Volume 101  ·   Issue 02  ·  1988

Somatosensory evoked potentials (SEP) investigations by median nerve stimulation and noncephalic reference were carried out on 42 normals and 5 patients. Normals showed 100% presence of P14 component with a mean latency of 14.0 ms in the frontal as well as parietal recordings. Two operations proved that cervical cord damaged patients show loss of P14 and other components when recorded at the scalp while one patient with thalamic hemorrhage showed persistent P14. Two patients with CT proved lesions in the pontine area showed preservation of P14 while other cortical components and BAEP were abnormal. According to our findings P14 probably originates at the lower pons or medulla oblongata.

Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA double sandwich method) was used for detecting circulating antigen (CA) in sera from patients with clonorchiasis. This method could detect as little as 0.03 μg/ml of CA. CA could be detected in sera from almost all clonorchiasis patients. There was a positive correlation between the egg count and CA concentration. The coefficient of correlation was 0.5280. The CA-positive rate of 117 clonorchiasis patients before treatment was 94.87%. After treatment, CA concentration dropped faster and more marked than that of circulating antibody. One month after treatment, 58 out of 86 paired patients were CA-negative, and all CA-negative cases were also egg negative. Three months after treatment, 70 of 86 paired patients were CA-negative and all were eggnegative. 16 were CA-positive, of whom 12 were egg positive and 4 were egg negative. 13 months after treatment 74 of 86 paired patients were CA-negative and among them 73 were egg negative. 12 were CA-positive and all of them were egg positive. Thus, 3 and 13 months after treatment there was a good correlation between the CA detection and the stool egg examination for the evaluation of therapeutic efficacy.

12 cases of pathologically proven nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) managed with hematoporphyrin derivative-photoradiation therapy (HpD-PRT) had been followed up for 4 months to 2 years. 4 cases achieved complete remission and 8 significant remission, giving an overall response rate of 100%. There was no change of blood picture and the values of serum IgG, IgA and C3 all remained stable post HpD-PRT. Only 1 case developed mild generalized skin photosensitive reaction which did not interfere with his subsequent treatment. There was no immunosuppresive effect as evidenced by 3H-TdR incorporated lymphocytoblast transformation assay performed both pre- and post-PRT. Ultrastructural studies at different time intervals post HpD-PRT highly suggested that the mitochondria and rough endoplasmic reticulum were the initially damaged organelles.

Eighty-five consecutive patients underwent side-to-side mesocaval shunt with a success rate of 98.8% and 30-day hospital mortality of 2.5%. Of 80 cases followed up for 3 months to 8 years, 8 died, 3 had encephalopathy, 5 rebleeding, 2 ascites and 3 lower leg edema. A long history of hepatitis and liver function impairment were common features of dying patients. Rebleeding rate was 8.7%. Liver function played an important role in the determination of the therapeutic effect.

This report was written by three Chinese surgeons and one medical historian on the basis of extensive study of Chinese ancient medical literature. A summary of historical developments of surgery in ancient China, from Zhou Dynasty to Qing Dynasty is documented. In several subjects including anesthesia, treatment of soft tissue infections and neoplasms, reduction of fractures and dislocations, and physical exercises for rehabilitation, the history of Chinese surgery was many years earlier than those recorded in the western medicine.

From May 1985 to January 1986, a total of 20 418 school children in Beijing municipality and its suburbs were screened for scoliosis with standardized procedures and criteria. The three-stage screening method was used, i.e., physical examination, Moiré-topography and roentgenographic examination. 213 children were found with a curve beyond 10 degrees (1.04%), and 60 beyond 20 degrees (0.29%). The incidence in relation to age and sex were analysed and treatment programme discussed. It is believed that Moiré topography as a secondary screen is of great help to increase the rate of detection and to save X-ray films in mass screening programme.

This method, first presented by the author in September 1980, stops accessory pathway conduction without damaging the myocardium. 93 cases received treatment by absolute alcohol intramyocardial injection to the lesion site localized by epicardial mapping in a total 109 cases of Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome given surgery in our hospital with l-86 months of follow-up. The results were successful in 84 cases (90.3%). In posterior septal cases, 18 of 22 (81.8%) were successfully treated.

A retrospective matched case-control study was done on 259 cases of ectopic pregnancy in Beijing Chaoyang Hospital during the period from January 1973 to December 31, 1984. All the cases were confirmed by pathological findings of specimens. The result showed that the risk of ectopic pregnancy in women who currently used IUD as contraceptive method was 3.06-4.0 times that in those who did not use IUD. The rate of ectopic pregnancy per 1000 conceptions increased significantly. This trend is parrallel to the sharp rise of IUD insertions. A brief investigation was done on two other contraceptive methods to evaluate the association between oral contraceptives (OC) or sterilization and ectopic pregnancy, showing that the use of OC or sterilization has no correlation with the increased risk of ectopic pregnancy.

Thyroglossal cyst carcinoma is a rare tumor. Uchermann reported the first case in 1915, and since then less than 100 cases have been described in the literature. There has not yet been a case reported in China. Here we present a case in this study.