212 research outputs found
Is chronic post-herniorrhaphy pain always chronic? A literature review
No full textGabriel Sandblom Department of Clinical Science, Intervention and Technology, Karolinska Institute, Huddinge, Sweden Introduction: Chronic post-surgery pain (CPSP) has gained increased recognition as a major factor influencing health-related quality-of-life following most surgical procedures, in particular following surgery for benign conditions. The natural course of CPSP, however, is not well-known. Methods: A literature review was undertaken, searching for studies with repeated estimates of post-herniorrhaphy pain. The hypothetical halvation time was calculated from the repeat estimates. Results: Eight studies fulfilling the criteria were identified. With one exception, the extrapolated halvation times ranged from 1.3 to 9.2 years. Discussion: Even if CPSP is generally very treatment-resistant, in many cases it eventually dissipates with time. Further studies are required to evaluate the prevalence of pain beyond the first decade. Keywords: hernia, pain, chronic post-surgery pain, neuropathic pain, halvation tim
Surgical Infection Society guidelines on antibiotic use in gallstone surgery: high time we crack down on prophylactic antibiotics
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Randomised prostate cancer screening trial: 20 year follow-up
No full textObjective To assess whether screening for prostate cancer reduces prostate cancer specific mortality. Design Population based randomised controlled trial. Setting Department of Urology, Norrkoping, and the South-East Region Prostate Cancer Register. Participants All men aged 50-69 in the city of Norrkoping, Sweden, identified in 1987 in the National Population Register (n=9026). Intervention From the study population, 1494 men were randomly allocated to be screened by including every sixth man from a list of dates of birth. These men were invited to be screened every third year from 1987 to 1996. On the first two occasions screening was done by digital rectal examination only. From 1993, this was combined with prostate specific antigen testing, with 4 mu g/L as cut off. On the fourth occasion (1996), only men aged 69 or under at the time of the investigation were invited. Main outcome measures Data on tumour stage, grade, and treatment from the South East Region Prostate Cancer Register. Prostate cancer specific mortality up to 31 December 2008. Results In the four screenings from 1987 to 1996 attendance was 1161/1492 (78%), 957/1363 (70%), 895/1210 (74%), and 446/606 (74%), respectively. There were 85 cases (5.7%) of prostate cancer diagnosed in the screened group and 292 (3.9%) in the control group. The risk ratio for death from prostate cancer in the screening group was 1.16 (95% confidence interval 0.78 to 1.73). In a Cox proportional hazard analysis comparing prostate cancer specific survival in the control group with that in the screened group, the hazard ratio for death from prostate cancer was 1.23 (0.94 to 1.62; P=0.13). After adjustment for age at start of the study, the hazard ratio was 1.58 (1.06 to 2.36; P=0.024). Conclusions After 20 years of follow-up the rate of death from prostate cancer did not differ significantly between men in the screening group and those in the control group.Original Publication:Gabriel Sandblom, Eberhard Varenhorst, Johan Rosell, Owe Lofman and Per Carlsson, Randomised prostate cancer screening trial: 20 year follow-up, 2011, BRITISH MEDICAL JOURNAL, (342), d1539, .http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmj.d1539Copyright: Author
How Do Quality-of-Life and Gastrointestinal Symptoms Differ Between Post-cholecystectomy Patients and the Background Population?
No full textBackground: Previous studies have indicated a correlation between indication for cholecystectomy and long-term gastrointestinal quality-of-life (QoL). The aim of the present study was to compare QoL in a post-cholecystectomy cohort with the background population and with historical controls.Methods: A post-cholecystectomy study group (on average 4 years after cholecystectomy) was compared with a control group from the background population using the Gastrointestinal Quality-of-Life Index (GIQLI). EQ-5D scores were compared with expected scores derived from recent historical data.Results: The post-cholecystectomy study group (N = 451) had better QoL measured by the EQ-5D compared with historical controls (p < 0.001), similar total GIQLI scores as the control group (N = 390), but scored worse on the GIQLI gastrointestinal symptoms subscale score (p < 0.001). The results include an item-by-item breakdown of the GIQLI questionnaire where the scores for diarrhea, bowel urgency, bloating, regurgitation, abdominal pain, flatus, fullness, nausea, uncontrolled stools, belching, heartburn, restricted eating, and bowel frequency were found to be significantly lower (i.e. worse) in the post-cholecystectomy cohort than in the control group. The opposite was true for relationships, endurance, sexual life, physical strength, feeling fit, not being frustrated by illness, and being able to carry out leisure activities, i.e. items related to general performance and well-being.Conclusions: In this study, QoL after cholecystectomy was good, but there was an increased prevalence of gastrointestinal symptoms compared to the background population.</p
Broadening the criteria for avoiding staging one scans in prostate cancer : A retrospective study of patients at the Royal Marsden Hospital
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Clinical and economic consequences of screening for prostate cancer - the Swedish approach
No full textThe outcome of two large-scale randomized controlled studies on prostate cancer screening from Europe and the USA are expected within three years. Together with a third large trial already performed in Quebec, Canada, they will hopefully provide some form of evidence for or against screening within the near future, although the results of such studies must be interpreted with caution. The effectiveness of a screening programme depends on the cancer prevalence, demographics, socioeconomic conditions, and treatment traditions in the country where it is performed, which limits the external validity of such studies. The prevalence of prostate cancer is relatively high in Sweden, which theoretically would favour screening. Treatment with curative intent, however, is not as well established as in other countries, despite the fact that the only randomized controlled study published so far with sufficient power to show prolonged cancer-specific survival following radical prostatectomy was performed in Sweden. As watchful waiting is often favoured in Sweden, even for men with localized tumours, the benefit of early detection is reduced. The positive as well as negative economic consequences of prostate cancer screening also have to be considered before a screening programme is started. All these circumstances emphasize the fact that the decision to introduce a screening programme has to be taken at the national level. No study can provide an outcome that can be set as an international standard. Three large trials of prostate cancer screening have been performed in Sweden, but screening on a broad scale has not yet been recommended.</p
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