[Unfavorable results of reduction mammoplasty: Causes, preventions and treatments]. / Résultats défavorables des plasties mammaires de réduction. Causes, préventions et traitements.

Reduction mammoplasty is known to be a highly satisfactory surgery but complications and unfavorable results can occur. The objective was to describe the main unfavorable results, to specify their causes, preventions and treatments. We have analyzed articles from the last ten years regarding reduction mammoplasty complications as well as their main unfavorable results. The most common complications were wound dehiscence, hypertrophic scars, infections, fat necrosis, hematomas, and partial or total nipple-areolar complex necrosis. The most frequently reported unfavorable results were unaesthetic and retracted scars, asymmetry in breast size, abnormalities in shape, and malposition of the nipple-areolar complex. For each type of unfavorable outcomes, the possible causes, preventions and treatments were detailed.

Influence of the cuff pressure on the swallowing reflex in tracheostomized intensive care unit patients.

BACKGROUND: Because recovery of an efficient swallowing reflex is a determining factor for the recovery of airway protective reflexes, we have studied the influence of the tracheostomy tube cuff pressure (CP) on the swallowing reflex in tracheotomized patients. METHODS: Twelve conscious adult intensive care unit (ICU) patients who had been weaned from mechanical ventilation were studied. Simultaneous EMG of the submental muscles with measurement of peak activity (EMGp) and amplitude of laryngeal acceleration (ALA) were performed during reflex swallows elicited by pharyngeal injection of distilled water boluses during end expiration. After cuff deflation, characteristics of the swallowing reflex (latency time: LaT, EMGp, and ALA) were measured at CPs of 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 40, 50, and 60 cm H(2)O. RESULTS: LaT and CP were linearly related (P<0.01). CP was inversely correlated (P<0.01) to both ALA and EMGp. CONCLUSIONS: We demonstrated that LaT, EMGp, and ALA of the swallowing reflex were influenced by tracheostomy tube CP. The swallowing reflex was progressively more difficult to elicit with increasing CP and when activated, the resulting motor swallowing activity and efficiency at elevating the larynx were depressed.

Could ventriculoperitoneal shunt and tracheotomy procedures be realized in the same surgical time?

BACKGROUND: Both tracheotomy and ventriculoperitoneal shunting procedures may be required for the same critically ill patient. However, the risk of surgical site infection (SSI) may be increased if both procedures are performed simultaneously. METHOD: We performed a retrospective analysis of 41 consecutive patients who underwent both procedures simultaneously in our institution between March 2000 and January 2008. RESULTS: Analysis revealed no difference in SSI rate between patients undergoing both procedures simultaneously and in staged procedures. CONCLUSIONS: VP shunting and tracheotomy procedures could be performed simultaneously without increasing the risk of surgical site infection. Such strategy may shorten the length of stay in critical care units.

Perforin and granzyme B expression is associated with severe acute rejection. Evidence for in situ localization in alveolar lymphocytes of lung-transplanted patients.

To evaluate rejection episodes in lung-transplanted patients, we analyzed 31 bronchoalveolar lavage specimens for lymphocyte levels and lymphocyte expression of two intracytoplasmic activation markers, perforin, the pore-forming lytic protein, and granzyme B, a member of the serine esterase family. Using anti-human granzyme B and perforin mAbs, we show that their expression in alveolar lymphocytes is correlated with the severity of rejection as assessed by histological parameters and the patients' clinical status. The presence of these molecules may provide a prognostic parameter that will facilitate the patients' monitoring, particularly in cases with minimal acute lung rejection susceptible to rapid progression to severe rejection.

Rejection in lung transplantation--an immunohistochemical study of transbronchial biopsies.

The number, distribution, and phenotype of mononuclear cells infiltrating the allograft lung transplant were determined immunohistochemically with monoclonal antibodies directed against cellular antigens (CD3, CD4, CD8, CD22, CD25, CD16, CD56, CD68, HLA-DR) on frozen sections of transbronchial biopsies. Seventy-two transbronchial biopsies from 21 patients undergoing lung or heart-lung transplantation were evaluated histologically and immunohistologically in a prospective study. Four major results were obtained in the graft lung parenchyma: (1) whatever the histological grading of rejection, T lymphocytes expressing CD3 were present and in a significantly higher number than in control subjects (P < 0.0005); (2) there was a positive correlation between histological rejection and the number of CD3+, CD8+, CD25+, CD16+ cells (P < 0.01); (3) the CD4/CD8 ratio was inverted (0.52 +/- 0.04), with no correlation with the histological rejection; and (4) the number and location of CD3+, CD25+ cells did not correlate with CMV identification in bronchoalveolar lavage. Immunohistochemical criteria could be used for diagnosis of rejection in the management of heart-lung transplantation.

Usefulness of isometric exercise during dobutamine administration for stress echocardiography.

An isometric exercise was performed by 170 consecutive patients at peak dose dobutamine, before atropine administration. The test was well tolerated, heart rate increased significantly during exercise, and atropine administration was avoided in 29% of patients.

Pulmonary embolectomy by catheter device in massive pulmonary embolism.

From 1982 to 1989, ECD was performed on 18 patients suffering from poorly-tolerated massive pulmonary embolism, for whom classic treatments (fibrinolytics and surgery) were impossible. Eleven of these 18 patients immediately improved (S group). This procedure was unsuccessful in other seven patients (F group). Thirteen patients survived (72 percent). The time lag between the first episode of pulmonary embolism and ECD was significantly shorter in the S group than in the F group (4.7 +/- 5.4 days vs 18.3 +/- 6.9 days, p = 0.0004). So was the elapsed time between the onset of hemodynamic impairment and ECD (13 +/- 12 hours vs 59 +/- 38 hours, p = 0.003). We conclude that ECD should be considered when other treatments are impossible especially when the first symptoms date back less than 15 days and the hemodynamic impairment less than 48 h.

Relationship between left ventricular mass and noninvasive monitoring of blood pressure.

We studied the relationship between left ventricular mass index (LVMI) and blood pressure (BP) monitored during 24 hours in 35 normotensive and 58 hypertensive patients with no treatment for more than three months. We found a close correlation between LVMI and the average daytime systolic BP (r = 0.68). Other parameters derived from BP monitoring were also correlated with LVMI: daytime diastolic BP (0.54), nighttime systolic and diastolic BP (0.61 and 0.54), pulse pressure (0.58), the average of the five highest systolic and diastolic BP (0.57 both), and the percentage of systolic BP above 140 mm Hg (r = 0.64). However, in a stepwise multiple regression analysis only daytime systolic BP was independently correlated to LVMI. The standard deviation of systolic BP was not significantly correlated to LVMI. The same positive correlation between daytime systolic BP and LVMI was found in normotensive and hypertensive patients, males and females, and patients with and without left ventricular hypertrophy. So, at least regarding the prediction of the degree of left ventricular hypertrophy, the average systolic BP during daytime seems to be the only valuable parameter to look at in ambulatory BP monitorings of untreated hypertensive patients.

Captopril test in the detection of renovascular hypertension in a population with low prevalence of the disease. A prospective study.

The value of the captopril test as a screening test for identifying renovascular hypertension has been outlined by several studies performed in populations with a high prevalence of renovascular disease (20% to 50%). We prospectively assessed the value of the test in 103 hypertensive patients referred to our center for evaluation of their hypertension. They had taken no diuretics and no converting-enzyme inhibitors for more than four days. The interpretation of the results of the test was done according to the criteria defined by Muller et al. All patients underwent a digital venous angiography and when positive or doubtful, a conventional angiography. Eleven patients (10%) had unilateral or bilateral artery stenosis greater than 70%. The sensitivity of the test was 73% with a specificity of 84% and a positive predictive value of 35%. The three patients with a false negative test underwent a surgical treatment or a transluminal angioplasty of the stenosis but remained hypertensive. Thus, the captopril test is a useful screening test for identifying patients with renovascular disease, even in a population with a low prevalence of the disease.

An analysis of the diagnostic methods for acute pulmonary embolism.

In spite of numerous sophisticated investigative procedures, acute pulmonary embolism (PE) is very frequently misdiagnosed. In order to improve the diagnostic approach to PE, the sensitivity and specificity of the commonly used methods were reviewed in a group of 421 patients with angiographically proved PE without associated cardio-pulmonary disease. The specificity of diagnostic procedures was, by decreasing order: positive pulmonary angiography (to affirm) = negative perfusion lung scan (to eliminate) greater than chest X-ray much greater than clinical symptoms, positive perfusion lung scan, ECG, blood gas, serum enzymes.

Renal tubular dysgenesis-like lesions and hypocalvaria. Report of two cases involving indomethacin.

We describe a case of twins with twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome (TTS) who were found to have renal tubular dysgenesis (TRD)-like lesions and hypocalvaria attributed to indomethacin treatment of the mother for acute polyhydramnios. History of pregnancy, postnatal clinical course, pathological findings of the kidneys, and the skulls are presented and discussed. These findings include incompletely differentiated proximal tubules in the kidneys and hypoplastic calvaria in both twins. The renal tubular lesions were more marked in the donor than in the transfused twin, probably due to the greater degree of ischemia in that twin. This seems to be in favor of a vascular etiology of the renal defects. However, the fact that similar renal lesions and hypocalvaria were also present in the transfused twin seems to indicate that indomethacin played a role in their onset. This so-called kidney-skull connection has never been reported in conjunction with indomethacin therapy.

A new series of antiarrhythmic procainamide derivatives: toxicity and activity-simulated passive absorption relation.

Several compounds derived from benzamidines and nicotinic pyridinic amidines with a structure similar to that of procainamide, exhibit notable antiarrhythmic properties after injection into animals. The diffusion rate of these different compounds through a solid lipidic artificial membrane was studied with Dibbern's apparatus. A statistical relation was established between the diffusion rate and the principal pharmacological parameters obtained after intraperitoneal injection (toxicity and anthiarrhythmic activity). Essential structural elements seem to determine a better bioavailability than procainamide: character of the substitution (in para) of the benzenic cycle; length of the lateral chain.

[Secondary tumors of the right heart. Echocardiographic aspects. Apropos of 6 cases in the adult]. / Tumeurs secondaires du coeur droit. Aspects échocardiographiques. A propos de 6 observations chez l'adulte.

Secondary cardiac tumours are rare but but are now more frequently diagnosed by echocardiography. We report 6 cases of intracardiac metastases affecting the right heart which were diagnosed by 2D echocardiography. In 3 cases, a very mobile, oval-shaped tumour was visualised within the right atrium prolapsing into the tricuspid orifice in diastole like a myxoma but associated in 2 cases with signs of invasion of the inferior vena cava. Two other non-mobile tumours were observed causing massive invasion of the right atrium and the last case was of an infiltrating tumour of the right ventricle resulting in pulmonary infundibular obstruction. In the light of our experience and a review of the literature, it is difficult to distinguish secondary tumours of the right atrium from myxomas especially when the tumours are mobile and when it is impossible to visualise a pedicle inserted on the interatrial septum or tumoral invasion of the inferior vena cava. At the ventricular level, the diagnostic signs differ according to whether there is tumoral invasion of the cavity or infiltration of the muscular wall. These cases illustrate the value of 2D echocardiography in the diagnosis of intracardiac metastases, sometimes even in the absence of clinical signs.

[Circadian rhythm of blood pressure. Importance of the severity and not the cause of arterial hypertension]. / Variations circadiennes de la tension artérielle. Importance de la sévérité et non de la cause de l'hypertension artérielle.

Recent work have raised the possibility of a lack of circadian blood pressure variability in secondary hypertension. To test this hypothesis, we compared 11 patients with renovascular hypertension (RVH) and 11 essential hypertensive patients (EH) matched for sex, age, body weight, height and the average level of SBP from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. monitored every 15 minutes with a Spacelabs 5200 device. All patients had BP monitored during 24 hours, inside the hospital, after all anti-hypertensive drugs were discontinued for more than 5 days. Paired t test revealed no difference between the two groups. Differences (D - N) between average day time (7 a.m.-10 p.m.) and night time (10 p.m.-7 a.m.) systolic and diastolic BP were not different in the two groups. (Table: see text). To test the influence of BP level on circadian BP variation, we studied the correlation between the difference in day and night average SBP, as a % of average day time SBP, and the average day time SBP in 25 normal subjects and 64 hypertensive patients without treatment. A weak but significant correlation was demonstrated (r = -0.29; p less than 0.01). The higher the average day time SPB, the lower the difference between day and night. In conclusion, circadian variation of BP is not different between essential and renovascular hypertensive patients, but there is a trend to a smaller variation in patients with the higher BP.

[Pulmonary embolectomy in pulmonary embolism: surgery and endoluminal techniques]. / Embolectomies pulmonaires dans l'embolie pulmonaire: chirurgie et techniques endoluminales.

Since Trendelenburg's first attempts in 1908, the techniques of embolectomy have progressed considerably. The reference method remains embolectomy under cardiopulmonary bypass, the development of which has reduced the operative mortality to 30-40% instead of 60% when embolectomy was performed without cardiopulmonary bypass. In the last few years, several techniques have been developed to perform embolectomy by percutaneous endoluminal methods. These procedures are difficult to initiate, little experimented in humans or still at the experimental stage in animals. Advances in the medical treatment of massive acute pulmonary embolism have reduced the indications of embolectomy which has become the exception reserved for the most seriously ill patients in whom the other methods are contraindicated or have failed.

[Complementarity of transthoracic and transesophageal Doppler echocardiography in the diagnosis of thrombosis of a mitral prosthesis. Apropos of 3 cases]. / Complémentarité de l'échocardiographie-doppler transthoracique et transoesophagienne dans le diagnostic des thromboses sur prothèses valvulaires mitrales à double ailette. A propos de 3 cas.

The diagnosis of partial thrombosis of mitral disc valve prostheses is particularly difficult because the clinical presentation is often atypical and the motion of the two hemi-discs is hard to analyse by transthoracic echocardiography. The authors report three cases of partial thrombosis of mitral double-disc valve prostheses. It was not possible to analyse the motion of the two hemi-disc correctly in any of the three patients. The mitral transprosthetic flow recorded by continuous wave Doppler was abnormal with respect to the reference postoperative recording. In addition, in one case, an abnormal echo was observed floating in the left ventricular inflow tract and was suggestive of a thrombus. Transesophageal echo showed abnormal motion of one of the hemi-discs. In two patients this consisted in immobility of the hemi-disc in the semi-closed position; in the other patient, limited excursion of the hemi-disc was recorded. Abnormal retrograde flow in the left atrium was observed in 2 cases and abnormal echoes on the atrial surface of the valve were recorded in one case. After fibrinolysis the transthoracic and transesophageal Doppler echocardiographic parameters returned to normal. These three cases underline the complementarity of transthoracic and transesophageal echocardiography in the diagnosis of dysfunction of mitral disc valve prostheses.

[Effectiveness of double fibrinolytic treatments in subacute deep vein thrombosis of the lower limbs]. / Efficacité des doubles traitements fibrinolytiques dans les thromboses subaiguës des veines profondes des membres inférieurs.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness and desirability of a double fibrinolytic treatment in subacute venous thrombosis of the lower limbs. Thirty-four patients (mean age 55.2 +/- 15.4 years) hospitalized for thrombosis of deep lower limb veins were treated with two different fibrinolytic drugs administered successively: 23 patients received streptokinase first followed urokinase, and 11 patients received urokinase first followed by streptokinase. The overall results that improvement of the phlebographic score (Ph.s) was significantly greater in double fibrinolytic treatment (delta Ph.s. = 4.41 +/- 6.45, p less than 0.001) than after a single fibrinolytic treatment (delta Ph.s. = 3.14 +/- 4.76, p less than 0.001). Individual analysis of the results showed that 28% of the patients were improved by a second fibrinolytic treatment. It would appear that two fibrinolytic treatments are truly effective, albeit inconstantly and in most cases partially. We were unable in this study to determine the characteristics of patients likely to benefit from a double treatment.

[Value and limitations of transthoracic Doppler echocardiography in the diagnosis of thromboses of mechanical valve prosthesis. Report of 19 cases]. / Intérêt et limites de l'écho-doppler transthoracique dans le diagnostic des thromboses de prothèses valvulaires mécaniques. A propos de 19 cas.

The diagnosis of thrombosis of a valvular prosthesis is difficult especially in cases of partial thrombosis. The authors report 19 cases of partial thrombosis of mainly (16 cases) mechanical valve prostheses confirmed by radioscopy and treated either by reoperation or fibrinolysis. Mitral Valve Prostheses: 14 cases (6 Björk, 7 SJM, 1 Carbomedics). All but one case showed significant prolongation of the pressure half time compared with the postoperative reference value. In one case, however, the functional parameters of the prosthesis were normal; the diagnosis was made from the finding of a mobile thrombus on the ventricular surface of the prosthesis. Aortic Valve Prostheses: 5 cases (3 Björk, 1 SJM, 1 Duromedics). Continuous wave Doppler showed significant increases in the velocity of transprosthetic blood flow with respect to the postoperative reference values. Accurate analysis of the mobile elements of the prostheses was usually impossible. These results show that transthoracic Doppler echocardiography remains an excellent method of study and surveillance of mechanical valve prostheses but the limitations of the technique should be familiar to all operators.

[Two-dimensional echocardiography in the diagnosis of intracardiac metastases]. / L'echocardiographie bidimensionnelle dans le diagnostic des métastases intracardiaques.

The authors describe the echocardiographic features of 19 cases of intracardiac metastatic tumours diagnosed over a 5-year period. The cardiac appearances were very varied: pericardial effusion alone or associated with an intrapericardial tumour (9 cases), myocardial infiltration (9 cases), immobile or mobile intracavitary tumour sometimes simulating a myxoma (15 cases). In 18 out of the 19 cases, the tumour mass was hyperechogenic which made it easy to diagnose. However, in one case of right atrial tumour, the mass was hypoechogenic and the diagnosis could only be made by contrast echocardiography. This study illustrates the important role that two-dimensional echocardiography plays in the non-invasive diagnosis of intracardiac metastatic tumours but physicians should be aware of the potential pitfalls and limitations of the technique.

[An adult case of Leigh's subacute necrotizing encephalomyelopathy]. / Un cas adulte d'encéphalomyélopathie nécrosante subaigüe de Leigh.

Leigh's encephalomyelopathy has been mainly observed in infancy and childhood. A later onset, during adolescence or adulthood has been rarely reported. Our patient was a 35 year-old man who died after 10 months of evolution of a subacute neurological syndrome, beginning with behavioural changes then a confusional state, epileptic fits, ataxia, autonomic disorders, abnormal alimentary behaviour and dementia. Diagnosis was only obtained by neuropathology, as in most of the published reports. However this diagnosis is suggested when exists an acute or subacute neurological pattern, beginning with visual defects and alimentary and social impairment, followed by a brain-stem syndrome. CT and M.R.I. will make it more easy. An earlier diagnosis could perhaps allow to discover the suspected enzymopathy responsible for Leigh's encephalomyelopathy and make clearer the relationship between Leigh's disease and encephalopathies with abnormal mitochondria.