Postcesarean delivery epidural patient-controlled analgesia. Fentanyl or sufentanil?

BACKGROUND: The highly lipid-soluble opioids, fentanyl and sufentanil, frequently are used in combination with local anesthetic agents and/or epinephrine to provide postoperative epidural analgesia. The authors compared the incidence of side effects and patient satisfaction during prolonged epidural patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) infusions of these opioids in combination with bupivacaine and epinephrine. METHODS: Using a double-blind study design, 250 patients scheduled for elective cesarean delivery were, on arrival in the postanesthesia care unit, randomized into two epidural PCA infusion groups: group I (n = 125) received fentanyl 2 micrograms/ml with bupivacaine 0.01% and epinephrine 0.5 micrograms/ml and group II (n = 125) received sufentanil 0.8 micrograms/ml with bupivacaine 0.01% and epinephrine 0.5 microgram/ml. The initial infusion rate was 16 ml/h with self-administered 3-ml boluses every 15 min by PCA as desired. At intervals after discontinuation of the infusion, plasma samples were obtained to determine opioid concentrations. RESULTS: The median overall satisfaction scores were 9.0 for group I and 10.0 for group II (difference not significant). Pain relief was satisfactory and comparable in both groups, and all patients could ambulate easily. The total number of times PCA requests were made was greater (P < 0.05, by Wilcoxon rank-sum test) for group I than for group II (106.7 +/- 312 vs. 70.8 +/- 138). There were no differences between the groups with respect to incidence of pruritus, sedation, and nausea; however, vomiting occurred more frequently with sufentanil than with fentanyl (12% vs. 4.8%, respectively; P < 0.05). At approximately 1-2 h after discontinuation of the infusion, 1 patient receiving fentanyl and 42 patients receiving sufentanil complained of lightheadedness and dizziness (P < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: Epidural PCA in both groups had no serious side effects and achieved a high level of patient satisfaction. Those receiving sufentanil made fewer PCA requests but had a significantly greater incidence of vomiting during the infusion and dizziness after the termination of the infusion. Epidural sufentanil offered no advantages over epidural fentanyl.

Oral hairy leukoplakia: a light microscopic and immunohistochemical study.

We compared the light microscopic features and immunoperoxidase staining for human papillomavirus antigen of oral hairy leukoplakia (OHL) and flat condylomatous lesions of the cervix. Our findings support the conclusion that OHL and flat condylomatous lesions of the cervix are not similar morphologically or etiologically. Therefore the term koilocyte seems inappropriate to describe the swollen epithelial cells in OHL. The various diagnostic criteria for a diagnosis of OHL were reviewed. On the basis of the review of our cases of OHL and our review of the literature, we conclude that a definitive diagnosis of OHL requires either the biochemical evidence of Epstein-Barr virus or the ultrastructural demonstration of herpesviruses in suspected lesions.

Oral hairy leukoplakia: ultrastructural observations.

On the basis of the clinical appearance and the light microscopic findings, we determined 16 biopsy specimens to be possible examples of oral hairy leukoplakia. All 16 specimens were studied by means of electron microscopy. Ten of these specimens contained typical herpes-type viral particles in the epithelial cells of the upper stratum spinosum. None of the specimens contained ultrastructural evidence of human papillomaviruses.

Inverted heart-shaped, interradicular radiolucent area of the anterior maxilla.

A variety of odontogenic, nonodontogenic, and inflammatory conditions may occur between the roots of the maxillary canine and lateral incisor. A list of differential diagnoses might include: odontogenic keratocyst, central giant cell granuloma, odontogenic myxoma, primordial cyst, lateral periodontal cyst, ameloblastoma, and radicular cyst. A diagnosis of globulomaxillary cyst should be noticeably absent from the list, however, and should be considered only after clinical radiographic, and microscopic correlation has effectively ruled out all other possibilities.

Primary pulmonary angiosarcoma associated with multiple synchronous neoplasms.

A 60-year-old man presented with a 3-month history of shortness of breath. He was found to have a right thoracic mass involving the right middle and lower lobes, pulmonary hilum, and mediastinum. Diagnosis could not be established by pleural fluid cytology, pleural biopsies, bronchoscopy, and ultrasound-guided needle biopsies. A diagnostic exploratory thoracotomy was performed. Massive hemorrhage was encountered upon opening the pleura, and bleeding was controlled by performing a radical pneumonectomy. Histology revealed angiosarcoma, pulmonary primary. The patient survived for 68 days. At autopsy, he was found to have adenocarcinoma of the prostate, adenocarcinoma of the rectum, carcinoid of the ileum, and leiomyoblastoma of the stomach as well as diffuse metastases from the angiosarcoma. This represents the fourth reported case of primary pulmonary angiosarcoma.

Oral mucosal cytomegalovirus as a manifestation of the acquired immune deficiency syndrome.

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection presenting as a painful palatal gingival ulcer was one of the initial clinical manifestations of the acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) in a male homosexual patient. The diagnosis of oral CMV infection was established when large intranuclear and smaller cytoplasmic CMV inclusions were observed in endothelial cells at the base of the mucosal ulcer. The identification of intranuclear and intracytoplasmic herpes-type viral particles in the infected cells was confirmed by electron microscopy. Cytoplasmic viral particles coexisted with paranuclear dense bodies resembling lysosomes. These features are characteristic of CMV-infected cells. A review of the English-language literature disclosed only three previously reported cases of CMV infection involving the oral mucous membranes. A vasculitis associated with the CMV-infected endothelial cells appears to be the underlying mechanism responsible for development of the oral ulcer. CMV should be considered a possible causative agent when oral ulcers are detected in immunocompromised patients. Likewise, the finding of CMV in oral ulcers should alert one to the possibility of an immunocompromised state.

Painful oral mucosal ulcers in a patient with small cell carcinoma of the lung.

This case illustrates the development of multiple painful oral ulcers caused by methotrexate that was one of a combination of chemotherapeutic drugs administered for the treatment of small cell carcinoma of the lung. Although the oral mucositis is self-limiting and resolves when the drug dose is reduced or therapy is discontinued, severe pain and discomfort may cause physical debilitation. Moreover, the risk of secondary oral infections is high in patients undergoing such therapy, and if the appropriate treatment is not instituted, fatal systemic dissemination of the infection may occur.

Multiple oral and labial ulcers in an immunocompromised patient.

Herpes simplex virus infections in immunocompromised individuals have clinical features that are often quite different from primary and secondary HSV infections in otherwise healthy people. These infections should be recognized early and treated promptly to prevent progression of the lesions and the possible systemic dissemination of the virus. Cytological and biopsy examination frequently discloses changes characteristic of HSV-1, HSV-2, or Varicella-zoster virus. To ensure the most precise diagnosis, however, these examinations should be complemented by viral isolation and serological studies.

Painful, nonhealing, tooth extraction socket.

The oral signs and symptoms of acute leukemia include gingival hypertrophy, gingival hemorrhage, petechiae and ecchymoses, mucosal ulceration, paresthesia, tooth pain, and oral infections. This case was unusual in that the diagnosis of acute leukemia was made only after a biopsy specimen of tissue protruding from the socket of a recently extracted tooth disclosed malignant cells suggestive of leukemia or lymphoma. The diagnosis of epulis granulomatosa should be made only after clinical, radiographic, and microscopic studies have been performed to rule out a malignant process.