Israel Medical Association Journal

Giacomo Ceruti was a renowned painter in northern Italy during the middle third of the 18th century, although he is not well-known today. He produced pictures in several different genres but his reputation after his death was based primarily on his portrayal of beggars and poor working people; hence, his posthumous nickname, il Pitocchetto, the little beggar. Of medico-artistic interest is the realism with which he depicted the hands of his impoverished subjects, a quality that enables them to be examined for signs of pathology or trauma.

The present article displays some representative examples of hand deformities in Ceruti’s paintings, thus extending into the 18th century the authors' previous research on medical aspects of art works from the 15th to the 17th century.

Background: Anastomotic leakage (AL) is a major complication following colorectal surgery, with many risk factors established to date. The incidence of AL varies in the medical literature and is dependent on research inclusion criteria and diagnostic criteria.

Objectives: To determine the incidence of and the potential risk factors for AL following colorectal surgery at a single academic medical center.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed all operative reports of colorectal procedures that included bowel resection and primary bowel anastomosis performed at Sheba Medical Center during 2012. AL was defined according to the 1991 United Kingdom Surgical Infection Study Group criteria. Data were assessed for leak incidence within 30 days. In addition, 17 possible risk factors for leakage were analyzed. A literature review was conducted.

Results: This cohort study comprised 260 patients, and included 261 procedures performed during the study period. The overall leak rate was 8.4%. In a univariate analysis, male sex (odds ratio [OR] 3.37, 95% confidence interval [95%CI] 1.21–9.43), pulmonary disease (OR 3.99, 95%CI 1.49–10.73), current or past smoking (OR 2.93, 95%CI 1.21–7.10), and American Society of Anesthesiologist score ≥ 3 (OR 3.08, 95%CI 1.16–8.13) were associated with an increased risk for anastomotic leakage. In a multivariate analysis, male gender (OR 3.62, 95%CI 1.27–10.33) and pulmonary disease (OR 4.37, 95%CI 1.58–12.10) were associated with a greater risk.

Conclusions: The incidence of AL in the present study is similar to that found in comparable series. Respiratory co-morbidity and male sex were found to be the most significant risk factors.

Background: The use of oral midazolam as premedication to induce anxiolysis before surgical procedures under local anesthesia is widely accepted in plastic surgery. Rhinoplasty performed under local anesthesia is known to generate high levels of perioperative anxiety, thus the use of appropriate premedication is important. Oral midazolam has been shown to be safe in various procedures. However, the safety of oral midazolam before rhinoplasty has not been evaluated.

Objectives: To evaluate the safety of premedication with oral midazolam prior to rhinoplasty by analyzing the intraoperative blood oxygen saturation levels as predictors of adverse respiratory events.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the anesthesia records of 62 patients who underwent rhinoplasty under local anesthesia and received premedication with oral midazolam for anxiolysis between March 2017 and December 2017. The median age of the patients was 25.4 years, and they were all classified as American Society of Anesthesiologists class 1. The patients received 10 mg midazolam hydrochloride orally 1 hour prior to the procedure. Oxygen blood saturation was monitored using a pulse oximeter and recorded every 15 minutes.

Results: All the patients maintained blood oxygen saturation levels above 95% (median peripheral capillary oxygen saturation 99%) on room air, and they did not require supplemental intraoperative oxygen. There were no transient hypoxemic events during and following the procedure.

Conclusions: Our study confirmed the safety of oral midazolam premedication to reduce perioperative anxiety when performing rhinoplasty under local anesthesia.

Background: Pneumatic sleeves (PS) are often used during laparoscopic surgery and for prevention of deep vein thrombosis in patients who cannot receive anticoagulation treatment. There is very little information on the hemodynamic changes induced by PS and their effect on brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) in patients with severely reduced left ventricular ejection function (LVEF).

Objectives: To determine the safety and hemodynamic changes induced by PS and their effects on brain natriuretic peptide (BNP).

Methods: This study comprised 14 patients classified as New York Heart Association (NYHA) II–III with severely reduced LVEF (< 40%). We activated the PS using two inflation pressures (50 or 80 mmHg, 7 patients in each group) at two cycles per minute for one hour. We measured echocardiography, hemodynamic parameters, and BNP levels in each patient prior to, during, and after the PS operation.

Results: The baseline LVEF did not change throughout the activation of PS (31 ± 10% vs. 33 ± 9%, P = 0.673). Following PS activation there was no significant difference in systolic or diastolic blood pressure, the pulse measurements, or central venous pressure. BNP levels did not change after PS activation (P = 0.074).

Conclusions: The use of PS, with either low or high inflation pressures, is safe and has no detrimental effects on hemodynamic parameters or BNP levels in patients with severely reduced LVEF following clinical stabilization and optimal medical therapy.

Background: Isolated fallopian tube torsion (IFTT) is a rare gynecological entity and its diagnosis is challenging.

Objectives: To compare clinical characteristics, sonographic findings, surgical management, and outcomes of women with surgically verified IFTT compared to those diagnosed with adnexal torsion.

Methods: A retrospective case-control study in a university hospital was conducted. Thirty-four women with surgically verified IFTT between March 1991 and June 2017 were compared to 333 women diagnosed with adnexal torsion within the same time period.

Results: Both groups presented primarily with abdominal pain, which lasted longer prior to admission among the IFTT group (46.8 ± 39.0 vs. 30.0 ± 39.4 hours, P < 0.001). Higher rates of abdominal tenderness with or without peritoneal signs were found in the adnexal torsion group (90.3% vs. 70.6%, P < 0.001). Sonographic findings were similar; however, an increased rate of hydrosalpinx was found among the IFTT group (5.9% vs. 0.0%, P = 0.008). Suspected adnexal torsion was the main surgical indication in only 61.8% of IFTT cases compared with 79.0% in the adnexal torsion group (P = 0.02). Salpingectomy with or without cystectomy was more commonly performed in the IFTT group (35.3% vs. 1.5%, P < 0.001). The leading pathological findings among the IFTT group were hydrosalpinx and paraovarian cysts.

Conclusions: The clinical signs and symptoms of IFTT and adnexal torsion are similar. Although sonographic imaging demonstrating a paraovarian cyst or hydrosalpinx may be helpful in diagnosing IFTT, it is rarely done preoperatively.

Background: With the recent introduction of high-sensitivity troponin (hsTn), the incremental benefit of stress myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) in the evaluation of patients who present to the emergency department (ED) with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) is unclear.

Objectives: To assess the added value of stress MPI in low-risk ACS patients with normal range hsTnI.

Methods: We analyzed all patients who were hospitalized at our medical center from February 2016 to November 2017, who presented with low-risk ACS and underwent stress MPI, and in whom hsTnI was in the normal range after the introduction of hsTnI.

Results: During the study period, 161 patients were admitted with a diagnosis of unstable angina (i.e., ACS with normal range hsTnI) and underwent stress MPI during index admission. The study population included 52/161 patients (31.7%) with low-risk ACS who had no indication for initial invasive strategy. No patients had positive MPI. One patient underwent coronary angiography due to suggestive history; however, he did not have a significant coronary artery disease and had no indication for percutaneous coronary intervention.

Conclusions: In patients with low-risk ACS and normal range hsTnI without additional high-risk features, stress MPI has little additional value for the correct diagnosis and management. Prospective studies are warranted to confirm whether resting hsTnI could serve as a powerful triage tool in chest pain patients in the ED before diagnostic testing and thus, improve patient management.

Spinal manipulation therapy (SMT) is commonly used as an effective therapeutic modality for a range of cervical symptoms. However, in rare cases, cervical manipulation may be associated with complications. In this review we present a series of cases with cervical spine injury and myelopathy following therapeutic manipulation of the neck, and examine their clinical course and neurological outcome. We conducted a search for patients who developed neurological symptoms due to cervical spinal cord injury following neck SMT in the database of a spinal unit in a tertiary hospital between the years 2008 and 2018. Patients were assessed for the clinical course and deterioration, type of manipulation used and subsequent management. A total of four patients were identified, two men and two women, aged 32–66 years. In three patients neurological deterioration appeared after chiropractic adjustment and in one patient after tuina therapy. Three patients were managed with anterior cervical discectomy and fusion while one patient declined surgical treatment. Assessment for subjective and objective evidence of cervical myelopathy should be performed prior to cervical manipulation, and suspected myelopathic patients should be sent for further workup by a specialist familiar with cervical myelopathy (such as a neurologist, a neurosurgeon or orthopedic surgeon who specializes in spinal surgery). Nevertheless, manipulation therapy remains an important and generally safe treatment modality for a variety of cervical complaints. This review does not intend to discard the role of SMT as a significant part in the management of patients with neck related symptoms, rather it is meant to draw attention to the need for careful clinical and imaging investigation before treatment.

Background: Israel's population is diverse, with people of different religions, many of whom seek spiritual guidance during ethical dilemmas. It is paramount for healthcare providers to be familiar with different religious approaches.

Objectives: To describe the attitudes of the three major monotheistic religions when encountering four complex neonatal situations.

Methods: A questionnaire related to four simulated cases was presented to each participant: a non-viable extremely premature infant (case 1), a severely asphyxiated term infant with extensive brain damage (case 2), a small preterm infant with severe brain hemorrhage and likely extensive brain damage (case 3), and a term infant with trisomy 21 syndrome and a severe cardiac malformation (case 4).

Results: Major differences among the three religious opinions were found in the definition of viability and in the approach towards quality of life.

Conclusions: Neonatologists must be sensitive to culture and religion when dealing with major ethical issues in the neonatal intensive care unit.

Throughout history, studies on episodes of famine have led to the discovery of metabolic abnormalities and hormonal aberrations as well as an increased incidence of cancer and mental health conditions. Starvation during early life is thought to nfluence the programming of childhood and adult bone metabolism, which may result in poor bone health in later life. This observational case series includes a small group (with no control group) of famine-exposed Holocaust survivors and their descendants. We proposed an investigational mechanism to determine any association between starvation and osteoporosis, both in the individual survivors and in their descendants.

Background: Pericardial biopsies are rarely performed during the diagnosis and management of pericardial diseases. The circumstances and clinical profile of patients undergoing pericardial biopsies are largely uncharacterized.



Objectives: To examine the circumstances in which pericardial biopsies are obtained and to evaluate their diagnostic yield.



Methods: We studied a total of 100 cases (71% males, mean age 60.8 years, range 8.1–84.5 years) of surgically resected pericardium specimens obtained from 2000 to 2015 at Sheba Medical Center, the largest medical center in Israel. Patients were classified into groups according to four major histological etiologies: idiopathic pericarditis, constrictive pericarditis, malignant pericarditis, and post-cardiac injury syndrome (PCIS). The clinical history and course, laboratory, echocardiography, and histological results were reviewed retrospectively.



Results: Causes of pericarditis according to histological definitions included idiopathic pericarditis (29%), constrictive pericarditis (29%), PCIS (9%), and malignant pericarditis (26%). Overall sensitivity of the pericardial biopsy in patients with malignancy was 57.7%. During the study period, we found a trend toward an increased number of biopsies due to constrictive pericarditis and PCIS, along with a decrease in the number of biopsies performed in patients with malignant or idiopathic pericarditis. The diagnosis following biopsy did not change for any of the patients.



Conclusions: Our findings suggest a low diagnostic yield from pericardial biopsies, especially in malignant pericarditis. This conclusion, along with novel therapies, resulted in the infrequent use of pericardial biopsy in recent years.