Objective: Dexmedetomidine has been reported to produce analgesia after intrathecal administration. In the present study the α2-adrenoceptor agonist dexmedetomidine was evaluated for its potential spinal neurotoxic effects.Material and Methods: Three days after intrathecal cannulation, rats were administered either dexmedetomidine (3 μg/30 μL, i.t.) or saline (30 μL, i.t.). Antinociceptive, sedative and motor effects of intrathecal administrations of dexmedetomidine or saline were evaluated during 90 min. The tail-flick and hot plate tests were used to assess the thermal nociceptive threshold. Seven days after drug administration, animals were sacrified and spinal cords were evaluated for histopathological changes by light microscopy.Results: Dexmedetomidine administered intrathecally produced antinociception. Antinociception was accompanied by immediate sedation and loss of placing-stepping reflexes that lasted over 40 min in all dexmedetomidine administered rats. In all rats, microscopic examination revealed mild gliosis and minimal infiltration of inflamatory r cells in posterior white matter. Mild (total score 4-6) histopathologic lesions were seen in four animals in dexmedetomidine adminisered rats, but there was no statistically significant difference when compared with the saline administered rats. Conclusion:We observed that intrathecal injections of dexmedetomidine at the dose of 3 μg/30 μL produce antinociception but did not cause any histopathological sign of injury in the spinal cord.

This study emphasizes the possibility of early and more accurate diagnosis achieved when combining two radiological techniques (CDU and contrast CT scan), which is not the case when these methods are used separately.

Introduction. For decades, laparoscopic cholecystectomy has been the gold standard in surgical treatment of patients with cholelithiasis all over the world. The main advantage of this approach is that it is a minimally invasive procedure for patients. Although this method is a routine in our country, there are certain cases where the presumed outcome of minimally invasive procedure is not achieved, and the surgery is converted to open surgery, or a subsequent laparoscopic surgery is performed, in order to deal with the complications. The aim of this study was to establish if it was possible to create a model for preoperative prediction of difficult laparoscopic cholecystectomies. Material and Methods. Two groups of patients were analyzed. Group A included patients with cholelithiasis who were studied in order to determine parameters associated with difficult laparoscopic cholecystectomies. Out of 16 analyzed parameters, 8 showed significant correlation with difficult laparoscopic cholecystectomies. Based on these parameters, a prediction model was established, consisting of five groups: I - easy (score 1), II - laparoscopic cholecystectomy with mild difficulties (score 2), III - laparoscopic cholecystectomy with major difficulties (score 3), IV - difficult (score 4), V - conversion to open surgery is expected (score 5). This model was preoperatively applied in patients with cholelithiasis included in group B. Results. The overall predictability of the model was 82%. The greatest prediction accuracy was achieved in groups II and III (98.3% and 100%, respectively). Conversion to open cholecystectomy was predicted in 76% of patients. Conclusion. Based on certain preoperative parameters it is possible to establish a model to predict a difficult laparoscopic cholecystectomy.