A transversal multicenter study assessing functioning, disability and environmental factors with the comprehensive ICF core set for low back pain in Brazil.

BACKGROUND: Low back pain is a leading cause of disability in Brazil. The multiple aspects of disability in these patients require comprehensive tools for their assessment. The International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF) core set for low back pain is designed to comprehensively describe the experience of such patients with their functioning. AIM: This study aimed to describe functioning and contextual factors and to empirically validate the ICF core set for low back pain. DESIGN: Cross sectional study. SETTING: Three outpatient clinics in Manaus, Maceio and São Paulo, Brazil. Population. 135 low back pain outpatients under rehabilitation. METHODS: Data concerning diagnosis, personal features, and the 78 ICF core set categories for low back pain were collected from clinical charts, physical examinations, tests, and interviews with patients from rehabilitation services in three parts of Brazil. RESULTS: 7.7% of the categories (6 body functions and 10 activity and participation) were affected in less than 20% of the sample, and were thus considered not validated. Pain and other sensations related to the musculoskeletal system were the body most frequently impaired functions. Mobility and domestic life were the chapters of activity and limitation most often described as limited. All environmental factors were qualified as either facilitators or barriers and acted as modulators of disability. CONCLUSION: The comprehensive ICF core sets for low back pain can be used to describe the living experience of such individuals, although efforts to make it operational and enhance the reproducibility of the results are needed to warrant its reliable routine use. CLINICAL REHABILITATION IMPACT: This study highlights the importance of a complete assessment of chronic low back pain and demonstrate the need for multidisciplinary approach.

Internal drainage of giant acute pseudocysts: the role of video-assisted pancreatic necrosectomy.

BACKGROUND: Internal drainage of giant pancreatic pseudocysts secondary to acute pancreatitis is frequently complicated with postoperative retroperitoneal infection and hemorrhage. Recent data suggest that the risk factor is unrecognized pancreatic necrosis; presumably, pancreatic necrosis becomes infected with bacteria introduced by the cystoenteric anastomosis. HYPOTHESIS: Video-assisted pancreatic necrosectomy, performed at the time of internal drainage, may prevent postoperative retroperitoneal complications in patients with giant acute pseudocysts. DESIGN: A consecutive case-series. SETTING: An urban, university-affiliated, tertiary referral center. PATIENTS: Ten consecutive patients with acute pseudocysts measuring 10 cm or more in major diameter. The mean extent of pancreatic necrosis, as shown by contrast-enhanced computed tomography, was 50%. All patients were operated on electively, at an average time of 7.7 weeks from onset of the attack to surgical treatment. INTERVENTION: Through a midline incision, a 4-cm opening is made at the base of the pseudocyst. Standard laparoscopic instruments are introduced into the pseudocyst and video-assisted pancreatic necrosectomy is performed. The opening is then anastomosed to a Roux-en-Y limb of the jejunum. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Feasibility and safety of video-assisted pancreatic necrosectomy, postoperative morbidity and mortality, hospital stay, and resolution of pseudocysts. RESULTS: Complete necrosectomy was safely performed throughout. There were neither postoperative retroperitoneal complications nor mortality. Mean hospital stay was 8.2 days and all pseudocysts resolved at a mean follow-up of 6.9 months. CONCLUSIONS: Video-assisted pancreatic necrosectomy at the time of internal drainage seems to prevent postoperative retroperitoneal complications in patients with giant acute pseudocysts. Depending on appropriate surgical timing, video-assisted necrosectomy is a feasible and safe procedure.

Choledocholithiasis in acute gallstone pancreatitis. Incidence and clinical significance.

A prospective study of choledocholithiasis was performed using 110 patients with presumptive diagnoses of acute gallstone pancreatitis. The incidence of migrating and persistent bile duct stones was determined using stool screening and intraoperative cholangiography, and the clinical significance of continued stone obstruction of the papilla was investigated using ultrasound assessment of migration time and a second evaluation of prognostic signs. Pancreatic inflammation was confirmed at surgery in 51 patients, of whom only 27 had stones in the stools (n = 22) or the bile duct (n = 5), suggesting that choledocholithiasis may not be the sole triggering factor of acute gallstone pancreatitis. Neither delayed migration nor persistent stone obstruction of the papilla promoted pancreatic inflammation.

Biliary and pancreatic obstruction during gallstone migration.

A prospective study on biliary and pancreatic obstruction during gallstone migration was performed in patients without acute pancreatitis. From January to October 1986, 125 patients with upper abdominal pain due to cholelithiasis were admitted to the hospital. Ultrasonography performed in all patients at admission demonstrated a distal bile duct measuring 7 mm or more in 39 patients, who were monitored for diameter changes of the biliary and pancreatic duct every 24 h and their stools screened for gallstones. Patients underwent surgery at least 8 days after admission. Gallstone migration was found preoperatively in 10 patients, of whom 6 had total serum bilirubin values lower than 2 mg/100 ml. Migration time was accurately determined by the sudden decrease in bile duct caliber. Simultaneous dilatation of biliary and pancreatic duct was found in 4 out of 10 patients with migrating gallstones and in 7 out of 23 patients without gallstone migration, though differences proved non-significant. Acute pancreatitis developed in 2 patients with lithiasis of the distal bile duct who ingested a fatty meal against medical advice. Gallstone migration, even of small stones, was preceded by a period of biliary obstruction. Pain and jaundice before migration were not as frequent as expected.