ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: A single centre study was conducted to examine the frequency of cholecystectomies, both open and laparoscopic, up to 2 years prior to the diagnosis of pancreatic cancer. In particular, it was of interest to investigate whether there is a diagnostic delay in a significant number of pancreatic cancer patients and if these patients already have symptoms or findings at the time of cholecystectomy that might have been indicative of the underlying malignant disease. METHODS: It is demonstrated that 17 out of 186 pancreatic cancer patients (9%) underwent a cholecystectomy within the 2 years prior to cancer diagnosis. RESULTS: A significant number of these patients showed a considerable weight loss at the time of the cholecystectomy. It is hypothesized that symptoms which led to cholecystectomies in these patients were most likely related to the pancreatic cancer. Owing to the resulting delay of pancreatic cancer diagnosis the resection rate with curative intent decreases to 35% from 44% in the whole series. CONCLUSION: Patients suffering from cholecystolithiasis and showing atypical symptoms or other notable findings such as considerable weight loss might be assessed in more detail pre- as well as postoperatively in order to minimize the diagnostic delay in pancreatic cancer and to avoid unnecessary operations.
Subject(s)
Adenocarcinoma/diagnosis , Ampulla of Vater , Cholelithiasis/complications , Common Bile Duct Neoplasms/complications , Pancreatic Neoplasms/diagnosis , Cholecystectomy/statistics & numerical data , Humans , Middle Aged , Time Factors , Weight LossABSTRACT
We present a new design for an all-fiber-optic gyroscope that makes use of a single-mode coil containing a Lyot depolarizer along with a partial depolarizer placed between the polarizer and the loop coupler. This design provides an optimal trade-off between the suppression of polarization errors and the reduction of drift errors arising from external magnetic f ields and changes in temperature.
ABSTRACT
A metal-clad fiber-optic cutoff polarizer using a thin film is proposed and fabricated. An extinction ratio of 47 dB with excess loss of 1 dB in the polarizer has been achieved.
ABSTRACT
We report recent developments in a technique to measure the thickness of cladding remaining on polished singlemode fiber substrates. This technique relies on the measurement of the throughput attenuation resulting when a drop of liquid of appropriate refractive index is placed on the substrate. Applications to fiber couplers and other all-fiber devices are described.
