Delayed presentation of a tracheoesophageal fistula after blunt chest trauma.

Traumatic tracheoesophageal fistula is an uncommon injury after blunt chest injury. Rapid deceleration against the steering wheel during a high-speed motor vehicle crash is the usual mechanism of injury. Previous reports document few cases of delayed diagnosis and repair of tracheoesophageal fistula. We report a case of delayed diagnosis of tracheoesophageal fistula more than 20 years after the original trauma and describe the subsequent operative repair.

Emergency vascular access in a patient with limb agenesis.

A 19-year-old white man with congenital agenesis of all four limbs arrived in the emergency room in full cardiopulmonary arrest secondary to Reye's syndrome. The patient was intubated but had no vascular access. After a percutaneous femoral venous line proved unsuccessful, an internal jugular line was placed for venous access. Repeated attempts at percutaneous femoral and axillary arterial line placements were unsuccessful. A femoral cutdown showed 2-mm femoral vessels. The autopsy showed increasingly hypoplastic aortic, iliac, and femoral vessels below the takeoff of the renal vessels. The subclavian vessels were reasonably normal in caliber. This case shows that femoral or axillary vessels in a congenitally amputated limb are not useful for vascular access, and a low threshold should exist for using internal jugular/subclavian veins and the subclavian/carotid arteries if emergency access is necessary.

Erosions of the angelchik prosthesis in pediatric-sized developmentally disabled patients.

We reviewed case histories of 40 pediatric-sized developmentally disabled patients who had previously participated in a study comparing the Nissen fundoplication with the Angelchik prosthesis for the surgical treatment of severe gastroesophageal reflux. Five of these patients had experienced erosions of the prosthesis into the gastrointestinal tract. These erosions were diagnosed between 2 years and 2 years 8 months following surgical insertion of the device. Erosions were associated with a variety of symptoms including vomiting, increasing discomfort, melena, anemia, coffee ground gastric residuals, and repeated small bowel obstructions. In no case was erosion associated with the development of peritonitis. Despite the documented advantages of the Angelchik prosthesis, the 12.5% erosion rate in this patient population is excessive. We recommend that use of the Angelchik prosthesis is not advisable in pediatric-sized developmentally disabled patients.

Pericardial cyst with partial erosion of the right ventricular wall.

A case of pericardial cyst with partial erosion into the anterior wall of the right ventricle is presented. Cardiopulmonary bypass was necessary for excision of the cyst. This report helps to alert surgeons of the possible need for cardiopulmonary bypass during the removal of some pericardial cysts, especially in patients with signs and symptoms of infection and in whom preoperative imaging fails to show distinct margins between the cyst and cardiac structures.

Tears of the trachea and main bronchi caused by blunt trauma: radiologic findings.

Although most of the radiologic changes that have been described in transection or laceration of the trachea or main bronchi are nonspecific, they can be of diagnostic importance in the appropriate clinical setting. In order to reassess the significance of these findings, and to determine the presence of any other changes that might lead to a definitive diagnosis, we retrospectively reviewed the chest radiographs of nine patients who had tears or transection of the trachea and/or main bronchi as a result of blunt chest trauma. The diagnosis was proved by bronchoscopy in all patients and reconfirmed at surgery in five. The predominant findings on the chest radiographs were related to air leak and included subcutaneous emphysema (seven patients), pneumomediastinum (seven patients), pneumothorax (six patients), and air surrounding a bronchus in one patient. Upper thoracic fractures that involved the clavicles, scapula, sternum, and ribs were present in four patients. Abnormalities in the appearance of an endotracheal tube in two patients (overdistention of the cuff or extraluminal position of the tip), and the presence of the fallen lung sign (collapse of the lung toward the lateral chest wall) in two others provided specific evidence of tracheobronchial injury. We conclude that, although the major importance of the chest radiograph in patients with tracheobronchial transection may be to verify the existence of air leak, the presence of the fallen lung sign and endotracheal tube abnormalities is a reliable indication of airway injury.

Method for assuring accuracy of bone biopsy using technetium 99 bone scan.

In the clinical staging of malignancy, radionuclide bone scanning has played an increasingly important role. An area of increased radionuclide uptake on technetium 99 (99Tc) bone scan which is not visualized on skeletal radiographs can present a significant diagnostic dilemma. This can be further compounded by nonrevealing percutaneous or open surgical biopsies. The authors present a method of definitively localizing the appropriate site for bone biopsy in such circumstances. Use of this technique has allowed us to ascertain that isolated rib lesions in two patients with extra-osseous malignancies were not due to metastatic disease.

Modified quadruple-loop (W) ileal reservoir for restorative proctocolectomy.

Reconstructive ileal pouch procedures are well-accepted alternatives to a permanent ileostomy in select patients requiring proctocolectomy for ulcerative colitis and familial polyposis. Double-, triple-, and quadruple-loop and lateral isoperistaltic designs have been described; however, the ideal pouch capacity and configuration are still debatable. Evidence has been reported that improved functional results and lower stool frequency with less antidiarrheal medication can be achieved with larger volume reservoirs. We describe a new modification of a quadruple-loop pouch that has been successfully performed in 10 patients. This new approach to pouch construction produced excellent functional results 6 to 12 months after ileostomy takedown and was easier to construct and engage into the muscular cuff of the distal rectum than quadruple-loop pouches of equal length loops.

A prospective randomized double-blind study of gastroesophageal reflux surgery in pediatric-sized developmentally disabled patients: Nissen fundoplication versus Angelchik prosthesis.

In order to compare the standard Nissen fundoplication with the more recent Angelchik antireflux prosthesis, 47 pediatric-sized, developmentally disabled patients were prospectively randomized to receive either of these gastroesophageal antireflux procedures. The two groups were comparable at the time of surgery with regard to age, weight, surface area, emesis, number of chest radiographs, medications, lower esophageal sphincter pressure, and number and duration of reflux episodes during standard acid reflux testing. The Angelchik group required significantly less anesthesia time than the Nissen group: 107.4 +/- 22.6 min (mean +/- SD) versus 156.5 +/- 42.4 min (p less than 0.001). There was no difference in length of postsurgical hospital stay. Six months after surgery, both groups showed improvement. There was no significant difference between the Angelchik and Nissen groups in mean subjective assessment score, increased weight gain, decreases in emesis, numbers of chest radiographs, hospital days, or medications, increased lower esophageal sphincter pressure, or decreased numbers and duration of reflux during acid reflux testing. Long-term follow-up of eight Angelchik and 10 Nissen patients 12-30 months postsurgery (Angelchik 21.6 +/- 6.0 months, Nissen 21.9 +/- 5.0 months) demonstrated no significant difference in the percent of time the distal esophageal pH was below 4.0. Significant complications potentially related to the type of procedure developed in 1/21 patients in the Angelchik group and 1/17 patients in the Nissen group. We conclude that both procedures are usually effective for the surgical treatment of gastroesophageal reflux. Further study is indicated in order to establish the long-term superiority of one procedure.

Increased mitochondrial glycerol phosphate dehydrogenase activity in insulinomas of two hypoglycemic infants.

The activities of flavin-linked, mitochondrial glycerol phosphate dehydrogenase in islet cell adenomas from two infants were 8 and 16 times higher than those in their uninvolved pancreases. The enzyme in the insulinomas, but not that in the nearby pancreases, was inhibited by diazoxide, which is a known inhibitor of insulin secretion in vitro and in vivo. These results provide preliminary evidence that the enzyme may be used as an adjunct to histology for identifying human insulin-secreting tissues. Its sensitivity to diazoxide adds specificity to the test. Taken together with previous work with animal pancreatic islets, the results of the present study suggest that the glycerol phosphate shuttle plays an important role in stimulus-secretion coupling in the pancreatic beta-cell.

Shunts for portal hypertension.

Eighty-nine patients underwent 95 portasystemic shunts for portal hypertension at our institutions between June 1963 and March 1981. Ninety-three shunts were performed for bleeding varices. Procedures that were performed included 11 Warren shunts, 29 Linton shunts, 28 interposition mesocaval shunts, 26 classic portacaval shunts, and one umbilical to saphenous vein shunt. Thirty-six shunts were performed in Child class A patients (5.5% operative mortality), 37 in Child class B (16.2% operative mortality), and 22 in Child class c patients (36.3% operative mortality). Five-year survival for Child A patients was 74 per cent, 17.4 per cent for Child B patients and 26.3 per cent for Child C patients. Twelve of 14 patients (15.7%) who had recurrent postoperative upper gastrointestinal bleeding were found to have occluded shunts (two Warren, six Linton, one mesocaval, and three portacaval). Of 21 patients who became encephalopathic postoperatively, 17 had alcoholic liver disease. In 15 of these alcoholic patients who survived the immediate postoperative period, encephalopathy correlated directly with continued alcohol consumption. Several conclusions can be drawn from our data: portasystemic shunts can be performed with acceptable morbidity and mortality; rebleeding generally indicates shunt occlusion; encephalopathy can be correlated with continued alcohol consumption after shunting; there appears to be little difference in survival and rebleeding in the various shunt procedures; the poor survival figures for Child B and C patients must make one seriously consider alternative procedures in these poor-risk candidates.

Treatment of symptomatic gastroesophageal reflux using the Angelchik prosthesis.

During the past 20 months, 28 patients with symptomatic gastroesophageal reflux were treated with the Angelchik anti-reflux prosthesis. The patients ranged in age from 12 to 75 years, with symptoms present from one to 24 years. Vigorous medical management had failed with all patients prior to surgery. Before operation, 28 of 28 patients had upper GI x-rays, 27 of 28 fiberoptic esophagogastroscopy, 26 of 27 esophageal biopsy, eight of 28 Bernstein testing, and 24 of 28 lower esophageal sphincter pressure and motility. Eight patients had strictures requiring preoperative or postoperative dilatation. In four of 28 patients, a Nissen procedure had been previously done. In addition, two patients had metaplastic epithelium, and a single patient a previous Heller myotomy. Twenty-five of the 28 patients are completely asymptomatic eight to 20 months after Angelchik insertion. Fifteen patients had surgery more than one year previously. There are no recurrent hiatal hernias. Endoscopy and biopsy reveal resolution or marked improvement in the esophagitis. Seven patients complained of transient dysphagia lasting up to three months. One patient has persistent "gas bloat" syndrome. There were no technical or perioperative complications. Trouble with the prosthesis occurred in two patients; in one, the prosthesis disrupted and fell into the pelvis, and in the other the prosthesis migrated into the mediastinum. LES pressures preoperatively were 6.17 +/- 0.9 and 16.95 +/- 1.76 mmHg for the 19 patients studied after operation. The limited sample of patients who were studied with preoperative and postoperative acid-reflux tests have all shown improvement in their score. The Angelchik prosthesis in this series has been safe, simple, and reproducible, and can eliminate the symptoms and signs of gastroesophageal reflux.