compression dressing (Robert Jones bandage) is commonly used after TKA to reduce blood loss, pain, and swelling. However, it is unclear whether these dressings in fact reduce blood loss. QUESTIONS/PURPOSES: We compared postoperative blood loss, pain, knee swelling, and postoperative complications in two types of postoperative dressings ...

The present study aimed to investigate the effect of cytochrome P450 3A4 (CYP3A4)*18B polymorphisms and the interaction of the µ opioid receptor gene (OPRM1) A118G and CYP3A4*18B polymorphisms on postoperative fentanyl analgesia in Chinese Han patients undergoing radical gastrectomy. In total, 97 patients scheduled to undergo radical gastrectomy under general ...

BACKGROUND: Zone I ruptures of the Achilles tendon and chronic ruptures in zone II with a gap of more than 6 cm are difficult to treat. We describe a technique that is very well suited to this type of rupture. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Seventy-eight patients with chronic rupture of the Achilles ...

BACKGROUND: Laparoscopy-assisted gastrectomy (LG) is an established treatment for early gastric cancer. However, carbon dioxide pneumoperitoneum during laparoscopic surgery can adversely affect the pulmonary function of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). This retrospective cohort study was performed to assess the feasibility of LG for patients with COPD. METHODS: ...