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        אוגוסט 1998

        1 באוגוסט

        שלמה וינקר, ששון נקר, עמנואל ניר, איתן חי-עם ומיכאל וינגרטן
        עמ'

        Abnormal Liver Function Tests in the Primary Care Setting

         

        Shlomo Vinker, Sasson Nakar, Emanuel Nir, Eitan Hyam, Michael A. Weingarten

         

        Dept. of Family Medicine, Rabin Medical Center, Sackler Faculty of Medicine; Tel Aviv University; and General Sick Fund, Central District

         

        Results of laboratory tests ordered during a primary care encounter may reveal findings of abnormal liver function tests, including elevated liver enzymes, hyperbilirubinemia, hypoalbuminemia or abnormal coagulation tests. The object of this study was to describe the spectrum of these liver function test (LFT) abnormalities in primary care.

         

        Results of all laboratory tests ordered during 10 months in an urban primary care clinic were retrospectively reviewed and the medical charts of patients with abnormal LFTs were studied. In 217/1088 (20%) of the tests at least 1 LFT abnormality was found in 156 patients. New diagnoses were made in 104 patients. The main diagnostic groups were: non-alcoholic fatty liver changes, Gilbert's disease, acute infectious hepatitis, alcoholic liver disease and cirrhosis and hepatotoxic drug injury. In 60 patients the physician classified the abnormality as negligible and not associated with significant disease. However, an abnormal test that had been ordered for evaluation of a specific complaint, was indeed likely to represent significant disease (X²=29.5, p<0.001). We conclude that finding abnormalities in liver function tests is common in the primary care clinic but does not often indicate significant liver disease.

        שלמה וינקר, ששון נקר, זהבה אלון, חאמד אבו-עמר, גד סדובסקי ואיתן חי-עם
        עמ'

        Urgent, Unscheduled Self-Referrals by Ambulatory Patients

         

        S. Vinker, S. Nakar, Z. Alon, H. Abu-Amar, G. Sadovsky, E. Hyam

         

        General Sick Fund, Central District and Dept. of Family Medicine, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University

         

        Direct self-referral to a consultant is common in the Israeli health system. Yet patients' reasons for their urgent, unscheduled self-referrals for ambulatory consultations (UUSR) have not been explored. We studied such consultations in an urban multi-disciplinary consultation center serving a population of approximately 100,000. Over a 3-month period such consultations in ophthalmology, ear-nose-and-throat and dermatology clinics were treated by a duty family physician (FP). The FP was instructed to focus on the urgent complaint and either to give definitive treatment and schedule a consultation when needed, or refer the patient for immediate specialist consultation. Patients treated by the FP were asked to fill an anonymous questionnaire, which 347/645 (55.4%) did.

         

        Among the reasons for UUSR were that the patient thought that his/her complaints should be treated by a consultant (29%), the patient was sent by the FP without a consultation note (13.9%), the FP was not available (10.4%), or the patient wished to see the consultant for a second opinion (8.2%). In only 7.8% had the patient noted that his complaint needed urgent consultation. Duration of complaints, but not prior efforts to schedule a consultation, were associated with different reasons for asking for an UUSR. For various reasons patients preferred an UUSR rather than seeing their own FP. Patients' opinions regarding self-referrals are important in planning primary care facilities and FP training.

        ס' זלבסקי, ש' וינקר, ע' פיאדה, ד' ליבון וא' קיטאי
        עמ' 96-97

        Background Music in the Family Physician's Surgery: Patient Reactions

         

        S. Zalewsky, S. Vinker, I. Fiada, D. Libon, E. Kitai

         

        Family Medicine Clinics and Dept. of Family Medicine, Sackler School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University

         

        Music is a universal language, and its effects on pain relief and stress reduction are well known. We evaluated patients' opinions of the effects of background music in their family doctors' surgery. Low volume, background, classical music was played in the doctors' surgery on 5 consecutive clinic days. All patients were asked to fill a short anonymous questionnaire on leaving. Among the 135 consecutive patients offered the questionnaire, there was 87.4% compliance. Among the 118 who completed the questionnaire, 95% said that the background music did not disturb them, 89% thought it made them feel better and 80% thought that it aided the doctor's performance. We conclude that low volume, background music in the doctors's surgery may contribute to better doctor-patient interaction, although larger studies are needed to confirm our findings.

        מנשה ברזילי, נתן פלד, מיכל סודק ולאונרדו סיפלוביץ
        עמ'

        Trichobezoars

        M. Barzilai, N. Peled, M. Soudack, L. Siplovich

        Carmel and Rambam Medical Centers, Haifa and Afula Medical Center 


        Trichobezoars are accumulations of hair casts in the stomach associated with trichophagia. The typical patient is an adolescent female who presents with alopecia and an upper abdominal mass which on moving can cause intermittent gastric outlet obstruction. Only a minority of patients have severe psychiatric disorders. When hair strands extend from the main mass in the stomach, all along the small bowel and reaching the cecum, the condition is termed the Rapunzel syndrome. In about 5% of patients there are separate hair masses in the stomach. The clinical presentation includes abdominal pain, loss of appetite, weight-loss, vomiting, loose stools, pancreatitis, jaundice, anemia and hypoalbuminemia. These signs and symptoms raise the suspicion of malignancy. Complications of bezoars include ulcers, perforation of the bowel, obstruction and intussusception. Diagnosis can be established either by barium swallow or by CT scan. Ultrasound might suggest the diagnosis, but sonographic features are definitely not pathognomonic. Treatment is surgical, as endoscopic removal is usually unsuccessful. We present 2 children in whom trichobezoars were found.

        עמירם שראל, ג'ף בורקן, רפאל ל' קרסו, יהודית ברנשטיין ואורי רוזובסקי
        עמ'

        Attitudes of Family Physicians to Alternative Medicine

         

        Amiram Sarel, Jef Borkan, Ralph L. Carasso, Judith Bernstein, Uri Rozovsky

         

        Brull-Tel Aviv Community Mental Health Center, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheba; and Dept. of Neurology, Hillel Yaffe Medical Center, Hadera

         

        80 Israeli family physicians (51.25% men and 48.75% women) participated in a telephone survey concerning attitudes, practices and experience with alternative medicine. 23.75% reported practicing 1 or more alternative techniques, most commonly acupuncture28%) and hypnotherapy (24%). 55% had referred at least 1 patient to an alternative practitioner during the preceding month. Physicians who studied in Israel or Western countries referred more patients than graduates of medical schools of Eastern Europe. Specialists referred patients more often than residents. The most common reason for referral was back pain.

        י' שפירא, ילנה צוקרמן, תאופיק זועבי ועודד זורים
        עמ'

        Pheochromocytoma Multi-Organ Crisis: Nonseptic Hyperthermia and Shock

         

        Michael Y. Shapira, Elena Zuckerman, Taufic Zuebi, Oded Jurim

         

        Divisions of Medicine and Surgery, Hadassah-University Hospital; Geriatrics Dept.; Herzog Hospital, Jerusalem; and Dept. of Medicine, Yoseftal Hospital, Eilat

         

        Pheochromocytoma usually presents with nonspecific symptoms such as headache, palpitation, chest pain and hypertension. We present a 48-year-old woman hospitalized due to a pheochromocytoma multi-organ crisis (PMC). It consists of a tetrad of symptoms: multi-organ failure, hyperthermia, encephalopathy and unstable blood pressure. Distinguishing PMC from septic shock may be difficult, and requires needs a high clinical index of suspicion.

        סמיח בדארנה, ניר גלעדי וסילביה הוניגמן
        עמ'

        Botulinum Toxin Injection Effective for Post-Peripheral Facial Nerve Palsy Synkinesis

         

        Samih Badarny, Nir Giladi, Silvia Honigman

         

        Dept. of Neurology, Carmel Medical Center, Haifa; and Movement Disorders Unit, Dept. of Neurology, Tel Aviv Medical Center

         

        Facial synkinesis is an involuntary activation of muscles innervated by the zygomatic or mandibular branche of the facial nerve in conjunction with voluntary activation of the other branch. It appears frequently after recovery from peripheral facial nerve paralysis. We report 10 patients with facial synkinesis following Bell's palsy with a mean duration of synkinesis of 7±4 years before treatment with periorbital injections of Botulinum toxin type A. 9 had marked subjective and objective improvement starting a few days after injection andlasting 4-9 months. The results suggest a useful treatment option for post-Bell's palsy facsynkinesis with Botulinum toxin type A.

        סורין דניאל יורדאש, אהוד ראט, דן עטר ואלכס וינדזברג
        עמ'

        Vacuum Phenomenon in the Hip Joint: Diagnostic Value

         

        S. Iordache, E. Rath, D. Atar, A. Vindzberg

         

        Orthopedics Dept., Soroka Medical Center, Beer Sheba

         

        Vacuum phenomenon is well known in degenerative spinal disease in the elderly, but is seldom seen in other joints, especially in children. The phenomenon does not represent a pathological finding, and can be used for imaging of the articular facets, mainly in the hip and knee joints. We report a patient with this phenomenon in the hip joint.

        הבהרה משפטית: כל נושא המופיע באתר זה נועד להשכלה בלבד ואין לראות בו ייעוץ רפואי או משפטי. אין הר"י אחראית לתוכן המתפרסם באתר זה ולכל נזק שעלול להיגרם. כל הזכויות על המידע באתר שייכות להסתדרות הרפואית בישראל. מדיניות פרטיות
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