Temporal lobe epilepsy, with a variety of etiological, symptomatic, electrophysiological characteristics, has the highest incidence among all focal epilepsy, and a high rate of progression to refractory epilepsy. Surgery is an effective treatment, but traditional methods are usually difficult to accurately locate the epileptogenic zone, which may be resolved by stereotactic-electroencephalogram(SEEG) technique. Radiofrequency thermocoagulation and MRI-guided laser interstitial thermal therapy based on SEEG provide a new accurate and minimally invasive choice for refractory epilepsy patients with high surgical risk and difficulty.
Drug Resistant Epilepsy/surgery* ; Electrocoagulation/methods* ; Electroencephalography ; Epilepsy, Temporal Lobe/surgery* ; Humans ; Stereotaxic Techniques

OBJECTIVES: The aims of this study were to determine the effectiveness of local compression in patients presenting to the emergency room with intraoral bleeding and to identify when complex haemostatic measures may be required.MATERIALS AND METHODS: Five hundred forty patients who had experienced intraoral haemorrhage were retrospectively reviewed. The outcome variable was the haemostasis method used, i.e., simple (local compression with gauze) or complex (an alternative method after local compression has failed). Predictor variables were sex, age, American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) class, hepatic cirrhosis, bleeding disorder, use of antithrombotic agents, and site/cause of haemorrhage.RESULTS: The mean patient age was 48.9±23.9 years, 53.5% were male, 42.8% were ASA class II or higher, and 23.7% were taking antithrombotic agents. Local compression was used most often (68.1%), followed by local haemostatic agents, sutures, systemic tranexamic acid or blood products, and electrocautery. The most common site of bleeding was the gingiva (91.7%), and the most common cause was tooth extraction (45.7%). Risk factors for needing a complex haemostasis method were use of antithrombotic agents (odds ratio 2.047, P=0.009) and minor oral surgery (excluding extraction and implant procedures; odds ratio 6.081, P=0.001).CONCLUSION: A haemostasis method other than local compression may be needed in patients taking antithrombotic agents or having undergone minor oral surgery.
Anticoagulants ; Electrocoagulation ; Emergency Service, Hospital ; Emergency Treatment ; Fibrinolytic Agents ; Gingiva ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Liver Cirrhosis ; Male ; Methods ; Odds Ratio ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Factors ; Surgery, Oral ; Sutures ; Tooth Extraction ; Tranexamic Acid

Ever since mankind has had blood, efforts to stop bleeding have never ceased and so numerous methods for hemostasis have been developed. In recent decades, minimally invasive surgical techniques have led patients to less-bleeding surgery but, hemostatic agents, devices and techniques still play an important role in medical side. A number of hemostatic agents and devices have been developed and they can be classified by their mechanism of action. That classification of the coagulants includes mechanisms with physical, caustic, bio-physical, biologic actions. Hemostatic devices are divided into categories such as dressings, glue, clips, electrocoagulations and so on. Based on the concept of minimally invasive surgical procedures, variously developed surgical techniques are divided by the number of ports used and auxiliary instruments. However, there are advantages and disadvantages to each of the hemostatic agents and minimally invasive methods, and the belief in the classical method also prevents the application of new hemostatic methods. The knowledge and understanding of the benefits and costs of these newly developed hemostatic methods will make it easier for medical personnel to manage patient's blood.
Adhesives ; Bandages ; Bloodless Medical and Surgical Procedures* ; Classification ; Coagulants ; Cost-Benefit Analysis ; Electrocoagulation ; Hemorrhage ; Hemostasis ; Humans ; Methods ; Minimally Invasive Surgical Procedures

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: To investigate the common site of recurrent epistaxis after initial intervention such as packing and cauterization had failed and to evaluate the efficacy of surgical endoscopic electrocautery. SUBJECTS AND METHOD: Retrospective review of 47 patients with recurrent and uncontrolled idiopathic epistaxis between October 1995 and March 2016. All patients underwent endoscopic examination in the operating room after hospitalization. We performed electrocautery when a bleeding site was found. RESULTS: The most common sites of bleeding were the inferior meatus (28%), sphenoethmoid recess (23%), superior septum around the olfactory cleft (13%), and the posterior end of the middle turbinate (15%). There was no serious complication during the one week after surgery. In 46 (98%) patients, refractory epistaxis was successfully controlled. One patient had recurrent epistaxis after electrocautery and underwent endoscopic sphenopalatine artery ligation. CONCLUSION: In patients with refractory idiopathic epistaxis after failure of first-line treatment, endoscopic examination through a surgical approach and electrocautery for suspected bleeding are effective.
Arteries ; Cautery ; Electrocoagulation ; Epistaxis* ; Hemorrhage ; Hospitalization ; Humans ; Ligation ; Methods ; Operating Rooms ; Retrospective Studies ; Turbinates

Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) is an essential method for diagnosis and treatment of various pancreatobiliary diseases and endoscopic sphincterotomy (EST) is the gateway to complete ERCP. Although techniques and instruments for EST have improved, bleeding is still the most common complication. Treatment of immediate post-EST bleeding is important because blood can interfere with subsequent procedures. Additionally, endoscopists should be cautious about delayed bleeding may cause hemobilia, cholangitis, and hemodynamic shock. Most cases of post-EST bleedings will stop spontaneously, however, endoscopic management is necessary in case of clinically significant and persistent bleeding. Various endoscopic methods including epinephrine or fibrin glue injection, electrocoagulation, hemoclipping and band ligation et al can be used through a sideviewing or forward-viewing endoscope similar to those used in hemostasis of peptic ulcer bleeding. Endoscopists who perform ERCP should use various methods of endoscopic hemostasis strategically.
Arm* ; Cholangiopancreatography, Endoscopic Retrograde ; Cholangitis ; Diagnosis ; Electrocoagulation ; Endoscopes ; Epinephrine ; Fibrin Tissue Adhesive ; Hemobilia ; Hemodynamics ; Hemorrhage* ; Hemostasis ; Hemostasis, Endoscopic ; Ligation ; Methods ; Peptic Ulcer ; Shock ; Sphincterotomy, Endoscopic

Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) is an essential method for diagnosis and treatment of various pancreatobiliary diseases and endoscopic sphincterotomy (EST) is the gateway to complete ERCP. Although techniques and instruments for EST have improved, bleeding is still the most common complication. Treatment of immediate post-EST bleeding is important because blood can interfere with subsequent procedures. Additionally, endoscopists should be cautious about delayed bleeding may cause hemobilia, cholangitis, and hemodynamic shock. Most cases of post-EST bleedings will stop spontaneously, however, endoscopic management is necessary in case of clinically significant and persistent bleeding. Various endoscopic methods including epinephrine or fibrin glue injection, electrocoagulation, hemoclipping and band ligation et al can be used through a sideviewing or forward-viewing endoscope similar to those used in hemostasis of peptic ulcer bleeding. Endoscopists who perform ERCP should use various methods of endoscopic hemostasis strategically.
Arm* ; Cholangiopancreatography, Endoscopic Retrograde ; Cholangitis ; Diagnosis ; Electrocoagulation ; Endoscopes ; Epinephrine ; Fibrin Tissue Adhesive ; Hemobilia ; Hemodynamics ; Hemorrhage* ; Hemostasis ; Hemostasis, Endoscopic ; Ligation ; Methods ; Peptic Ulcer ; Shock ; Sphincterotomy, Endoscopic

OBJECTIVETo investigate the clinical epidemiology change trend of upper gastrointestinal bleeding (UGIB) over the past 15 years.

METHODSConsecutive patients who was diagnosed as continuous UGIB in the endoscopy center of The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun-Yat University during the period from 1 January 1997 to 31 December 1998 and the period from 1 January 2012 to 31 December 2013 were enrolled in this study. Their gender, age, etiology, ulcer classification, endoscopic treatment and hospitalization mortality were compared between two periods.

RESULTSIn periods from 1997 to 1998 and 2012 to 2013, the detection rate of UGIB was 9.99%(928/9 287) and 4.49%(1 092/24 318)(χ=360.089, P=0.000); the percentage of male patients was 73.28%(680/928) and 72.44% (791/1 092) (χ=0.179, P=0.672), and the onset age was (47.3±16.4) years and (51.4±18.2) years (t=9.214, P=0.002) respectively. From 1997 to 1998, the first etiology of UGIB was peptic ulcer bleeding, accounting for 65.2%(605/928)[duodenal ulcer 47.8%(444/928), gastric ulcer 8.3%(77/928), stomal ulcer 2.3%(21/928), compound ulcer 6.8%(63/928)],the second was cancer bleeding(7.0%,65/928), and the third was esophageal and gastric varices bleeding (6.4%,59/928). From 2012 to 2013, peptic ulcer still was the first cause of UGIB, but the ratio obviously decreased to 52.7%(575/1092)(χ=32.467, P=0.000)[duodenal ulcer 31.9%(348/1092), gastric ulcer 9.4%(103/1092), stomal ulcer 2.8%(30/1092), compound ulcer 8.6%(94/1092)]. The decreased ratio of duodenal ulcer bleeding was the main reason (χ=53.724, P=0.000). Esophageal and gastric varices bleeding became the second cause (15.1%,165/1 092, χ=38.976, P=0.000), and cancer was the third cause (9.2%,101/1 092, χ=3.352, P=0.067). The largest increasing amplitude of the onset age was peptic ulcer bleeding [(46.2±16.7) years vs. (51.9±18.9) years, t=-5.548, P=0.000), and the greatest contribution to the amplitude was duodenal ulcer bleeding [(43.4±15.9) years vs. (48.4±19.4) years, t=-3.935, P=0.000], while the onset age of esophageal and gastric varices bleeding [(49.8±14.1) years vs. (48.8±13.9) years, t=0.458, P=0.648] and cancer [(58.4±13.4) years vs. (58.9±16.7) years, t=-0.196, P=0.845] did not change significantly. Compared with the period from 1997 to 1998, the detection rate of high risk peptic ulcer rebleeding (Forrest stage I(a, I(b, II(a and II(b) increased (χ=39.958, P=0.000) in the period from 2012 to 2013. From 1997 to 1998, 54 patients underwent endoscopic treatment, and the achievement ratio of hemostasis was 79.6% (43/54). From 2012 to 2013, 261 patients underwent endoscopic treatment and the achievement ratio of hemostasis was 96.9%(253/261), which was significantly higher (χ=23.287, P=0.000). Compared to the period from 1997 to 1998, more patients with variceal bleeding or non-variceal bleeding received endoscopic treatment in time (39.0% vs. 70.3%, χ=51.930, P=0.000; 3.6% vs. 15.6%, χ=62.292, P=0.000, respectively), and higher ratio of patients staging Forrest stage I(a to II(b also received endoscopic treatment in the period from 2012 to 2013 [27.4%(26/95) vs. 68.5%(111/162), χ=40.739, P=0.000]. More qualified endoscopic hemostatic techniques were used, containing thermocoagulation (0 vs. 15.2%, χ=79.518, P=0.000), hemostatic clip (0 vs. 55.9%, χ=20.879, P=0.000), hemostatic clip combined with thermocoagulation (4.3% vs. 16.4%, χ=5.154, P=0.023), while less single injection was used (87.1% vs. 6.2%, χ=10.420, P=0.001), and single spraying for hemostasis was completely abandoned in the period from 2012 to 2013. The ratio of inpatients undergoing reoperation decreased obviously in the period from 2012 to 2013 [9.3%(86/928) vs. 6.0%(65/1092), χ=7.970, P=0.005], while no significant difference was found in mortality during hospitalization between two periods.

CONCLUSIONCompared with the period from 1997 to1998, the mean onset age of UGIB increased, and the ratio of peptic ulcer bleeding decreased due to the reduction of duodenal ulcer bleeding, the detection rate of high risk peptic ulcer rebleeding increased, the cure rate of endoscopic treatment for UGIB increased, more reasonable and immediate hemostatic methods were used, but overall mortality did not change obviously in the period from 2012 to 2013.

Adult ; Age of Onset ; Aged ; Electrocoagulation ; methods ; trends ; Endoscopy, Digestive System ; trends ; Esophageal and Gastric Varices ; pathology ; therapy ; Esophagus ; pathology ; Female ; Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage ; classification ; epidemiology ; etiology ; mortality ; Gastrointestinal Neoplasms ; pathology ; Hemostasis, Endoscopic ; methods ; trends ; Hemostatic Techniques ; trends ; Hemostatics ; therapeutic use ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Peptic Ulcer ; pathology ; therapy ; Peptic Ulcer Hemorrhage ; pathology ; therapy ; Reoperation ; trends ; Stomach Ulcer ; pathology ; therapy ; Surgical Instruments ; trends ; Ulcer ; epidemiology ; therapy

Lumbar radiculopathy is generally caused by such well-recognized entity as lumbar disc herniation in neurosurgical practice; however rare pathologies such as thrombosed epidural varix may mimic them by causing radicular symptoms. In this case report, we present a 26-year-old man with the complaint of back and right leg pain who was operated for right L4-5 disc herniation. The lesion interpreted as an extruded disc herniation preoperatively was found to be a thrombosed epidural varix compressing the nerve root preoperatively. The nerve root was decompressed by shrinking the lesion with bipolar thermocoagulation and excision. The patient's complaints disappeared in the postoperative period. Thrombosed lumbar epidural varices may mimic lumbar disc herniations both radiologically and clinically. Therefore, must be kept in mind in the differential diagnosis of lumbar disc herniations. Microsurgical techniques are mandatory for the treatment of these pathologies and decompression with thermocoagulation and excision is an efficient method.
Adult ; Decompression ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Electrocoagulation ; Humans ; Leg ; Methods ; Pathology ; Postoperative Period ; Radiculopathy ; Varicose Veins*

BACKGROUNDThe efficacy of percutaneous intradiscal radiofrequency thermocoagulation (PIRFT) for the treatment of discogenic low back pain (LBP) remains controversial. However, all the PIRFT studies utilized monopolar radiofrequency thermocoagulation (RFTC). The aim of this study was to investigate the safety and efficacy of bipolar RFTC for the treatment of discogenic LBP.

METHODSA total of 23 patients with discogenic LBP were treated with single-level bipolar RFTC. The patients were assessed before the procedure and at 1 week, 1 month, 3 months, 6 months, and 1 year after the procedure. The primary outcome included the visual analog scale (VAS) score and the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) score. The secondary outcome included pain relief, reduction of analgesic dose, and patient satisfaction.

RESULTSThe VAS and ODI scores were significantly decreased after bipolar RFTC treatment at all time points of follow-up (P < 0.05). Bipolar RFTC treatment also resulted in a significant change in all secondary measures, such as pain relief, reduction of analgesic dose, and patient satisfaction. No serious complications or neurological sequelae were observed in any of the patients.

CONCLUSIONSBipolar RFTC treatment can significantly attenuate pain and improve the function of patients with discogenic LBP.

Adult ; Aged ; Electrocoagulation ; adverse effects ; methods ; Female ; Fluoroscopy ; methods ; Humans ; Intervertebral Disc Displacement ; complications ; therapy ; Low Back Pain ; genetics ; therapy ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Patient Satisfaction ; Time Factors ; Treatment Outcome

PURPOSE: The purpose was to compare the accuracy of Miniaci method using picture archiving and communication system (PACS) with a cable method in high tibial osteotomy (HTO). MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study analyzed 47 patients (52 knees) with varus deformity and medial osteoarthritis. From 2007 to 2013, patients underwent HTO using either a cable method (20 knees) or Miniaci method based on a PACS image (32 knees). In the cable method, the 62.5% point of the mediolateral tibial plateau width was located using an electrocautery cord under fluoroscopy (cable group). The Miniaci method used preoperative radiographs to shift the weight bearing axis (PACS group). Full-length lower limb radiographs obtained preoperatively and at the sixth postoperative week were used to compare the percentage of crossing point of the weight bearing line on the tibial plateau with respect to the medial border. RESULTS: The weight bearing line on the tibial plateau was corrected from a preoperative 11.0±7.0% to a postoperative 47.2±7.4% in the cable group and from 12.7±4.9% to 59.5±5.3% in the PACS group. The mechanical femorotibial angle was corrected from varus 8.9±3.7° to valgus 0.3±4.0° in the cable group and from varus 9.0±3.3° to valgus 2.9±2.6° in the PACS group. CONCLUSIONS: In HTO, correction based on the Miniaci method using a PACS was more accurate than correction using the cable method.
Congenital Abnormalities ; Electrocoagulation ; Fluoroscopy ; Humans ; Knee ; Lower Extremity ; Methods ; Osteoarthritis ; Osteotomy ; Planning Techniques ; Weight-Bearing