Effect of exercise while utilizing a device with an arm compression sleeve to reduce lymphedema.

BACKGROUND: Lymphedema is one complication of breast cancer treatment and there is no consensus that identified one single therapy in the treatment of lymphedema; therfore an association of methods is recommended and one of these is exercising. The aim of this study was to evaluate the utilization of exercising with a facilitating device along with an arm compression sleeve to reduce the size of lymphedematous arms. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty women from a rehabilitation group with arm lymphedema resulting from the surgical, chemotherapeutic, and radiotherapeutic treatment of breast cancer were enrolled sequentially on arriving in the clinic. While sitting in an upright position and wearing an arm compression sleeve, patients were submitted to a one-hour session of active exercising consisting of four 12-minute stints with three-minute intervals to rest. The change in lymphedema was evaluated by water volumetry before and immediately after the session. The active exercising device is similar to the pedaling system of a bicycle. The paired t-test was employed for statistical analysis. An alpha error of 5% (p-value < 0.05) was considered acceptable. RESULTS: A statistically significant reduction (p-value < 0.004) was noted in the size of the arm. CONCLUSION: Active exercising using a facilitating device and under supervision may reduce the size of lymphedematous arms.

Spontaneous perforations of the small intestine.

BACKGROUND AND METHODS: The present study describes the procedures used by the authors in the management of 34 patients with spontaneous perforation of the small intestine. RESULTS: Only one (2.9%) of the patients had the perforation cause diagnosed before laparotomy; 27 (80%) cases showed ileal perforative lesions while seven (20%) had jejunal lesions; 31 (91.1%) patients presented single perforations and three (8.8%) had multiple ones. Intestinal resection followed by anastomosis or ileostomy and colostomy, was carried out in 21 (61.7%) cases, and 13 (38.2%) patients were submitted to exeresis with edge restoration and lesion suture. The cause of perforation could be identified in 29 (86.3%) cases while in five (14.7%) patients the cause was considered idiopathic. Eighteen (53%) patients recovered from surgery and were discharged; there were 16 (47%) deaths resulting from a number of complications. CONCLUSIONS: Since the prognosis regarding this disease depends on the peritoneal infection severity level, the patient's organic resistance, and most of all, the time interval spent until the treatment is initiated, the authors emphasize the need to have a laparotomy performed as early as possible considering that this procedure provides the best chances of survival and health recovery.

The role of surgery in the treatment of primary gastric lymphoma.

The present retrospective study of 23 patients with primary gastric lymphoma had the objective of determining the role of surgical treatment on survival. All patients were submitted to gastric resection with regional lymph node removal. Nine patients (39.1%) received supplementary treatment (chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy). According to the Kiel classification, the most frequent histological type was the centroblastic (29.1%), and most patients (60.9%) had a low-grade lymphoma. According to the Ann Arbor classification, modified by Musshoff and Schmidt-Vollmer, stages were IE in 52.1%, II1E in 8.7%, II2E in 13.1%, and IV in 26.1% of the cases. Mean survival was 29.3 months. The variables that influenced survival rates were age, advanced stage tumor, and receiving postoperative adjuvant therapy. Analysis of our cases suggests that complete lesion resection along with adjacent lymph nodes, and supplementary postoperative treatment is the best approach for a resectable primary gastric lymphoma.

[Multiple retroperitoneal neurofibroma. Report of a case]. / Neurofibroma múltiplo retroperitoneal. Relato de um caso.

Tumors of nervous origin in the retroperitoneum are rare without specific symptoms which diagnosis is usually very difficult. The authors report a case of an asymptomatic patient with two benign retroperitoneal neurofibromas, one of them calcified and located near the inferior pole of the left kidney; the other tumor was closely adhered to the pancreatic tail in the supramesocolic region. Both were resected with appropriated surgical margins. The histopathologic and immunohistochemical studies established the correct diagnosis of the lesions. The authors comment the diagnostic tests of these tumors, their possible malignant degeneration and their surgical treatment.

[Carcinoid tumors of the gastrointestinal tract. Analysis of 21 cases]. / Tumores carcinóides do trato gastrointestinal. Análise de 21 casos.

Twenty-one patients with carcinoid tumors have been analysed. Out of 18 patients the diagnostic was made at operation and out of 3 by autopsy. The most frequent sites of the primary tumors were the appendix (38.1%), ileum (23.8%) and colon (19.9%). Asymptomatic tumors were found incidentally in 10 patients (55.5%). The symptomatic neoplasms were more common in the ileum. No one patients in this series obtained the diagnostic of carcinoid tumors before operation or autopsy. It was not observed the malignant carcinoid syndrome. Sixteen patients (88.8%) were submitted to resection and the mean survival was 10.7 years. Two patients (11.1%) were submitted to palliative operations and the mean survival was 3.5 months. The incidence of metastases in cases with carcinoid greater than 2.0 cm in diameter was 71.4%; on the other hand, the patients with carcinoids 2.0 cm in diameter or smaller than this size disclosed metastases in 7.6%. No patients with appendix carcinoid showed metastases and all patients with metastases presented ileum or colon carcinoids. In this series, the prognostic was related with the lesion's size, the localization of the tumor in the gastrointestinal tract and with the resection or not of the primary neoplasm.

[Isolated ileocecal tuberculosis simulating malignant neoplasia and Crohn's disease]. / Tuberculose ileocecal isolada simulando neoplasia maligna e doença de Crohn.

BACKGROUND: Isolated ileocecal involvement by tuberculosis in the absence of pulmonar disease is rare in Brasil, therefore causes a diagnostic dilemma as it mimics colonic malignancy and Crohn's disease. METHODS: Between 1969 and 1989, eight patients with isolated hypertrophic ileocecal tuberculosis were treated by surgery in the Gastroenterology Surgery Department of the HSPE-FMO. The most common complaint among them was abdominal pain (100%) with associated symptoms of weight loss (62.5%); nausea, vomiting, fever and general weekness appeared in half of the patients. A right iliac fossa mass was present in seven (87.5% ) of them. The mean duration of symptoms was 14.7 month (range 5-36 months). In all eight patients chest x-rays were negative for tuberculosis. Barium contrast studies showed abnormalities in all cases, but these could not be distinguished from carcinoma. Colonoscopy was helpful in establishing the diagnosis of suboclusive lesions of the ileocecal regions in three patients. Tuberculosis diagnosis was suspected in two of them because ofr the presence of granulomas in colonic biopsy material. RESULTS: Six patients were submitted to elective right hemicolectomy. The two remaining with suspect of tuberculosis were operated with signals of intestinal occlusion, and underwent a limited ileocaecal resection. The positive diagnosis of intestinal tuberculosis was made in all the patients by identification of acid-fast bacilli and by the presence of caseating granulomas in intestinal or lymph node tissue on histological examination. The outcome in all of them was favorable. They received treatment with three antituberculosis drugs over a twelve month period. CONCLUSION: Hypertrophic ileocecal tuberculosis must still be considered in the differential diagnosis of abdominal pathology localized in the right lower quadrant.

[Colorectal lipomas: anatomoclinical study of 29 cases]. / Lipomas colorretais: correlação anatomoclínica de 29 casos.

OBJECT: To evaluate the incidence of colorectal lipomas, its diagnostic methodology and therapeutic management. CASUISTIC AND METHODS: The reviewed necropsies performed in a six years period and the patients' records from colorectal lipomas cases treated up to 1965 until 1993 were studied enhancing the clinical presentation, their diagnosis and therapy. The 29 cases of submucosal intestinal lipomas were disposed in three groups. The first group with ten patients lipomas were detected at necropsies. The second group with 11 symptomatic patients and group three with 8 asymptomatic patients which lipomas were discovered accidentally in surgical specimens resected due to neoplasm or in the course of diagnostical procedure. RESULTS: 0.56% of patients who were submitted to necropsy disclosed colorectal lipomas situated preferentially in right colon and in female. Enterourhage was the most often symptom (54.5%) in the group two, followed by cramp abdominal pain. Intussusception appeared in three patients (27.3%). Contrary to the medical literature, the symptomatic lipomas were preferentially situated in left colon and its mean size was 6.1 cm. The diagnosis were performed through opaque enema and more recently by colofibroscopy and CT scan. Resections were performed in all patients: five were enlarged, three were local and other three were endoscopic resections. Multiple lipomas were detected in 30% of patients who were submitted to necropsy and in 25% of asymptomatic group. In both groups no tumor was larger than 2.0 cm of diameter. CONCLUSIONS: Colorectal lipomas are rare in both clinical presentation and necropsy. Before the advent of CT scan and colofibroscopy the majority of the patients were submitted to wide resections, in the assumption of malignancy. Afterwards the endoscopic polipectomy and local resection became our preferential management.