ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To describe our experience of percutaneous drainage of intra-abdominal abscesses with large-bore catheters under computed tomographic control. DESIGN: Retrospective study. SETTING: Teaching hospital, Greece. SUBJECTS: 185 Patients treated for abdominal abscesses during the period 1989-94. INTERVENTIONS: Needle aspiration (n = 27), drainage through conventional pigtail catheters (n = 22), and drainage through large-bore (8-16F) Argyle drains (n = 136). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Morbidity. RESULTS: The overall success rate was 166/185 (92%). Of the 136 patients for whom the large-bore drains were used, 9 (7%) developed major complications (bowel fistula, n = 5; and pneumothorax and haemorrhage, n = 2 each) and 10 (7%) developed minor complications (obstruction of the tube, n = 4; dislocation of the tube, n = 3; bleeding from the wound, n = 2; and haematoma of the liver, n = 1). There were no deaths. CONCLUSION: Large-bore Argyle drains are efficient and safe for the percutaneous drainage of certain types of abdominal abscesses.
Subject(s)
Abdominal Abscess/surgery , Catheterization , Drainage/instrumentation , Tomography, X-Ray Computed , Abdominal Abscess/diagnostic imaging , Abdominal Abscess/etiology , Drainage/methods , Humans , Retrospective StudiesABSTRACT
Serum transferrin and ceruloplasmin were determined in 20 healthy subjects, 23 patients with cancer of the gastro-intestinal system (G.I.S) and 22 patients with other types of cancer. Serum transferrin in patients with cancer of the G.I.S. was significantly decreased in comparison to that of healthy subjects (p < 0.05) and to that of other cancer patients (p < 0.005), but no significant difference was found between the values of healthy subjects and those with other types of cancer. Serum ceruloplasmin was significantly increased in patients with cancer of the G.I.S. (p < 0.01) and other types (p < 0.05) in comparison to that of healthy subjects. No significant difference was found between patients with cancer of the G.I.S. and those with other cancer types. In conclusion, transferrin was significantly decreased in the serum of patients with cancer of the G.I.S. while ceruloplasmin was significantly increased in both groups of patients with G.I.S. and other types of cancer.
