Gastrostomy by various techniques: evaluation of indications, outcome, and complications.

BACKGROUND: Gastrostomy can be performed with a percutaneous fluoroscopic technique, a percutaneous endoscopic technique, or open surgery. Since all three methods are in use at our hospital, we made this retrospective study to compare indications, complications, and outcomes for the different techniques. METHODS AND RESULTS: During the period January 1990 to December 1994, 147 patients admitted to Lund University Hospital required gastrostomy. The records of these patients were retrospectively studied. Six patient records could not be found, and these patients were therefore excluded. Of the remaining 141 patients, 94 had undergone fluoroscopic percutaneous gastrostomy, 12 percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG), and 35 gastrostomy at open surgery. The 30-day overall mortality was 15% in the fluoroscopy group, 17% in the endoscopy group, and 29% in the open surgery group. The 30-day mortality as related to the procedure was 3.2% in the fluoroscopy group, 0% in the PEG group, and 2.9% among the patients with open surgery. The morbidity related to the procedure was 16%, 8%, and 20%, respectively. For the 30-day overall mortality and for the procedure-related mortality there was no statistically significant difference between the groups (P = 0.2019, P = 0.8215). For the percutaneous procedures the indication was nutrition in most patients. For the patients receiving gastrostomy at open surgery drainage was the main indication. Even though the complication rate was higher in this group, most complications were minor, and there was only one procedure-related death. Gastrostomy at open surgery is often performed in severely ill patients. Despite this, it does not seem to cause more complications than the percutaneous techniques in our study. CONCLUSION: The study shows that gastrostomies are safe procedures, with few complications and a low procedure-related mortality independent of the technique being used.

Active or passive chest drainage after oesophagectomy in 101 patients: a prospective randomized study.

BACKGROUND: This study evaluates the efficiency and safety of two methods of chest drainage after uncomplicated oesophagectomy. METHODS: A prospective randomized study between active suction drainage and passive chest drainage was carried out in 101 patients who underwent gastric pull-up oesophagectomy. RESULTS: No difference in the prevalence of pneumothorax during treatment was noted between the active (nine of 55) and the passive (four of 46) drainage groups (P=0.20). Nor was there any difference in the size (P=0.46) and duration (P=0.53) of the pneumothorax. There was no significant difference in right (P=0.84) and left (P=0.61) basal atelectases and the amounts of right (P=0.10) and left (P=0.24) pleural effusions. There were significantly more basal atelectases (P < 0.001) and pleural effusions (P<0.001) in the non-operated left side compared with the operated right side. Postoperative hospital stay was the same in both groups (median 13 days; P=0.86). The hospital mortality rate was two of 101, and was not affected by the type of drainage. CONCLUSION: Passive drainage did not reduce hospital stay, but was as safe and effective as the active system in draining the pleural cavity after uncomplicated oesophagectomy.

Computed tomography and laparoscopy in the assessment of the patient with pancreatic cancer.

BACKGROUND: In most patients with pancreatic cancer, the tumor is unresectable. Nonoperative methods for palliation of jaundice, duodenal obstruction, and pain currently are being developed. Preoperative assessment of resectability of the tumor is becoming more and more important to avoid unnecessary operations. The aim of this study was to compare computed tomography (CT) and laparoscopy with special reference to the additive role of the latter technique in predicting unresectability of pancreatic cancers. STUDY DESIGN: Sixty patients with exocrine pancreatic cancer were assessed prospectively with both CT and laparoscopy. On the basis of metastatic spread or signs of vascular involvement, the radiologist and the laparoscopist independently reported the tumors as probably unresectable or resectable. RESULTS: The predictive value for unresectability was 100% for both CT and laparoscopy. Sensitivity in predicting unresectability was 69% for both techniques, and the corresponding figure for specificity was 100%. When CT and laparoscopy were evaluated together, an improvement in sensitivity to 87% was observed (p < 0.05). Separately, CT and laparoscopy correctly predicted resectability in only 30% and 38% of the patients, respectively. The presence of liver metastases was overlooked by CT in 13 of 32 patients (40%). Every fourth patient who was found to have unresectable tumor at CT was falsely classified as resectable by the laparoscopist, leading to unnecessary laparotomies. On the other hand, 9 of 24 patients (38%) with resectable disease at CT were deemed unresectable at the subsequent laparoscopy. CONCLUSIONS: Laparoscopy and CT independently and reliably predicted unresectability of pancreatic cancer, but the methods were inaccurate in forecasting resectability. The results suggest that CT examination should be done in patients who are candidates for attempted curative surgical procedures, whereas laparoscopy should be restricted to Those Judged resectable at CT.

Cholangiographic appearance of bile-duct cysts.

Bile-duct cysts or congenital bile-duct dilatation are rare but important abnormalities often mimicking calculous biliary tract disease. Bile-duct cysts are most often classified according to Todani. In a retrospective study of percutaneous, peroperative or endoscopic cholangiograms from 25 patients, diagnosed and treated during a 20-year period, images of different types of bile-duct cysts are presented and classified. The disease usually presents with vague symptoms and has a female preponderance. Current opinion on aetiology and complications is discussed. Cholangiography is a necessary prerequisite to surgical therapy.

Phantom study of chest radiography with storage phosphor, selenium, and film-screen systems.

PURPOSE: Chest radiographs from 3 digital systems--2 based on luminescent phosphors and one on selenium--and a conventional film-screen system were evaluated and compared. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Computed radiography (CR) has for the past years been dominated by a single manufacturer, but now several systems have been marketed. Using a chest phantom and, as test objects, 2 simulated tumours for the lung and mediastinum, respectively, and one object simulating pulmonary lines, a total of 400 exposures were made, 100 on each system. The test objects were placed randomly with a ratio of presence/absence of each object of about 50. Six radiologists participated, 2 residents and 4 staff members. A receiver operating characteristics (ROC) analysis was performed with construction of curves, and the difference between the curves was estimated with a 2-tailed paired t-test. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: The selenium-based system performed significantly better for pulmonary line detection than all the other systems, and better than one storage phosphor system for the lung "tumour" (p < 0.05), while one storage phosphor system was slightly better than the other in diagnosing all 3 test objects. The score for the film-screen system was only average.

Evaluation of the image quality of ink-jet printed paper copies of digital chest radiographs as compared with film: a receiver operating characteristic study.

Paper copies of digital radiographs printed with the continuous ink-jet technique have proved to be of a high enough quality for demonstration purposes. We present a study on the image quality of ink-jet printed paper copies of digital chest radiographs, based on receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis. Eighty-three digital radiographs of a chest phantom with simulated tumors in the mediastinum and right lung, derived from a computed radiography (CR) system were presented in two series of hard copies as ink-jet printed paper copies and as laser recorded film. The images, with a matrix of 1,760 x 2,140 pixels, were printed with a spatial resolution of 10 pixels/mm in the CR film recorder as well as in the ink-jet printer. On film, every image was recorded in two versions, one optimized for the mediastinum and one for the lungs. On paper, only one image was printed; this constituted an effort to optimize both the mediastinum and the lungs. The ink-jet printed images, printed on a matt coated paper, were viewed as on-sight images with reflected light. The examinations were reviewed by six radiologists, and ROC curves were constructed. No significant difference was found between the performance of film and that of ink-jet paper prints. Because the cost for a paper copy is only a tenth of that of film, remarkable cost reductions can be achieved by using the ink jet technique instead. Our results show that further quality studies of ink-jet printed images are worthwhile.

Percutaneous rotational lithotripsy of urinary bladder stones. Clinical results with the Rotolith lithotriptor.

Mechanical rotational lithotripsy of urinary bladder stones, up to 20 mm in diameter, was performed in 6 male patients with the Rotolith lithotriptor. The lithotriptor was introduced through a 10 F (OD 3.3 mm) suprapubically inserted sheath, and the procedure was performed under intermittent fluoroscopy and inspection through a transurethral cystoscope. In 3 patients, the bladder stones were fragmented to pieces small enough to be evacuated through the cystoscope. The instrument, which is designed for lithotripsy of gallbladder stones, was less efficient for fragmentation of urinary bladder calculi, primarily due to the large volume of the human urinary bladder, and possibly because of the higher gravity of bladder stones. There was no substantial damage to the mucosa of the urinary bladder.

Percutaneous rotational lithotripsy of gallbladder stones. Clinical results with the Rotolith lithotriptor.

Ten patients (aged 39-94 years) with cholecystolithiasis were selected for percutaneous rotational lithotripsy with the Rotolith lithotriptor either because they were considered high-risk patients for cholecystectomy or because they had refused surgery. The procedure was completed in 7 patients. Five of these were stone-free at cholangiography 1 to 2 days after lithotripsy. Conclusive cholangiograms were not obtained in 2 patients due to gallbladder leakage, which in itself did not cause any serious sequelae. At ultrasonography after one month, one of these 2 patients had no visible gallbladder, the other one had small residual gallbladder stones. Rotational lithotripsy is an alternative to cholecystectomy in patients at high surgical risk, especially elderly patients who have undergone cholecystostomy as an emergency treatment for acute cholecystitis.

Accuracy of CT arterial portography of the liver compared with findings at laparotomy.

To evaluate the accuracy of CT arterial portography (CTAP) of the liver, CTAP examinations from 111 patients were retrospectively reviewed and compared with the findings at laparotomy. Laparotomy had been performed within 3 weeks after the CTAP examination. In cases of resectable liver tumor, the result from the pathologic examination report was used to calculate the accuracy of CTAP. In cases of nonresectable liver tumor or liver without tumor, CTAP findings were compared with the result of a thorough inspection and palpation of the liver. The right liver lobe and the medial and lateral segments of the left lobe were separately evaluated. Thus, a total of 333 lobes/segments were evaluated. Tumor was found at laparotomy in 80 of 333 lobes or segments. At CTAP a total of 94 lobes were evaluated as positive for tumor growth, 23 of these were falsely interpreted as positive and 9 were falsely interpreted as negative when compared with the findings at laparotomy. However, 3 patients called false-positives later turned out to be true-positives since the lesions were overlooked at operation. A sensitivity of 89%, a specificity of 91%, and an accuracy of 90% was calculated for CTAP. It is concluded that CTAP has a higher accuracy than other radiologic methods and should be considered suitable for preoperative evaluation of potentially resectable liver tumor.

Sclerotherapy of edematous gallbladders with different agents. An experimental study in pigs.

Different sclerosing agents were tried in experiments with 32 pigs to achieve ablation of gallbladders rendered edematous by mechanical lithotripsy with the Rotolith lithotriptor. In 16 pigs sclerotherapy was performed with 6% acetic acid, Carnoy's solution, 95% ethanol + 3% sodium-tetradecylsulfate (STS) and hot metrizoate, respectively. These animals were sacrificed immediately after the procedure. Histologic examination showed persistent surface epithelium and glandular epithelium in all specimens. In 6 pigs, the sclerotherapy was done with Carnoy's solution, 95% ethanol + 3% STS and hot metrizoate, respectively, and the pigs were killed 6 days later. Fibrosis of the gallbladder remnants was seen in these animals, but also remnants of surface and glandular epithelium. Hot metrizoate was used in another 10 pigs and these animals were sacrificed after 8 weeks. At histologic examination fibrosis was seen in the gallbladder remnants of 9 surviving animals, but also areas of preserved muscular layer, and development of mucinous cysts were found in more than 50% of the specimens. Thus, none of the sclerosants was able to produce a total ablation of the gallbladder mucosa.

Percutaneous gallbladder and urinary bladder rotational lithotripsy and a model for gallbladder sclerotherapy after lithotripsy. Clinical and experimental studies.

In experiments in pigs, fragmentation of stones implanted into the gallbladder and the urinary bladder, respectively, was successfully achieved by mechanical rotational lithotripsy with the Rotolith lithotriptor. The stones could be fragmented into pieces about 1 mm in diameter. Ten patients were selected for percutaneous rotational lithotripsy of gallbladder stones. The procedure was completed in 7 of these 10 patients. Employing a suprapubic approach, the instrument was also used for lithotripsy of urinary bladder stones in 6 male patients. Percutaneous rotational lithotripsy is well suited for elderly patients with symptomatic gallbladder stones and concurrent disease making them high-risk patients for surgery and general anesthesia. Fragmentation of urinary bladder stones in the clinical setting was not as successful as in our experimental series, probably due to the larger volume of the human urinary bladder and the high specific weight of the bladder stones. The feasibility of rotational lithotripsy of urinary bladder stones is conceivable, but when compared with current methods, the use of the Rotolith lithotriptor did not yield any advantage. Ablation of the gallbladder is of great interest to prevent recurrence of cholecystolithiasis after lithotripsy. Rotational lithotripsy of gallbladder stones was performed in an experimental model in 42 pigs to study chemical and thermal sclerotherapy with various agents in edematous gallbladders. A total ablation of the gallbladder mucosa was difficult to effect. Remnants of mucus-producing epithelium persisted in a high percentage of the histologic specimens. Sclerotherapy cannot be considered an effective method for "nonsurgical cholecystectomy."

Aneurysms of the superior mesenteric artery and its branches.

Aneurysms of the superior mesenteric artery (SMA) and its branches are rare. We describe three patients with aneurysms in the SMA or its branches found at angiography in our department. The importance of mesenteric aneurysms and different procedures for treatment are discussed.

Lithotripsy of urinary bladder stones with a mechanical lithotriptor inserted through a narrow introducer. An experimental study in pigs.

Mechanical lithotripsy of urinary bladder stones was performed with the RotoLith lithotriptor in 8 pigs with implanted human stones or artificial stones after open cystotomy. The effect of the treatment on the urinary bladder was investigated macro- and microscopically immediately after the lithotripsy in 4 animals and 4 weeks after the lithotripsy in the other 4 animals. The stones were fragmented into very small pieces which would have been possible to pass with the urine. The histopathologic examination immediately after the procedure showed slight mucosal edema, patches of erosions in the mucosa, and minor submucosal bleeding. Microscopic examination of the bladders removed 4 weeks after lithotripsy showed slight chronic inflammation. The experimental results have encouraged us to plan to use this lithotripsy procedure in selected patients with bladder stones.

Sclerotherapy for ablation of the gallbladder after gallstone lithotripsy with a mechanical lithotriptor. An experimental study in pigs on the effect of absolute ethanol on edematous gallbladder wall.

Chemical ablation of the gallbladder with absolute ethanol following mechanical lithotripsy with the RotoLith lithotriptor was attempted in 10 pigs after open cholecystostomy. Two gallbladders removed immediately after the sclerotherapy demonstrated extensive ulcerations of the mucosa with preserved glands and sinuses under the ulcerations. In 8 gallbladders removed 8 weeks after sclerotherapy a gallbladder remnant with hydrops and/or mucus and more or less intact epithelium was seen in all the pigs. In order to prevent regeneration of epithelium from gallbladder sinuses and glands, more effective sclerosing agents must be found.

Laser therapy and insertion of Wallstents for palliative treatment of esophageal carcinoma.

A combination of endoscopic laser therapy (ELT) and insertion of Wallstents is a good alternative therapy for palliation of esophageal carcinoma and was performed in 12 patients. The method allows repeated laser therapy and, if necessary, supplementary insertion of stents to maintain the patients' ability to swallow during their remaining lifespan.

Percutaneous gastrostomy. A clinical and experimental study.

Fluoroscopic percutaneous gastrostomy for the purpose of nutrition was performed in 28 patients with the aid of a specially designed gastrostomy set. No major complications were reported. Exchange to Foley catheter was performed after 7 days and could be used without complications for the patients' remaining life span. In order to evaluate the formation of a gastrocutaneous tract, an experimental study with the same instruments as in clinical practice was performed in 13 rabbits. Within one week a gastrocutaneous tract was formed, which was possible to dilate for insertion of a balloon catheter of larger size. The described procedure is a simple and time-saving method for a percutaneous gastrostomy in debilitated patients with dysphagia.