The questionable utility of mandatory screening for the human immunodeficiency virus.

Trauma patients have been identified as a high-risk group for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, particularly those patients with penetrating injuries from urban violence. We prospectively evaluated more than 2,000 trauma patients for HIV infection at our ACS-certified trauma center and report the results. Between September 1987 and December 1991, 2,004 patients were admitted to our trauma unit. All patients underwent HIV antibody assay by protocol. Three patients had positive test results, and all were confirmed as true positives. Two patients were known at the time of their trauma to be HIV positive, and the third had engaged in high-risk behavior. No health care worker reported inoculation with or mucosal exposure to HIV from any of these patients. In our trauma unit, the prevalence of HIV infection was only 0.15%. More than $74,000 was spent on screening without demonstrable benefit to the patients or increased protection for the trauma team. Routine testing of patients for HIV can be justified to establish epidemiologic parameters and in the case of high-risk groups, but it is not cost-effective in low-risk groups. Persistent testing of populations at low risk is a futile expenditure of precious health care dollars and is of questionable utility.

Incidence of bilateral intraplaque hemorrhage in carotid artery disease.

Stroke is an important source of morbidity and mortality in the USA. Carotid occlusive disease is associated with most cerebrovascular accidents, and carotid artery intraplaque hemorrhage is particularly important in the pathogenesis of cerebral ischemic symptoms. The authors' experience with intraplaque hemorrhage in patients undergoing bilateral carotid endarterectomy was reviewed to determine whether unilateral intraplaque hemorrhage is predictive of the condition occurring on the contralateral side. Forty-seven patients underwent staged bilateral carotid endarterectomy performed by one vascular surgeon. Each plaque was reviewed by a pathologist for the presence of intraplaque hemorrhage. Of these patients, 33 demonstrated intraplaque hemorrhage on the side of initial endarterectomy; 27 of these 33 (82%) had bilateral hemorrhage. It was concluded that intraplaque hemorrhage in the initially operated carotid atheroma is highly predictive of the condition occurring in the contralateral atheroma. Furthermore, aggressive follow-up in this patient population may be warranted.

Laparoscopic cholecystectomy during pregnancy in symptomatic patients.

BACKGROUND: The management of symptomatic biliary tract disease during pregnancy is controversial. Although most patients receive temporizing medical therapy, some authors have advocated a more aggressive surgical approach. We have extended this surgical approach to include laparoscopic cholecystectomy. METHODS: Five women with pregnancies at 13 to 23 weeks' estimated gestational age underwent laparoscopic cholecystectomy for symptomatic cholelithiasis or acute cholecystitis between March and September 1991. RESULTS: No complications occurred, and the postoperative courses of all patients were unremarkable. Four patients have been delivered of healthy babies, and the fifth patient is still pregnant at the time of this report. CONCLUSIONS: Laparoscopic cholecystectomy appears to be a safe treatment for selected patients with symptomatic biliary tract disease during pregnancy. Further study is warranted to determine its proper role in managing this difficult clinical problem.

Laparoscopic cholecystectomy in a private community setting.

In order to evaluate early results and safety of laparoscopic cholecystectomy in community hospitals, the charts of 380 consecutive patients, scheduled between February 8 and November 28, 1990, were reviewed. There were 294 women and 86 men, with a mean age of 48 years. Forty-one patients required conversion to open cholecystectomy, for reasons including adhesions in 18 patients, intraductal filling defects in 11, marked inflammation in 6, excessive bleeding in 3, poor visualization of the operative field in 2, and gangrenous gallbladder in 1. Hospital stay (excluding patients converted to laparotomy) ranged from 0.29-18 days, with a mean of 1.4 days. Operative time ranged from 29-280 min, with a mean of 114 min. Cystic duct operative cholangiography was performed in 71% of patients. In 29%, operative cholangiography was either not performed at all or was attempted and unsuccessful, due to inability to cannulate the cystic duct. Procedure-related morbidity was 2.6%, which includes three common bile duct injuries, three intraabdominal abscesses requiring drainage, and one pneumonia. There was one death resulting from respiratory failure. Our results compare favorably with those reported in the literature. We conclude that laparoscopic cholecystectomy in community hospitals is a safe procedure in properly selected patients.

Hygroma renalis: two cases within a family and a literature review.

Hygroma renalis is an unusual benign tumor of the kidney. Only 24 cases have been reported previously in the world literature; 22 of these patients underwent nephrectomy. Two sisters, with the first known occurrence in siblings, are discussed and the world literature is reviewed. Our first patient underwent nephrectomy for complications of hygroma in the face of a concern for a renal malignancy, but a high index of suspicion for hygroma enabled the second sibling to undergo a less radical operation, with sparing of the renal parenchyma and function. Both patients have been followed up for more than 3 years, with no evidence of recurrence of the neoplasm. Computed tomography was effective in delineating the nature and extent of disease in both patients and was instrumental in allowing conservative management of the second patient. Renal hygroma is a benign neoplasm treated adequately with conservative management and can be identified by its characteristic appearance on computed tomography. Operation should be reserved for the complications of hygroma. When operation is undertaken, resection of the hygroma without nephrectomy is adequate; radical operation is contraindicated in the management of these patients.