Laparoscopic fenestration of non-parasitic liver cysts and health-related quality of life assessment

Although laparoscopic fenestration has become an established treatment in symptomatic liver cyst patients in the recent years, the success of surgical treatment cannot only be evaluated by post-operative morbidity and mortality. Therefore, the aim of this study was to analyze the safety of laparoscopic fenestration of non-parasitic liver cysts and to assess the impact of this therapy on patients' quality of life. A total of 43 patients who underwent laparoscopic fenestration of non-parasitic liver cysts at our center were included in this study. Post-operative course was assessed and patients' quality of life was evaluated before surgery and at present time using the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire Core-30 (QLQ C-30). The results were that, post-operative morbidity and mortality rates were 0%. After a median follow-up of 49 months (19-97 months) the recurrence rate was 11.1% for simple liver cysts (SLC) and 42.9% for polycystic liver disease (PCLD). Thirty-one out of 43 patients (72.1%) completed the EORTC C-30 questionnaire. There was highly significant post-operative improvement in global health status (p < 0.001) as well as in physical (p = 0.002), role (p = 0.004), emotional (p = 0.003) and social (p = 0.001) functioning. Furthermore, a significant reduction of symptoms could be shown for pain (p < 0.001), nausea and vomiting (p = 0.001), appetite loss (p = 0.006), insomnia (p = 0.04) and fatigue (p = 0.025). To conclude, laparoscopic fenestration of symptomatic non-parasitic liver cysts is a safe procedure with good long-term results and the patients' benefit of this intervention is excellent as shown by highly significant improvement in patients' quality of life.

How should DSM-V classify eating disorder not otherwise specified (EDNOS) presentations in women with lifetime anorexia or bulimia nervosa?

OBJECTIVE

Anorexia nervosa (AN) and bulimia nervosa (BN) are marked by longitudinal symptom fluctuations. DSM-IV-TR does not address how to classify eating disorder (ED) presentations in individuals who no longer meet full criteria for these disorders. To consider this issue, we examined subthreshold presentations in women with initial diagnoses of AN and BN.

METHOD

A total of 246 women with AN or BN were followed for a median of 9 years; weekly symptom data were collected at frequent intervals using the Longitudinal Interval Follow-up Evaluation of Eating Disorders (LIFE-EAT-II). Outcomes were ED presentations that were subthreshold for 3 months, including those narrowly missing full criteria for AN or BN, along with binge eating disorder (BED) and purging disorder.

RESULTS

During follow-up, most women (77.6%) experienced a subthreshold presentation. Subthreshold presentation was related to intake diagnosis (Wald chi2=8.065, df=2, p=0.018). Individuals with AN most often developed subthreshold presentations resembling AN; those with BN were more likely to develop subthreshold BN. Purging disorder was experienced by half of those with BN and one-quarter of those with AN binge/purge type (ANBP); BED occurred in 20% with BN. Transition from AN or BN to most subthreshold types was associated with improved psychosocial functioning (p<0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

Subthreshold presentations in women with lifetime AN and BN were common, resembled the initial diagnosis, and were associated with modest improvements in psychosocial functioning. For most with lifetime AN and BN, subthreshold presentations seem to represent part of the course of illness and to fit within the original AN or BN diagnosis.

Cutaneous vasoconstriction as a measure of incipient autonomic dysreflexia during penile vibratory stimulation in spinal cord injury

STUDY DESIGN

Measurement of haemodynamic responses, cutaneous blood flow and sweat release during penile vibratory stimulation (PVS) in spinal cord-injured men.

OBJECTIVE

To assess the validity of using markers of sympathetic activity (cutaneous blood flow and sweat release) as a measure of incipient autonomic dysreflexia during PVS in spinal cord-injured men.

SETTING

Prince of Wales Medical Research Institute, Australia.

SUBJECTS

Ten spinal cord-injured men with injuries ranging from C3 to T6.

METHODS

Continuous arterial pressure, intermittent auscultation, heart rate (HR), respiration, cutaneous blood flow and sweat release from both finger and toe were recorded during PVS.

RESULTS

Vibration of the penis caused immediate cutaneous vasoconstriction, but negligible sweat release, in the hands and feet of the quadriplegics and the feet of the paraplegics. Systolic blood pressure (BP) increased by up to 90 mm Hg, and a compensatory vagal bradycardia was observed in five of the six quadriplegics and two of the four paraplegic subjects.

CONCLUSION

Given that there was-in general-an inverse relationship between BP and skin blood flow, we conclude that continuous measurements of skin blood flow above and below the lesion can provide important information on the state of the sympathetic nervous system and early identification of reflexly evoked increases in sympathetic vasoconstrictor drive, below a spinal lesion. Coupled with a decrease in HR, this cutaneous vasoconstriction infers an increased BP.

Clinical outcomes of quadrant root planing versus full-mouth root planing

OBJECTIVES

To determine the clinical effects of full mouth compared with quadrant wise scaling and root planing.

METHOD

Twenty patients with chronic periodontitis (> or = 2 teeth per quadrant with probing pocket depths (PPD) > or = 5 mm and bleeding on probing (BOP) were randomized into a test group treated in two sessions with subgingival scaling and root planing within 24 h (full-mouth root planing (FMRP)) and a control group treated quadrant by quadrant in four sessions in intervals of 1 week (quadrant root planing (QRP)). PPD, relative attachment level (RAL) and BOP were recorded at baseline, 3 and 6 months.

RESULTS

Analysing first quadrant data, in moderately deep pockets (5 mm < or = PPD < 7 mm) there was no evidence for a difference (FMRP-QRP) between both groups for PPD reduction (mean: -0.128 mm; CI: [-0.949, 0.693]; p=0.747), RAL gain (mean: 0.118 mm; CI: [-0.763, 1.000]; p=0.781), and BOP reduction (mean: -20.1%; CI: [-44.3, 4.2]; p=0.099). Likewise, no significant differences between treatments were found for initially deep pockets (PPD > or = 7 mm), neither for first quadrant nor for whole mouth data.

CONCLUSION

The results of the present study demonstrated equally favourable clinical results following both treatment modalities.