Clinical features and surgical treatment of the coexistence of cervical,thoracic and lumber degenerative disease

Objective To discuss clinical features and surgical treatment of the coexistence of cervical,thoracic and lumber degenerative disease. Methods From January 2004 to December 2008,79 cases with the coexistence of cervical,thoracic

Selection of surgical methods for thoracic ossification of ligamentum flavum combined with cervical spondylotic myelopathy

Objective To investigate the difference between different surgical methods for thoracic ossification of ligamentum flavum(OLF) combined with cervical spondylotic myelopathy(CSM) . Methods From January 1991 to January 2003,56 cases

Surgical strategy to dural ossification of thoracic spinal stenosis

Objective To explore the surgical strategies of thoracic spinal stenosis with dural ossification.Methods One-hundred and eight patients with thoracic spinal stenosis were treated.Dural ossification was found in 29 cases during operation

Diagnosis and one stage surgical treatment of lower thoracic ossification of ligamentum flavum combined with lumbar spinal stenosis

Objective To study the diagnosis and treatment of lower thoracic ossification of ligamentum flavum(OLF) combined with lumbar spinal stenosis.Methods Retrospective analysis was carried out on 11 cases of lower thoracic OLF combined with

Surgical procedures of thoracic ossification of the ligamentum flavum

Objective To investigate different surgical procedures for treatment of thoracic ossification of ligamentum flavum.Methods From January 1994 to June 2008,56 cases of thoracic ossification of ligamentum flavum underwent

Surgical treatment of the thoracic and thoracolumbar disc herniations through the posterior far lateral approach

Objective To evaluate the feasibility,safety and efficacy of surgical treatment of the thoracic and thoracolumbar disc herniations through the posterior far lateral approach.Methods From April 2005 to June 2010,24 consecutive patients

Modified surgical techniques in total en bloc spondylectomy for thoracic and lumbar tumors with a single posterior approach

Objective To investigate the operation key points,instrument improvement and shortterm effects in total en bloc spondylectomy (TES) via a single posterior approach for thoracic and lumbar tumors.Methods A series of modified

Surgical treatment options and its results for thoracic and thoracolumbar disc herniation with or without ossification of ligment flavum

Objective To analyze the surgical treatment options and its results for thoracic and thoracolumbar disc herniation.Methods From June 2004 to December 2009,thirty-one patients of thoracic and thoracolumbar disc herniation with

The Effect of Thoracic Operation on Glucose Transporter-4 mRNA Expression by Preoperative Infusion of Glucose

Objective: To investigate the changes in glucose transporter-4(Glut-4) mRNA expression in skeletal muscle before and after the thoracic operation and to observe the changes in Glut-4 mRNA expression by preoperative infusion of glucose. Methods: Twelve cases of elective thoracic operation were randomly divided into two groups, namely ordinary group Ⅰ and glucose infusion group Ⅱ. One gram of intercostal muscle was taken while thorax being opened and closed from patients under general anesthesia. Total RNA of the muscle cells was extracted by TRIzol one-step assay. Reverse transcription-competitive polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was used to determine the Glut-4 mRNA amplification products with β-actin mRNA as an internal control. The Glut-4 mRNA expression was expressed by targeted gene /β-actin ×100%. The plasma glucose and insulin levels were determined at the same time.Results: Glut-4 mRNA expression was significantly reduced(P<0.05) and plasma glucose level increased (P<0.05), while thorax was being closed as compared with those while being opened. However, Glut-4 mRNA expression in glucose infusion group Ⅱ was significantly higher than ordinary group Ⅰ (P<0.01) and plasma glucose level in group Ⅱ was lower than group Ⅰ(P<0.05) when thorax was being closed. Conclusion: The results indicate that the synthesis of Glut-4 is suppressed by the surgical stress of thoracic operation under general anesthesia. We found that preoperative infusion glucose can increase Glut-4 mRNA expression at the same surgical stress and relieve postoperative insulin resistance.

Diffuse panbronchiolitis with histopathological confirmation among Chinese

Background Diffuse panbronchiolitis (DPB) was originally and is still primarily reported in Japan, rarely in other countries. As macrolide therapy is effective for this disease with once dismal prognosis, familiarity with its clinical features is urgently needed, especially for clinicians outside Japan. The objectives of this study were to investigate the clinical features of DPB in a Chinese population and propose diagnostic procedures that will lead to increased awareness of this treatable disease among clinicians, ultimately allowing for more rapid diagnosis.Methods After a literature review, the clinical features of DPB were histopathologically confirmed in a series of 9 cases either by open lung biopsy or video-assisted thoracic surgical biopsy, resulting in the largest series of confirmed DPB cases in a non-Japanese population. Here, the cases are retrospectively described and diagnostic procedures are discussed.Results Persistent cough, sputum, and exertion dyspnea occurred in 89% of patients, a history of or current chronic sinusitis in 78%, centrilobular micronodules appearing on chest CT scans in 100%, coarse crackles in 78%, FEV 1/FVC<70% in 44%, PaO 2<80 mmHg in 56%, and titer of cold hemagglutinin≥1∶64 in 11%. According to its clinical diagnostic criteria, diagnosis was definitive in 44%, suggested in 33%, and excluded in 23% at the time of diagnosis. However, DPB was clinically considered before confirmation in only 22% of patients, with the remaining 78% of cases missed or mistaken for other diseases. Of the 9 cases, 8 received transbronchial biopsies before confirmation of the diagnosis, but all showed non-specific inflammation.Conclusions Although its clinical features may vary with disease course and ethnic populations, most cases of DPB can be diagnosed or suggested according to clinical diagnostic criteria. However, underdiagnosis as a result of unfamiliarity with its clinical features and diagnostic criteria prevails. If difficulty in diagnosis arises, the diagnosis should be based on clinicopathological features and the exclusion of other diseases. Few cases can be confirmed by transbronchial biopsies; in these cases, either an open-lung biopsy or a video-assisted thoracic surgical lung biopsy should be recommended.