Appendicitis due to incarceration within a laparoscopic umbilical port-site hernia secondary to a degree of intestinal malrotation

A 37-year-old woman presented with an incarcerated hernia at a previous umbilical laparoscopic port site. This was found to contain an ischaemic appendix, which was managed successfully with open appendicectomy and a mesh repair. Previous imaging from a year prior to these events demonstrated a degree of intestinal malrotation with the caecal pole lying just under the umbilicus. Finding the appendix within an incisional port site is very rare, for this to occur at the umbilicus is unique.

Elimination of neglected tropical diseases in the South-East Asia Region of the World Health Organization

The neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), which affect the very poor, pose a major public health problem in the South-East Asia Region of the World Health Organization (WHO). Although more than a dozen NTDs affect the region, over the past five years four of them in particular - leprosy, lymphatic filariasis, visceral leishmaniasis (kala-azar) and yaws - have been targeted for elimination. These four were selected for a number of reasons. First, they affect the WHO South-East Asia Region disproportionately. For example, every year around 67% of all new leprosy cases and 60% of all new cases of visceral leishmaniasis worldwide occur in countries of the region, where as many as 850 million inhabitants are at risk of contracting lymphatic filariasis. In addition, several epidemiological, technological and historical factors that are unique to the region make each of these four diseases amenable to elimination. Safe and effective tools and interventions to achieve these targets are available and concerted efforts to scale them up, singly or in an integrated manner, are likely to lead to success. The World Health Assembly and the WHO Regional Committee, through a series of resolutions, have already expressed regional and global commitments for the elimination of these diseases as public health problems. Such action is expected to have a quick and dramatic impact on poverty reduction and to contribute to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals. This paper reviews the policy rationale for disease control in the WHO South-East Asia Region, the progress made so far, the lessons learnt along the way, and the remaining challenges and opportunities.

Coarctation of the aorta in adults. Clinical presentation and results of surgery

We studied the mode of presentation and results of surgery in 45 adults with coarctation of the aorta. Coarctation was unsuspected in 23 patients, 3 of whom presented with acute aortic dissection and 4 with severe aortic valve disease. Twenty seven were hypertensive before surgery. Three patients required emergency operation and all died. There was one death and one postoperative paraplegia amongst 39 patients who underwent elective operation. Of 21 preoperatively hypertensive patients studied at least 2 years after surgery blood pressure returned to normal levels in 10. Acute aortic dissection, aortic aneurysm formation and aortic valve disease complicate the surgical treatment of adult coarctation and hypertension may persist in as many as 50% of patients. Nevertheless surgery is preferable to the poor reported results of long term medical management.

Visual versus computerised assessment of left ventricular function from cinéangiography

Visual assessment of left ventricular function from cinéangiography was compared with computerised assessment in 48 randomly selected cinéangiograms. The parameters compared included end-diastolic volume, end-systolic volume, stroke volume, ejection fraction and left ventricular output. There was poor agreement between visual and calculated values for end-diastolic volume, stroke volume and left ventricular output, but good agreement for ejection fraction and moderately good agreement for end-systolic volumes. Absolute values are particularly difficult to assess.

The importance of magnification in left ventriculography

A method of measuring the magnification of ventriculograms is described. The catheter in the ventricle is X-rayed on cine film together with a radio-opaque ruler attached to the table. A second cine run is exposed after shifting the table by an amount which can be determined from the ruler. The magnification is equal to the distance that the catheter moves on the projected angiogram divided by the actual distance moved. Studies to prove the accuracy and reproducibility of the method have been undertaken. In random series of 48 patients, the linear magnification factor varied between 1.04 and 1.46. The cubic magnification as used for calculating ventricular volume ranged from 1.12 to 3.11. The error by ignoring the magnification can therefore be 211% and by taking a mean value, up to 62%.

Coronary angiography Review of 1500 consecutive cases

Fifteen hundred coronary angiograms have been performed by the staff of Harefield Hospital since 1970. Only 2 deaths have occurred in the last 1000 consecutive cases though there were 5 in the first 500 cases. This drop in the mortality is ascribed to careful attention to detail and better training of the operators. It is concluded that the Fudkin's method of coronary angiography in trained hands is a safe method of investigation but that because of the very serious potential dangers it is unjustifiable for new units to start unless there is a fully experienced investigator in charge.