ABSTRACT
We describe our initial experience with extracorporeal shock-wave lithotripsy, direct solvent dissolution with methyl tert-butyl ether and mechanical extraction, in 17 symptomatic patients without significant gall-bladder wall disease using existing criteria for selection. Extracorporeal shock-wave lithotripsy and mechanical extraction are promising techniques. Methyl tert-butyl ether therapy has been fraught with difficulty.
Subject(s)
Cholelithiasis/therapy , Methyl Ethers , Adult , Aged , Cholelithiasis/diagnostic imaging , Ethers/therapeutic use , Female , Humans , Lithotripsy , Male , Middle Aged , Solvents/therapeutic use , Tomography, X-Ray ComputedABSTRACT
These are thoughts and impressions on the practice of anaesthesia, the management of operating theatres, and a plan for the training of anaesthetists for the Pacific island nations. They are based on accumulated experience and personal observations gained over ten years of working and travelling throughout the Pacific region. The concepts and ideas expressed are a correlation and condensation of many conversations with local anaesthetists and people involved with managing hospitals and administering the health services of many of the countries in the Pacific.
