Temporary epicardial pacing wires during open-heart surgery are routinely used both for diagnostic and treatment purposes. In complicated cases where patients are unstable or the wires are difficult to remove, the pacing wires are cut at the skin level and allowed to retract by themselves. This procedure rarely causes complications. However, there have been cases reporting that retained pacing ...

Aortoenteric fistula is a rare but potentially fatal condition causing massive gastrointestinal bleeding. In particular, double primary aortoenteric fistulae are vanishingly rare. We encountered a 75-year-old male patient suffering from abdominal pain, hematochezia, hematemesis, and hypotension. His computed tomography images showed abdominal aortic aneurysm and suspected aortoenteric fistulae....

Stenosis of arteriovenous (A-V) fistulae secondary to neointimal hyperplasia (NIH) compromises dialysis delivery, which worsens patients' quality of life and increases medical costs associated with the maintenance of vascular accesses. In the present study, we evaluated the role of the receptor tyrosine kinase c-Kit in A-V fistula neointima formation. Initially, c-Kit was found in the neointima...

Aims and objectives: To evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of Magnetic Resonance Fistulography in the assessment of the perianal fistulae. Background: The success of the surgical approach for perianal fistulae treatmentis closely associated with the preoperative assessment. MR imaging plays a key role in describing the fistulae in relation to the anatomy of the perianal region. This has been cate...

OBJECTIVE To examine the incidence and type of obstetric fistula presenting to Hamlin Fistula Ethiopia over a 4-year period. STUDY DESIGN This is a 4-year retrospective survey of obstetric fistula treated at three Hamlin Fistula Hospitals in Ethiopia, where approximately half of all women in the country are treated. The operation logbook was reviewed to identify all new cases of obstetric fis...

BACKGROUND Fistulizing Crohn's disease (CD) presents a therapeutic challenge as fistulae are notoriously difficult to heal. Mycobacterium avium ss paratuberculosis (MAP) treatment in CD is gaining attention. AIM We evaluated healing of CD fistula(e) using a novel combination therapy. STUDY Nine consecutive patients who failed to heal fistulae on conventional treatment including anti-TNF, we...

The authors present the case of three patients from the same family in whom hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia (HHT) or Rendu-Osler-Weber syndrome was diagnosed. The disease is rare and occurs with multiple telangiectases of the skin and mucosa, and pulmonary arteriovenous fistulae. The clinical status of our patients included multiple telangiectases of the skin and mucosa, recurrent epistax...

Received 2/2/2007; revised 4/2/2007; accepted 4/3/2007. For correspondence or reprints contact: Chiung-Zuan Chiu, M.D., Division of Cardiology, Shin-Kong Wu Ho-Su Memorial Hospital. 95 Wen Chan Road, Shih Lin, Taipei 111, Taiwan. Tel: (886)2-28332211 ext. 9456, Fax: (886)2-28123397, E-mail: [email protected] Background: Coronary fistula is a congenital anomaly resulting in steal phenomenon o...

Aortoenteric fistulae are life-threatening conditions characterized by abnormal communications between the aorta and gastrointestinal tract. Aortoenteric fistulae may be characterized by the triad of bleeding, abdominal pain, or a pulsatile abdominal mass. Although hemorrhage is the most common presentation, it does not always occur; thus, patients may present with nonspecific symptoms. Compute...

UNLABELLED Anal fistula is a benign inflammatory disease with unclear etiology which develops in approximately 10 in 100 000 adult patients. Surgical treatment of fistulae is associated with a risk of damaging anal sphincters. This usually happens in treating high fistulae, branched fistulae, and anterior ones in females. In preoperative diagnosis of anal fistulae, endosonography and magnetic r...