Duplex ultrasound in the hemodynamic evaluation of the late sequelae of deep venous thrombosis.

PURPOSE: The use of duplex ultrasound scanning to evaluate the hemodynamic outcome of deep venous thrombosis 7 to 13 years after the original diagnosis. METHODS: Duplex ultrasound was used to re-examine 1212 segments of vein from 72 patients (49 men, 23 women) with deep venous thrombosis previously diagnosed by means of phlebography to detect reflux and obstruction and evaluate flow; 611 segments were initially thrombosed and 601 segments were open. To define reflux, reversed flow in 31 healthy persons was measured. RESULTS: In a review of all veins of the 72 patients, 8 patients (11%) had completely normal duplex results in all veins, 33 (46%) had reflux, 6 (8%) had at least one noncompressible vein segment, and 25 (35%) had a combination of both. In the proximal vein segments without initial thrombosis a higher percentage was normal (73%) than in segments with initial thrombosis (46%). There was a significantly higher frequency of reflux (46%, p = 0.05) and noncompressibility (12%, p < 0.01) in initially thrombosed proximal vein segments than in vein segments without initial thrombosis (reflux 25%, noncompressibility 3%). Distal to the knee 125 (17%) of 720 vein segments were not traceable. Significantly more initially thrombosed vein segments were not traceable (p < 0.01). In distal vein segments there was no significant difference in reflux (7% versus 5%) and noncompressibility (10% versus 5%) between vein segments with and without initial thrombosis. Flow was present in 99% of the 611 previously thrombosed proximal and distal segments. CONCLUSIONS: Most patients with deep venous thrombosis still had venous abnormalities 7 to 13 years after the initial diagnosis. The most common abnormality was reflux. Significantly more abnormalities were found in initially thrombosed segments. The abnormalities were found in the proximal vein segments and in the distal vein segments, although less frequently in the latter.

Diagnosis of deep vein thrombosis, an overview.

Because clinical signs and symptoms are unreliable the diagnosis of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) should be objectified. Advantages and disadvantages of contrast venography, plethysmography, ultrasound techniques, fibrinogen leg scanning, computer-assisted tomography, magnetic resonance imaging and blood tests are discussed. In patients with a first event of suspected DVT non-invasive methods like serial plethysmography or ultrasound testing are sensitive and specific enough to make a treatment decision. It is safe to withhold anticoagulants if the test remains normal within 1 week. In patients with suspected recurrent DVT new non-invasive techniques are being tested, but up to now the definitive objective diagnostic test continues to be contrast venography. In first period as well as in recurrent DVT D-Dimer testing could be an additional test to exclude active thromboembolism.

Is early osteosynthesis safe in multiple trauma patients with severe thoracic trauma and pulmonary contusion?

The timing of osteosynthesis of major fractures in patients with multiple injuries is still disputed. Recently questions have been raised as to the possible detrimental effects of this treatment on pulmonary function in patients who have additional thoracic trauma. In this study the charts of 57 consecutive patients with multiple injuries including thoracic trauma were analyzed. Thirty patients without major fractures were compared with 27 patients with major fractures treated by early osteosynthesis. Despite a significantly higher Injury Severity Score (ISS) in in the group with major fractures, there was no significant difference in pulmonary function between the two groups. We conclude that the presence of thoracic trauma should not be regarded as a contraindication for early surgical stabilization of major fractures.

Pneumopericardium complicating invasive pulmonary aspergillosis: case report and review.

Pneumopericardium, the presence of air in the pericardial space, is a rare disorder that is usually caused by trauma. We describe a patient given induction chemotherapy for acute myelogenous leukemia who developed pulmonary aspergillosis that resulted in pericarditis and pneumopericardium. He responded to antifungal treatment and recovered from granulocytopenia, but died early during the next course of chemotherapy. Two other reported cases of pneumopericardium associated with pulmonary aspergillosis are summarized.

Stenting in malignant vena caval obstruction.

BACKGROUND: For patients with recurrent vascular obstruction of the vena cava due to tumor regrowth after chemotherapy or radiation therapy and occasionally surgery, no current therapy is available. With the development of intravascular stenting, a new option becomes available in the treatment of a vena caval syndrome. METHODS: Twenty-two patients were treated for malignant obstruction of the vena cava by single, double, and triple Z-type metal stents. All patients had been pretreated extensively and their disease was not amenable to other therapeutic techniques at the time of stenting. RESULTS: Correct positioning of the stents was achieved in all patients. In 68% of patients (n = 15), the symptoms completely disappeared without recurrence until death as a result of tumor progression. In 18% of patients (n = 4), a remarkable improvement was observed, but there was no complete disappearance of symptoms. In 14% of patients (n = 3), reocclusion of the vena cava occurred. The median survival time was 3.0 months (range, 1 week to 9 months). CONCLUSIONS: The application of Z-type metal stents in patients with recurrent malignant obstruction of the vena cava appears to be a useful palliative procedure.

Congenital bronchial atresia with regional emphysema associated with pectus excavatum.

Two cases of congenital bronchial atresia with pectus excavatum are reported. Costosternal retraction during the efforts to overcome the airway obstruction due to encroachment on normal lung tissue by the hyperinflated segments may play a part in causing pectus excavatum.

[Surgical treatment of massive pulmonary embolism]. / De chirurgische behandeling van massale longembolie.

Between 1975 en 1988, 16 patients underwent pulmonary embolectomy because of massive pulmonary embolism. Three of these patients, in whom shock and cardiac arrest had occurred prior to operation, died. The role of surgery in the treatment of massive pulmonary embolism is a topical issue, also in view of the rise of thrombolytic therapy and its acceptable results. For patients whose haemodynamic condition deteriorates in spite of thrombolytic treatment and for patients in whom thrombolytic therapy is contraindicated, pulmonary embolectomy remains an effective form of treatment.

Digital subtraction angiography in abnormal perfusion scintigraphy of the lungs.

A normal lung perfusion isotope scan can exclude pulmonary emboli. However, the demonstration of lung emboli presents problems, as an abnormal lung perfusion scan can have various causes. Some of these can be excluded if the perfusion scan is assessed in combination with a chest X-ray and a ventilation scan. In this study, 21 patients with an abnormal perfusion scan were also examined using digital subtraction angiography (DSA) of the lungs. With the help of DSA it was possible to differentiate between the various causes of a lung perfusion defect on the isotope scan by having a sufficiently reliable pulmonary angiogram. From experience it appears that the quality of the pulmonary angiogram confined to the first three divisions obtained with DSA, is comparable with that from a conventional pulmonary angiogram. A perfusion isotope scan is the initial screening modality for suspected lung emboli, if this shows an abnormality, DSA seems to be indicated as the next step.

[The surgical treatment of the Pancoast tumor]. / De chirurgische behandeling van de Pancoast-tumor.

A retrospective study was made of eight patients who underwent operation in the period 1974-1987 because of a Pancoast (pulmonary sulcus) tumour. Of the five patients still alive, three have had no local recurrences for 15, 4 and 2 years, respectively, after the operation. Data from this investigation and from the literature confirm that the absence of metastases in mediastinal lymph nodes, and use of preoperative irradiation may have a favourable effect on the prognosis. The best result is achieved with preoperative irradiation followed by 'en bloc' resection of the affected pulmonary lobe, the tumour-infiltrated chest wall and, if necessary, part of the sympathetic trunk and the plexus brachialis inferior. Emphasis is laid on the importance of early recognition of the tumour in case of aspecific shoulder and arm symptoms.

Intramural oesophageal cyst as a cause of acute respiratory distress.

A case is reported of an intramural oesophageal cyst. Acute dyspnoea, due to compression of the trachea, was an indication for exploratory sternotomy.

Migration of thoracic epidural catheters. Three methods for evaluation of catheter position in the thoracic epidural space.

Migration of thoracic epidural catheters was evaluated in 25 patients by three methods either after placement of the catheter or immediately after surgery. The first method was the determination of the depth of the catheter from the skin, the second the determination of the level of sensory blockade which resulted from a test dose of a local anesthetic agent, while the third consisted of radiological visualisation of the catheter tip in the epidural space with radiopaque dye. The evaluations were repeated on the third or fourth day after operation. We observed an inward movement of the catheter in 56% of the patients instead of the expected outward movement. This inward movement was accompanied by a higher level of sensory blockade. No relationship with radiological visualisation was found.

Anastomotic aneurysms--an underdiagnosed complication after aorto-iliac reconstructions.

Anastomotic aneurysms (AA) are recognised as a long-term complication of aorto-iliac (AI) reconstructions and in the literature an incidence of 2-8% is reported. From our own experience we suspected a much higher frequency of this complication and started a follow-up study in order to establish: 1. The actual incidence of AA and 2. The value of various methods of investigation in the diagnosis of this condition. During a 4-year-period (1977-1980) 303 patients (PTS) underwent an AI reconstruction and were the subject of this study. During the mean 8-year (range 6-10 years) follow-up period 158 patients died (52%). The 145 survivors underwent physical examination (PE), ultrasonography (US), and intravenous digital subtraction angiography (i.v. DSA). Complete data were available from 122 patients. The incidence of AA in the 303 patients of the original group, established by routine follow-up examination was 16/303 (5.1%). However, the incidence of AA in the 122 patients in this study was 36/122 (29.5%). These 36 patients developed 52 AA which were located at the following anatomic sites: aortic anastomoses 3/115 (2.6%), iliac artery anastomoses 18/146 (12.3%), femoral artery anastomoses 31/70 (44.3%). Fourteen of the 52 AA (33%) were operated on and the diagnosis was confirmed. The patient characteristics (age distribution, type of arterial reconstruction, indication for operation) of the group of 122 patients were not significantly different from the original group of 303 patients. Intravenous DSA proved to be the most reliable diagnostic test. Physical examination was relatively inaccurate when compared with imaging tests with a 37% false positive and 67% false negative rate.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

[Congenital vascular rings in children]. / Congenitale vaatringen bij kinderen.

Two children with symptoms of dysphagia, dyspnoea and chronic pulmonary infections secondary to anomalies of the aortic arch are presented. Diagnostic procedures included oesophagography and aortic arch angiography. These showed a double aortic arch in the first child and an aberrant right subclavian artery in the second one, leading to compression of both trachea and oesophagus. Both children underwent surgery: in the first child the atretic anterior arch and the left ligamentum arteriosum were divided; in the second child the aberrant right subclavian artery was divided at its origin from the descending aorta and connected to the ascending aorta. Follow-up examinations showed a complete recovery of both patients.

Spread of radiopaque dye in the thoracic epidural space.

A radiological study was performed in 23 patients to look for the position of thoracic epidural catheters and the spread of the contrast medium iohexol 300 mg/ml and 180 mg/ml when used in volumes of 3 and 8 ml. The dye was injected through the epidural catheter just after thoracic surgery. The spread of the dye showed no relation to the injected volume or the sensory spread after 2% lignocaine 3 ml. In three cases no contrast could be seen on the x-ray, and in two the radiopaque dye was found just outside the epidural space. No relationship between the spread of the dye and the sensory blockade was found, but the position of the epidural catheter should be checked radiographically when the epidural route is to be used for long-term pain relief.