Abstract: This article aims to emphasize that gastrojejunocolic fistula following peptic ulcer surgery, though uncommon in the post vagotomy era, still continues to occur. We stress the changing trends in its epidemiology, aetiopathogenesis and treatment. The case records of 12 patients with gastrojejunocolic fistula (seen over a 15 year period) were reviewed. Details regarding clinical presentation, investigations and treatment were analyzed and the results compared with previous published series. All the 12 patients in this study had a short loop posterior retrocolic gastrojejunostomy as part of the primary peptic ulcer surgery. Diarrhoea and profound weight loss was present in all of them. Incompleteness of vagotomy was proved in all the six patients investigated for the same. The fistula was demonstrated in all of them on barium enema, while it was seen on upper GI endoscopy in 4. Eight patients were treated by a one stage resection and repair of fistula. A three stage procedure was performed in two.
Abstract: Partial cholecystectomy was performed in this Institute in fifteen patients in the last 8 years. Three were performed in cirrhotic patients with bleeding diathesis. The other indications were obscure anatomy, intraperitoneal adhesions, Mirizzi syndrome and poor general condition of the patient. None of these had any major morbidity in the immediate postoperative period. Partial cholecystectomy is a safe and viable option in a difficult situation.
Abstract: Hydrocele of the tunica vaginalis testis has been conventionally used as an absolute indicator of filarial disease in most clinical surveys. The prevalence of filarial etiology in 100 consecutive hydroceles was studied using clinical, parasitological, histopathological and immunological parameters. Filarial etiology could be proved in 57% of hydrocele cases using major criteria: presence of microfilaria in hydrocele fluid, presence of chyle in hydrocele fluid, demonstration of adult worm in tunica, ratio of fluid antibody titer to serum antibody titer more than 2 and presence of filarial antigen in hydrocele fluid. The results of other tests in these 57 cases were used to define the minor criteria. In the other 43 cases, based on the minor criteria, 12 hydroceles could be classified as likely to be due to filariasis and the rest were probably non-filarial. Thus only 69% of hydroceles were definitely or probably filarial.
Abstract: The early and late results of the Smead-Jones (SJ) technique of closure of emergency vertical midline laparotomies was compared with other conventional methods of closure such as anatomical repair (AR), mass closure (MC) and single layer (SL) closure. Four Hundred and Three patients who underwent emergency laparotomy were studied prospectively. The results of SJ closure of laparotomy in them were compared with other techniques of abdominal closure. Ninety percent of patients with SJ were in wound class IV and at high risk of wound complications. It was seen that the overall infection rate for SJ at 12.4% was significantly less than all other types of closure. The wound dehiscence rate for SJ at 3.0% was the lowest. This protective effect of SJ against dehiscence was also seen in the presence of post operative chest infection and abdominal distension. The incisional hernia rate for SJ was also lowest (4%). The appearance of the scar was comparable to the other techniques of follow up. The present study concluded that the Smead-Jones techniques of laparotomy closure had very low incidence of early and late complications and was superior to other conventional methods of closure.
