Criteria for selection of patients for medical treatment (chenodeoxycholic acid therapy) of gallstones.

With the introduction of medical treatment (chenodeoxycholic acid therapy) of cholesterol gallstones, the prediction of the gallstone type, cholesterol--non-cholesterol stones, (i.e. cholesterol predominating or not), has become important. In 24 consecutive patients admitted for surgery because of gallstones, the value of various criteria for differentiation between the two types of stones was assessed. It is concluded that the combined requirements of radiolucency of the stones and a cholesterol saturation index in duodenal bile above 1.00 constitutes a fairly reliable method for selection of patients for dissolution therapy with chenodeoxycholic acid.

Hydroxychloroquine sulphate in prevention of deep venous thrombosis following fracture of the hip, pelvis, or thoracolumbar spine.

One hundred and fifty-three patients, forty-eight to ninety-seven years old, were included in a double-blind placebo-controlled investigation of the usefulness of hydroxychloroquine sulphate for the prevention of deep venous thrombosis in patients with fractures of the hip, pelvis, or thoracolumbar spine. The results indicated that this drug can reduce the number of thrombeombolic complications significantly (p less than 0.005), a finding that corresponds to the results obtained with other drugs such as coumarin derivatives or dextran 70.