A case of complete removal of a multilocular cyst of the pancreas : recovery / by John D. Malcolm.

  • Malcolm, John David.
Date:
[1898]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: A case of complete removal of a multilocular cyst of the pancreas : recovery / by John D. Malcolm. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

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    used a hypodermic syringe to explore one of these cysts, and almost immediately the contents of the tumour flooded the peri- toneal sac, giving rise to intense pain. In my case the cyst walls were very thin, and a blow might easily have caused a rupture and effusion of the contents into the connective tissue around, followed by inflammatory symptoms, possibly of an obscure or misleading character, like those in the case I have just quoted. Under such conditions a correct diagnosis could he made only by an exploration of the abdominal cavity, and this was certainly not justified under the circumstances described by Dr. Mackintosh. The possibility that a tumour may be a pancreatic cyst would, therefore, appear to be a special reason for carefully considering whether it is practicable to cure it by surgical means, and for making an exploratory incision at an early stage of the disease in cases of doubt. [N.B.—In August, 1898, the patient was strong and well.] Harrison and Sons, Printers in Ordinary to Her Majesty, St. Martin’s Lam.