Olivier Monneuse

Lack of recovery in monocyte human leukocyte antigen-DR expression is independently associated with the development of sepsis after major trauma

IntroductionMajor trauma is characterized by an overwhelming pro-inflammatory response and an accompanying anti-inflammatory response that lead to a state of immunosuppression, as observed after septic shock. Diminished monocyte Human Leukocyte Antigen DR (mHLA-DR) is a reliable marker of monocyte dysfunction and immunosuppression. The main objective of this study was to determine the relation between mHLA-DR expression in severe trauma patients and the development of sepsis.MethodsWe conducted a prospective observational study over 23 months in a trauma intensive care unit at a university hospital. Patients with an Injury Severity Score (ISS) over 25 and age over 18 were included. mHLA-DR was assessed by flow cytometry protocol according to standardized protocol. Mann-Whitney U-test for continuous non-parametric variables, independent paired t test for continuous parametric variables and chi-square test for categorical data were used.ResultsmHLA-DR was measured three times a week during the first 14 days. One hundred five consecutive severely injured patients were monitored (ISS 38 ± 17, SAPS II 37 ± 16). Thirty-seven patients (35%) developed sepsis over the 14 days post-trauma. At days 1-2, mHLA-DR was diminished in the whole patient population, with no difference with the development of sepsis. At days 3-4, a highly significant difference appeared between septic and non-septic patients. Non- septic patients showed an increase in mHLA-DR levels, whereas septic patients did not (13,723 ± 7,766 versus 9,271 ± 6,029 antibodies per cell, p = .004). Most importantly, multivariate logistic regression analysis, after adjustment for usual clinical confounders (adjusted OR 5.41, 95% CI 1.42-20.52), revealed that a slope of mHLA-DR expression between days1-2 and days 3-4 below 1.2 remained associated with the development of sepsis.ConclusionsMajor trauma induced an immunosuppression, characterized by a decrease in mHLA-DR expression. Importantly, after multivariate regression logistic analysis, persistent decreased expression was assessed to be in relation with the development of sepsis. This is the first study in trauma patients showing a link between the lack of immune recovery and the development of sepsis on the basis of the standardized protocol. Monitoring immune function by mHLA-DR measurement could be useful to identify trauma patients at a high risk of infection.

Portal Venous Gas Detected on Computed Tomography in Emergency Situations: Surgery Is Still Necessary

BackgroundPortal venous gas (PVG) has been reported to be associated with lethal surgical diagnosis. Recent studies tend to confirm the clinical significance of gas in the portal vein; however, some patients are managed without surgical treatment. The aim of this study was to assess both the diagnoses and the treatment of patients with PVG in an emergency surgical setting.Materials and methodsWe performed a retrospective chart review of 15 patients with PVG in the emergency setting detected by computed tomography (CT) between July 1999 and July 2004. Characteristics assessed included age, sex, clinical presentation, first CT diagnosis of both PVG and the underlying pathology, American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) score, surgical findings, final clinical diagnosis, duration of hospitalization, and evolution of the illness/mortality. All patients were examined one month after operation.ResultsThis series of 5 women and 10 men ranged in age from 38 to 90 years at the time they underwent emergency surgical treatment. The mean preoperative ASA score was 4.20. Computed tomography diagnosed the underlying pathology in all cases: bowel obstruction (4 cases), bowel necrosis (9 cases), and diffuse peritonitis (2 cases). The mean length of hospital stay was 12.4 days. The mortality rate was 46.6%; (7 patients).ConclusionsA wide range of pathologies can generate PVG. Computed tomography can detect both the presence of gas and the underlying pathology. In emergency situations, all the diagnosed causal pathologies required a surgical procedure without delay. We report that the prognosis was related to the pathology itself and was not influenced by the presence of PVG.

Prospective evaluation of nonenhanced MR imaging in acute pancreatitis

To compare the value of nonenhanced (NE) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) (NE‐MRI) with contrast‐enhanced (CE) computed tomography (CT) (CE‐CT) scan in assessing acute pancreatitis (AP) and in evaluating the severity index (SI) with clinical outcome.

Water enema computed tomography : diagnostic tool in suspicion of colorectal tumor

OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to assess the accuracy of water enema multi-row computed tomography for detecting clinically suspected colorectal tumor. PATIENTS AND METHODS A water enema multi-row computed tomography (WE-MR-CT) was performed in 128 consecutive patients (71 women, mean age 67.7 years) referred for suspicion of colorectal cancer. We defined at least one centimeter size of the lesion as the threshold of detection. The results of WE-MR-CT were compared with the diagnosis obtained by colonoscopy, pathology or clinical follow-up. RESULTS The overall sensitivity and specificity of water enema multi-row CT in identifying patients with colorectal lesions were 95.5% and 93.5%, respectively. The negative predictive value was 98.8% for a 10-mm threshold lesion size. WE-MR-CT allowed identifying synchronous lesions in three cases. CONCLUSIONS WE-MR-CT can accurately detect supracentimetric colorectal tumors. The performance of this technique should be further evaluated in prospective studies.

Mangafodipir-enhanced magnetic resonance cholangiography for the diagnosis of bile duct leaks

BACKGROUND The purpose of this prospective study was to assess the value of contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance cholangiography with mangafodipir trisodium perfusion for detection and localization of trauma-induced and postoperative bile duct leaks. METHODS Eleven patients with suspected bile duct leaks after trauma (n=5) or surgery (n=6) were included. Patients with suspected leaks after cholecystectomy were excluded. All patients underwent contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance cholangiography with two-dimensional axial and three-dimensional coronal gradient-echo images acquired 1 to 3 hours after intravenous administration of mangafodipir trisodium perfusion. Contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance cholangiography findings were correlated with direct cholangiography obtained in all patients, including endoscopic retrograde (n=7) and percutaneous transhepatic cholangiography (n=4). RESULTS Biliary tract enhancement was identified in all patients on contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance cholangiography. Peritoneal cavity fluid and bile collections that contained extravasated mangafodipir trisodium (increased signal intensity on gradient-echo sequences) were demonstrated in 6 patients. Direct cholangiography confirmed the presence of bile duct leaks in these 6 patients and the absence of bile duct leaks in 5 patients. There was no false-negative or false-positive contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance cholangiography. CONCLUSIONS Mangafodipir-enhanced magnetic resonance cholangiography is a noninvasive technique that can provide functional biliary information with excellent depiction of bile duct leaks.

Hepatic portal venous gas

STUDY OBJECTIVE: Hepatic portal venous gas is a radiological symptom associated with a poor prognosis (75% to 90% mortality). The aim of this retrospective study was to report 7 cases observed over a 2-year period. PATIENTS AND METHOD: From June 1997 to November 1999, hepatic portal venous gas was diagnosed in 6 patients by CT scan and in one patient by echosonography. It was not detected in any case by plain abdominal X-rays. Three patients had small bowel obstruction with necrosis, three had extensive superior mesenteric infarction and one had preperforative necrosis of the colon. RESULTS: One patient with extensive intestinal infarction and a metastatic head and neck cancer was not operated. Two patients were operated, but the extensive mesenteric infarction was not amenable to surgical management. Three of the 7 patients died, while the other four patients survived after resection of the necrotic small intestine (n = 3) and left colectomy extended to the transverse colon (n = 1). CONCLUSION: Hepatic portal venous gas was associated with intestinal necrosis in the seven cases of this series. The severity of portal venous gas is only correlated with the severity of the disease causing portal venous gas.

Intraperitoneal Treatment With Dimethylthioampal (DIMATE) Combined With Surgical Debulking Is Effective for Experimental Peritoneal Carcinomatosis in a Rat Model

The goal was to evaluate the efficiency of intraperitoneal administration of dimethylthioampal (DIMATE), a cellular apoptosis inducer, combined, or not, with cytoreductive surgery on rats with peritoneal adenocarcinomatosis. Peritoneal carcinomatosis was induced in rats by intraperitoneal injection of adenocarcinoma cell line DHD/K12/pro B. Intraperitoneal DIMATE was given at 17.3 mg/kg. Rats were randomized into five groups of eight animals, regarding the day of treatment (2 days or 20 days after peritoneal carcinomatosis induction) and the combination with cytoreductive surgery. All rats were killed at 30 days to evaluate carcinomatosis extent (quantitative score) and ascites volume. The quantitative score of carcinomatosis and the ascites volume were significantly reduced in the groups treated with DIMATE at day 2 (P = 0.005 and P < 0.001, respectively) and when DIMATE was used with cytoreductive surgery at day 20 (P = 0.009 and P <0.001, respectively). Cytoreductive surgery or DIMATE used alone at day 20 had no significant infiuence. The intraperitoneal DIMATE administration at day 20, when not combined with surgery, had no significant infiuence on carcinomatosis extent or on ascites volume. Intraperitoneal DIMATE appeared to be an efficient drug in the prevention or treatment of peritoneal carcinomatosis when combined with cytoreductive surgery or when it was given by intraperitoneal route, before the development of macroscopic peritoneal carcinomatosis. It appears to be a promising therapeutic agent to be investigated in a human phase I trial in peritoneal carcinomatosis.

Pain as the Only Consistent Sign of Acute Appendicitis: Lack of Inflammatory Signs Does Not Exclude the Diagnosis

BackgroundThe clinical diagnosis of acute appendicitis in adults remains tricky, but radiological examinations are very helpful to determine the diagnosis even when the adult patient presents atypically. This study was designed to quantify the proportion of patients with a preoperative diagnosis of acute appendicitis that had isolated right lower quadrant pain without biological inflammatory signs and then to determine which imaging examination led to the determination of the diagnosis.MethodsIn this monocentric study based on retrospectively collected data, we analyzed a series of 326 patients with a preoperative diagnosis of acute appendicitis and isolated those who were afebrile and had isolated right lower quadrant pain and normal white blood cell counts and C-reactive protein levels. We determined whether the systematic ultrasonography examination was informative enough or a complementary intravenous contrast media computed tomography scan was necessary to determine the diagnosis, and whether the final pathological diagnosis fit the preoperative one.ResultsA total of 15.6% of the patients with a preoperative diagnosis of acute appendicitis had isolated rebound tenderness in the right lower quadrant, i.e., they were afebrile and their white blood cell counts and C-reactive protein levels were normal. In 96.1% of the cases, the ultrasonography examination, sometimes complemented by an intravenous contrasted computed tomography scan if the ultrasonography result was equivocal, fit the histopathological diagnosis of acute appendicitis.ConclusionsThe diagnosis of acute appendicitis cannot be excluded when an adult patient presents with isolated rebound tenderness in the right lower quadrant even without fever and biological inflammatory signs. In our study, ultrasonography and computed tomography were very helpful when making the final diagnosis.

Hyperparathyroidies primaires juveniles. A propos de 24 observations

Aim of the study: Primary hyperparathyroidism usually affects elderly patients. Juvenile primary hyperparathyroidism is rare, and raises diagnostic and pronostic problems. The aim of this retrospective study on 24 patients is to establish clinical, histological, and therapeutic features of juvenile primary hyperparathyroidism. Patients and methods: From 1986 to 2001, 673 patients were treated for primary hyperparathyroidism in our department. Twenty four patients were younger than 30 years old (3,5%). There were 14 women and 10 men. Mean age was 23 year (14–30). Clinical manifestations, pathologics findings and postoperative results were studied. Results: Sixteen patients presented a sporadic form of primary hyperparathyroidism with a single adenoma. Clinical manifestations were renal symptoms in 11 cases and acute hypercalcemia syndrome in 2 cases. Seven patients had a NEM I syndrome: parathyroid lesions were 6 hyperplasia and one adenoma. A 27 years old woman presented a recurrent familial isolated hyperparathyroidism. She was operated on 10 years before and at reoperation parathyroid carcinoma was found. Nineteen patients were cured after a post operative follow up ranging from 3 to 168 months. One patient had an asymptomatic hypercalcemia recurrence. Two patients presented permanent hypoparathyroidism treated whith calcitriol and calcium. Conclusion: Sporadic forms represent majority of cases of juvenile hyperparathyroidism. Renal manifestations are usual. Nevertheless, multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 has to be evocated.

Pseudo-anévrisme hépatique post-traumatique : traitement percutané à la colle vasculaire

es pseudo-anevrismes intra-hepatiques constituent une complication rare des traumatismes hepatiques. Jusqu’a l’avenement de l’embolisation radiologique, cette complication necessitait une resection hepatique chirurgicale associee a une forte morbidite (1). Par ailleurs, le taux d’echec du traitement radiologique par angiographie des anevrismes splanchniques est compris entre 5 et 25 % selon les series (2, 3). Nous rapportons le cas d’un patient ayant presente un faux anevrisme intra-hepatique asymptomatique, diagnostique 10 jours apres un traumatisme abdominal ferme severe. Ce cas illustre la possibilite d’embolisation percutanee en utilisant une colle vasculaire en cas d’echec du traitement endovasculaire classique evitant ainsi une chirurgie.