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Purpose: This phase I study was designed to demonstrate the feasibility, safety, efficacy and predictability of percutaneous cryosurgery, guided under magnetic resonance (MR) imaging, in the treatment of invasive breast carcinoma., Patients and Methods: Under the guidance of near-real-time T1-weighted FSE images of a 0.5-T open-configuration MR system, percutaneous cryosurgery was performed in 25 patients with operable invasive breast carcinoma, 4 weeks prior to their scheduled mastectomy. Predictive assessments by interventional radiologists using 4 breast-imaging techniques (mammography, sonography, scintigraphy and MR) were correlated with postmastectomy results of histopathology and assessed for predictability. Local and systemic morbidity were also evaluated during the month of follow-up preceding mastectomy., Results: Percutaneous cryosurgery resulted in no serious complications, either local or systemic. All tumoural tissues included in the cryogenic "iceball" were destroyed, with no viable histologic residues. Ablation was total in 13 of the 25 tumours treated. Combining periprocedural MR images with postprocedure scintimammographic findings enabled a 96% rate for predicting the cryosurgical results., Conclusions: MR-guided cryosurgery of breast carcinoma is feasible, safe and efficient, with predictable results. Major drawbacks are that the cryolesion (a palpable iceball) persists for a month or more after the procedure, undermining the reliability of the physical examination; and that breast imaging (mammography, ultrasound and MR) presents the same difficulty of interpretation as the physical exam even 1 month after the procedure. More studies are required to refine this treatment method.

Objective: To identify the prognostic significance of certain clinical, cellular and immunologic markers in resectable non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC)., Design: A cohort of patients with resectable NSCLC was prospectively followed up for 8 years (100% follow-up)., Setting: A university hospital in a large Canadian city., Patients: One hundred and thirteen consecutive patients who underwent surgical resection of primary NSCLC., Main Outcome Measures: Presence of peritumoral B lymphocytes (identified with antibody to CD20) and T lymphocytes (antibody to CD43), along with tumour markers (carcinoembryonic antigen [CEA], keratin, cytokeratin, S-100 protein, vimentin, chromogranin) and other factors such as age, sex, cell type, American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) stage, histologic grade, DNA ploidy and S-phase fraction were correlated with survival., Results: The mean age of patients in the study was 66.0 years; 60% were male. Histologic types of the tumours were: adenocarcinoma 57 (50.4%), squamous cell 47 (41.6%), adenosquamous 6 (5.3%) and large cell 3 (2.6%). AJCC stages were: I 66 (58.4%), II 20 (17.7%) and III 27 (23.9%). Histologic grades were: I (well differentiated) 31 (27.4%), II 50 (44.2%), III 29 (25.7%) and IV 3 (2.6%). Survival was 85% at 1 year (95% confidence interval [CI] 76%-90%), 44% at 5 years (95% CI 34%-53%) and 34% at 10 years (95% CI 22%-46%). Multivariate analyses using the Cox proportional hazards model for survival confirmed AJCC stage (p < 0.001) in all histologic subtypes to be the strongest factor of independent prognostic significance. It also revealed the presence of CD20-stained B lymphocytes (p = 0.04) in the peritumoral region of all tumours to be a positive prognostic factor. This relation was especially strong for nonsquamous cell carcinomas (p < 0.001). For squamous cell carcinomas, the immunohistochemical presence of CEA was of marginally negative prognostic value (p = 0.04). DNA ploidy and a high S-phase fraction showed no evidence of prognostic value for stage I tumours, but for stages II and III tumours there was strong evidence of prognostic value (p < 0.001 jointly). The evidence for DNA ploidy was especially strong in stages II and III squamous cell tumours (p = 0.008), and for a high S-phase fraction was strongest in stages II and III nonsquamous cell tumours (p = 0.002)., Conclusions: AJCC stage remains the most important prognostic indicator from a variety of clinical variables and tumour markers in postoperative patients with resectable NSCLC. For nonsquamous cell lung carcinomas, the presence of peritumoral B lymphocytes was strongly associated with improved survival, suggesting an important role for humoral mediated immunity.

Objective: To examine the experience of pulmonary resections for colorectal metastases at the McGill University Health Centre., Design: A chart review., Patients: Forty-nine patients treated surgically between 1975 and 1998 for pulmonary metastases from colorectal cancer., Intervention: Thoracotomy with pulmonary resection., Outcome Measures: Survival of patients with various preoperative and post operative clinical variables., Results: The perioperative death rate was 4%. Overall 5- and 10-year survival rates were 55% and 40% respectively. The mean interval between the initial colonic resection and resection of pulmonary metastases (discase-free interval) was 36 months. The 7 patients who also under went resection of extrapulmonary metastases had a 5-year survival rate of 52%. Significant preoperative variables that carried a poor prognosis included the following: more than one pulmonary lesion, a disease-free interval of less than 2 years, and moderately or poorly differentiated colorectal cancer. The 16 patients who received chemotherapy after their thoracotomy had a 5-year survival rate of 51% compared with 54% for the 33 patients who did not receive chemotherapy. Recurrent resections of pulmonary lesions did not reduce survival., Conclusions: Pulmonary resection for metastatic colorectal cancer is both effective and safe. Resectable extrapulmonary metastases and pulmonary recurrence should not preclude lung resection. Postoperative chemotherapy has no survival benefit. Preoperative variables should guide the clinician when considering surgical intervention.

Objective: To determine the benefit of open lung biopsy (OLB) in patients with respiratory failure in whom medical therapy is unsuccessful., Design: A retrospective case series., Setting: A tertiary care centre., Patients: Thirty-one patients (20 men, 11 women, mean age 55 years) without the human immunodeficiency virus or AIDS who were suffering from respiratory failure., Intervention: OLB through a limited anterior thoracotomy., Main Outcome Measures: Diagnosis, change in therapy, timing of OLB, immune status, survival., Results: A specific diagnosis was made in 68% of patients, and nonspecific pulmonary fibrosis was found in 32%. Eighteen patients (59%) had a change in therapy: 11 had new therapy and 7 had medical therapy withdrawn because of irreversible disease. There was a significant (p = 0.012) improvement in survival in those who had OLB early compared with those who had OLB later in the course of the disease (70% versus 14%). There was a significant (p = 0.026) difference in the proportion of specific diagnoses made among those who had OLB early compared with those who had it later (100% versus 52%). A significant (p = 0.18) improvement in survival was noted in those who had new therapy instituted as a result of early OLB compared with late OLB (86% versus 25%). Patients not immunocompromised before OLB had a significantly (p = 0.02) better survival rate than those who were immunocompromised., Conclusions: The duration of respiratory failure before OLB and the immune status were associated with improved survival in patients with respiratory failure and unsuccessful medical therapy. This was not directly attributable to changes in therapy after OLB. However, five survived as a direct result of therapy instituted after OLB and seven were spared needless therapy when irreversible disease was found. Overall survival may not be altered by OLB, but individual clinical benefit may be seen in nearly 40% of patients.

Objectives: To determine the effectiveness of extracorporeal shock-wave lithotripsy (ESWL) and adjuvant bile-salt therapy for the treatment of symptomatic cholelithiasis., Design: A prospective case study. Follow-up ranged from 3 to 54 months., Setting: A university teaching hospital., Patients: Two hundred and twenty-three patients with symptomatic cholelithiasis, a gallbladder that opacified at oral cholecystography and three or fewer radiolucent stones with a maximum total dimension of 3 cm. Of these patients, 197 were given bile salts (ursodeoxycholic acid or chenodeoxycholic acid, 8 to 10 mg/kg daily) and underwent ESWL. Twenty-eight were excluded because of noncompliance with the protocol or treatment failure before termination of the ESWL procedure., Intervention: ESWL with a piezoelectric lithotripter., Main Outcome Measures: The success rate of the intervention, the causes of failure, associated complications and the recurrence rate of cholelithiasis., Results: Of the 197 patients who underwent ESWL, 85 (43%) were free of stones after treatment. Treatment failure was caused by the following: unsatisfactory fragmentation (9%), increase in fragment size during bile-salt therapy (8%), severe diarrhea due to bile salts (3%), nonvisualization of fragments after the first ESWL (3%), acute cholecystitis (2%), persistence of small fragments at the end of the treatment protocol (2%) and acute pancreatitis (0.5%). Complications included biliary colic (21%), diarrhea (15%), acute cholecystitis (2.5%), acute pancreatitis (2%), macroscopic hematuria (2%), perirenal hematoma (0.5%) and vagal shock (0.5%). The recurrence rate was 18%. Causes of noncompliance with treatment (26%) were the length of treatment, the occurrence of biliary colic during this period and the high cost of bile salts., Conclusion: ESWL with bile salts as treatment for symptomatic cholelithiasis is not recommended for routine use.

Metastatic disease adjacent to major vascular structures in the retroperitoneum sometimes necessitates planned removal of portions of these vessels, or the vessels may inadvertently be injured when retroperitoneal lymphadenectomy is performed. In 78 patients who underwent retroperitoneal lymphadenectomy, 17 (22%) required vascular repair intraoperatively. The vena cava was most frequently involved (eight cases) followed by inadvertent injury to the renal arteries (five cases) or the infrarenal aorta (three cases). Resection of the infrarenal aorta was planned in two cases without postoperative complication. In six cases a resection of either the whole inferior vena cava or a portion of it was needed to remove all of the tumour. There were nine cases of inadvertent injury to the aorta, vena cava or a renal artery. The outcome after arterial repair was satisfactory with the exception of the inadvertent renal artery injuries, which required nephrectomy in three cases. Leg swelling was not a long-term sequela of either caval repair or resection.

Between Apr. 18, 1990, and Apr. 26, 1991, 258 patients were treated for symptomatic cholelithiasis by laparoscopic cholecystectomy. In 252 patients the diagnosis was chronic calculous cholecystitis, in 3 acute cholecystitis and in 3 hydrops of the gallbladder. There were no deaths. Major complications occurred early in the study--one patient suffered a cardiac arrest because of gas embolism and one had leakage from the stump of the cystic duct, which was treated by percutaneous drainage. Both patients recovered without further complications. The hospital stay averaged 2.9 days. The authors discuss important technical points for the safe performance of laparoscopic cholecystectomy and consider the results obtained by leading groups in the field and by one multicentre survey in the United States. Almost 25,000 cases of laparoscopic cholecystectomy are evaluated.

Between Jan. 19, 1989 and Nov. 23, 1990, 170 patients with symptomatic cholelithiasis were evaluated for possible treatment by extracorporeal shockwave lithotripsy (ESWL). Thirty-one patients were not eligible for treatment, 28 (16%) because of nonvisualization of gallstones by ultrasonography and 3 (2%) because polyps were erroneously diagnosed on ultrasonography. Thirteen (8%) patients failed to comply with the protocol, leaving 126 patients for assessment. At the time of writing, the treatment success rate is 57% at 6 months and 69% at 9 months. Treatment failed in 21 (17%) patients because of unsatisfactory fragmentation in 16 (13%) patients, frequent biliary colic in 3 (2%) patients, acute pancreatitis in 1 (0.8%) patient and severe bile-salt-induced diarrhea in 1 (0.8%) patient. Complications included biliary colic (40 patients), mild diarrhea on bile salts (24 patients), severe diarrhea (1 patient), macroscopic hematuria (4 patients), acute pancreatitis (2 patients) and vagal shock (1 patient). This study demonstrates the effectiveness (87%) of the lithotripter in reducing gallstones to fragments 5 mm in diameter or smaller. However, complete disappearance of these fragments with adjuvant bile-salt therapy may take many months.

Between Mar. 13 and Sept. 16, 1991, the authors performed 10 inguinal herniorrhaphies laparoscopically. Two patients with a type II hernia (indirect with dilated internal ring but intact posterior inguinal wall) had laparoscopic preperitoneal closure of the internal ring with interrupted 0-Prolene. Seven patients had a type IIIA hernia (direct), and one patient had a large type IIIB hernia (indirect with dilated internal ring and medial encroachment or destruction of transversalis fascia of Hesselbach triangle). They all underwent laparoscopic preperitoneal placement of Prolene mesh, which was fixed in place with interrupted 0-Prolene sutures. All patients recovered promptly, with less pain and minimal limping, resulting in high patient acceptance of the procedure. There were no complications. Although no recurrence was noted and the technique appears sound, it is too early to predict its long-term success. At present, the preperitoneal approach is difficult to perform because of lack of appropriate instrumentation. The surgeon who plans to perform such a procedure must be familiar with the anatomy. We suggest that every potential candidate for laparoscopic inguinal hernia repair should be apprised of the advantages and disadvantages of this approach. A research consent form should be read and signed by every patient.

Between November 1990 and March 1991, five patients with cholelithiasis and associated choledocholithiasis were treated by laparoscopic cholecystectomy and common-bile-duct exploration (CBDE). Three patients had a successful CBDE, but in two common-bile-duct stones had to be extracted surgically. Two patients had formal laparoscopic CBDE, and three patients had CBDE performed through the cystic duct. All patients recovered from surgery without complication. Laparoscopic CBDE is difficult to perform because of lack of adequate instrumentation and limited experience. Although the authors do not recommend that this procedure be performed widely at present, they believe it will eventually replace many open CBDEs. The authors review the pertinent literature and evaluate diagnostic means for preoperative and peroperative detection of choledocholithiasis. They discuss the alternatives to laparoscopic CBDE, their advantages and disadvantages. Finally, they summarize their own policy with respect to laparoscopic CBDE.

From April to August 1990, 60 patients underwent laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Patients with biliary colic were included, but those who had florid acute cholecystitis, morbid obesity or scars in the upper portion of the abdomen were excluded. Three patients had acute cholecystitis, 56 had chronic cholecystitis and 1 had hydrops of the gallbladder. Nineteen patients had had previous lower abdominal surgery. Five patients did not require analgesia, but the remainder needed parenteral analgesia on an average of 1.7 occasions and enteral analgesia on an average of 1.8 occasions. There were no intraoperative complications, and no patient had the procedure completed by standard surgery. Postoperative hospital stay averaged 2.5 days. The mean follow-up was 39 days. Few postoperative complications were noted: two patients suffered from ileus; two patients had biliary colic postoperatively (one required endoscopic sphincterotomy with stone extraction, and in the other no common-duct stones were seen on retrograde cholangiography); one patient had an intra-abdominal abscess, which was drained percutaneously; and one patient complained of upper abdominal pain that was incisional in origin. Laparoscopic cholecystectomy should be considered the procedure of choice for elective treatment of uncomplicated symptomatic gallstone disease.

Bleeding in coronary artery bypass procedures increases morbidity and exposes patients to the risks associated with blood transfusion. Desmopressin acetate (DDAVP), a synthetic vasopressin analogue, may limit bleeding during cardiac surgery. In a prospective randomized trial, the authors evaluated the ability of DDAVP to reduce perioperative bleeding during uncomplicated coronary bypass operations. Sixty-two patients who underwent coronary artery bypass grafting were randomized to receive intraoperatively either a placebo or DDAVP. Both groups were similar with respect to operative characteristics and preoperative hematologic profiles, von Willebrand factor levels increased postoperatively in both placebo (2.77 +/- 1.06 versus 2.17 +/- 1.51 U) and DDAVP groups (2.75 +/- 0.94 versus 1.80 +/- 0.88 U). Only the increase in the DDAVP groups was significant (p less than 0.001). There was no difference in total blood loss between the placebo (1826 +/- 849 ml) and DDAVP groups (1716 +/- 688 ml). Total red cell transfusions were similar in placebo (3.4 +/- 1.3 units of blood) and DDAVP groups (3.6 +/- 0.8 units). These results do not support the intraoperative use of DDAVP to reduce perioperative bleeding in routine coronary artery bypass surgery.

Over a 10-year period, 25 patients were treated for prosthetic valve infections: 13 infections were of early onset (within 2 months of valve insertion) and 12 of late onset. Of the latter group 11 patients survived, 6 without reoperation. By contrast, 6 of the 13 with early infections died, 5 of them being among the group of 9 patients who did not undergo reoperation. Vegetations were found on most valves at autopsy or reoperation; they are a major threat to these patients. The authors believe that the mortality for early prosthetic valve infections can be reduced only by earlier prosthetic valve removal and replacement.

Acquired tracheoesophageal fistulas are rare and for the most part are due to a malignant tumour. Acquired nonmalignant fistulas, even more rare, are most commonly the result of trauma or infection. The authors describe two such cases seen at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Montreal, one in 1968, the other in 1978. Both patients were successfully treated by surgical excision of the fistula. The authors review the literature with respect to the cause, symptoms, diagnosis and treatment and conclude that acquired nonmalignant tracheoesophageal fistulas may be treated successfully by operation with minimal morbidity and mortality.

To identify preoperative indicators of outcome following surgery for postinfarction left ventricular aneurysm, the authors have analysed the clinical course of 67 consecutive patients who underwent operation from 1970 to 1982. Follow-up extended to 12 years (mean 4.6 years) and was 97% complete. Postoperative mortality was 8.9%. Factors that were associated with a significantly (p less than 0.05) increased risk of early death included emergency surgery, the presence of ventricular arrhythmias preoperatively and a left ventricular end-diastolic pressure of more than 25 mm Hg on cardiac catheterization. Patients who underwent myocardial revascularization concomitantly had a lower mortality (7.1% v. 18.2% for aneurysmectomy alone), decreased postoperative morbidity and increased longevity. Marked functional improvement was noted in all groups. Actuarial survival (including operative mortality) was 66% at 6 years, and was significantly (p less than 0.05) better in patients operated upon for angina (83.6% +/- 8.1%) than in those operated upon for congestive heart failure (53% +/- 13%). The authors conclude that the most important predictor of outcome following postinfarction aneurysm surgery is the preoperative hemodynamic status of the left ventricle. Since functional recovery and prognosis after operation have been excellent, an aggressive surgical approach to symptomatic left ventricular aneurysms is warranted.

Follow-up evaluation of 44 patients operated upon for renovascular hypertension between Jan. 1, 1969 and Dec. 31, 1978 indicated a 50% rate of cure, a 43% rate of improvement and a 2% operative mortality. The prognosis is much better for younger patients; for those under 35 years of age the cure rate was 100%. The renal vein renin level, although it is a measure of ischemic renovascular hypertension is not a precise criterion for predicting the results of surgical treatment.

The authors present a computer program designed for the practising cardiac surgeon who wishes to computerize patient data. The program is efficient, versatile and can be adapted to individual needs. It can be used with any IBM PC-compatible machine and requires little knowledge of computer science. More than 250 items on 30 000 patients can be stored and all this information analysed simultaneously. The program can chart a patient's profile and tabulate the information of the entire registry. It can generate lists of patients with their surgeons, cardiologists, diagnoses, operations and dates of intervention. It can also be used for mailing purposes.

To ascertain the frequency and probable determinants of myocardial infarction after aortocoronary bypass, two groups of patients were studied: a group of 20 patients who underwent valve replacement of repair of congenital anomalies and a group of 24 patients who underwent aortocoronary bypass. Postoperative myocardial infarction was diagnosed by an increase in serum creatine phosphokinase concentration to a minimum of 1200 IU in two consecutive samples. The frequency of myocardial infarction differed between the groups, being only 5% in group 1 but 20.4% in group 2. In the patients undergoing coronary artery surgery, the duration of bypass, the aortic cross-clamp time and the vent site did not influence the rate of infarction. However, the incidence of myocardial necrosis did correlate with the number of vessels bypassed. In no case was the clinical course influenced by the infarction. Our results suggest that the frequency of perioperative infarction is higher in coronary artery surgery than in other adult cardiac surgery, and that the most important determining factor is the number of diseased vessels.

Between 1976 and 1981, one of the authors operated on 16 patients for myasthenia gravis. Plasmapheresis was carried out preoperatively on seven patients, while nine patients were operated upon without previous plasmapheresis. The seven patients who underwent plasmapheresis had a smooth course pre- and postoperatively. In the other group, there were two postoperative myasthenic complications. Both patients improved with medication and plasmapheresis. Also, the degree of myasthenia gravis was slightly more severe in this group. From their experience, the authors conclude that plasmapheresis is a worthwhile and safe adjuvant in the preparation of myasthenic patients for thymectomy, especially those in Osserman class IV.

Extracorporeal shock-wave lithotripsy is a procedure recently introduced to treat gallstone disease. According to the literature, 15% to 25% of symptomatic persons will be candidates for this procedure if it proves effective. Currently, sonography is one of the best methods for monitoring the performance of lithotripsy. The authors have confirmed this. They have designed an in-vitro model which allows comparison between what is actually happening during gallstone lithotripsy and what is being seen by real-time sonography. The sonographic characteristics of the different phases of gallstone lithotripsy are presented.

Recurrent or residual ventricular septal defect following operative repair of postmyocardial infarction ventricular septal defect has been reported in many series. Most commonly, this is noted incidentally on postoperative cardiac catheterization or as a murmur in relatively asymptomatic patients in whom no further operation is required. Less frequently, its onset is a catastrophic event leading to the patient's death. On the other hand, the shunt may be sufficiently small to allow time for reoperation. With recent improvement in surgical techniques, more patients with this complication of myocardial infarction have been saved. Recurrent or residual ventricular septal defects have become less frequent, decreasing from a rate of 46% before 1970 to an overall 15% today. Few details have been published about recurrence or persistence of ventricular septal defect following operative repair. The authors report on a patient with a persistent ventricular septal defect following operation and necessitating reoperation. They describe the operative repair and review of the literature on this condition since 1973.

The authors compared the results of 100 pacemaker insertion procedures: 50 endocardial and 50 epicardial. The late pacing threshold and the postoperative pain and pulmonary complications were higher in the epicardial group. Although dislodgement occurred in 28% of cases of insertion through the endocardial route, the authors concluded that this route was preferable.

In a 12-year period, 546 pacemaker-related operations were complicated by 23 infections (infection rate, 4.2%). Most of these infections were treated successfully, but two cases of infection were fatal. The most frequently encountered organism was Staphylococcus epidermidis. In 14 cases, infection occurred despite the preoperative administration of cloxacillin to which the organism was sensitive in 13 of the cases. The skin flora constitute the most likely source of contamination. The ideal treatment consists of removal of all foreign material and replacement with a new pacing system by an alternative route.

Pericardial tamponade developed in 29 patients with uremia. The clinical presentation varied, some patients having no symptoms whereas others sustained circulatory collapse. Pericardial friction rub, elevated central venous pressure and a paradoxical pulse were the most common physical findings. Serial chest radiography and echocardiography were most useful procedures in confirming this diagnosis. Two patients were treated conservatively and died despite repeated pericardiocentesis. The remaining 27 patients underwent partial pericardiectomy. One patient died of cardiorespiratory failure and a second from brain damage related to cardiac arrest before pericardiectomy. The other 25 patients reported immediate relief of symptoms and no recurrence of pericarditis. Pericardiectomy is the treatment of choice in uremic pericardial tamponade.

The type, frequency and duration of use of temporary pacemaker wires were recorded in 100 patients who underwent in 100 patients who underwent open-heart surgery. Sixty-five patients had wires implanted: 29 were atrioventricular 35 ventricular and 1 atrial. Pacing was required in 24 instances for nodal rhythm, sinus bradycardia, sinus arrest, atrioventricular block or ventricular tachycardia. Patients who required a pacemaker temporarily had a significantly (P less than 0.001) longer cross-clamping time and required a significantly (P less than 0.025) larger volume of cardioplegic agent during the operation. Two patients who did not have wires placed could have benefited from pacing. Temporary pacemaker wires should always be implanted in patients after they have undergone open-heart surgery, especially when abnormal rhythms are present, or the cross-clamping time is prolonged and when larger volumes of cardioplegic agent have been used.