Canadian Journal of Surgery articles from August 2008

Canadian Journal of Surgery archives from August 2008

Broadening the mandate for international surgery/Un mandat elargi en chirurgie sur la scene internationale.(Editorial)(Report)
August 1, 2008... With the arrival of this issue of the Canadian Journal of Surgery, it is timely to reflect on international surgery. The CJS is receiving increased submissions from the global community and is publishing more on international surgery; this...

Surgeons and astronauts: so close, yet so far apart.(Quill on Scalpel/Plume et scalpel)(Report)
August 1, 2008... Education is broadly defined as the process or art of "imparting knowledge, skill and judgment." (1) This can be passed on from the educator to the learner either formally or informally. When the prefix "surgical" is added to this definition,...

International surgery and the Canadian Journal of Surgery.(Quill on Scalpel/Plume et scalpel)(Standards)
August 1, 2008... Several years ago, the Canadian Journal of Surgery (CJS) initiated a section on international surgery. This decision was motivated by an understanding that CJS readers are interested in surgery in low-income countries and that the inclusion of...

Prognostic variables in adult Wilms tumour.(Original Article/Article original)(Clinical report)
August 1, 2008... Objective: To identify outcomes and prognostic variables that predict survival outcomes in adult Wilms tumour patients. Methods: We collected data on 128 patients with adult Wilms tumour treated between 1973 and 2006. Six cases from our 2...

Ten-year follow-up of a province-wide cohort of surgical lung cancer patients in Nova Scotia.(Original Article/Article original)(Clinical report)
August 1, 2008... Background: After a diagnosis of lung carcinoma, survival is poor for all patients. We sought to assess 10-year survival and predictors of outcome after surgery for lung cancer in Nova Scotia. Methods: We identified all patients (n = 130)...

Hardware removal after tibial fracture has healed.(Original Article/Article original)(Report)
August 1, 2008... Background: Tibial fractures are the most common long bone fracture. The standard of care for the treatment of diaphyseal tibial fractures is an intramedullary nail (IMN). Implant removal is one of the most common procedures in bone and joint...

Autologous bone marrow cell transplantation combined with off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting in patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy.(Original Article/Article original)(Clinical report)
August 1, 2008... Background: Clinical studies have demonstrated that intracoronary or intramyocardial transplantation of bone marrow mononuclear cells (BMMNCs) into ischemic myocardium improves cardiac function. The objective of the present study was to...

Laparoscopic compared with open adrenalectomy for resection of pheochromocytoma: a review of 47 cases.(Original Article/Article original)(Clinical report)
August 1, 2008... Objective: We conducted a retrospective cohort study to determine whether laparoscopic adrenalectomy (LA) is a safe and effective therapy for the management of pheochromocytoma, as compared with open adrenalectomy (OA). Methods: We collected...

Endoscopic plantar fasciotomy in the treatment of chronic heel pain.(Original Article/Article original)
August 1, 2008... Objective: To evaluate endoscopic plantar fasciotomy for the treatment of recalcitrant heel pain. Method: We undertook a retrospective study of the use of endoscopic plantar fasciotomy in the treatment of chronic heel pain that was unresponsive...

Pathological reporting of colorectal cancer specimens: a retrospective survey in an academic Canadian pathology department.(Original Article/Article original)(Report)
August 1, 2008... Objective: To survey and improve the pathological reporting of colorectal cancer (CRC) specimens in a tertiary care pathology department. Methods: We identified CRC specimens reported in a 6-month period before and after educational sessions...

Using CanMEDS to guide international health electives: an enriching experience in Uganda defined for a Canadian surgery resident.(International Surgery/Chirurgie a l'etranger)(Report)
August 1, 2008... Background: Surgery residents who wish to travel during their residency will often seek an elective experience in a low- or middle-income country. Objectives for international health electives (IHEs) are often vague and poorly defined. Further,...

CUSUM analysis of J-pouch surgery reflects no learning curve after board certification.(Original Article/Article original)(Report)
August 1, 2008... Objective: To investigate changes in morbidity and mortality associated with ileal J-pouch surgery performed during the first 3 years of a single surgeon's practice to determine the presence or absence of a learning curve after fellowship...

Canadian Association of General Surgeons and American College of Surgeons Evidence-Based Reviews in Surgery. 25. Perioperative chemotherapy and surgery versus surgery alone for resectable gastric cancer.(Evidence-Based Surgery/Chirurgie factuelle)(Report)
August 1, 2008... Selected Article Cunningham D, Allum WH, Stenning SP, et al. Perioperative chemotherapy versus surgery alone for resectable gastroesophageal cancer. N Engl J Med 2006;355:11-20. Abstract Question: Does perioperative adjuvant...

Safety and efficiency of left hemihepatectomy combined with hepatic artery resection for hilar cholangiocarcinoma with artery infiltration: report of 2 cases.(Brief Communication/Communication abregee)(Case study)
August 1, 2008... Hilar cholangiocarcinomas involving either the right and/or left hepatic duct (Bismuth-Corlette type IIIa/IIIb or IV) are generally proposed to require resection of the respective hemiliver or extended hemiliver to achieve clear margins. 1,2...

Acute abdomen in an asbestos factory worker.(Case Note/Note de cas)(Case study)
August 1, 2008... Primary malignant tumours of the pericardium, pleura and peritoneum are rare. Typically, these tumours are characterized by serosal spread and shallow invasion into parenchymatous organs. Peritoneal mesotheliomas are less common than those of...

Burkitt's lymphoma of the ileum with renal cell carcinoma.(Case Note/Note de cas)(Case study)
August 1, 2008... The rate at which non-Hodgkins lymphoma and renal cell carcinoma occur together is higher than expected. (1-4) We report a case of Burkitt's lymphoma (BL) of the ileum accompanied by renal cell carcinoma. We review the literature to highlight...

Giant retroperitoneal sarcoma.(Case Note/Note de cas)(Case study)
August 1, 2008... Retroperitoneal sarcomas account for 0.1%-0.2% of all malignant tumours and about 15% of all sarcomas. Liposarcoma is the most common type of retroperitoneal sarcoma (41%), followed by leiomyosarcoma, malignant fibrous histiocytoma,...

Hepatic artery aneurysm secondary to epithelioid angiosarcoma.(Case Note/Note de cas)(Case study)
August 1, 2008... Angiosarcomas, which are rare, aggressive mesenchymal neoplasms, are responsible for less than 1% of all soft-tissue sarcomas. The incidence of these tumours is 2-3 cases per 1 000 000 annually. (1) A small subset of these tumours may arise...

Jejunojejunal intussusception by a known jejunal adenocarcinoma.(Case Note/Note de cas)(Case study)
August 1, 2008... Intussusception is defined as the telescoping of one segment of the gastrointestinal tract (intussusceptum) into an intestinal segment distal to it (intussuscipiens). Intestinal invagination or intussusception is the leading cause of intestinal...

Primary squamous cell carcinoma of the main hepatic bile duct.(Case Note/Note de cas)(Case study)
August 1, 2008... Biliary malignant tumours represent less than 1% of all neoplastic processes in North America. Most of them are of adenocarcinomatous type; only 2% of biliary neoplasms are of squamous cell origin. Although 20 cases of squamous cell carcinoma...

Radiolucent foreign body visible on plain radiography.(Case Note/Note de cas)(Case study)
August 1, 2008... A wide variety of retained colorectal foreign bodies have been described. Apart from sexual stimulation, they have been introduced into the rectum during sexual assaults, accidentally, to seek attention and to alleviate constipation. (1) Rectal...

Supradiaphragmatic perforated duodenal ulcer in a giant hiatus hernia.(Case Note/Note de cas)(Case study)
August 1, 2008... Small hiatus hernia is a common condition. Most patients are minimally symptomatic, and only a small proportion of them require surgical treatment. Giant hiatus hernia is uncommon and could cause serious morbidity and mortality. Only a few...

Aortic arch aneurysm rupture into the lung misdiagnosed as lung carcinoma.(Case Note/Note de cas)(Case study)
August 1, 2008... Rupture of an aortic aneurysm into the lung characterized by hemoptysis and hoarseness is difficult to diagnose. The most common differential diagnosis is lung cancer invading the aorta. We report on a patient who had rupture of an aortic...

Robot-assisted minimally invasive common bile duct exploration: a Canadian first.(Case Note/Note de cas)
August 1, 2008... The first published report of a robot-assisted common bile duct exploration appeared in 2003. (1) According to Intuitive Surgical, Inc., the manufacturer of the da Vinci system, a total of 3 robot-assisted common bile duct explorations have...

Spontaneous bilateral fracture of the proximal humerus: an unusual presentation of multiple myeloma.(Case Note/Note de cas)(Case study)
August 1, 2008... Pathologic fractures can occur in multiple myeloma, but bilateral fractures are rare. (1,2) We report the case of a man who presented with bilateral fracture of the upper end of the humerus, and whose subsequent work-up revealed an advanced...

Giant left atrial myxoma causing mitral valve obstruction and pulmonary hypertension.(Case Note/Note de cas)(Case study)
August 1, 2008... A trial myxoma is a benign tumour of the heart that occurs primarily in the left atrium. The clinical signs and symptoms may be nonspecific. The size of the lesion differs widely among patients but generally ranges from 2 to 6 cm. (1) Depending...