[Diagnosis and treatment of hydrocephalus-accompanied renal calculi complicated with renal tumor: 5 case reports].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the diagnosis and treatment of renal pelvic tumor combined with renal urinary calculi and hydronephrosis. METHODS: Five patients with renal pelvic tumor who underwent relief of the upper urinary obstruction were reviewed. RESULTS: One of the cases lost the opportunity of surgical therapy when pelvic tumor was detected at the advanced stage, and the other 4 cases had received surgery and were followed up. CONCLUSION: As pelvic tumor progresses rapidly after the renal blood flow is improved, and renal urinary calculi with hydronephrosis relieved; the patients with renal pelvic tumor need early diagnosis, aggressive treatment and close follow-up.

[Comparison and clinical significance between geometrical characteristics of tibial plateau between Uighur nationality and Han people].

OBJECTIVE: To compare the difference and clinical significance of geometrical characteristics of tibial plateau between Uighur nationality and Han people by computed tomography scan and three-dimensional reconstruction. METHODS: A total of 49 inpatients and outpatients were randomly selected (normal knee without any tibial involvement) and volunteers of Han people and 45 ones of the Uighur nationality at our hospital and cooperative hospitals. Then the subjects were divided into groups according to gender. The following linear geometric parameters of tibial plateau were measured: width of tibial plateau (WTP), width of medial tibial plateau (WMTP), sagittal length of medial tibial plateau (SLMTP), width of lateral tibial plateau (WLTP) and sagittal length of lateral tibial plateau (SLLTP). RESULTS: (1) Males were greater than females in linear parameters in the same group (P < 0.01); (2) the groups of Uighur nationality were greater than groups of Han people in linear parameters in the same gender (P < 0.05); (3) the gaps between WMTP and WLTP, SLMTP and SLLTP of Uighur nationality were all more approximate than those of Han people (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The geometrical characteristics of tibial plateau have some visible discrepancy between Uighur nationality and Chinese Han people. The prosthetic design concept and technology of total knee replacement targeting the Uighur nationality should take into consideration the discrepancy.

Early clinical experience using high intensity focused ultrasound for palliation of inoperable pancreatic cancer.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of high intensity focused ultrasound for palliation of inoperable pancreatic cancer in humans. PATIENTS: Eighty-nine patients with advanced pancreatic cancer were treated with high intensity focused ultrasound. There were 4 patients with stage II, 39 patients with stage III, and 46 patients with stage IV disease. The location of the tumors was as follows: head of pancreas 34 patients, body and/or tail of pancreas 55 patients. METHODS: Pain relief, local tumor control rate, median survival and complications were observed after high intensity focused ultrasound treatment. RESULTS: In the clinical treatments in humans the following local tumor control was seen: complete response, 0%; partial response, 14.6%; no change, 57.3%; progressive disease, 28.1%. Pain relief was achieved in 80.6% of patients who had pain prior to high intensity focused ultrasound therapy. The median survival was 26.0 months for patients with stage II disease, 11.2 months for patients with stage III disease, and 5.4 months for patients with stage IV disease. One-year survival rate was as follows: stage II, 100%; stage III, 41.0%; and stage IV, 6.5%. Two-year survival rate was as follows: stage II, 75.0%; stage III, 10.3%; and stage IV, 0%. Complications included superficial skin burns (3.4%), subcutaneous fat sclerosis (6.7%), and an asymptomatic pancreatic pseudocyst (1.1%). There were no severe complications or adverse events related to high intensity focused ultrasound therapy seen in any of the patients treated. CONCLUSIONS: Although this retrospective study has significant limitations, preliminary results suggest that the clinical application of high intensity focused ultrasound for pancreatic cancer appears to be safe and is a promising modality of treatment for palliation of pain related to pancreatic cancer.