Stereotaxic surgery in the hyperkinetic form of infantile cerebral palsy

The results of 67 stereotaxic operations performed in 60 patients for the hyperkinetic form of infantile cerebral paralysis are presented. The efficacy of dentatotomy is compared with that of thalamotomy. Thalamotomy is most effective in patients with hemiatetosis and choreoatetoid hyperkinesis. Dentatotomy resulted not only in a reduction of hyperkinesis, but also in a considerable alleviation of muscle spasticity. The destruction of the lateral part of nuclels dentatus caused predominantly a reduction of the muscle tone and of involuntary movements of the lower extremities, and--to a lesser degree--of the upper as well. The destruction of the medial part of the nucleus dentatus resulted in a clear reduction of muscle dystony in the trunk.     

Reduction of cannula-related laparoscopic complications using a radially expanding access device

Patient group education is an evidence-based and powerful intervention for supporting and guiding patients toward an understanding of the cancer experience. An education program for patients and families, entitled Learning to Live With Cancer, has been developed and evaluated in a Swedish research project, and implemented clinically. The program is a core model with a structure that allows flexibility in addressing learning needs. It has grown into a pan-European program through "training the trainers" courses, and is now available in many countries. This has taken the project into a new phase, since Europe is characterized not only by showing many different countries, but also by showing cultural diversity and variety in ethical norms. The aim of this phase thus was to assess the presence of core-model divergences conditioned by cultural values and norms, and if present, to investigate adjustments proposed to increase the relevance of the program to best suit patients' learning needs in different cultures. A questionnaire was distributed to former participants in "training the trainers" courses. The findings indicate that only minor divergences are present, and that the core model thus has the potential to meet the learning needs of cancer patients in many cultures.