ABSTRACT
Spontaneous pneumothorax in the apparently healthy individual is a reasonably common occurrence. In a military hospital serving a large population in the age range most at risk for this entity, we have gained a wide experience with this problem. A review of our 10 year experience with spontaneous pneumothorax and its surgical treatment has been presented. In our series, a decreased male to female ratio was noted. This may reflect the increased incidence of female smokers. A total of 9.4 percent of our patients had complications of their tube thoracostomy treatment and an additional 10 percent required surgery for resolution of their problem. Our indications for pleural abrasion have been discussed. Pleural abrasion remains our mainstay of surgical therapy for treatment of recurrent spontaneous pneumothorax with acceptable morbidity.
Subject(s)
Pneumothorax/surgery , Adolescent , Adult , Child , Child, Preschool , Female , Humans , Infant , Infant, Newborn , Intubation/adverse effects , Lung Diseases/complications , Male , Middle Aged , Pleural Effusion/etiology , Pneumothorax/etiology , Pneumothorax/therapy , Recurrence , Sex Factors , Smoking , Time FactorsABSTRACT
Adenocarcinoma of the vagina is an uncommon tumor. Many theories have been postulated for its etiology and tissue origin. Its occurrence in young women exposed in utero to diethylstilbestrol has pointed to estrogen influence as a possible etiologic factor. A case of adenocarcinoma of the vagina in a patient with gonadal dysgenesis is presented, and histologic and electron-microscopic observations are discussed. This patient is unique in that development of the vaginal neoplasm occurred in the absence of estrogen influence.
Subject(s)
Adenocarcinoma/complications , Turner Syndrome/complications , Vaginal Neoplasms/complications , Adenocarcinoma/genetics , Adenocarcinoma/pathology , Adult , Female , Humans , Karyotyping , Turner Syndrome/genetics , Turner Syndrome/pathology , Vaginal Neoplasms/genetics , Vaginal Neoplasms/pathologyABSTRACT
A Swan-Ganz catheter has been used in 10 consecutive patients undergoing pelvic exenteration and has made the intraoperative and postoperative management of these patients a much easier task. Use of this catheter eliminates the guesswork involved in managing fluid and volume status by providing an accurate assessment of left ventricular end diastolic pressure. The complication rate is reported as 5% and consists mostly of ruptured balloons, infection, coiling of the catheter, and cardiac irritability. There have been no complications in the 10 patients in whom we have used the catheter. We believe that the use of the Swan-Ganz catheter in these difficult-to-manage patients is justified because of its low complication rate, easy use, and the accurate valuable information obtained.
