The role of psychiatric factors in symptoms of hiatus hernia or gastric reflux.

The study comprised 26 patients with somatic symptoms indicating a hernia-reflux syndrome referred to a university hospital ear, nose and throat department. The aim was to throw light on the hypothesis that this syndrome is largely a psychosomatic problem. The patients were divided into two groups: subjects with and without laboratory findings of physical pathology of hernia and/or reflux. Intergroup comparisons were made of symptoms, a psychological test and psychiatric ratings. Those who had no laboratory findings of physical pathology often reported "phobia" and "feeling of lump in the throat", which were interpreted as signs of hysterical or somatizing mechanisms. Most of these patients showed a high level of anxiety in the psychological test. "Agitation", "depression" and "frustration" were characteristics of patients with laboratory findings of reflux. "Depression" was interpreted as a reaction to the somatic illness. The group with reflux contained more old male patients and that without more younger female patients.

[Transbronchial fine needle biopsy in the diagnosis of parabronchial tumors]. / Die transbronchiale Feinnadelbiopsie bei der Diagnose parabronchialer Tumoren.

Transbronchial fine needle biopsy was performed in 52 patients with hilar enlargement on chest radiography or pulmonary carcinoma at bronchoscopy. The diagnostic success was high. Most (85%) of the specimens were adequate for cytological examination and malignant cells were found in 17 aspirates. One further patient with mediastinal metastasis was revealed by mediastinoscopy. No complications followed the fine needle biopsy.

Metoprolol, fentanyl and stress responses to microlaryngoscopy. Effects on arterial pressure, heart rate and plasma concentrations of catecholamines, ACTH and cortisol.

Forty patients undergoing microlaryngoscopy were anaesthetized with thiopentone and nitrous oxide. Twenty patients received metoprolol 200 mg in a slow-release tablet once daily for 4 days up to, and including, the morning of operation, and 10 mg i.v. shortly before induction of anaesthesia. The other patients received placebo tablets and physiological saline i.v., instead. Both groups of 20 patients were further subdivided, half of the patients receiving fentanyl 1.0-1.5 mg during anaesthesia, the effect of which was antagonized by naloxone at the end of the procedure. The other patients received saline i.v. instead of fentanyl or naloxone. Metoprolol decreased heart rate and the general level of arterial pressure during anaesthesia, but did not affect the fluctuations in pressure. Arterial plasma noradrenaline concentrations during microlaryngoscopy were enhanced by metoprolol, in comparison with placebo, the reverse being the case for cortisol concentrations. Fentanyl decreased arterial pressure and plasma ACTH and cortisol concentrations regardless of whether the patient had received metoprolol. Plasma adrenaline and noradrenaline concentrations were decreased by fentanyl in the patients receiving metoprolol.

Narcotic antagonism by naloxone. Few side-effects after a short procedure?

Twenty patients undergoing microlaryngoscopy were anaesthetised with thiopentone and nitrous oxide. Half of the patients received 1.0-1.5 mg of fentanyl during anaesthesia, the effect of which was antagonised by naloxone 0.4 mg intravenously and 0.4 mg subcutaneously. The other patients served as controls and received saline instead of fentanyl and naloxone. Fentanyl markedly reduced mean arterial pressure and the heart rate-systolic arterial pressure product during microlaryngoscopy. Conversely, there were significant increases in these measurements after naloxone had been given. However, there were no significant differences between patients given fentanyl with naloxone, and those given saline, in respect of arterial pressure, heart rate or dysrhythmia during recovery. No patient vomited, or appeared nauseated when observed afterwards in the operating room. One patient vomited several hours after naloxone.

Pharmacologic influence on esophageal varices: a preliminary report.

Selective catheterization of the left gastric vein was performed after percutaneous transhepatic portography (PTP) in patients with portal hypertension and esophageal varices. Following the hypothesis that drugs increasing the lower esophageal sphincter (LES) pressure may obstruct the variceal blood flow through the lower esophagus, the effect of different drugs (i.e., intravenous injection of vasopressin, pentagastrin, domperidone and somatostatin and subcutaneous injection of metacholine) on the variceal blood flow was examined. Vasopressin did not change the variceal blood flow; pentagastrin, with its known effect of increasing the LES pressure produced a total interruption of the flow in four of eight patients; domperidone, also known to increase the LES pressure obstructed the variceal blood flow in the only patient examined with this drug; somatostatin has no reported action on the LES but blocked the flow in one of two patients; and metacholine, reported to increase the LES pressure did not produce any change in the flow in the three patients examined. LES pressure was recorded before and during vasopressin infusion in seven patients with portal hypertension and esophageal varices. No reaction on the pressure was found. The patient number in the study is small and the results are nonuniform but still they suggest that drugs increasing the LES tonus might be useful to control variceal blood flow.

Effect of cardioselective beta-blockers on the heart rate and arterial pressure responses to laryngoscopy.

The effects of the cardioselective beta-blockers practolol (Eraldin, ICI) and metoprolol (Seloken, Hässle) were studied during microlaryngoscopy. I. v. practolol (0.4 mg/kg before and 0.2 mg/kg during anaesthesia) did not protect against increases in arterial pressure, although heart rate was reduced. Oral metoprolol (0.2 g for 4 days) reduced the level of arterial pressure both before and during anaesthesia. Variations in arterial pressure were not attenuated. Very low levels of arterial pressure were seen, and variations in arterial pressures were attenuated when metoprolol was combined with fentanyl.

Endotracheal intubation with the fibre-optic bronchoscope.

Tracheal intubation with the aid of the fibre-optic bronchoscope was compared to conventional and alternative methods in 41 consecutive patients suffering from advanced rheumatoid arthritis. All patients were scheduled for anterior and/or posterior cervical fusion. It was shown that the use of the fibre-optic bronchoscope significantly diminished the number of complicated intubations and reduced the intubation trauma considerably. The occurrence of postoperative upper airway oedema was significantly related to the extent of the intubation trauma. Tracheal intubation with the fibre-optic bronchoscope is considered useful in adult patients when intubation is expected to be difficult or dangerous and when orthodox intubation is found to be very difficult.

High isolation rate of Branhamella catarrhalis from the nasopharynx in adults with acute laryngitis.

Branhamella catarrhalis was isolated from the nasopharynx in 55% of 40 noncompromised adult patients suffering from acute laryngitis. Diplococcus pneumoniae and haemophilus influenzae were found in another 5 and 8%, respectively; one patient had group A streptococci in the throat specimen. In 90% of the patients the laryngitis complaints were preceded by symptoms of an acute respiratory tract infection. Two of the patients with B. catarrhalis showed a significant titre conversion against influenza B and parainfluenza type e virus, respectively. Attempts to isolate virus failed in all cases. The results indicate that B. catarrhalis, known to cause acute otitis media in small children and respiratory tract infections in adult compromised hosts, may be involved in the etiology of acute laryngitis in otherwise healthy adults.

A new method for strengthening palatal closure defects of the hard palate.

Closure of minor defects in the hard palate can be done with local flaps. There is often a risk of perforation of the reconstructed area. In the case reported this complication was obvious due to a large, thin, flap-covered area. In strengthening the reconstruction fascia lata and Surgicel was used. The postoperative result was excellent and the rehabilitation of the patient was without complications.