Civilian injuries due to unexploded ordnance in military training areas in southern Israel.

BACKGROUND: The problem of unexploded ordnance (UXO) is global and is usually associated with active or former war zones. Civilian injuries due to UXO in military training areas are not common. METHODS: This is a retrospective case series study based on prospectively collected data on patients who sustained injuries from UXO explosions and were admitted to the Soroka University Trauma Center during a five-year period. RESULTS: Twelve patients were included in this series. All patients were Bedouin and the distribution of injuries was concentrated around the head and upper and lower extremities, with sparing of the torso. CONCLUSION: Awareness and implementation of preventive measures are expected to reduce the incidence of this type of injury.

Chronic perineal fistula as a late failure manifestation of pseudomyxoma peritonei syndrome.

Pseudomyxoma peritonei syndrome (PMP) is a rare but fascinating entity in surgical oncology. It consists of the accumulation of mucus in the peritoneal cavity, sometimes in huge amounts, in most of the cases after rupture of an appendiceal tumor. The diagnosis and management of PMP has changed significantly in the past 15 years, with the institution of an aggressive therapeutic combination: cytoreductive surgery and intraperitoneal perioperative chemotherapy. Few reports deal with the late manifestations and complications at endstage of the disease. The cases presented here are unique in that they illustrate a late 'failure' in the perianal area in three patients with long-term PMP.

Peritoneal carcinomatosis from an unknown primary site. Management of 15 patients.

AIMS AND BACKGROUND: Peritoneal carcinomatosis from an unknown primary site is a rare and ill-defined entity. This work attempts to identify clinical and pathological features of patients with this disease and report the results of an aggressive combined treatment modality. METHODS: Retrospective analysis was performed of medical records of 15 patients with peritoneal carcinomatosis with no primary site identified at a single institution between 1989 and 2000. A primary gastrointestinal cancer was ruled out after a thorough endoscopic and radiologic work-up and complete exploratory surgery. RESULTS: Four women and 11 men were identified; the average age was 49 years. All patients had cytoreductive surgery with peritonectomies; 4 patients underwent a second-look operation. Perioperative intraperitoneal chemotherapy was given to 10 of the 15 patients, and 9 patients received post-cytoreduction chemotherapy given intraperitoneally (1), systemically (7) or both intraperitoneally and systemically (1). Overall median survival from diagnosis was 19.0 months; 1 patient is alive with disease at 21 months; and 3 patients are disease-free at 17, 38, and 60 months from diagnosis. Significant positive predictive factors for survival were a small volume of ascites (P = 0.02), a large number of peritonectomies performed (P = 0.001), second-look cytoreduction (P = 0.003), perioperative intraperitoneal chemotherapy (P = 0.008) and postoperative chemotherapy (P= 0.01), either intraperitoneal or systemic. CONCLUSIONS: Peritoneal carcinomatosis from an unknown primary site is a rare subset of primary peritoneal malignancy. Aggressive treatment may provide prolonged palliation with occasional long-term survival.

Results of treatment of 33 patients with peritoneal mesothelioma.

BACKGROUND: Peritoneal mesothelioma is a rare peritoneal malignancy, representing approximately one-third of all mesotheliomas. It is regarded as a universally fatal cancer with few treatment options. METHODS: Records of 33 patients with peritoneal mesothelioma were reviewed retrospectively. Demographic, clinical and quantitative prognostic indicators were evaluated and analysed statistically using survival as endpoint. Patients were treated by a uniform strategy involving cytoreductive surgery with peritonectomy procedures and perioperative intraperitoneal chemotherapy (cisplatin, doxorubicin). RESULTS: There were ten women and 23 men; mean age was 53.0 years. Asbestos exposure was recorded in five patients and a family history of cancer in 13. Presentation was mainly abdominal distension and pain. Median survival was 31.0 months; overall projected survival at 3 years was 56 per cent. The most significant positive predictive factors of survival were: female sex (P= 0.003), low prior surgical score (P=0.002), completeness of cytoreduction (P=0.0002) and second-look surgery (P=0.019). The morbidity rate for this combined treatment was 33 per cent and the perioperative mortality rate was 3 per cent. CONCLUSION: Although peritoneal mesothelioma is rare, progress in its management has occurred. Survival has been extended and selection factors by which patients may be allocated to aggressive management strategies have been defined.

Morbidity and mortality analysis of 200 treatments with cytoreductive surgery and hyperthermic intraoperative intraperitoneal chemotherapy using the coliseum technique.

BACKGROUND: Peritoneal carcinomatosis from gastrointestinal cancers is a fatal diagnosis without special combined surgical and chemotherapy interventions. Guidelines for cytoreductive surgery and hyperthermic intraoperative intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIIC) by using the Coliseum technique have been developed to treat patients with peritoneal carcinomatosis and other peritoneal surface malignancies. The purpose of this study was to analyze the morbidity and mortality of patients undergoing cytoreductive surgery and HIIC by using mitomycin C. METHODS: Data were prospectively recorded on 183 patients who underwent 200 cytoreductive surgeries with HIIC between November 1994 and June 1998. Seventeen of the 183 patients returned for a second-look surgery plus HIIC. All HIIC administrations occurred after cytoreduction and used continuous manual separation of intra-abdominal structures to optimize drug and heat distribution. Origins of the tumors were as follows: appendix (150 patients), colon (20 patients), stomach (7 patients), pancreas (2 patients), small bowel (1 patient), rectum (1 patient), gallbladder (1 patient), and peritoneal papillary serous carcinoma (1 patient). Morbidity was organized into 20 categories that were graded 0 to IV by the National Cancer Institute's Common Toxicity Criteria. In an attempt to identify patient characteristics that may predispose to complications, each morbidity variable was analyzed for an association with the 25 clinical variables recorded. RESULTS: Combined grade III/IV morbidity was 27.0%. Complications observed included the following: peripancreatitis (6.0%), fistula (4.5%), postoperative bleeding (4.5%), and hematological toxicity (4.0%). Morbidity was statistically linked with the following clinical variables: duration of surgery (P < .0001), the number of peritonectomy procedures and resections (P < .0001), and the number of suture lines (P = .0078). No HIIC variables were statistically associated with the presence of grade III or grade IV morbidity. Treatment-related mortality was 1.5%. CONCLUSIONS: HIIC may be applied to select patients with peritoneal carcinomatosis from gastrointestinal malignancies with 27.0% major morbidity and 1.5% treatment-related mortality. The frequency of complications was associated with the extent of the surgical procedure and not with variables associated with the delivery of heated intraoperative intraperitoneal chemotherapy. The technique has shown an acceptable frequency of adverse events to be tested in phase III adjuvant trials.

Colon carcinoma in the adolescent.

Carcinoma of the colon in the adolescent, although an uncommon disease, is usually virulent and has a poorer prognosis than in older patients. We report three cases of colon cancer in youngsters less than 19 years old. Two of them, who were diagnosed and treated early, are presently considered cured; the third died 3 months after surgery. All underwent surgery and adjuvant therapy. In an extensive review of the literature, we found a consensus as to the rarity, virulence and poor prognosis of colon cancer in the younger population. The commonest histological pattern is an aggressive, mucin-producing adenocarcinoma. Predisposing conditions include familial polyposis coli and ulcerative colitis. We also found that a low socioeconomic status could be a predisposing factor. Survival obviously depends on the extent of the disease at diagnosis, and the shorter the delay in diagnosis, the better the prognosis. The therapeutic approach must be aggresive in both surgery and adjuvant therapy; the goal must be early diagnosis, the reward being a possibility of cure, as seen in two of our three cases.

[Upper thoracic sympathectomy by thoracoscopic approach. A method of choice for the treatment of palmar hyperhidrosis]. / La sympathectomie thoracique haute par voie thoracoscopique. Une méthode de choix pour le traitement de l'hyperhidrose palmaire.

Palmar hyperhidrosis is excessive sweating beyond physiological needs in the palm without recognized etiology. Although a benign disease, it is annoying to most patients. Currently the best treatment for this condition is upper thoracic sympathectomy via many different approaches. The video-thoracoscopic approach has been recommended a a minimally invasive procedure. We report our 1-year experience with transaxillary endoscopic sympathectomy in 99 patients with palmar hyperhidrosis. Standard video-laparoscopy was used via a transaxillary approach to perform sympathectomy. The mean operating time of this operation was 12 minutes and mean hospital stay was 32 hours. The results in terms of warm and dry hands were excellent. Only one case of transitory Horner syndrome was noted. Transaxillary thoracoscopic sympathectomy for palmar hyperhidrosis is a relatively simple and effective procedure which can be performed with standard laparoscopic instruments. The advantages are, short recovery time and hospital stay along with excellent functional and cosmetic results. We are convinced that thoracoscopic sympathectomy is the procedure of choice for the treatment of palmar hyperhidrosis.

Adrenal cysts: diagnosis and therapeutic approach.

We report nine cases of adrenal cysts, treated in our hospital, between 1980 and 1990. The majority of the cases (5/9) were incidental findings on US and CT examinations. We operated on 4/9 cases because of their symptomatology or their size. Four other cases were managed conservatively; one last case was treated by percutaneous drainage under CT. In our series, 1/9 (11%) was a malignant cyst. The follow-up shows excellent results in the benign cases and 40 months' survival in the malignant case, until today.

[Volvulus of the transverse colon. Apropos of three cases]. / Volvulus du côlon transverse. A propos de trois cas.

Volvulus of the transverse colon is a very rare entity, representing 1 to 3.4% of all volvuli of the colon. We report three cases illustrating the problems of this pathology. The presentation is usually acute, leading to prompt surgery. Multiple etiologies may be combined: congenital malrotations of the gut, chronic constipation in the elderly enhanced by psychiatric medications, and mechanical by adhesion bands which help to create anomalous rotation axes for the volvulus. The best treatment must be surgical, and we recommend an aggressive approach: an extended right colectomy, which gave good results in our patients.

[Chylothorax: a rare complication of transaxillary thoracic sympathectomy]. / Le chylothorax: une complication rare de la sympathectomie thoracique trans-axillaire.

Transaxillary upper thoracic sympathectomy is a safe surgical procedure for the treatment of palmar hyperhidrosis. Although thoracic complications such as hemothorax and pneumothorax occasionally occur following this procedure chylothorax is an extremely rare complication. From 1978 to 1991, 215 consecutive patients underwent upper thoracic sympathectomy for the treatment of palmar hyperhidrosis in our institution. We report the surgical management of one patient who developed an intractable chylous fistula which did not respond to non-surgical treatment. Attempts at non-surgical management of the disease, with aspiration therapy, tube thoracostomy and the administration of medium chain triglyceride diet, should be tried first. If, however, this is not successful within two weeks, one should not wait for further metabolic and nutritional impairment before instituting surgical treatment. We believe that proximal thoracic duct ligation is a relatively simple and effective means of controlling chylothorax.

Management of periareolar abscess and mamillary fistula.

During a 15 year period, 18 patients with 28 mamillary fistulas were treated. In eight women, periareolar abscess had preceded recognition of a fistula. Ten patients were primarily diagnosed as having mamillary fistula. In six patients, when the underlying fistula tract was not identified and excised at the time of operation, discharging sinus reoccurred. Twenty-two fistulas were completely excised together with an extensive lactiferous duct system. Operative wound was primarily closed using antibiotic cover. Periareolar abscess and mamillary fistula should be treated primarily by complete excision of the fistula tract and extensive duct system of the breast.

Isolated popliteal artery occlusion in the young.

Three young patients with an isolated popliteal artery occlusion are presented, two with severe claudication and the third with a critical ischaemic foot. The work-up of these patients leads to certain aetiologic possibilities: microtrauma, smoking and contraceptive pills. Two of our patients underwent thromboembolectomy, the third managed conservatively. The follow-up was between six months and seven years and up to now all three patients remain well.

PIP: 3 cases of popliteal artery occlusion are described, in 2 young Israeli women and a young man, and the etiologic factors in this rare disorder are reviewed. The 1st case was a 20-year old healthy woman with no contributing factors except use of low dose oral contraceptives for 5 months. She had suffered for 3 months with claudication of her left leg. Her Doppler ankle-brachial index was 0.7, and her angiogram showed complete occlusion of the popliteal artery and partial occlusion of the tibio-peroneal. She was treated with aspirin and cardoxine, discontinuation of oral contraceptives and walking, and recovered. The 2nd case was a 33-year old woman with history of rheumatic fever, obesity, hirsutism, venous thrombosis, hormone therapy for infertility, multiple spontaneous abortions, smoking, and possible Cushings disease. Her findings included and AB index of 0.45 on the right, and spotty stenosis of the popliteal artery. She was treated surgically with a Fogarty catheter, and is well 3 years later with the help of anticoagulants. The 3rd patient was a 30-year old male athlete who smoked heavily. He had an AB index of 0.4 on the left and complete blockage of the popliteal artery, so he received longitudinal arteriotomy and thrombectomy. He was put on anticoagulants, and is well, 6 months after surgery. Oral contraceptives were considered the likely cause of the 1st young woman's claudication, and possibly involved in the 2nd patient's ischemia. It is usually difficult to define the cause of isolated popliteal artery occlusion in young adults. Multidisciplinary management with thrombolytics or surgery should be considered, and discontinuation of oral contraceptives should be a priority, especially if a young woman began using them in the last year.

[Abscess of the abdominal wall: a rare presentation of xanthogranulomatous pyelonephritis]. / Abcès de la paroi abdominale: une présentation rare d'une pyélonéphrite xanthogranulomateuse.

A young psychiatric patient presented with a purulent collection in the lower abdominal wall. Simple drainage failed to heal the abdominal wall abscess, and the presence of a primary septic focus was suspected. Full investigation showed a right renal pelvis calculus with xanthogranulomatous pyelonephritis complicated by a retroperitoneal abscess. Recovery was complete after a nephrectomy. A review of the published literature demonstrated the rarity of this presentation, although even more curious cases have been described, including a urinobronchial fistula, as well as catastrophic cases presenting with a massive haemorrhage. Authors are unanimous that ultrasonography should be the first examination, the scanner being also of primordial value for the diagnosis and demonstration of the retroperitoneal spaces ans fascia. Treatment requires both rapid and radical surgical intervention.

[Is enterolithiasis a disease occurring more frequently in desert climate? Apropos of 8 cases]. / Entérolithiase, une pathologie plus fréquente en région désertique? A propos de huit cas.

This work is a report about 8 cases of enterolithiasis treated in our University Hospital between 1980 and 1990. We emphasize the rarity of this condition. We also note its relative frequency (5 of 8 cases) in the Bedouin population of our mostly desertic area, and question the possible impact of a diet rich in goat's milk and/or of tuberculosis, which is still endemic in some tribes. We then discuss the difficulties of diagnosis and the essential contribution of small bowel radiographs. The etiologies of enterolithiasis are reviewed, as well as the various modalities of treatment.

[Hydrothorax of hepatic origin. Description of a clinical case, pathophysiology]. / Hydrothorax d'origine hépatique. Description d'un cas clinique, pathophysiologie.

We admitted a 60 year old patient with severe right hydrothorax. He was known to suffer from decompensated non-alcoholic cirrhosis. His invaliding dyspnea was only temporarily improved by repeated thoracocentesis, due to the very rapid refilling of the thorax from the ascites; until the development of a "tension hydrothorax" with dangerous mediastinal deviation. By insertion a peritoneo-venous shunt described by LeVeen the clinical picture was improved, and the patient no longe required further pleural aspiration. Six per cent of cases of ascites complicating hepatic cirrhosis may be associated with hydrothorax of the same origin. The diaphragm is normally perforated by a multitude of tiny virtual holes, closed by the peritoneum and the thoracic pleura. The high intra-abdominal pressure in ascites tears these fragile membranes, and allows the peritoneal fluid to overflow into the pleural cavity. Usually treated by fluid restriction and diuretics, when this condition becomes intractable or when a tension hydrothorax appears, interfering with respiratory function a LeVeen peritoneo-venous shunt should be inserted.

[Cystadenocarcinoma with peritoneal involvement (pseudomyxoma peritonei). Is surgical resection alone sufficient?]. / Cystadénocarcinome avec atteinte péritonéale (pseudomyxome péritonéal). L'exérèse chirurgicale seule est-elle suffisante?

We present our experience of 10 cases of pseudomyxoma peritonei treated in our regional hospital between 1978 and 1992. We note the rarity of this disease; the catastrophic macroscopic appearance may mislead the in experienced surgeon. Preoperative diagnosis is usually easy when confronted with a mass in an ascitic abdomen, with the help of ultrasonography and CT-scan, and above all after abdominal puncture which produces pathognomonic gelatinous fluid. Most cases are derived from the ovary and appendix. Treatment is surgical and aggressive; we adopt the protocol proposed by Sugarbaker which combines repeated surgery and local and systemic chemotherapy. The relatively good survival, even in the malignant cases, seems to be improved by this treatment.

[Vein ligation in cavosuprahepatic disinsertion]. / Ligature veineuse pour désinsertion cavo-sus-hépatique.

We report one case of multiple injuries sustained in a traffic accident, including severe injury to the liver and rupture of one of the major suprahepatic veins. We review the techniques for controlling massive hemorrhage, which is still too often fatal in this type of hepatic injury. We notably emphasize the fact that major injury to the liver does not necessarily require wide resection such as formal lobectomy. This approach is advocated by numerous authors, as shown in our review of the literature.