Here are what the editors at HealthDay consider to be the most important developments in Surgery for April 2012. This roundup includes the latest research news from journal articles, as well as the FDA approvals and regulatory changes that are the most likely to affect clinical practice.
Heart Surgery Safe for Compensated Cirrhosis Patients
THURSDAY, April 26 (HealthDay News) -- Patients with compensated cirrhosis, defined by a Child-Pugh (CP) score of <8, have no significant increase in postoperative mortality and morbidity following cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass, according to a study published in the May issue of Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology.
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Age, Life Expectancy Influence Termination of PSA Screening
THURSDAY, April 26 (HealthDay News) -- Most primary care providers consider both a man's age and life expectancy in deciding whether to discontinue prostate-specific antigen (PSA) screenings, but multiple factors are involved in this decision, according to a study published online April 19 in Cancer.
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Subtype Best Predictor of Basal Cell Carcinoma Invasion Depth
THURSDAY, April 26 (HealthDay News) -- Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) subtype identified on biopsy and excision specimens is the best predictor of depth of invasion, according to a study published online April 16 in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.
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Adjuvant Therapy Shows Promise in Biliary Tract Cancer
THURSDAY, April 26 (HealthDay News) -- For patients with biliary tract cancers, postresection adjuvant therapy with chemotherapy or chemoradiotherapy appears to be beneficial in treating patients with biliary tract cancers, with significant improvement seen for patients with node or margin positivity, according to research published online April 23 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
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Low-Dose CT Noninferior for Diagnosing Appendicitis
WEDNESDAY, April 25 (HealthDay News) -- For young adults with suspected appendicitis, low-dose computed tomography (CT) is noninferior to standard-dose CT with respect to negative appendectomy rates, according to a study published in the April 26 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
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Bone Metabolism, Vitamin D Key in Postkyphoplasty Breaks
WEDNESDAY, April 25 (HealthDay News) -- For postmenopausal women with osteoporosis, bone metabolism and 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25[OH]D) levels are associated with postkyphoplasty recurrent vertebral compression fractures, according to a study published online April 12 in The Spine Journal.
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High Survival With Surgery in Low-Risk Neuroblastoma
WEDNESDAY, April 25 (HealthDay News) -- Surgery alone results in high five-year event-free and overall survival (EFS and OS) rates for patients with low-risk stage 2a and 2b neuroblastoma (NBL), according to research published online April 23 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
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Oxiplex Improves Outcomes After Lumbar Discectomy
TUESDAY, April 24 (HealthDay News) -- The use of Oxiplex gel (containing carboxymethylcellulose, polyethylene oxide, and calcium) to coat the surgical site during discectomy procedures for the treatment of lumbar disc herniation is associated with improved clinical outcomes, according to a study published in the April 15 issue of Spine.
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Hip Replacement Outcomes Similar With/Without Cement
TUESDAY, April 24 (HealthDay News) -- Hemiarthroplasty with the cemented Exeter implant provides pain relief comparable to hemiarthroplasty with the uncemented Alloclassic implant in elderly patients with a displaced femoral neck fracture, according to a study published in the April 4 issue of The Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery.
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Lasting Benefit for Rotating-Platform Knee Arthroplasty
TUESDAY, April 24 (HealthDay News) -- After at least 10 years of follow-up, total knee replacement using a second-generation, cemented, rotating-platform, posterior-stabilized total knee prosthesis offers excellent and durable clinical and radiologic results in active patients, according to a study published in the April 4 issue of The Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery.
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Gritti-Stokes Amputations Beneficial for Trauma Patients
MONDAY, April 23 (HealthDay News) -- The Gritti-Stokes amputation procedure is beneficial and appears to be safe for patients in a trauma setting, according to a study published in the April 4 issue of The Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery.
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Angiotensin Receptor Blockers Reduce No-Reflow Post-PCI
MONDAY, April 23 (HealthDay News) -- For patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI), pretreatment with angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) is linked with reduced incidence of the no-reflow phenomenon after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), according to a study published online April 10 in Cardiovascular Therapeutics.
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Lower Limb Positioning Impacts Lordosis, Kyphosis
MONDAY, April 23 (HealthDay News) -- An individual's lordosis and kyphosis can both be changed by lower limb positioning, according to a study published in the April issue of the Journal of Spinal Disorders & Techniques.
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Magnetically-Controlled Rod Shows Promise for Scoliosis
THURSDAY, April 19 (HealthDay News) -- Use of a magnetically-controlled growing rod (MCGR) procedure may be effective and safe for non-invasive outpatient distraction in children with scoliosis, according to research published online April 19 in The Lancet.
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Bariatric Surgery Effective Therapy for Diabetes in Obese
THURSDAY, April 19 (HealthDay News) -- For morbidly obese patients with type 2 diabetes, bariatric surgery is more efficacious than conventional medical treatment, leading to improvement or remission of diabetes and associated comorbidities, according to a study published online April 16 in the Archives of Surgery.
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Lower Small-Bowel Obstruction Risk With Laparoscopy
THURSDAY, April 19 (HealthDay News) -- Laparoscopic surgical procedures are associated with a lower incidence of small-bowel obstruction (SBO) compared with open surgery, according to a study published in the April issue of the Archives of Surgery.
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FDA: Clinicians Urged to Stop Using Certain Ultrasound Gel
WEDNESDAY, April 18 (HealthDay News) -- Hospitals, clinics, and health care professionals should immediately discontinue using Other-Sonic Generic Ultrasound Transmission Gel due to risk of bacterial contamination in certain batches, according to a safety communication issued April 18 by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration.
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2001 to 2006 Saw Increase in Mohs Surgery for Skin Cancer
TUESDAY, April 17 (HealthDay News) -- For Medicare beneficiaries, the rate of use of Mohs micrographic surgery (MMS) to treat nonmelanoma skin cancer (NMSC) doubled from 2001 through 2006, according to research published in the April issue of the Archives of Dermatology.
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Gender, BMI Impact Bladder Perforation During Resection
MONDAY, April 16 (HealthDay News) -- For patients with bladder tumors, female gender, low body mass index, and tumor characteristics correlate with the risk of bladder perforation during transurethral resection, according to research published in the May issue of The Journal of Urology.
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TAVI Beneficial in Severe Aortic Stenosis
FRIDAY, April 13 (HealthDay News) -- While all-cause mortality is high in low-flow, low-gradient aortic stenosis patients receiving transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI), surviving patients show significant improvements, according to a study published in the April issue of Catheterization & Cardiovascular Interventions.
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Lower Pullout Strength for Hubbed Pedicle Screws
FRIDAY, April 13 (HealthDay News) -- Use of hubbed pedicle screws in the thoracic spine is associated with significantly lower pullout strength (POS), according to a study published online April 6 in The Spine Journal.
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Asymptomatic High-Risk Adults Often Have Pancreatic Lesions
MONDAY, April 9 (HealthDay News) -- Screening of asymptomatic high-risk individuals (HRIs) for pancreatic cancer often detects pancreatic lesions, many of which are proven or suspected neoplasms, according to a study published in the April issue of Gastroenterology.
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Targeted Exercise Relieves Sciatica Pain
MONDAY, April 9 (HealthDay News) -- Active conservative symptom-guided therapy for severe sciatica can safely reduce pain and improve neurological function at a rate that matches or surpasses outcomes from common higher-cost surgical interventions, according to a Danish study published in the April 1 issue of Spine.
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Report Highlights Child Deaths From Post-Surgery Codeine Use
MONDAY, April 9 (HealthDay News) -- Researchers have identified three previously unreported instances of severe opioid-induced toxicity in children following adenotonsillectomy for obstructive sleep apnea syndrome, according to a case report published online April 9 in Pediatrics.
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Infection May Be Trigger for Venous Thromboembolism
MONDAY, April 9 (HealthDay News) -- Older adults recovering from an infection are at increased risk of being hospitalized for a venous thromboembolism (VTE), according to a study published online April 3 in Circulation.
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Study Tests Unilateral Versus Bilateral Lumbar Fusion
MONDAY, April 9 (HealthDay News) -- For patients with degenerative lumbar diseases, the unilateral pedicle screw (PS) instrumented transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF) procedure results in shorter operative time, less blood loss, and reduced implant costs compared with a bilateral PS instrumented TLIF procedure, according to research published in the March issue of The Spine Journal.
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Lumbar Spinal Stenosis Lowers Health-Related QoL
FRIDAY, April 6 (HealthDay News) -- Patients diagnosed with lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS) have a substantial burden of illness and reduced health-related quality of life (HRQL) compared to the general population, and their HRQL is compounded by associated comorbidities, according to a study published in the March issue of The Spinal Journal.
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Study Finds Posterior C1 Fixation to Be Safe, Accurate
FRIDAY, April 6 (HealthDay News) -- Posterior C1 screw fixation can be performed safely and accurately, without significant hemorrhaging, according to a study published in the March issue of The Spine Journal.
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Antibiotics Safe and Effective to Treat Appendicitis
FRIDAY, April 6 (HealthDay News) -- Although surgery is standard practice for treating appendicitis, uncomplicated acute appendicitis can be safely and effectively treated with antibiotics, according to a meta-analysis published online April 5 in BMJ.
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Esophageal Cancer Surgery Has Lasting Effects on QoL
THURSDAY, April 5 (HealthDay News) -- Long-term survivors of esophageal cancer surgery who experience postoperative complications continue to experience long-lasting adverse effects on their health-related quality of life (HRQL), according to a study published online April 2 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
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Posterior-Only Spinal Fusion Feasible in Parkinson's Disease
THURSDAY, April 5 (HealthDay News) -- For patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) with major spinal deformities, a posterior-only approach for spinal fusion from T2 to the sacrum is associated with good clinical and radiologic results as well as high patient satisfaction, according to a study published online March 28 in the Journal of Spinal Disorders & Techniques.
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Medical Malpractice Claims Incur Substantial Defense Costs
WEDNESDAY, April 4 (HealthDay News) -- Defense costs for medical malpractice claims vary among specialties and are higher for claims that result in indemnity payments, according to a letter published in the April 5 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
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More Complications After Thyroid Surgery in Elderly
MONDAY, April 2 (HealthDay News) -- Advanced age is a risk factor for complications after thyroidectomy, according to a study published online March 14 in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.
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