Pneumatosis intestinalis: a clinical classification.

Review of our experience with pneumatosis intestinalis has allowed identification of three major clinical groups of patients. In each of these groups, the etiology of pneumatosis intestinalis usually can be identified, and it frequently has an ominous prognosis. Treatment should be directed to the underlying condition when possible, and hence must be individualized. Those patients who would be categorized as Group I can simply be kept under observation. Patients in Group II might obtain relief from breathing increased concentrations of oxygen. For patients in Group III vigorous therapeutic measures generally are necessary to ensure survival. The increasing use of mechanically controlled ventilation and positive end-expiratory pressure may be contributing to the incidence of pneumatosis intestinalis. The ileus sometimes observed in these patients may accompany or precede the development of intramural air, a condition identifiable on roentgenographic examination. Awareness of the possible presence of intramural air may help in identifying patients who may not need operation. But even when roentgenographic examination has confirmed the presence of intramural air, abdominal exploration still may be necessary to rule out a diagnosis of perforated viscus. We hope that these concepts and our emphasis upon individualization of treatment may improve the prognosis for patients who have pneumatosis intestinalis.

Sliding inguinal hernia in patients over 70 years of age.

In a 1973 study of 200 aged patients with groin hernias, a comparatively high incidence of the type known as sliding hernia was noted. The present study of 60 patients over age 70 seen at the Henry Ford Hospital between the years 1940 and 1972 was devoted specifically to the problem of sliding hernias. The threat of bowel strangulation is often advanced as a reason for the operative repair of such hernias, but this complication is rare. Bowel dysfunction, constipation and local discomfort are far more common, and gave rise to annoying symptoms in 75 percent of the patient studied. Barium enema x-ray examinations often revealed some degree of bowel obstruction. Most often the sigmoid colon the left side and the ileocecal segment on the right side constituted the sliding components of the hernia; the bladder was involved less often. Repair of 62 sliding hernias in 60 patients was performed successfully. There were no deaths, and only one recurrence of the hernia.

The spectrum of colonic involvement in pancreatitis.

Colonic involvement as a result of pancreatitis is an uncommon but interesting complication of the disease. Among the significant manifestations we have seen are: 1) adynamic ileus of the transverse colon, 2) fibrosing, stenosing pericolitis localized to the splenic flexure area, and 3) colonic hemorrhage secondary to necrosis and fistula formation. Ordinarily, conservative treatment will suffice, but in complicated cases, individualized surgical treatment becomes necessary.

Volvulus of the colon.

We have reviewed the records of 48 patients who had colonic volvulus. Volvulus occurred in the sigmoid colon in 27 (56%) and in the right colon in 19 (40%). Volvulus elsewhere in the colon is rare, requiring unusual anatomic circumstances of a long mesentery and a mobile colon. The clinical history is characterized by a long history of bowel dysfunction followed by an episode of acute intestinal obstruction. The patient is often aged and is plagued by mental disorders and a number of degenerative diseases. Distention of the abdomen is the most significant finding, and tenderness may indicate peritonitis due to ischemic changes in the bowel. Three-positional films of the abdomen are most valuable, showing great distention of the colon and air-fluid levels in the bowel with regularity. Barium-enema studies will more accurately reveal the site and nature of obstruction. The barium-enema examination must be done carefully. It is omitted when peritonitis is present. Operative treatment is necessary for volvulus of the right colon. Non-operative reduction is effective for nonstrangulating volvulus of the sigmoid colon as an emergency procedure. Sigmoidoscopic examination and insertion of a long rubber tube will give dramatic relief to a substantial number of patients. Operative intervention is necessary when conservative measures fail. When gangrene is found at operation, exteriorization resection of the colon may be life-saving. Elective resections are recommended for patients who are in otherwise good health in order to prevent recurrences. The mortality rate in this series of 48 cases was 12.5 per cent. Cecal volvulus was present in each of the six patients who died. Sepsis and cardiopulmonary diseases were common in patients who died.

Operative and nonoperative risks in the cardiac patient.

Four hundred and sixteen patients with documented arteriosclerotic heart disease (ASHD) underwent 424 diagnostic and therapeutic surgical procedures during the year 1970 at the Henry Ford Hospital. They were classified according to the specific clinical manifestation of their cardiac abnormality. Patients with a history of old, well-compensated myocardial infarction, and those with cardiac arrhythmia, bundle-branch block, congestive heart failure and A-V block (pacemaker-protected) but no evidence of previous myocardial infarction fared almost as well as subjects of the same age without cardiac disease, and were considered to run the lowest operative risk. Patients with angina, especially if there was a history of infarction, were an intermediate risk in terms of complications and mortality. Patients with a history of previous infarction complicated at the time of the surgical procedure by arrhythmia, A-V block, bundle-branch block, or congestive heart failure were in the "highest risk" category. A severe A-V block indicated the need for insertion of a "prophylactic" pacemaker before any attempt at a diagnostic or therapeutic procedure. No patient with clinical or electrocardiographic evidence of a recent infarction (less than three months' duration) should undergo any elective surgical procedure under any form of anesthesia unless the surgeon is prepared for a high mortality rate that may approach 90 percent. In contrast, the patient with old, well-compensated myocardial infarction and no evidence of dysrhythmia, block or congestive failure can tolerate even a major surgical operation under any form of anesthesia extremely well.

Lobular carcinoma of the breast in situ. Are we too radical in its treatment?

Twenty-four patients (average age, 46 years) with 29 instances of lobular carcinoma in situ of the breast have been treated from 1952 to 1971 at the Henry Ford Hospital (incidence, 1%). Six patients had bilateral lesions, one synchronous and 5 metachronous. The initial complaint in 23 of 24 patients was a mass in the breast. Diagnosis was based on permanent histologic section as mammorgraphy and frozen section analysis were inconclusive. Treatment consisted of radical mastectomy in six, modified radical mastectomy in five, and simple mastectomy in 20. All lymph nodes recovered showed no metastatic disease. All patients are alive and well with no evidence of disease. Based on our experience, we recommend a simple mastectomy for treatment of lobular carcinoma in situ with contraleteral bipsy examination in those instances when clinical or roentgenographic evidence suggests a pathologic process.

Entrapment of the colon following diaphragmatic injuries: report of eight cases.

With a rise in the incidence of severe injuries, we are seeing increasing numbers of patients with colonic entrapment occurring at the sites of diaphragmatic injuries. The initial injury might have occurred recently or it might have occurred as long as 25 years before. Blunt trauma, stabbings, and infection accounted for the initial trauma in our patients. Acute symptoms implicate the cardiorespiratory system as a result of interference with respiration and the filling and function of the heart. Acute or chronic gastrointestinal symptoms may suggest intestinal obstruction or functional bowel disorders. The proper diagnosis of colonic entrapment depends upon a high index of suspicion and proper studies. Chest x-rays, fluoroscopy, barium-enema examinations and contrast studies of the upper gastrointestinal tract are essential. Acute cardiorespiratory enbarrassment necessitates prompt surgical intervention. When subdiaphragmatic injuries are suspected, an abdominal incision is necessary. In long-standing cases where the abdominal viscera are intact, the thoracic approach is preferable. At times, the combined thoraco-abdominal incision may be preferable. Diaphragmatic injuries resulting in colonic entrapment occurred most often in the left hemidiaphragm, which is relatively unprotected. In seven of our eight patients, the left diaphragm was the site of herniation. The liver on the right side serves to protect this area from herniation. Only the largest defects permit displacement of the liver into the right chest. Only one of our patients had such a defect. Patients with long-standing cardiac or gastrointestinal symptoms suggestive of colonic entrapment should have a THOROUGH MEDICAL evaluation before any operative treatment is advised. We have reviewed the cases of eight patients in whom infection, stabbings and blunt trauma resulted in diaphragmatic herniations with subsequent colonic entrapment. The splenic flexure of the colon protruded through the defect in three of our eight patients. The transverse colon was located above the diaphragm in five.