Diagnosing temporal arteritis: duplex vs. biopsy.

BACKGROUND: Temporal artery biopsy is the traditionally-accepted method of diagnosing temporal arteritis, but is of limited sensitivity. AIM: To compare the clinical decisions made after negative temporal artery biopsy vs. negative temporal artery duplex, and the effects on patient outcomes. DESIGN: Retrospective analysis. METHODS: Of 290 patients suspected of having temporal arteritis, 147 underwent bilateral temporal artery duplex with a negative result, and 143 underwent unilateral temporal artery biopsy with a negative result. These groups were compared. Dependent measures included the proportion of patients in each group whose steroids were discontinued by their primary care doctor after either negative test, and the difference in the number of alternative diagnoses considered after a negative test. The incidence of blindness in each group was also compared, as a measure of adverse outcomes. Patients were then stratified by pre-test probability of having the disease, and compared using the same measures. RESULTS: Equivalent proportions of patients in the two groups had steroids discontinued after a negative test result, even when further stratified into risk groups by the probability of having temporal arteritis. No differences in adverse outcomes or number of alternative diagnoses considered were noted between groups. DISCUSSION: In clinical practice, bilateral temporal artery duplex served the same function as biopsy, but without subjecting patients to the potential morbidity of a surgical procedure. Temporal artery biopsy could be reserved only for situations where the duplex result is inconsistent with the clinical picture, and the biopsy result, if different from the duplex result, might influence the treatment decision.

Laparoscopic management of a gastric diverticulum.

Gastric diverticuli are rare entities that may present with a variety of vague abdominal symptoms. Diagnosis requires endoscopic and radiologic evaluation preceded by clinical suspicion. This is the first report describing the laparascopic excision of a gastric diverticulum. A description of this procedure and suggestions for the workup of gastric diverticuli are presented.

Recurrent common bile duct stones containing metallic clips following laparoscopic common bile duct exploration.

A case of recurrent common bile duct stones 2 years following laparoscopic cholecystectomy and laparoscopic common bile duct exploration in a 52-year-old man is reported. Surgical material as a nidus for recurrent stone formation has been reported and occurred in the present case. Factors influencing metallic clip migration after biliary surgery are discussed, with recommendations for decreasing recurrent stones caused by foreign material.

A comparison of the prophylactic antiemetic effect of ondansetron and droperidol on patients undergoing gynecologic laparoscopy.

UNLABELLED: We compared ondansetron with droperidol, given prophylactically, in a randomized, prospective, double-blind study of women undergoing outpatient gynecologic laparoscopy. One-hundred fifty-eight women received either ondansetron (4 mg) or droperidol (20 micrograms/kg) intravenously during induction of anesthesia. Nausea was measured at three intervals: at admission to the postanesthesia care unit (PACU), 1 h after admission to the PACU, and on Postoperative Day 1. The incidence of vomiting was tabulated in the PACU and on Postoperative Day 1. Sedation was assessed 1 h after admission to the PACU. No differences in nausea, sedation, or number of patients vomiting in the PACU were found. More patients in the ondansetron group reported vomiting on Postoperative Day 1 than subjects in the droperidol group (25 vs 11). No difference in opiate use was found among patients who vomited. We conclude that droperidol is equivalent to ondansetron for the prophylactic treatment of nausea and vomiting in patients undergoing gynecologic laparoscopy, and that significant cost savings can be appreciated if droperidol is used. IMPLICATIONS: Either ondansetron or droperidol, frequently used antiemetics, was given to women before they underwent gynecologic laparoscopy. No difference in the number of women experiencing postoperative nausea and vomiting or their level of sedation was found. Equivalent effectiveness and significant cost-savings may be obtained by using droperidol prophylactically for laparoscopic surgery.

Efficacy of synthetic peptide-containing surfactant in the treatment of respiratory distress syndrome in preterm infant rhesus monkeys.

Studies were conducted to assess the efficacy and safety of a synthetic peptide-containing surfactant in the treatment of respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) in preterm (approximately 80% of normal gestation) infant rhesus monkeys. Surfactant was prepared consisting of the phospholipids dipalmitoylphosphatidyl choline and palmitoyl-oleoyl phosphatidyl glycerol and a synthetic peptide modeled after surfactant protein B (SP-B), "KL4-Surfactant" contained a peptide having the sequence KLLLLKLLLLKLLLLKLLLLK, where "K" is lysine and "L" is leucine. The peptide was selected because it mimics the repeating stretches of hydrophobic residues with intermittent basic hydrophilic residues seen in SP-B. KL4-Surfactant was shown to have biophysical activity assessed as the ability to lower surface tension at an air-liquid interface in a pulsating bubble surfactometer. Thirty premature rhesus monkeys were treated shortly after birth with one dose of KL4-Surfactant. The arterial to alveolar oxygen partial pressure ratio (a/A) was found to rise from a pretreatment level of 0.11 +/- 0.01 (mean +/- SEM), indicative of severe RDS, to 0.40 +/- 0.02 at 12-13 h post-treatment. The improvement in oxygenation persisted throughout the study period, with a mean a/A at 22-23 h of 0.45 +/- 0.07. Chest radiographs and gross and microscopic examination of the lungs all confirmed the reversal of the atelectasis seen before treatment. Animals treated with a dose of 200 mg/kg showed a faster, more consistent, and greater response than did a group treated with an average dose of 127 mg/kg. There was no evidence of toxicity after treatment with the higher dose as demonstrated by physiologic, hematologic, biochemical, and pathologic data. The importance of the peptide in the synthetic surfactant was apparent from the results obtained with a control group of nine premature monkeys treated with a non-peptide-containing surfactant; the a/A of this group was 0.15 +/- 0.03 at nine hours of age as compared with a value of 0.38 +/- 0.02 for 30 comparable animals receiving KL4-Surfactant.

The efficacy and safety of KL4-surfactant in preterm infants with respiratory distress syndrome.

The present study was undertaken to determine if a synthetic peptide, KLLLLKLLLLKLLLLKLLLLK (KL4), in which K = lysine and L = leucine, in an aqueous dispersion of phospholipids (DPPC and POPG), would expand pulmonary alveoli and improve gas exchange in premature human infants with respiratory distress syndrome (RDS). The KL4 peptide was synthesized to resemble the amino acid pattern of surfactant protein B (SP-B). Forty-seven infants with RDS were treated within 4 h of birth with the KL4-peptide/phospholipid mixture, called KL4-Surfactant. The average arterial-to-alveolar oxygen tension ratios (a/A O2) of 39 patients included in efficacy analyses rose from pretreatment values of 0.14 +/- 0.02 (mean +/- SEM) to 0.40 +/- 0.04 (normal value > or = 0.40) by 12 h of age. Mean airway pressures and oxygenation index values fell concomitantly, and expansion of the lungs was observed on radiographs. The median duration of mechanical ventilation was 5.0 d. Of the 39 included infants, 29 required only a single dose. Radiographic data indicate that those patients requiring a second instillation of KL4-Surfactant but not showing a sustained rise in a/A O2 ratios did, in fact, exhibit expansion of alveoli in the lung. There were no RDS-related deaths; the incidence of complications was no higher than found in other comparable published studies. The data demonstrate that the synthetic peptide, KL4, which mimics the hydrophobic and hydrophilic pattern of SP-B, when formulated in an aqueous dispersion with the phospholipids DPPC and POPG, creates a strong and durable surfactant activity as judged by expansion of pulmonary alveoli and improvement of gas exchange in infants with RDS.

Psychological interventions in the pre-surgical period.

The literature on pre-surgical psychological interventions designed to improve psychological adjustment to and recovery from surgery, as well as increase cost-effectiveness, is reviewed. Three broad classifications of interventions (information-based interventions, behaviorally-oriented interventions, and insight-oriented interventions) are discussed based on previous studies aimed at demonstrating the utility of each approach. Limitations of the research in this area are presented and recommendations are made for effective implementation of pre-surgical interventions.

The pros and cons of starting a specialized clinic.

Seeking to fill an unmet need in the women's health care field, this specialized physician-directed center used the resources available in a private-practice obstetrics/gynecologic office to address premenstrual syndrome. The article outlines the structuring of the center, personnel training, and financial considerations; and it describes treatment issues and the medical considerations essential to treating this pervasive and serious medical problem.