Endoscopy gives a more accurate diagnosis of upper gastrointestinal pathology than barium studies. General practitioners should be able to request this valuable diagnostic service so that a rapid diagnosis would ensure that patients with dyspepsia are not treated empirically with expensive drugs and that patients with carcinoma or ulcer receive prompt and appropriate therapy. This paper examines the Changi Hospital's open-access endoscopy service to the local general practitioners and government outpatient doctors working at nearby outpatient dispensaries, and will serve to underline the value of such a service and why it obviates that long queue for the barium meal appointment.
Study site: Surgical outpatient clinic, Changi Hospital, Singapore
This preliminary report details our experience and also serves to evaluate the risk benefits of office laparoscopy for female fertility assessment in 183 subjects. The patients were admitted at about 8.00 in the morning and discharged at 3.00 to 4.00 in the afternoon after laparoscopy has been performed. Only 7. 7 percent of the subjects required inhalational anesthetic gases along with a combination of intravenous sedation and local anesthetic infiltration. The pick-up rate for pelvic abnormality is fairly high, approximately 22.4 percent. Difficulties and complications encountered during laparoscopy were minimal and easily overcome. The benefits of laparoscopy overrules the risk of complications. It is suggested that all family planning clinics involved in fertility assessment and sterilization feature laparoscopy on an but patient basis as one of its main activities.
PIP:
A total of 552 women in 1983 have undergone laparoscopic sterilization under local anesthesia with sedation in the family planning clinic at Maternity Hospital and the Specialist Center at Batu Complex. A review was made to evaluate the risks, benefits, and safety of outpatient surgery in view of the shortage of anesthetic personnel, operating theaters and costs to patients if general anesthesia were to be used instead. Anesthetic complications (0.9%) were found to be of a very minor nature, not requiring hospitalization. Surgical complication was higher at 3.8%. There was a high rate (21%) of difficulties encountered at operation, 15% for medical officers and trainees but only 6% for specialists. In summary, a very low complication rate was encountered with local anesthetics. The use of local anesthesia with sedation is advocated. This cuts down on costs, hospitalization and recovey time and overcomes the perennial problem of shortage of anesthetic staff and operating theaters. The rate of the surgical complications was related to the surgeon's experience.
Study site: family planning clinic at Maternity Hospital and the Specialist Center at Batu Comple
Retrograde ureteroscopy, using the 12.5 French Storsz Perez-Castro Ellendt operating ureteroscope provides excellent visual access to the whole of the ureteric lumen in most instances. A total of 41 ureteroscopies were performed on a similar number of patients over a period of 12 months since April 1986. Majority of them were for ureteric calculi. Success rate for patients with ureteric calculi below the pelvic brim was 77.4%. A lower success was noted for calculi above the pelvic brim (50%). Retrograde ureteroscopy will eventually make blind basketing of lower ureteric stones an unnecessarily risky procedure and perhaps even obsolete. Ureterolithotomy nevertheless will still have a place in the management of stones that cannot be extracted either due to acute bullous oedema of the ureteric mucosa or in previously explored rigid non-yielding ureters not suitable for ureteroscopy.
PIP: In 1986, single puncture laparoscopic application of the Filshie clip was introduced into Malaysia's National Population and Family Development Board's female sterilization program for an evaluation. A total of 42 female sterilizations were performed by this method between June 1986 and December 1986. Laparoscopy was performed on an outpatient basis under local anesthesia. In 37 cases, the sterilization was interval. Filshie clips were successfully applied to the fallopian tubes of 40 women; in the remaining 2 cases, the latching mechanism jammed and Falope rings were used instead. The average time from application of 1st clip to skin closure was 10 minutes. During clip application, technical problems (faulty applicator, clip fell into the pelvic cavity, failure of latching mechanism) were encountered in 4 cases and surgical difficulties (poor visualization, hydrosalpinx, and tubal adhesions) occurred in 10 cases. In general, complications were minimal: 1 patient developed cynosis after anesyhesia (Pethidine) injection, the omentum was torn during introduction of the trocar in another, and a 3rd patient developed thrombophlebitis at the intravenous site. Only 1 pregnancy was recorded during the follow-up period; this occurred 15 months postoperatively and was intrauterine. Given the facts that this procedure is easy to learn, fast and simple, associated with no more complications than other laparoscopic procedures, and is cosmetically more acceptable to women, its more widespread application is recommended.
A total of 1,688 non-repeat upper gastrointestinal endoscopies performed over a 33-month period from April 1985 to December 1987 at a University Medical Unit in Kuala Lumpur was analysed for a profile of peptic ulcer disease amongst Malaysians. There was a total of 360 peptic ulcer patients with a gastric ulcer to duodenal ulcer ratio of 1:1. The male: female ratio was 2.8: 1 for duodenal ulcer and 1.8:1 for gastric ulcer, and 2.3:1 for peptic ulcer overall. In both sexes, gastric ulcers were seen at an older age group compared to duodenal ulcers.
Of the three main Malaysian ethnic groups of Malays, Chinese and Indians, Chinese of both sexes had the highest frequency of gastric ulcers. Chinese females had the highest frequency of duodenal ulcers.
With the increasing recognition of the importance of H. pylori in gastrointestinal disease, there is a need for a reliable, efficient and yet inexpensive diagnostic test. The performance of the rapid urease test (RUT) as an endoscopy suite diagnostic test was compared to the established methods of culture, histology and Gram stain of tissue smear, in 274 gastric biopsy samples. Histology had the highest sensitivity of 99.3% followed by the RUT (96.6%). Culture and Gram stain of tissue smear had 100% specificity, while the rapid urease test had 99.2% specificity. The RUT had a positive predictive value of 99.3% and a negative predictive value of 96.2%. The RUT is an inexpensive, rapid and reliable diagnostic test of H. pylori infection.
This study evaluated the efficacy and safety of endoscopic pneumatic balloon dilatation as the initial treatment for achalasia of the cardia. 15 patients with achalasia underwent a total of 19 dilatations using the new polyethylene dilator (Microvasive Rigiflex Balloon Dilator) over the last 6 years. An overall treatment success rate of 93% was achieved. 11 patients (73.3%) have not required a further dilatation and 3 patients (20%) required between 1 and 2 further dilatations. Elective surgery was necessary in 1 patient. The mean follow-up period was 31.5 months. There was no complication or death attributable to the procedure. Endoscopic pneumatic balloon dilation is a safe and effective treatment for achalasia and should be considered as the initial treatment of choice in most patients with achalasia.
Endoscopic sinus surgery for frontal sinus mucocele is gaining popularity. A case study, and the CT scan of a large frontal mucocele with 1-year follow up is presented showing the lining of the sinus cavity well healed and the frontal sinus ostium as patent. Endoscopic sinus surgery, therefore, is a potentially useful method for treating large frontal mucoceles.