Anterior abdominal wall reconstruction with a Permacol implant.

Laparostomy wound management is a difficult problem especially with a stoma and the potential risk of infection. A case describing the use of a permanent porcine dermal collagen implant in the repair of a massive ventral hernia, in a patient with a large post-laparostomy defect and colostomy is outlined. The implant was not rejected, and after 12 months, there was no evidence of residual or recurrent hernia. The search for the ultimate biomaterial for reconstructing abdominal wall defects is ongoing. Collagen based implants appear to have many of the requirements that an ideal material should possess.

Lacuna magna: a hidden cause of dysuria and bloody spotting in boys.

Intermittent hematuria, dysuria, or bloody spotting of underwear are symptoms occasionally seen in young boys. The lacuna magna (valve of Guerin) is a common embryologic remnant often found to be the cause of these symptoms. While retrograde urethrography may occasionally be helpful, voiding films that include the distal penile urethra usually establish the diagnosis. Transmeatal excision or incision of the valve-like leaflet is curative, but often the problem is benign and self-limiting even without treatment.

Electrohydraulic ureterolithotripsy. An experimental study.

Electrohydraulic lithotripsy was performed on ureteral calculi of various sizes and composition in 10 female mongrel dogs. Stones were successfully disintegrated in eight dogs with an overall 80 per cent success rate. Short- and long-term effects of the procedure on the ureter and the kidney are discussed.