Efecto de unas gotas a base de ácido hialurónico, Aloe vera y Centella asiática en la calidad de vida de pacientes con ojo seco / Effect of eye drops based on hyaluronic acid, Aloe vera and Centella asiatica on quality of life of patients with dry eye

Introducción: la enfermedad de ojo seco (EOS) es una patología común y un motivo de consulta frecuente en farmacia comunitaria. Esta tiene un gran impacto en la calidad de vida (QoL) de los pacientes; por ello, un tratamiento adecuado debería mejorarla. Las lágrimas artificiales constituyen la base para el manejo de la EOS y el principal tratamiento de indicación farmacéutica.Objetivo: estudiar el efecto de unas gotas oculares a base de ácido hialurónico, Centella asiática y Aloe vera en la QoL de pacientes con EOS. Paralelamente, la adherencia al tratamiento, la tolerancia y seguridad del producto, fueron evaluados.Metodología: estudio clínico posautorización, abierto, prospectivo y multicéntrico. Los pacientes recibieron el tratamiento durante 60 días. Para estudiar el efecto sobre la QoL, los pacientes cumplimentaron el cuestionario OSDI© antes de iniciar el tratamiento y a los 30 y 60 días de tratamiento. La adherencia se evaluó mediante la reconciliación de los envases y la seguridad mediante un seguimiento de los eventos adversos. Resultados: los pacientes tratados con las gotas oculares, población por intención de tratar (ITT, n=44), obtuvieron mejoras clínicamente importantes en la QoL, sintomatología y función visual, pues la puntuación OSDI© disminuyó de 32,80 (DE=23,00) (basal, EOS severo) a 12.64 (DE=15,32) (estado normal, p<0,001), y a 9.22 (DE=10,37) (estado normal, p<0,001), a los 30 y 60 días, respectivamente. Más del 70 % de los pacientes se adhirieron al tratamiento. El perfil de seguridad fue favorable. Se observaron 4 efectos adversos oculares de intensidad leve. No se plantearon problemas de seguridad. Conclusiones: Las gotas oculares objeto de estudio podrían ser una opción de tratamiento efectiva y segura para mejorar la QoL de pacientes con EOS.

Desmoid tumor: prognostic factors and outcome after surgery, radiation therapy, or combined surgery and radiation therapy.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the therapeutic value of resection and the potential benefits of and indications for adjuvant and definitive radiation therapy for desmoid tumors. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We performed a retrospective review of 189 consecutive cases of desmoid tumor treated with surgical resection, resection and radiation therapy, or radiation therapy alone. Treatment was surgery alone in 122 cases, surgery and radiation therapy in 46, and radiation therapy alone in 21. Median follow-up was 9.4 years. RESULTS: Overall, 5- and 10-year actuarial relapse rates were 30% and 33%, respectively. Uncorrected survival rates were 96%, 92%, and 87% at 5, 10, and 15 years, respectively. For the patients treated with surgery, the actuarial relapse rates were 34% and 38% at 5 and 10 years, respectively. Among 78 patients with negative margins, the 10-year recurrence rate was 27%, whereas 40 margin-positive patients had a 10-year relapse rate of 54% (P = .003). Tumors located in an extremity also had a poorer prognosis than did those in the trunk. For patients treated with radiation therapy for gross disease, the 10-year actuarial relapse rate was 24%. For patients treated with combined resection and radiation therapy, the 10-year actuarial relapse rate was 25%. The addition of radiation therapy offset the adverse impact of positive margins seen in the surgical group. CONCLUSION: Wide local excision with negative pathologic margins is the treatment of choice for most desmoid tumors. Function-sparing resection is appropriate because adjuvant radiation therapy can offset the adverse impact of positive margins. Unresectable disease should be treated with definitive radiation therapy.

Radiation therapy in the management of desmoid tumors.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the outcome of patients with extra-mesenteric desmoid tumors treated with radiation therapy, with or without surgery. METHODS AND MATERIALS: The outcome for 75 patients receiving radiation for desmoid tumor with or without complete gross resection between 1965 and 1994 was retrospectively reviewed utilizing univariate and multivariate statistical methods. RESULTS: With a median follow-up of 7.5 years, the overall freedom from relapse was 78% and 75% at 5 and 10 years, respectively. Of the total, 23 patients received radiation for gross disease because it was not resectable. Of these 23 patients, 7 sustained local recurrence, yielding a 31% actuarial relapse rate at 5 years. Radiation dose was the only significant determinant of disease control in this group. A dose of 50 Gy was associated with a 60% relapse rate, whereas higher doses yielded a 23% relapse rate (p < 0.05). The other 52 patients received radiation in conjunction with gross total resection of tumor. The 5- and 10-year relapse rates were 18% and 23%, respectively. No factor correlated significantly with disease outcome. There was no evidence that radiation doses exceeding 50 Gy improved outcome. Positive resection margins were not significantly deleterious in this group of irradiated patients. For all 75 patients, there was no evidence that radiation margins exceeding 5 cm beyond the tumor or surgical field improved local-regional control. Ultimately, 72 of the 75 patients were rendered disease-free, but 3 required extensive surgery (amputation, hemipelvectomy) to achieve this status. Significant radiation complications were seen in 13 patients. Radiation dose correlated with the incidence of complications. Doses of 56 Gy or less produced a 5% 15-year complication rate, compared to a 30% incidence with higher doses (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Radiation is an effective modality for desmoid tumors, either alone or as an adjuvant to resection. For patients with negative resection margins, postoperative radiation is not recommended. Patients with positive margins should almost always receive 50 Gy of postoperative radiation. Unresectable tumors should be irradiated to a dose of approximately 56 Gy, with a 75% expectation of local control.

The role of radiation therapy in the management of dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the outcome for dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans treated with conservation surgery and radiation therapy. METHODS AND MATERIALS: A retrospective review was performed of 19 consecutive patients with pathologically confirmed dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans who received radiation as an adjuvant to surgical resection. RESULTS: The patients ages ranged from 19-76 years (median, 40 years); 12 were men. Lesions were located on the trunk in 8, in the head and neck area in 7, and in an extremity in 4. Tumor size ranged from 1.2 to 15 cm (median, 4 cm). Ten patients had at least 1 prior recurrence following earlier resection. Two patients received preoperative radiation to 50 Gy in 5 weeks. Sixteen patients underwent resection followed by radiation (6 of these had positive resection margins). In another patient, the tumor regrew rapidly after resection and definitive radiation was delivered for gross disease. The 6 patients with positive microscopic margins received a median dose of 60 Gy, as did the 10 with negative margins. The 1 patient with gross disease received 65 Gy. At a median follow-up of 6 years, the only patient to develop local recurrence was treated with definitive radiotherapy for gross disease. Actuarial local control was 95% at 10 years. CONCLUSION: Dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans is a radioresponsive tumor and radiation to doses of 50-60 Gy should be considered as an adjuvant to resection if margins are positive. Combined conservation resection and postoperative radiation should also be considered for situations where adequate wide excision alone would result in major cosmetic or functional deficits.

Epithelioid sarcoma: results of conservative surgery and radiotherapy.

PURPOSE: To determine the outcome and prognostic factors for patients with localized epithelioid sarcoma treated with conservative surgery and radiotherapy (RT). METHODS AND MATERIALS: The medical records of 24 patients with nonmetastatic epithelioid sarcoma treated with conservative surgery and RT were reviewed. Preoperative RT was given to 3 patients (median 46.4 Gy) and postoperative RT to 21 patients (median 64.5 Gy). A local (limb-sparing) surgical procedure was performed in all patients. RESULTS: At a median follow-up of 131 months, 14 patients had relapsed and 13 patients had died. The actuarial overall and disease-free survival rate at 10 years was 50% and 37%, respectively. Local, nodal, and metastatic failure occurred in 7, 4, and 10 patients, respectively, yielding a 10-year actuarial local, nodal, and metastatic control rate of 63%, 81%, and 56%, respectively. Univariate analysis revealed that size < or =5 cm and extremity location were favorable prognostic factors for overall, disease-free, and metastasis-free survival. The actuarial 5-year overall, disease-free, and metastasis-free survival rate was 79% vs. 25% (p = 0.002), 51% vs. 13% (p = 0.03), and 79% vs. 13% (p <0.001), respectively, for lesion size < or =5 vs. > 5 cm. The actuarial 5-year overall, disease-free, and metastasis-free survival rate was 77% vs. 39% (p = 0.002), 56% vs. 0% (p = 0.01), and 78% vs. 17% (p = 0.01), respectively, for extremity vs. nonextremity location. Multivariate analysis of the factors correlating with the overall, disease-free, and metastasis-free survival confirmed the favorable prognostic significance of small lesion size. The prognostic significance of extremity location on univariate analysis was explained by an imbalance in the mean tumor sizes. CONCLUSIONS: Epithelioid sarcoma is an aggressive soft-tissue sarcoma, with high rates of local and distant relapse. Local control with conservative surgery and RT compares favorably to published surgical series. The poor outcome for tumors > or =5 cm in size emphasizes the need for effective systemic therapy.

Local-regional control of recurrent breast carcinoma after mastectomy: does hyperfractionated accelerated radiotherapy improve local control?

PURPOSE: Hyperfractionated, accelerated radiotherapy (HART) has been advocated for patients with local-regionally recurrent breast cancer because it is believed to enhance treatment effects in rapidly proliferating or chemoresistant tumors. This report examines the value of HART in patients with local-regionally recurrent breast cancer treated with multimodality therapy. METHODS AND MATERIALS: The study included 148 patients with local-regionally recurrent breast cancer after mastectomy, who were treated with definitive local irradiation and systemic therapy consisting of either tamoxifen, cytotoxic chemotherapy, or both, along with excision of the recurrent tumor when possible. Patients with distant metastases were excluded, except for two patients with ipsilateral supraclavicular nodal metastases. Patients received comprehensive irradiation to the chest wall and regional lymphatics to a median dose of 45 Gy, with a boost to 60 Gy to areas of recurrence. Sixty-eight patients (46%) were treated once daily at 2 Gy/fraction (fx), and 80 (54%) were treated twice daily at 1.5 Gy/fx. Forty-eight patients (32%), who had palpable gross disease that was unresponsive to systemic therapy and/or unresectable, were irradiated. The median follow-up time of surviving patients was 78 months. RESULTS: Overall actuarial local-regional control (LRC) rates at 5 and 10 years were 68% and 55%, respectively. Five- and ten-year actuarial overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) rates were 50% and 35%, 39% and 29%, respectively. Univariate analysis revealed that LRC was adversely affected by 1. advanced initial American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) stage (p = 0.001), 2. clinically evident residual disease at time of treatment (p < 0.0001), 3. more than three positive nodes at initial mastectomy (p = 0.014), 4. short interval from mastectomy to recurrence (< 24 months, p = 0.0007), 5. nuclear grade (III vs. I or II, p = 0.045), and 6. number of recurrent nodules (1 vs. > 1, p = 0.02). Patient age at time of recurrence (< 40 vs. > or = 40 years), recurrence location on the chest wall, estrogen receptor status, progesterone receptor status or menopausal status did not adversely affect LRC. On multivariate analysis, only clinically evident residual disease at the time of treatment and short interval from mastectomy to recurrence remained significant. When once-a-day irradiation was compared to the twice-a-day schedule, no significant differences were seen in LRC (67% vs. 68%), OS (47% vs. 52%), or DFS (42% vs. 36%) for the entire group of patients at 5 years. Pairwise comparison of the two fractionation schedules in each of the adverse outcome subgroups identified above showed no clinically significant differences in LRC at 5 years. For the 48 patients who began radiotherapy with measurable gross local recurrence, the complete response rate to radiotherapy was 73%, with no difference seen between the two fractionation schedules. The incidence of acute and chronic radiation-related complications was similar in both treatment groups. CONCLUSIONS: Hyperfractionated accelerated radiotherapy, although well tolerated by patients with local-regionally recurrent breast cancer, did not result in superior local-regional control rates when compared to daily fractionated regimens. Alternative strategies, such as dose escalation or chemoradiation, may be required to improve control.

Effect of analytic uncertainty of conventional and point-of-care assays of activated partial thromboplastin time on clinical decisions in heparin therapy.

The authors assessed the capability of assays of activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT) for supporting clinical decision algorithms for heparin therapies of varying complexity. Blood samples were collected prospectively in three explicit management strategies from 100 sequential patients for whom heparin dosage was adjusted for therapeutic monitoring, femoral venous sheath removal after cardiac catheterization, or heparinization after thrombolytic therapy. In two- and three-way decision algorithms, conventional and point-of-care aPTT assays agreed with heparin assays in approximately two thirds of cases, and the two aPTT assays agreed in 80% or more of all cases. In six-way decision algorithms, the two aPTT assays agreed in only about half of all cases. The authors conclude that the reliability of point-of-care aPTT assays is similar to that of conventional assays. Both techniques can support two- and three-way decision algorithms but not some more complex patient classifications.

Diagnostic accuracy in fine-needle aspiration of soft tissue and bone lesions. Influence of clinical history and experience.

Interpretation of soft tissue and bone lesions with fine-needle aspiration (FNA) is difficult. We determined whether clinical history or experience improves diagnostic accuracy of FNA interpretation of these lesions. Four cytopathologists with varying degrees of experience retrospectively reviewed 89 soft tissue and bone lesions, initially without knowledge of clinical history and subsequently with knowledge of clinical history. Each time, the pathologist rendered a precise diagnosis (histogenetic classification, e.g., angiosarcoma, lipoma) for each case and classified the lesion into one of 4 categories: benign, probably benign, probably malignant, or malignant. The proportion of correct precise diagnoses was calculated. Also, the numbers of correct and incorrect classifications of malignancy were used in standard relative operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. The area under the ROC curve was estimated to give an indicator of diagnostic accuracy. Knowledge of clinical history increased the proportion of correct diagnoses and the accuracy of the classification for all observers. Experienced observers more accurately classified lesions, and knowledge of clinical history particularly improved the diagnostic accuracy of less experienced observers.

Comparative clinical evaluation of biochemical and genomic tumor markers.

The clinical utilities of established biochemical tumor markers and of emerging genomic markers are compared by six formal criteria: [1] tests negative in health or benign disease, [2] produced exclusively by specific tumor cells, [3] present frequently in the targeted malignancy, [4] detectable in occult disease, [5] degree of expression reflects tumor burden and prognosis, and [6] degree of expression correlates with therapeutic result. Evaluation of eight widely accepted marker systems combining a biochemical indicator with a specific cancer, on the one hand, and five representative genomic marker-target combinations involving chromosomal translocation, gene amplification and mutation, on the other hand, produces three main conclusions: First, specified applications are sufficiently well documented for the best biochemical markers to now tailor analytical performance goals to these uses. Second, further clinical trials of genomic markers are needed to document the useful linkage of specific indicators with specific clinical problems. Third, the different profiles of marker characteristics defining the two classes of indicators suggest some mutually complementary uses.

Radiation therapy for early stage (T1-T2) sarcomatoid carcinoma of true vocal cords: outcomes and patterns of failure.

Sarcomatoid carcinoma of head and neck mucosal sites is a rare high-grade malignancy that may cause diagnostic and therapeutic controversies. A characteristic of this entity consistently reported but not entirely validated is its relative radioresistance and the general belief is that surgery is the treatment of choice. The objective of this retrospective study was to determine if patients treated with radiation for early glottic sarcomatoid carcinoma had worse outcomes than those achieved with irradiation for the more typical squamous cell carcinoma. Twenty-eight cases of early stage (T1-T2) sarcomatoid carcinoma of the larynx treated with definitive doses of megavoltage irradiation between 1969 and 1995 at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center form the cohort for this analysis. All pathologic material was reviewed to confirm the diagnosis. All tumors manifested spindle cell features with marked cytomorphologic abnormalities characteristic of this entity. Sixteen tumors (57%) had the more typical polypoid gross morphology of sarcomatoid carcinoma. Twenty-one patients (75%) were staged T1 and seven patients (25%) had stage T2 disease. All patients were treated with small laryngeal fields, median size 20 cm2, and to a median dose of 65 Gy. Follow-up ranged from 1.5 to 24 years (median, 10 years). Four patients (14%) had local disease recurrence, and all had salvage total laryngectomies and remained free of local disease. The 5-year actuarial local control rates for patients with T1 and T2 lesions were 94% and 54%, respectively. Only one patient developed regional and distant disease. The 10-year actuarial disease-specific and overall survival rates were 92% and 63%, respectively. Patients with early stage sarcomatoid carcinoma of the glottis treated with radiation had similar control rates to irradiated patients with similar volume disease with the more typical squamous cell carcinoma. The authors contend that the histologic diagnosis of sarcomatoid carcinoma by itself should not influence the decision to treat a patient with early stage glottic disease with irradiation.

Toxicity and Efficacy of Concurrent Gemcitabine and Radiotherapy for Locally Advanced Pancreatic Cancer.

Gemcitabine has been demonstrated to be a potentradiosensitizer in the laboratory and in the clinic (1-7)and has proven clinical systemic activity to pancreaticcancer. Responses to systemic gemcitabine inpatients with metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinomahave been documented in phase I, phase II, and phaseIII clinical settings (8,9). Moreover, a recent randomizedtrial of gemcitabine vs 5-FU as first-linetherapy in patients with advanced pancreatic adenocarcinomademonstrated a modest median survivalbenefit (4.41 vs 5.65 mo,p= 0.0025) for those patientswho received gemcitabine compared to those whoreceived 5-FU (10). In addition, gemcitabine wasshown to improve cancer-related symptoms and performancestatus as assessed by a quantitative clinicalbenefit scale in both untreated and previouslytreated patients with metastatic adenocarcinoma ofthe pancreas (10,11). Based on these data, the FDAapproved gemcitabine as a first-line agent for patientswith advanced adenocarcinoma of the pancreas.

Regional cardiac compression due to a large anaerobic bacterial empyema.

Compression of the heart outside the pericardial sac is a rare cause of hemodynamic compromise and cardiac tamponade. We report an atypical case of regional cardiac compression caused by a large loculated anaerobic bacterial empyema.

Percutaneous fine-needle aspiration of gastrointestinal wall lesions with image guidance.

The fear of complications related to transgression of the bowel wall has limited the application of fine-needle aspiration (FNA) in gastrointestinal wall masses. We have undertaken a study examining our use of image-guided FNA in this setting, and evaluated diagnostic outcome and procedural risk. Twenty patients underwent percutaneous computed topography (CT) or ultrasound (U/S)-guided FNA biopsy of gastrointestinal wall masses over a 3-yr period. Hollow-bore needles were used to aspirate 8 gastric wall masses, 5 perirectal/distal sigmoid masses, 4 colonic masses, and 3 small-bowel masses. Lesions ranged in size from 1.5-13.0 cm (mean, 3.9 cm). One to five passes were made into each lesion (mean, 2.4). Immediate assessment for adequacy by a cytopathologist was performed in all cases. Neoplastic processes were identified in 15 cases (8 primary adenocarcinomas, 2 gastrointestinal stromal tumors, 3 metastases to the bowel wall, 1 Kaposi's sarcoma, and 1 primary lymphoma). Eleven of these 15 patients had histologic confirmation (all neoplastic lesions, excepting patients with metastases or Kaposi's sarcoma). Negative diagnoses (no evidence of malignancy) were obtained in the remaining 5 patients (2 benign colonic epithelium, 1 benign lymphoid population, 1 benign stroma, and 1 acute inflammatory process). A benign clinical course was followed in 4 patients, with 1 patient lost to follow-up. No acute or chronic postprocedural complications were identified. The earlier literature as well as this current study suggest that complications of FNA in this setting are rare. Diagnostic material may be obtained in a less invasive manner than open surgical biopsy.

Sources of diagnostic error in the fine-needle aspiration diagnosis of Warthin's tumor and clues to a correct diagnosis.

Squamous metaplasia and cystic degeneration in Warthin's tumor (WT) are not uncommon. A recent case of WT misdiagnosed as metastatic squamous carcinoma with cystic change prompted us to review our experience with fine-needle aspiration (FNA) of WT, with special attention given to potential sources of diagnostic pitfalls. Aspirations from 16 cases of histologically confirmed WT were retrospectively evaluated for cellularity, cell composition, and background. The FNA review diagnosis was compared with the previous FNA and corresponding tissue findings. All tumors presented in the parotid gland. The initial cytologic diagnoses were: WT in 13 cases, oncocytoma vs. low-grade mucoepidermoid carcinoma in 1, squamous carcinoma vs. branchial cleft cyst in 1, and squamous carcinoma in 1. On review, 13 cases (81%) showed typical features associated with WT: Moderate to abundant oncocytic epithelium, lymphoid stroma, background debris, and mild squamous metaplasia. In the remaining cases, one lacked a lymphoid stroma and could not be further classified (initially called "oncocytoma vs. low-grade mucoepidermoid carcinoma"). The other 2 cases contained moderate to abundant atypical squamous cells and extensive necrotic/mucoid debris, and review diagnoses were consistent with the initial cytologic diagnoses (squamous carcinoma in one, and branchial cleft cyst vs. squamous carcinoma in the other). In our series, typical features of WT were seen in 81% of cases. Atypical features are largely present as individual metaplastic squamous cells. Diagnostic errors are caused by a lack of typical features and the presence of individual atypical squamous cells in a necrotic background mimicking carcinoma. An awareness of the morphologic variation present on cytologic preparations and correlation with clinical findings should prevent erroneous interpretation in the FNA setting.

Spindle-cell lesions of the liver: diagnosis by fine-needle aspiration biopsy.

Rarely, spindle-cell lesions in liver fine-needle aspiration biopsies (FNABs) are encountered. A retrospective review of our experience with lesions that are mesenchymal in origin or appearance was undertaken to elucidate the frequency and spectrum of these lesions. Image-guided liver FNABs performed over a 3-year period (n = 585) at our institution (1996-1998) were retrospectively evaluated. Cytologic smears, cell block preparations, and clinical follow-up of lesions with spindle-cell morphology were reviewed. Twenty-nine of 585 cases were of spindle-cell morphology (5%). Hemangiomas (n = 12, 41%) and metastatic sarcomas (n = 6, 21%) comprised the largest categories, followed by granulomatous inflammation (n = 3, 10%). Other cases included primary angiosarcoma and fibrolamellar hepatocellular carcinoma. The most frequent spindle-cell liver lesion encountered is hemangioma, followed by metastatic leiomyosarcoma and granulomatous hepatitis. Awareness of diagnostic possibilities, special attention to specimen adequacy, and use of ancillary procedures can maximize diagnostic yield.

Cytologic features of well-differentiated villoglandular adenocarcinoma of the cervix.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the cytologic features of villoglandular adenocarcinoma of the cervix in cervical smears. STUDY DESIGN: Eleven cervical smears from six patients with histologically proven villoglandular adenocarcinoma were reviewed. RESULTS: All smears were positive for tumor upon retrospective evaluation and revealed similar cytologic features. The tumor cells were abundant and were shed in sheets, tight clusters and tissue fragments. Papillary projections, clusters with smooth borders and flattened cells at the periphery, strips with peripheral nuclear palisading and pseudostratification, and rosettes were present. Nuclear crowding and overlapping were prominent. The nuclei were small, ovoid and hyperchromatic. The chromatin was granular and evenly distributed. Nucleoli were absent or inconspicuous. Mitoses were present. CONCLUSION: VGA may cause diagnostic difficulty because it shares some morphologic similarities with adenocarcinoma in situ, squamous cell carcinoma in situ involving endocervical glands, endometrial cells directly sampled with the Cytobrush and reactive endocervical cells. However, the above constellation of features should permit a cytologic diagnosis.

[The 1st national multicenter study of the CHIVA (Conservative Therapy and Hemodynamics in Venous Insufficiency in Outpatient Departments) method of treatment of varices. One-year follow-up]. / I multicentrica Nazionale sulla metodica CHIVA nel trattamento delle varici. Follow-up ad un anno.

The authors present clinical and instrumental results of N. 543 operations executed by CHIVA system. These cases are the result of trial performed in seven SIOC (Italian Society of CHIVA Operators) centers executed from November '87 to July '89. Functional and aesthetic results had been very good on over 85% of all cases; superficial thrombosis were verified on 10% of all cases but almost completely asymptomatic. The aa. propose to start a deeper trial on 500 patients choose by rigorous criteria of inclusion.

[Anatomic basis of continuous axillary block of the brachial plexus with thoracic reservoir]. / Bases anatómicas del bloqueo axilar continuo del plexo braquial con reservorio torácico.

Although continuous axillary block is effective for periods of up to four to six weeks, pain clinic patients with severe chronic pain in the upper extremities, mainly resulting from neuropathic disease, can require continuous drug delivery by catheter-reservoir for up to three months or longer. We studied possible locations for implanting reservoirs or catheters from the perivascular axillary space in fresh cadavers, checking for possible vascular or nerve damage after applying the usual technique for reservoir implantation. The ideal location for the reservoir is the subcutaneous tissue of the homolateral infraclavicular space of the anterior side of the thorax. The customary procedures for inserting the catheter along the subcutaneous route that extends from the perivascular axillary space to the reservoir carry no risk of damaging vascular or nerve structures.

[Subarachnoid anesthesia with minimal doses of lidocaine in ambulatory arthroscopic surgery of the knee]. / Anestesia subaracnoidea con dosis mínimas de lidocaína en la cirugía artroscópica de rodilla en régimen ambulatorio.

The objective is demonstrate that subarachnoid anesthesia with 2% isobaric lidocaine at low doses (0.5 mg/kg) is safe and effective for outpatient arthroscopic surgery of the knee. This was a prospective study of 150 ASA I-III patients undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery as outpatients under subarachnoid anesthesia. With no prior vascular filling, we provided blockade by administering 2% isobaric lidocaine at a dose of 0.5 mg/kg through a Sprotte 25G needle without vasoconstrictor. We assessed effectiveness and degree of sensory-motor blockade, cardiovascular repercussions, recovery time (until reversal of blockade, ambulation, micturition and discharge) as well as side effects observed. The mean dose of lidocaine used was 33.44 +/- 4.16 mg. The sensory-motor blockade achieved provided optimum conditions for prevention of ischemia and the practice of the surgical procedure in all cases. Surgery lasted a mean 38 +/- 10 min. Hemodynamic changes were not clinically significant and no patients additional fluids, atropine or vasopressors. Time from start of blockade until ambulation, micturition and discharge from the recovery unit were 123 +/- 8.3, 175 +/- 12.4 and 194 +/- 13.4 min, respectively. Micturition was spontaneous in all cases. Complications recorded were cephalea and backache. In conclusion, subarachnoid anesthesia at low doses of 2% isobaric lidocaine provides excellent conditions for practicing arthroscopic surgery of the knee on outpatients, with minimum side effects.