Number: 0447 (Replaces CPB 550) Policy I. Aetna considers continuous epidural analgesia medically necessary for the treatment of members with intractable complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS), also known as reflex sympathetic dystrophy (RSD), when all of the following selection criteria are met: ■ Members have experienced pain for more than 3 months despite conservative therapy (e.g., exercises...

Demonstration of small apical pneumothoraces is supposed to be facilitated by expiratory chest radiographs. This study aimed to analyse the assumed enhancement of visual contrast on expiratory chest radiographs in patients with small apical pneumothoraces. Optical densities (OD) were obtained with a densitometer (X-rite 3001) on 54 paired inspiratory and expiratory chest radiographs of 22 conse...

Malignant mesothelioma (MM) incidence is increasing drastically worldwide as an occupational disease resulting from asbestos exposure. However, no curative treatment for MM of advanced stage is available. Thus, new therapeutic approaches for MM are required. Because malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) cells spread along the pleural surface in most patients, MPM can be targeted using intrapleur...

We have previously shown that the intrapleural injection of mitozantrone but not bleomycin resulted in pleural fibrosis. Mechlorethamine hydrochloride (nitrogen mustard) was used extensively in the past to control malignant effusions, with relatively good success. The objective of this study was to determine if the intrapleural injection of nitrogen mustard would produce pleural sclerosis in ou...

BACKGROUND We hypothesized, after seeing several suggestive clinical examples, that a process leading to a large bilateral pleural effusion in the presence of an otherwise insignificant pericardial effusion could result in right ventricular diastolic collapse (RVDC) as seen by two-dimensional echocardiography. This noninvasive marker for hemodynamically significant cardiac tamponade occurs when...

Acute intermittent hypoxia (AIH) induces a form of spinal motor plasticity known as phrenic long-term facilitation (pLTF); pLTF is a prolonged increase in phrenic motor output after AIH has ended. In anesthetized rats, we demonstrate that pLTF requires activity of the novel PKC isoform, PKCθ, and that the relevant PKCθ is within phrenic motor neurons. Whereas spinal PKCθ inhibitors block pLTF, ...

AIMS To explore efficacy and side effects of intrapleural or intraperitoneal lobaplatin for treating patients with malignant pleural or peritoneal effusions. METHODS Patients in Jiangsu Cancer Hospital and Research Institute with cytologically confirmed solid tumors complicated with malignant pleural effusion or ascites were enrolled into this study. Lobaplatin (20-30 mg/m2) was intrapleurall...

The incidence of empyema (EMP) is increasing worldwide; EMP generally occurs with pleural loculation and impaired drainage is often treated with intrapleural fibrinolytic therapy (IPFT) or surgery. A number of IPFT options are used clinically with empiric dosing and variable outcomes in adults. To evaluate mechanisms governing intrapleural fibrinolysis and disease outcomes, models of Pasteurell...

postoperative pain is one of the complex problems in medicine and for relieve of this pain there are numerous methods that two of them are scheduled and prn. for comparison of these two methods we proposed a prospective, double blind study in two groups of patients with abdominal operations. each group included 110 patients and our study was based on mc gill questionnaire, with which pain sensa...