[Slit drainage--progress in drainage treatment after herniotomy]. / Die Slitdrainage--ein Fortschritt in der Drainagebehandlung nach Herniotomie.

In a prospective randomized study was conducted on 80 patients undergoing elective hernia repair to assess whether a new slit-suction drainage is less painful than a Redon-suction drainage. Main endpoint of the study was the traction power in order to remove the drain. Other endpoints were pain at the time of removal of the drain and the effectiveness to draw off secretion. To remove redon drain the average traction power was 226 pond and to remove slit drain the average traction power was only 25 pond. The difference was significant (p less than 0.01). At the time of removal patients with slit drain rarely complained about pain (p less than 0.01). On contrary, patients with Redon drain always complained about pain. Clotting were seldom shown in slit drains and were frequently shown in redon drains. Both slit drains and redon drains were effective to drain secretion. As the new slit drain was more comfortable for patients following hernia repair slit drain should always be used as subcutaneous suction drainage.

[Is the surgeon a prognostically relevant factor after R0-resection of colorectal carcinoma?]. / Ist der Chirurg ein prognostisch relevanter Faktor nach R0-Resektion colorectaler Carcinome?

Although the principles of resection of colorectal carcinoma have been defined quite exactly, some studies report considerable variations in recurrence rate and survival between different surgeons and clinics. We have therefore evaluated whether this surgeon-related influence can be found within one surgical department if operative procedures are strictly standardized. The data of 651 patients who underwent R0-resection of colorectal carcinoma between 1980 and 1992 was evaluated. Since all resections were accomplished by 5 groups of surgeons who strictly obeyed the same principles of resection, patients were divided in 5 groups. These 5 groups showed similar distribution of age, sex, tumor location, operative procedures and UICC-tumor-stages. The locoregional recurrence rate ranged from 1.7%-13.3% in stage I (p > 0.05), 9.3-20.6% in stage II (p > 0.05) and 13.6-52.4% in stage III (p < 0.05). Metachronous distant metastases occurred in 3.2 to 13.3% in stage I (p > 0.05), 2.9 to 16.7% in stage II (p > 0.05) and 21.8 to 30.2% in stage III (p > 0.05). 5-year-survival-rates of the 5 groups of patients varied from 74.4-84.5% in stage I (p > 0.05), 61.6-76.8% in stage II (p > 0.05), and 38.1 to 57.7% in stage III (p < 0.05). Although the surgeon-related variability of these results was surprisingly high, multivariate analysis did not show the surgeon as a significant prognostic factor. If the same principles of resection are strictly obeyed within one department of surgery, the surgeon is not a factor of prognostic significance.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

[The effect of age and sex on localization, tumor stage and prognosis of colorectal carcinoma]. / Der Einfluss des Alters und Geschlechts auf Lokalisation, Tumorstadium und Prognose kolorektaler Karzinome.

In a retrospective study including 946 cases with colorectal cancer we analysed age, sex, distribution and stage. There was a significant higher prevalence in women and in all tumor stages women were older than men. The frequencies of Dukes C and proximal colon cancer was significantly higher in women. In older patients we found an increasing incidence of proximal cancer. Instead of tumor stage the age, sex and distribution showed no influence on the outcome.

[Inguinal hernia repair modified by Kirschner. A critical analysis after 11 years of clinical experience]. / Leistenhernienoperationen modifiziert nach Kirschner. Eine kritische Analyse nach 11 Jahren klinischer Erfahrung.

In a retrospective study the early and late complications and the recurrence rate of inguinal hernia 10 years after elective repair by a modification of Kirschner's procedure are presented and compared with those following other established surgical techniques. Questionnaires were sent to 1400 patients, and 1029 patients (73.5) also underwent clinical examination. With all techniques, the most frequent postoperative complications were haematomas and seromas (10.1%). Postoperative mortality was 0.2%. Late complications were reported by 36.4% of the patients followed up by questionnaire. The most frequently reported symptom (by 23.8%) was transitory hypaesthesia in the scar area. In 2.7% of the male patients examined testicular atrophy was found. All patients who reported a recurrence on their questionnaire underwent follow-up examination in the clinic. Thus, the cumulative recurrence rate was 9.6%. Over two-thirds of all recurrences were lateral recurrences (P < 0.01). It was not possible to determine potential risk factors for a recurrence of inguinal hernia. The recurrence rate increased with time before follow up: among the patients examined after 5 years the recurrence rate was 5.7%, while it was 12.1% for patients examined after a period of 10 years. Kirschner's modification involves a risk of lateral recurrence that should not be underestimated, and its use should be reconsidered. The Shouldice repair appears to be the method of choice. However, further results confirming this choice should be awaited.

[Preoperative hemodilution before elective resections of colorectal cancers for sparing homologous blood transfusion]. / Präoperative Hämodilution vor elektiven Resektionen kolorektaler Karzinome zur Einsparung von Fremdblut.

The records of 389 patients following elective resection of colorectal carcinoma were analysed in order to examine perioperative transfusion. Preoperative hemoglobin levels of 12.8 g/dl in women and 14.2 g/dl in men were found (p less than 0.01). Only 11% of the patients had an anemia. Increasing age and sex had both a significant relation to decreasing preoperative hemoglobin level and higher frequency of transfusion (p less than 0.01). Women got perioperative more often blood transfusion (84.4%). On an average 2.1 units of blood were transfused. There were no relation to tumor stage or tumor location be found (p greater than 0.01). 48.8% of the patients had attendant diseases. Cardiac insufficiency and pulmonary diseases became more frequent. Excluding all patients with contraindication to preoperative hemodilution it was possible to do preoperative hemodilution by 61.2% of the patients. In conclusion preoperative hemodilution should be done before elective resection of colorectal cancer if there was no contraindications to reduce the number of autologous blood transfusion.

[Postoperative complications of elective resection of the colon in diverticulitis]. / Postoperative Komplikationen elektiver Kolonresektionen bei Divertikulitis.

Data on 142 patients (57 men, 85 women; mean age 64.2 [37-91] years) who had elective colon resection for diverticulitis were retrospectively analysed with respect to postoperative morbidity and mortality. Associated systemic disease was present in 47.9% of patients; intraabdominal complications were found preoperatively in 55.6%. Resection with primary anastomosis was performed in 97.9% of patients. Local postoperative complications were noted in 14.1%, general complications in 31.7%. Two patients died postoperatively of the consequences of local complications. In both cases diverticulitis had been complicated by fistulas (mortality rate 1.4%). With careful preparation, standardized operative technique and intensive perioperative supervision the risk of elective colon resection for diverticulitis is low. It can thus be undertaken, even after the first severe attack of diverticulitis, in patients without associated disease.

[Individual risk-related after-care in colorectal cancer?]. / Individuelle risikoadaptierte Nachsorge beim kolorektalen Karzinom?

Efficacy of the regular follow-up program and influence on survival rate following treatment of recurrence were evaluated. 556 follow-up records of patients after resection of colorectal cancer were analysed. The primary drop-out rate was 12.4%. Recurrences were found in 26.6% (n = 128). 53.1% of recurrences were symptomatic at diagnosis of recurrence. Curative resection of recurrence was only performed in 19.5%. 46.1% were given palliative and 34.4 no specific oncologic treatment. We define efficacy as the rate of curative asymptomatic recurrence. This was 3.5% of all patients. From the curative resection of recurrence only 6 patients were free of recurrence longer than 2 years. No second resection of recurrence was possible. Different treatment of recurrence did influence the survival rate (p = 0.09). There was no difference in prognosis for asymptomatic and symptomatic recurrences (p greater than 0.8). In order to increase the efficacy of follow-up for colorectal cancer we are introducing a new concept based on individual risk factors.

[Morbidity and mortality after elective resections of colorectal cancers]. / Morbidität und Letalität nach elektiven Resektionen kolorektaler Karzinome.

There are few actual published results about morbidity and mortality after elective resection of colorectal cancer. Out of 596 patients with colorectal cancer, the medical records of 492 who had been prepared preoperatively according to our predefined standards and electively operated on, were analysed. We studied the results of morbidity and mortality and their association with preexisting conditions and preoperative complications. We found that 50% of our patients had preexisting conditions and that 18.7% had preoperative complications (obstruction, ileus, infections). The rate of general postoperative complications was 30.5%. While for pneumonia (13%) there was age and sex relation, for urinary infection (12.7%) there was only sex relation. We were able to reduce urinary infections by half (5.7%), by using a suprapubic catheter. 11.4% of our patients had local complications (anastomotic leakage 2%, ileus 2.2%, bleeding 1.6%, fistula 1.2%). These were neither dependent on age or sex, nor on preoperative complications or preexisting conditions. Mortality within 30 days was 2% and overall mortality was 2.6%. Our results show that careful diagnosis and treatment of preexisting conditions, bowel preparation and an improvement in operating techniques can all lead to improved results after elective resection.

Does methodic long-term follow-up affect survival after curative resection of colorectal carcinoma?

Records of 487 patients in long-term follow-up after Ro resection of colorectal carcinomas between January 1, 1980 and December 31, 1989 were analyzed. Every patient underwent regular examinations according to a defined schedule after curative resection of colorectal carcinoma. The date of evaluation was June 31, 1991. During a median observation time of 48 months (range, 15-132 months), tumor recurrence was observed in 149 patients (30.6 percent), with 56.4 percent of these suffering from tumor-associated symptoms. As the primary manifestation of tumor recurrence, only distant metastases (DM) were found in 76 patients (51 percent), only local recurrence (LR) in 46 patients (30.9 percent), and both DM and LR in 27 patients (18.1 percent). Patients with rectal carcinoma developed LR more frequently (P < 0.05) (19.5 percent) than patients with colon carcinoma (11.8 percent). The probability of developing distant metastases was not different (P < 0.05) for colon or rectal carcinoma but depended on primary tumor stage (P < 0.05). Only 36 patients (24.2 percent) with recurrence could undergo further curative resection. Fifty patients (33.5 percent) were given palliative therapy, and 63 patients (42.3 percent) were given no oncologic treatment. Only 9 of the 36 patients (6 percent of all recurrence patients) undergoing Ro resection were free of tumor for more than two years. In no case was a third Ro resection possible. The survival time of these patients was increased significantly after Ro resection of tumor recurrence (P = 0.03). Our study suggests that only a very few patients may live longer as a result of regular follow-up programs after curative resection for colorectal carcinoma.

Colorectal stapled anastomoses. Experiences and results.

PURPOSE: Stapled anastomoses are currently an established technique in colorectal surgery. Larger series about the use of circular staplers in rectal anastomoses within daily clinical routine are rare. METHODS: We evaluated the morbidity, clinical leakage rate, and mortality in an unselected population of a teaching hospital after elective, left-sided colorectal resections with stapled rectal anastomoses. In the course of our study, manually sewn rectal anastomoses were not performed. All anastomoses were tested intraoperatively by instillation of liquid. RESULTS: A total of 615 elective colorectal resections with stapled rectal anastomoses was performed by 18 surgeons from 1984 to 1993. A protective colostomy was created in 2.9 percent (n=16) of all patients. Clinical anastomotic leakage occurred in nine patients (1.5 percent). The mortality rate was 1 percent (n=6). CONCLUSION: Use of the stapling technique facilitates the performance of anastomoses, particularly in regions with difficult anatomy. The rate of local complications is low, and protective colostomy can thus be dispensed with in most cases

[Postsurgical findings after tunnel preparation in mandibular molars with Class III furcation involvement]. / Postoperative Befunde nach Tunnelierung furkationsbeteiligter Unterkiefermolaren (Grad III).

3 teeth developed carious lesions within the furcation. 9 tunnel preparations showed soft tissue closure. 5 teeth were extracted for various reasons.

[Diagnostic relevance of OPG and full-mouth X-ray and intraoperative findings]. / Die diagnostische Sicherheit von OPG und Röntgenstatus in bezug auf den intraoperativen Befund.

During surgery the distance between cemento-enamel junction and alveolar limbus as well to the lowest point of the bony defect was measured for 617 tooth surfaces with a periodontal millimeter probe to study the usefulness of OPG and full-mouth X-ray for the detection of periodontal bony defects. The results of different operators did not show any significant differences. Therefore the method of evaluation might be considered reproducible. The average difference between intraoperative measurement and OPG measurement was -0.6 mm and -1.4 mm for the full-mouth X-ray. 50.9% of measurements on the full-mouth X-ray and 59.7% of measurements on the OPG were within the limit of 1 mm. In correlation with the intraoperative measurements the OPG was slightly less reliable for the SZG value at 31 and 41. In the other areas OPG and full-mouth X-ray showed the same correlation with the intraoperative findings. However, on the OPG 13.9% of intraoperatively examined tooth surfaces could not be evaluated since the cemento-enamel junction was not visible. By comparison the failure rate for the X-rays was only 5%. One may therefore conclude that the OPG is of basic usefulness for periodontal X-ray diagnosis, but that additional individual images will be required, since in a considerable percentage of the images the periodontal bone loss is not clearly visible.

[Risk analysis of primary endoprosthetic management of proximal femur fractures]. / Risikoanalyse der primären endoprothetischen Versorgung hüftgelenknaher Femurfrakturen.

From 1984 to 1991 439 patients with fractures of the coxal femur (303 femoral neck fractures, 136 pertrochanteric fractures) were treated by primary arthroplasty. The average age of the 370 female and 69 male patients was 80.9 (+/- 9.9) years. In 368 patients (83.8%) concomitant diseases were diagnosed and 212 patients (48.3%) showed more than 1 risk factor. There were 205 alloarthroplasties and 234 hemiarthroplasties performed. The percentage of patients treated by total hip endoprosthesis was 31.2% in 1984 and increased to 63.1% in 1991. In 49.2% of all cases general complications occurred, pre-dominantly nosocomial infections and pressure sores. Local (surgical) complications were diagnosed after 10.5% of all operations. The 30-day-mortality was 5.2%, the in-hospital-mortality 5.9%. Statistical analysis by multivariate logistic regression showed an independent negative influence of pre-operative immobility, pertrochanteric fractures, diabetes mellitus and multiple concomitant diseases on mortality. Age, sex or other single risk factors were not independently associated with an increased mortality. Patients with the above mentioned risk factors are easy to identify pre-operatively and do perform better after intensive preparation, short operation time and early mobilisation after surgery.