One of the well known complications of radical neck dissection is a chylous fistula, which results from injury to the thoracic duct as it enters the left subclavian vein. Such fistulae may cause considerable increased morbidity to a patient who is already debilitated by malignancy and by the increased catabolic response to surgery. Further surgery may be appropriate for those with a high fistula output but conservative therapy is normally advocated for the remainder. Nutritional and electrolyte support for these patients is essential and poses potential problems in management. We present three such patients. One was fed parenterally and two enterally and in all cases the fistulae closed spontaneously. We examine the known physiological stimuli to chyle production and conclude that the enteral feedings of these patients with fat or an isomolar enteral feed does not, contrary to current belief, increase chyle flow or delay the healing of these fistulae.
The case of an 18-year-old man who presented with a large cystic mass in the floor of the mouth extending into the left submandibular triangle of the neck is reported. Histopathology of this mass, which was totally excised by a combined intra-oral and cervical approach, confirmed it to have originated in ectodermal remnants (congenital dermoid cyst) and to be actively secreting sebum. This case is reported both because dermoids at this site are rare because they may present some problems in management.
Pancreatic fistulas are among the most devastating complications after pancreatic surgery. Their subsequent development can be lethal. We report two cases of pancreatic fistulas treated with phenytoin. Fistula tract healing consists of several processes, including cell migration and the formation of a new extracellular matrix. Multiple studies have shown that phenytoin can promote wound healing and induce faster fibrosis. We postulate that such a positive effect can be used to enhance fibrosis of the pancreatic fistula tract. We treated two patients who had developed high-output pancreatic fistulas after pancreatic surgery. The first underwent hand-assisted laparoscopic pancreatic necrosectomy and developed two high-output pancreatic fistulas and a colocutaneous fistula. The second occurred post Whipple surgery. Both were given oral phenytoin after failure to respond to other measures. In conclusion, oral phenytoin may have a positive effect in the treatment of fistulas. Prospective studies are needed to indicate this possible effect of phenytoin on fistula healing.
Background Aortic cusp extension is a subjective and operator-dependent technique. In order to facilitate surgical correction of aortic cusp retraction and reestablishment of adequate cusp coaptation, we sought to develop new templates that can be used to cut flat pericardial sheets into precise cusp extension patches. Methods Each template was designed as a two-dimensional unwrap of the natural geometry of a complete aortic cusp, and a series of templates were made available to correspond with all potential aortic cusp sizes. Based on these templates, aortic cusp extension was performed in 2 patients (aged 54 and 43 years) with significant retraction of the noncoronary aortic cusps and severe aortic valve insufficiency. In each patient, extension of the retracted native noncoronary cusp was undertaken using a bovine pericardial patch that matched the size of adjacent nondiseased native aortic cusps. Results Achieving geometrically perfect aortic cusp extensions was uncomplicated, and intraoperative transesophageal echocardiography confirmed satisfactory aortic valve repairs (aortic insufficiency < 1+ and low transvalvular gradients). Early follow-up transthoracic echocardiography confirmed that all valve cusps met at similar heights in the aortic root, and that their excursions were virtually identical. Conclusions The newly designed templates can be used to cut flat pericardial sheets into exact cusp extension patches, and initial clinical experience indicates that they are useful in performing precise aortic cusp extension procedures and restoring adequate aortic valve competence.
Ventral hernias commonly encountered in surgical practice account for 15-20% of all abdominal wall hernias. Results of tissue repair have been disappointing. The optimal approach for abdominal incisional hernias is still under discussion. The aim of the study was to evaluate the retro muscular mesh repair technique in the treatment of ventral hernia as one of the standard techniques for treatment of such cases. This prospective study on 50 consecutive patients was performed from July 2016 to July 2017. Patients were prepared to be operated by the retro muscular mesh repair technique. All patients were evaluated with respect to operative time and postoperative complications. Results were documented and statistically analysed. In this study on 50 patients, there were 30 female patients (60%) and 20 male patients (40%). The age of the studied patients ranged between 26 and 65 years with mean age of 49.8 years. The mean operative time was 88.5±15.3 min. The mean period of drainage was 2.3±1.3 days. Seroma was encountered in one case only 2%. No recurrence was reported in the studied patients during the period of follow-up (12months). On the basis of this study, we conclude that retro muscular (sublay) mesh repair is the ideal technique for incisional hernia repair.
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