Anaesthesiology and Reanimation Education in Turkey: Residents' Views

Objective

This study aimed to determine opinions of medical residents undergoing anaesthesia and reanimation training about equipment, programmes, applications, study conditions and shift systems at training institutions in Turkey.

Methods

A web-based survey was sent by e-mail to residents in anaesthesiology and reanimation training programmes. The survey comprised 73 questions about demographic characteristics, satisfaction, basic specialisation knowledge, anxiety and motivation.

Results

The study included 270 individuals. Of the residents, 82.2% willingly chose their field, whereas 66.7% stated that specialisation was necessary because of incorrect application of first-stage and GP medical services. The mean of the weekly working hours was 91.69±36.69 hours; the mean number of monthly on-call shifts was 7.49±1.99. Of the participants, 61.9% found the predicted five-year training duration long. The intensive care training duration was sufficient for 71.1% and only 26.3% found the pain management training duration sufficient.

Conclusion

According to the results, the number of residents is insufficient, workload is heavy, working hours are long and large numbers of shifts are worked without leave afterwards. In spite of negatives and high dissatisfaction, most residents willingly chose their departments and would choose the same branches again. Participants stated that their institutions emphasised service rather than education and research, and educators were less accessible to residents due to increasing service loads.

Spinal cord ischaemia after radical pleurectomy/decortication operation for mesothelioma

Radical pleurectomy/decortication was performed in a patient with malignant pleural mesothelioma. During the surgery, the left subclavian artery was injured, and repaired via resection and anastomosis. However, the patient was diagnosed with paraplegia following extubation. After deliberate investigations, the mechanism of injury to the critical vascular zone of the spinal cord was determined. Here, we aim to draw attention to possible similar injuries.

Type B interrupted aorta in an adult patient

INTRODUCTION

Interrupted aortic arch is a rare congenital malformation characterized by a complete loss of luminal continuity between the ascending and descending aorta. It is often diagnosed during the neonatal period.

CASE PRESENTATION

We presented a 51-year-old male patient with interrupted aortic arch type B who was treated successfully with posterolateral thoracotomy without using cardiopulmonary bypass.

CONCLUSION

The prognosis for interrupted aortic arch depends on the associated congenital anomalies, but the outcome is usually very poor unless there is surgical treatment. Survival into adulthood depends on the development of collateral circulation.

DTI findings during spontaneous migraine attacks

PURPOSE

Previous functional neuroimaging studies showed that the brainstem may have an important role in migraine and recently, DTI studies demonstrated that structural alterations in migraineurs may extend beyond the normal appearing brain tissue. The aim of our study was to find out if DTI may detect any abnormality during the spontaneous migraine attacks.

METHODS

The DTI images obtained in a 3T system during spontaneous migraine episodes. Patients with any systemic or metabolic disorder and abnormal signal intensity in conventional sequences were excluded. We measured the FA and ADC values of red nuclei, periaquaductal gray matter, thalami, posterior limbs of internal capsules and subcortical white matter. Fifteen healthy volunteers served as control group.

RESULTS

Fourteen patients enrolled in the study. The only site where we found an abnormality was the red nuclei, where the ADC values in migraineurs were statistically higher than in healthy volunteers. There was no statistical correlation between the DTI measurements and patients' ages, duration of disease, frequency of attacks and localization of pain.

CONCLUSION

Our findings supported the findings of previous functional neuroimaging studies, which concluded that the brainstem might have a role in the pathogenesis of a migraine episode. We think that the increase of ADC values in red nuclei may reflect vasogenic edema, which cannot be detected in conventional sequences. However, the exact underlying mechanism for this observation is unclear and we do not know whether these changes are responsible for triggering an attack or if they are the consequents of the attack itself.

The role of DTI in early detection of cervical spondylotic myelopathy: a preliminary study with 3-T MRI

INTRODUCTION

The radiological diagnosis of cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM) has to be made as soon as possible, since surgery performed in earlier stages during the course of CSM was reported to be more successful when compared with later stages. We hypothesized that diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) may detect CSM in earlier stages, before the appearance of signal increase in T2-weighted sequences.

METHODS

A total of 16 patients with neurological signs and symptoms of CSM but without hyperintensity in spinal cord on T2-weighted sequences enrolled in the study. The magnetic resonance (MR) examinations were performed on a 3-T MR imaging system. Apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) and fractional anisotropy (FA) maps were generated on axial plane. The ADC and FA measurements in each individual were made at the level of most severe cervical canal stenosis and at a nonstenotic level. Student's t test was used to compare FA and ADC values of the spinal cord in stenotic and nonstenotic segments. We also investigated if there was a correlation between DTI parametrics and duration of clinical symptoms by using Pearson correlation analysis.

RESULTS

All patients showed changes in DTI parametrics at stenotic segments. While FA values of the spinal cord at the stenotic level showed a statistically significant reduction, there was a statistically significant increase in the measured ADC values (p < 0.001). There was no statistical correlation between the duration of symptoms and DTI parametrics.

CONCLUSION

Our preliminary findings indicate that DTI may show abnormalities in the spinal cord before the development of T2 hyperintensity on conventional sequences in patients with CSM.

Diagnostic accuracy of magnetic resonance imaging versus computed tomography in stress fractures of the lumbar spine

AIM

To compare the diagnostic accuracy of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with computed tomography (CT) in stress fractures of the lumbar spine.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Radiological and clinical data from 57 adolescents and young adults with a diagnosis of stress injury of the lumbar spine were retrospectively reviewed. All cases had undergone both 1.5 T MRI and 16-section CT examinations. All MRI and CT images were retrospectively reviewed and evaluated in separate sessions. The fracture morphology (complete/incomplete, localization) and vertebral levels were noted at both the CT and MRI examinations. Bone marrow/peri-osseous soft-tissue oedema was also determined at MRI.

RESULTS

In total, 73 complete and 32 incomplete stress fractures were detected with CT. Sixty-seven complete, 24 incomplete fractures and eight stress reactions were detected using MRI in the same study group. Marrow oedema was also seen in eight of the complete and 20 of the incomplete fractures. The specificity, sensitivity, and accuracy of MRI in detecting fracture lines were 99.6, 86.7, and 97.2%, respectively. MRI was more accurate at the lower lumbar levels in comparison to upper lumbar levels.

CONCLUSION

MRI has a similar diagnostic accuracy to CT in determining complete fractures with or without accompanying marrow oedema and incomplete fractures with accompanying marrow oedema, especially at the lower lumbar levels, which constitutes 94% of all fractures. At upper lumbar levels and in the incomplete fractures of the pars interarticularis with marked surrounding sclerosis, MRI has apparent limitations compared to CT imaging.

Value of perineural edema/inflammation detected by fat saturation sequences in lumbar magnetic resonance imaging of patients with unilateral sciatica

BACKGROUND

Routine lumbar spine magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) may not show any evidence of the cause of sciatica in some cases. The relationship between nerve root compression detected on lumbar MRI and sciatica is also sometimes uncertain.

PURPOSE

To ascertain whether axial (and, when necessary, sagittal and coronal) short-tau inversion recovery or fat-saturated T2-weighted MRI findings can be used to study the level of sciatica in patients with a non-yielding routine MRI examination.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

A total of 215 patients with unilateral sciatica underwent MRI. All patients were asked to complete pain drawing forms describing their pain dermatomal distributions. Perineural edema/inflammation corresponding to the pain location indicated by the pain drawings was sought on short-tau inversion recovery or fat-saturated T2-weighted images.

RESULTS

Routine MRI findings revealed that 110 of the 215 patients had nerve root compromise related to the patients' symptoms. Routine MRI could not ascertain the cause of these symptoms in the remaining 105 patients. In 31 (29.5%) of these 105 patients, short-tau inversion recovery or fat-saturated T2-weighted magnetic resonance images revealed perineural edema/inflammation surrounding the nerve roots related to the pain locations indicated in the pain drawings.

CONCLUSION

Axial (and, when required, sagittal and coronal) short-tau inversion recovery or fat-saturated T2-weighted magnetic resonance images may be helpful for revealing additional findings in cases of unexplained sciatica in standard magnetic resonance imaging. However, the value of this imaging may be not great enough to justify routine use of these additional sequences to study the level of sciatica.

MR spectroscopy findings in Lafora disease

PURPOSE

Our aim was to investigate the [(1)H] MR spectroscopy (MRS) findings of Lafora Disease (LD), which is a disabling form of progressive myoclonic epilepsy.

METHODS

Twelve patients diagnosed with LD and 12 control subjects underwent MRS studies with single-voxels of 8 cc obtained in the frontal lobe, pons, and cerebellum. The metabolites and NAA/Cr, NAA/Cho, Cho/Cr, mI/Cr ratios were calculated. Subgroup analysis was also done between 5 patients with EPM2B and 6 patients with EPM2A mutations. Two investigators scored neurological symptom severity.

RESULTS

We found a statistically significant difference of NAA/Cho ratio in LD patients compared with normal controls in cerebellum (P= 0.04). In addition, both myoclonus and ataxia scores showed significant correlation with NAA/Cho ratios in the pons (P= 0.03, P= 0.04) and in the cerebellum (P= 0.04, P= 0.01), respectively.

CONCLUSION

We conclude that the cerebellum is the mostly affected structure in LD and there are significant correlations of MRS findings with some clinical parameters. The differences in the group may be related to different genetic mutations besides disease duration and other clinical variables. MRS studies could provide insights about the severity of the involvement of LD.

The value of magnetic resonance cholangiography in the preoperative assessment of living liver donors

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this study was to investigate the ability of magnetic resonance cholangiography (MRC) in the depiction of biliary anatomy of living liver donors by using intraoperative cholangiography (IOC) as a gold standard.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Between 2004 and 2006, 86 potential adult-to-adult living donor liver transplantation donors had preoperative MRC at our institution. Of these, 24 potential donors were excluded due to various clinical factors. A total of 62 of these individuals were selected for liver donation and included in the study. MRC was performed on a 1.5-T scanner with breath-hold, rapid acquisition with relaxation enhancement (RARE) sequence with half-Fourier acquisition (HASTE; Siemens) and free-breathing, three-dimensional turbo spin-echo sequence with respiratory triggering. Thin- and thick-slab imaging techniques were employed with half-Fourier RARE MRC. IOC was performed in all 63 cases. The images of IOC and MRC were classified according to a modified Huang classification, independently. The results of the MRC were then compared with the IOC results.

RESULTS

IOC was used as the reference standard; a total of 43 (69.3%) liver donors were considered to have normal biliary anatomy, whereas 19 (30.7%) were considered to have variants of biliary anatomy. Compared with IOC, MRC correctly revealed biliary anatomy in 59 of 62 (95.1%) donors. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value of MRC in distinguishing normal and any type of variant biliary anatomy were 84.2%, 100%, 100%, and 93.4%, respectively.

CONCLUSION

MRC is an effective imaging technique for the preoperative evaluation of the biliary anatomy in living liver donors. However, MRC and IOC should be considered complementary to one another in order to avoid complications.

[Early and late outcomes of carotid artery stenting]

OBJECTIVE

Carotid artery stenting is a new approach alternative to surgical carotid endarterectomy. Cerebral protection devices improved the applicability of this technique. In this study, we evaluated applicability, safety and late clinical outcomes of percutaneous interventions for carotid artery stenosis.

METHODS

A prospective study included 26 patients (15 female, 11 male, mean age 70+/-16 years) undergoing percutaneous transluminal angioplasty and stenting with different sizes of balloons and stents for 28 internal carotid artery stenoses at Kadir Has University Department of Interventional Radiology between March 2002 and December 2004. Ten patients were asymptomatic, one had amaurosis fugax, four had transient ischemic attack within last four months, one had drop attacks, one had headache, seven had the findings of hemiparesis and three had hemiplegia.

RESULTS

Stenosis rates were calculated according to North America Symptomatic Carotid Endarterectomy Trial. Median stenosis rate was 85% (range: 60%-95%). All of the 28 internal carotid artery stenoses were managed with balloon dilatation and stenting (technical success rate 100%). Median residual stenosis rate after procedure was 14% (range: 0%-30%). Asystole developed in five patients and bradycardia in eight patients. Ipsilateral middle cerebral artery infarction occurred in two patients. One patient had intracranial reperfusion bleeding four hours after the procedure. No procedural death was observed within one month of follow-up. One patient died of myocardial infarction four months after the procedure. Cranial computed tomography revealed multiple metastases in one patient complaining of intractable headache and primary source was found to be pulmonary carcinoma. No stent restenosis was defined at Doppler ultrasonographic examinations performed 6 and 12 months after procedures with normal flow patterns and velocities. Two patients underwent control angiography at 12th month and myointimal proliferations with insignificant obstruction (25% and 30%) were detected.

CONCLUSION

Carotid artery stenting seems to be applicable and safe procedure but it is associated with infrequent major complications. Results of studies comparing surgery and angioplasty will be helpful in defining role of stenting in the treatment of carotid occlusive disease.

Recurrent tuberculous pseudoaneurysm of the descending thoracic aorta--a case report

Tuberculous pseudoaneurysm of the aorta is a rare disease that is uniformly fatal if not treated properly. The authors present a case of a recurrent tuberculous false aneurysm of the descending thoracic aorta that was treated surgically with excision and primary repair of the lesion. To their knowledge, this is the first reported case of recurrent disease after a successful surgical treatment.

Endovascular stent graft treatment in a patient with splenic artery aneurysm

Splenic artery aneurysms are rare but important vascular lesions that constitute approximately 60% of all visceral arterial aneurysms. Splenic artery is the third most common localization of intraabdominal aneurysm formation. Rupture is the main complication that occurs in 3%-10% of the cases. We describe a case with a proximal splenic artery aneurysm. To preserve splenic function and reduce the risk of aneurysmal rupture, we used stent-graft to embolize the aneurysm treated percutaneously. The follow up of patient was uneventful after embolization. Endovascular embolization of the splenic artery aneurysm may prevent the need for emergency surgery and also offer an effective alternative surgical treatment.

Monostotic fibrous dysplasia of the clivus: MRI and CT findings

Fibrous dysplasia is a developmental disorder caused by abnormal proliferation and maturation of fibroblasts resulting in replacement of mature bone by structurally weak, immature woven bone. Clival involvement in monostotic fibrous dysplasia is extremely unusual, and has rarely been reported previously. We report a case of monostotic fibrous dysplasia of the clivus with special emphasis on the imaging findings and differential diagnosis.

Intrahepatic arterioportal fistula: demonstration by dynamic 3D magnetic resonance angiography in under four seconds

We report a case of a 35-year-old patient with clinical symptoms of portal hypertension that underwent dynamic contrast-enhanced 3D magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) of the abdomen. On breath-hold dynamic contrast-enhanced MRA in less than 4 seconds, contrast passage from the arterial to the portal system was successfully demonstrated. Patient was managed according to MRA findings.

Spontaneous retroperitoneal hemorrhage secondary to subcapsular renal hematoma: MRI findings

Spontaneous retroperitoneal hemorrhage is a rare intraabdominal bleeding. In this report we present a case of a nontraumatic retroperitoneal hemorrhage secondary to spontaneous subcapsular renal hematoma. A 54-year-old patient who was under warfarin therapy, developed subcapsular right renal hematoma. Subcapsular and retroperitoneal hemorrhage were low signal on T1- and T2-weighted images consistent with acute stage of blood. The source of subcapsular hematoma was shown to be the rupture of hemorrhagic renal cyst on MRI. Extension of hemorrhage into the retroperitoneal space anterior to right psoas muscle was also successfully shown on MRI. Patient underwent nephrectomy and retroperitoneal blood was evacuated.

Primary epiploic appendagitis: CT manifestations

Inflammation of an epiploic appendage is considered to be a rare cause of acute abdomen. Recently, it has been reported that typical computed tomography (CT) findings of primary epiploic appendagitis (PEA) provide a definitive diagnosis in most of the cases. However, since these papers are only few, they are easily overlooked by the practicing radiologists. Our purpose is to add four new cases to the existing literature and to perform a review of the literature.