How to Repair Non-Atheromatous Carotid Lesions.

Non-atheromatous surgical lesions are estimated to represent at most 10% of all carotid procedures, most of which involve atheromatous lesions. Isolated tortuosity of the carotid vessels is sometimes treated surgically. The pathologies most frequently studied are extra-cranial carotid aneurysms, dissections, and fibromuscular dysplasia. Behcet's disease only rarely affects the carotid trunk, but in view of its prevalence in our country of Algeria a short section will be devoted to it. A series of 57 patients treated for non-atheromatous carotid lesions is presented article. These cases were treated using both endovascular and conventional surgical techniques. A review of the literature shows that endovascular treatment is now replacing conventional surgery for most indications except carotid paraganglioma.

The management of asymptomatic carotid stenosis: Is there a benefit to operate elderly patients?

BACKGROUND: We present a retrospective study of a series of 40 patients over the age of 75 operated for an asymptomatic carotid stenosis. The results were evaluated during an average of 3 years of follow-up. MATERIAL AND METHOD: The study is retrospective and monocentric. The series includes 40 patients aged over 75 years and with an average age of 78.5 years (range 75-82). Patients underwent surgery for an asymptomatic carotid stenosis of more than 80%. The technique in all case was a carotid endarterectomy. RESULTS: There have been no postoperative deaths or neurological adverse events. During an average follow-up of 3 years, there was one death secondary to colon cancer. However, 5 patients were lost to follow-up. CONCLUSION: Carotid surgery in elderly patients may have a benefit. However, our study has shortcomings. It is retrospective and the patient cohort is reduced. A randomized, prospective study, comparing surgery or angioplasty with the best medical treatment, is necessary to choose the most effective and safest treatment to offer to an elderly patient with asymptomatic carotid stenosis.

[Small cell neuroendocrine carcinoma of the vulva]. / Carcinome neuroendocrine à petites cellules de la vulve.

Neuroendocrine small cell carcinoma of the vulva is a rare and aggressive cancer with a pejorative behavior. Because it is rare, there is no consensus to date. We report the fourteenth case of a 52-year-old woman with neuroendocrine small cell carcinoma of the vulva, treated by surgery and combined chemoradiotherapy 46 Gy and cisplatinum-étoposide and adjuvant chemotherapy. Twelve months after the diagnosis, she is alive with no evidence of disease recurrence. A review of the literature on this topic is also presented.

Investigation of the microcirculation and the state of oxidative stress in the rat after scorpion envenomation.

1. Severe cases of scorpion envenomation (SE) generally show both respiratory and cardiocirculatory dysfunction. However, the pathophysiology of SE remains controversial. In the present study, we tried to explain the pathophysiology of the haemodynamic perturbations and cardiac failure in rats poisoned by the venom of Buthus occitanus tunetanus through a histomorphometric study of myocardial and muscular skeletal microcirculation and analysis of the oxidative stress state in order to evaluate the implication of the inflammatory process in the pathogenesis of SE. 2. Experiments were performed on 96 rats divided into 16 groups (n = 6 in each group). Two groups were used to determine the optimum conditions of venom administration and times when to measure haemodynamic parameters. The B. occitanus tunetanus venom was administered at a dose of 800 microg/kg and tissues were removed 5 and 20 min after envenomation. Six groups were used for histomorphometric study: two control groups, two poisoned groups an two melatonin-pretreated and poisoned groups. The histomorphometric study was performed on isolated hearts and skeletal muscles. The final eight groups of rats (two control groups, two envenomated groups, two control groups pretreated with melatonin and two groups pretreated and envenomated) were used to investigate the state of tissue oxidative stress during SE and to evaluate the anti-oxidant effect of melatonin on rats poisoned with B. occitanus tunetanus venom. This study was based on the determination of tissue malondialdehyde in isolated organs as an indicator of thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS). Melatonin was injected at a dose of 5 mg/kg, i.v., 15 min before the administration of serum or venom. Data were compared using analysis of variance and Tukey's test for multiple pair-wise comparisons. 3. Five minutes after venom injection, a significant reduction in the mean relative volume of venules and arterioles in the heart and skeletal muscles of poisoned rats was noted. Twenty minutes after venom injection, these volumes were significantly increased in the heart and skeletal muscles of poisoned rats. Pretreatment of envenomated rats with melatonin resulted in a significant decrease in the mean relative volume of the venules and arterioles in the heart and skeletal muscles 5 and 20 min after venom injection compared with untreated envenomated rats. Investigation of the oxidative stress state showed a highly significant increase in TBARS in poisoned rats compared with control groups 5 and 20 min after venom injection. Melatonin pretreatment of rats poisoned with B. occitanus tunetanus venom resulted in an important and highly significant reduction of TBARS compared with untreated envenomated rats. 4. It appears from the results of the present study that administration of B. occitanus tunetanus venom engendered an excessive myocardial and skeletal muscular vasoconstriction attributed to massive catecholamine release followed by arteriolar and venular vasodilatation. This venous stasis at the muscular microcirculation could be due to myocardiac failure. However, the concomitant presence of arteriolar vasodilatation suggests an inflammatory process in the pathophysiology of SE. This process was suggested by the genesis of a state of oxidative stress in relation to the important lipoperoxidation, which was inhibited by administration of the anti-oxidant melatonin. Thus, melatonin pretreatment seemed to accentuate the first phase of vascular reactivity in envenomed rats and inhibit the second vasodilator phase observed 20 min after administration of the venom.

Imaging in the exploration of lumbosacral plexus avulsion. Two cases.

In all cases of post-traumatic sensorimotor deficit in the lower limbs unexplained by another pathology, it is not unreasonable to suspect a nerve root avulsion. Whenever available, MRI seems to be the choice examination as it is not invasive and provides a three-dimensional exploration. On the basis of two new cases and a review of the literature, the authors discuss the value of various imaging methods in this pathology.

Examination of epidural tumors of the spinal canal. Comparative study with magnetic resonance imaging, computed tomography and tomo-myelography.

To delimit the vertical extension of epidural tumors of the spinal canal, tomo-myelography and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are the most accurate examinations, MRI appearing to us to be even superior to tomo-myelography. To evaluate precisely the bone extension of tumor growth as compared with the epidural lesions, computed tomography (CT) is more accurate than the other methods mentioned. The choice between these three techniques is of great importance as an aid in selection the best therapeutic method in each particular case.

[Prospective study of the long-term permeability of the internal saphenous vein and of polytetrafluoroethylene in the lower femoro-popliteal bypass. Results after 5 years in 100 patients]. / Etude prospective de la perméabilité à long terme de la veine saphène interne et du polytétrafluoroéthylène dans les pontages de sauvetage fémoro-poplité bas. Résultats à cinq ans chez 100 malades.

Autogenous saphenous vein (ASV) (50 patients-group I) was compared to polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) (50 patients group II), in 100 below-knee femoropopliteal bypass (FPB) procedures performed for limb salvage during à 5 year-period. PTFE was used as an alternative procedure in the absence of a suitable ASV. Each group made of 50 patients was not significantly different from the other. The mean follow up period for patent graft is now 35 months (12-60 months) and the overall life table cumulative patency at 5 years, is 65% in group I and 18% in group II (P less than 0.05) whereas the limb salvage rate (LSR) is 81% with ASV and 26% PTFE (P less than 0.05). No correlation was demonstrated between patency and run-off. The graft described was used in elderly patients most of whom would have had amputation before the introduction of PTFE. Theses results advocate the use of PTFE only in secondary intention and never to shorter operation time.