[Damage control concept in liver trauma. Package strategies and secondary measures]. / Damage-control-Konzept bei Leberverletzungen. Package-Strategien und sekundäre Massnahmen.

Liver injuries may occur alone as well as within the broader context of polytrauma. Immediate surgical intervention is indicated in hemodynamically instable patients with detection of free intra-abdominal fluid as demonstrated by imaging studies. For these patients, a damage control concept has been devised in order to decrease early mortality after trauma. With this strategy complex reconstructive interventions are avoided during the initial phase. Stabilization of the patient by treatment of the lethal triad consisting of hypothermia, coagulopathy and metabolic acidosis is at the core of this therapeutic concept. Should there be a need for reconstructions or other major surgical interventions these will be performed with delay after stabilization of the patient. Packing for the temporary treatment of liver injuries is part of the damage control concept.

[Endovascular treatment of aneurysms after implantation of an aortic-femoral homograft bypass]. / Endovaskuläre Aneurysmaausschaltung nach aortofemoraler Homograftimplantation.

CASE REPORT: We report on two rare endovascular procedures concerning aneurysmatic complications of arterial homografts. In both cases infected aortobifemoral grafts were explanted und replaced by cryopreserved aortofemoral homografts on the left side. The revascularisations on the right side were performed with the deep femoral vein in one case, and by desobliteration of the iliac artery in the other case. After 4 and 10 months, respectively, we found aneurysmatic enlargements of the aortic anastomoses. In both cases we excluded a false aortic aneurysm by uniiliac stentgrafts in combination with a femoro-femoral cross-over bypass for the contralateral leg. Both operations were carried out successfully. However, one patient developed an infection of the stent graft. We explanted the stent graft und performed an aortobifemoral bypass procedure with arterial cryopreserved homograft once again. CONCLUSIONS: Both aneurysmatic complications after aortofemoral homograft implantation could be treated successfully by an endovascular approach. Possible late complications caused by the implantation of homografts or by endovascular procedures can be only detected in due time by a follow-up at short intervals.

[Benefits and effectiveness of recording somatosensory evoked potentials in surgery on the carotid artery]. / Nutzen und Effizienz der Ableitung somatisch evozierter Potenziale in der Karotischirurgie.

BACKGROUND: Operative treatment of high-grade carotid stenosis is an established procedure. The question whether a temporary - either selective or routine - shunt is needed, is a matter of controversy, and the decision is based on a number of available monitoring procedures. Within the framework of quality assurance based on the regular collection of our own patient data, carotid thromboendarterectomy (TEA) with recording of somatosensory evoked potentials (SEP) was analysed for its effectiveness. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Two non-randomised groups of patients were analysed retrospectively: Group I: 99 carotid TEAs with no recording of SEP (1.1.99-31.12.99); Group II: 139 carotid TEAs with SEP recording (1.1.01-31.12.01). These two groups were unselected in terms of procedure, as also with regard to age, sex, stage or degree of carotid stenosis or surgeon, and were homogeneously distributed. A comparison was made of anaesthesia and operating times, shunt rate and the outcome of the two groups. Additionally, the two subgroups surgery with no shunt, and surgery with shunt, and the subgroups thromboendarterectomy with patchplasty (TEA) and eversion endarterectomy (EEA), were analysed. RESULTS: A temporary shunt was employed in 41 (41.4 %) of the patients in Group I (no SEP recording) and in 16 (11.5 %) of those in Group II (SEP recording). The average operating time in Group II was 11.4 min shorter (p < 0.001) than in Group I. The average carotid clamping time in Group II was significantly reduced (by 4.2 min; p < 0.001), while the duration of anaesthesia prior to skin incision was increased by an average of 18.3 min (p < 0.001), and the overall duration of anaesthesia by an average of 15.8 min (p < 0.001). A comparison of the subgroups surgery with no shunt and surgery with shunt revealed - both in Group I and Group II - a significant prolongation of the anaesthesia time and operating time (p < 0.001). In both Groups I and II, the subgroup TEA revealed a significant prolongation of both the anaesthesia and operating times vis-à-vis EEA. The major stroke rate was 2.0 % in Group I and 1.4 % in Group II, and the minor stroke rate 3.0 in Group I and 3.6 % in Group II; no deaths were observed. CONCLUSIONS: A reduction in the shunt rate to 11 % (by means of SEP) significantly decreased the average operating time (incision - suture) and the clamping time, with identical outcome in Groups I and II. Despite a reduction in the average incision-suture time in Group II (with SEP recording), the average overall operating time (anaesthesia time) was significantly increased due to the greater technical effort required. Carotid TEA with a selective shunt as determined by SEP is a high-cost procedure with no demonstrable benefit. At a stroke rate < 5 % and a need for stratification into several groups in accordance with the AHA classification, it is not possible to achieve adequate patient recruitment for a randomised analysis of outcome of the individual monitoring procedures. Alternative procedures are the routine use of a shunt and operation under regional anaesthesia.

[Superior vena cava syndrome with bilateral jugular and subclavian vein thrombosis. Paraneoplastic manifestion of renal cell carcinoma]. / V. -cava-superior-Syndrom mit beidseitiger Jugularis- und SubklaviavenenthromboseParaneoplastische Manifestation eines Nierenzellkarzinoms.

At present thrombosis of the superior vena cava is an uncommon event that is now more frequently associated with diagnostic or therapeutic catheterization. If an apparent spontaneous thrombosis occurs, malignancy should be considered in the differential diagnosis. One case of clinically symptomatic thrombosis of the internal jugular, subclavian, and superior vena cava is presented. We detected an asymptomatic left renal cell carcinoma in a 54-year-old patient and nephrectomy was performed. Increased blood coagulability as part of a paraneoplastic syndrome was considered to be the possible etiology. In patients with otherwise unexplained superior vena cava thrombosis, examination not only of the head and neck but also of the abdomen, retroperitoneum, and pelvis should be pursued. A review of the literature pertinent to this rare case is provided.