A review of the safety and efficacy of inhaled methoxyflurane as an analgesic for outpatient procedures.

Methoxyflurane delivered via a hand-held inhaler is a proven analgesic which has been used in Australasia for emergency relief of trauma associated pain since the 1970s. The agent is self-administered by the patient under the supervision of trained personnel. More than 5 million patients have received inhaled methoxyflurane without significant side effects. Methoxyflurane is also licensed in Australasia for the relief of pain in monitored conscious patients requiring analgesia for minor surgical procedures. Recent clinical studies undertaken in a variety of outpatient settings, including colonoscopy, prostate biopsy, dental procedures, bone marrow biopsy, and the management of burns dressings, indicate that inhaled methoxyflurane has significant analgesic activity, without producing deep sedation or respiratory depression. Return to full psychomotor activity is rapid. Thus, methoxyflurane may be a suitable and well-tolerated alternative to traditional i.v. sedative agents for outpatient medical and surgical procedures. There are direct advantages to the patient in terms of rapid recovery and an early return to normal activities, and significant benefits for outpatient departments in terms of cost saving and rate of throughput. Further randomised controlled trials comparing the efficacy, safety, and cost-effectiveness of inhaled methoxyflurane against traditional i.v. sedative techniques are currently in progress.

Self-administered methoxyflurane for procedural analgesia: experience in a tertiary Australasian centre.

Methoxyflurane, an agent formerly used as a volatile anaesthetic but that has strong analgesic properties, will soon become available again in the UK and Europe in the form of a small hand-held inhaler. We describe our experience in the use of inhaled methoxyflurane for procedural analgesia within a large tertiary hospital. In a small pilot crossover study of patients undergoing burns-dressing procedures, self-administered methoxyflurane inhalation was preferred to ketamine-midazolam patient-controlled analgesia by five of eight patients. Patient and proceduralist outcomes and satisfaction were recorded from a subsequent case series of 173 minor surgical and radiological procedures in 123 patients performed using inhaled methoxyflurane. The procedures included change of dressing, minor debridement, colonoscopy and incision-and-drainage of abscess. There was a 97% success rate of methoxyflurane analgesia to facilitate these procedures. Limitations of methoxyflurane include maximal daily and weekly doses, and uncertainty regarding its safety in patients with pre-existing renal disease.

High resolution anoscopy may be useful in achieving reductions in anal cancer local disease failure rates.

Anal cancer is uncommon, with an incidence rate of 0.5-1.0 per 100,000 of the population but incidence rates have been steadily increasing over the last 3 decades. Biological and epidemiological evidence have been mounting and demonstrate that anal cancer has many similarities to cervical cancer, especially in regard to its aetiology. High-resolution anoscopy (HRA) of the anal region ­ analogous to colposcopy of the cervix, is a technique that is not well-known in the medical and surgical fraternity. Evidence to support the use of HRA for detection and treatment in the surveillance of AIN exists and strongly suggests that it is beneficial, resulting in reduced rates of cancer progression. Pilot data from our study showed a local disease failure rate of 1.73 per 1000 patient-months compared with a published rate of 9.89 per 1000 patient-months. This demonstrates a 5.72-fold reduction in local disease failure rates of patients with T1-T3 tumours; the data therefore suggests that use of HRA for detection and treatment in surveillance of anal cancer patients will help prevent local regional relapse at the anal site. There is an urgent need for a large, randomised controlled clinical trial to definitively test this hypothesis.

Radiotherapy for craniopharyngioma in children: a national audit.

A survey of current radiotherapy practices in the United Kingdom for treatment of craniopharyngioma in children was undertaken in view of the need to optimize control and minimize side effects in a patient group who can expect to survive for prolonged periods after treatment. Useable replies were received from 16 practitioners. A high level of conformity was reported in some areas but practice varied considerably in others. Thus whereas 15 employed magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) alone or with computed tomography (CT) to establish the gross tumour volume (GTV), six exclusively used pre-operative and seven exclusively used post-operative studies. Twelve added a margin of 1 cm to establish the planning target volume (PTV). Nine used CT planning. Fourteen gave radiation doses of between 50 and 55 Gy, but eight different dose/fractionation combinations were used. The most favoured regime (used by six) was 50 Gy in 30 fractions. Two centres provided written information on possible side effects of treatment. We suggest that it might prove helpful if a national treatment protocol was developed.

Quality of life after non-surgical treatment of anal carcinoma: a case control study of long-term survivors.

AIMS: To evaluate the quality of life (QOL) of a cohort of patients after non-surgical treatment of anal carcinoma with chemotherapy and radiation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients treated for anal carcinoma at the British Columbia Cancer Agency between 1990 and 2001 were identified from audit data. A total of 92 suitable patients were found among these. They were approached by letter and encouraged to complete questionnaires regarding their QOL. The European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) QLQ-C30 and EORTC QLQ-CR38 instruments were used to evaluate general QOL, and more disease and site-related aspects. Fifty responses were received and were compared with those of a sample of matched local volunteer control participants who had not received any treatment to their abdomen or pelvis. Responses were scored and the results analysed with the SPSS statistical package. RESULTS: Significant differences were detected in global QOL and in more specific areas of both general and site/disease-specific nature. Identified general areas involved physical, social, and role functions, and symptoms of fatigue, nausea and vomiting, dyspnoea, appetite loss, diarrhoea, constipation, and financial problems, with cancer/site-related micturition, gastrointestinal and chemotherapy side-effect symptoms, and male and female sexual problems. CONCLUSION: This study reveals that after curative treatment for anal carcinoma with chemoradiation that has spared the patient of surgery, issues affecting QOL can present in a significant proportion of patients.

Radiation-induced haemorrhagic cystitis.

OBJECTIVES: In this article we review the literature concerning the frequency and management of severe haemorrhagic radiation-induced cystitis. METHODS: A Medline search was performed from 1966 to 1999 for articles in English. A total of 309 references were found. Abstracts and complete articles were reviewed. RESULTS: Severe haemorrhagic cystitis following radiotherapy remains a relatively rare event. However, the fact that it is relentlessly progressive and that treatment options are suboptimal makes it clinically important. The incidence of severe haematuria following pelvic irradiation is difficult to determine from the literature although most studies state an incidence of less than 5% which increases with time since irradiation. Methods of treatment include simple bladder irrigation, cystodiathermy, oral, parenteral and intravesical agent, hyperbaric oxygen therapy, hydrodistension, internal iliac embolisation, urinary diversion and cystectomy. No management strategy is 100% successful and a stepwise progression in treatment intensity is often required. CONCLUSION: The articles available on radiation-induced haemorrhagic cystitis are principally retrospective and involve small numbers of patients who have had several different treatment modalities. In the absence of randomised studies comparing treatments, it is impossible to set definitive rules about management but patients with this condition probably warrant early and aggressive treatment.