Medicine
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This repository contains the published and unpublished research of the Faculty of Medicine by the staff members of the faculty
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Item A retrospective analysis of the prevalence of heart disease in pregnancy – a Sri Lankan experience(Wiley-Blackwell, 2015) Motha, C.; Palihawadana, T.; Dias, T.; Thulya, S.D.; Godage, T.INTRODUCTION: With improvement in obstetric care, the burden due to direct causes of maternal mortality has declined bringing medical conditions to the forefront. Heart disease in pregnancy remains a major cause of maternal morbidity and mortality in Sri Lanka. In the absence of a robust pre-conception care programme, many women with pre-existing heart disease embark on pregnancy unaware of the underlying abnormalities. This study was aimed at describing the proportion of women with heart disease, the type of heart disease and the time of detection in this population. METHODS: The North Colombo Obstetric database (NORCOD) records data for all women who deliver at the university obstetric unit of the North Colombo Teaching hospital, Ragama, Sri Lanka. Details of women delivered between March and August 2014 were used in a retrospective analysis. Data on booking screening, and pregnancy care with regard to heart disease were analysed. RESULTS: A total of 1830 pregnancies were included. Fifty (2.7%) were complicated with heart disease. 15 (0.8%) patients were known to have pre-existing heart disease at the time of booking. They included 10 with congenital heart disease (treated ASD in 3, untreated ASD in 1, untreated VSD in 1, ligated PDA in 1 and mitral valve disease in 4) and 5 acquired heart disease due to rheumatic heart disease. A cardiac murmur on auscultation was detected in 61 women (3.3%) at their booking screening. 26 (42.6%) of them were found to have an underlying cardiac lesion. The commonest lesion was isolated mitral valve prolapse (n = 11), followed by mitral regurgitation associated with mitral valve prolapse (MVP) in 10, tricuspid regurgitation (TR) in 3, and one each of ASD and VSD. Nine others were found to have underlying cardiac lesion at assessment during pregnancy, in the absence of any abnormality at booking. These included 6 with MVP, 2 with mitral regurgitation (MR) with MVP, and one with MR. CONCLUSION A significant proportion of women with cardiac abnormalities (70%) were detected during pregnancy. This highlights the importance of pre-conception care with screening in this population. While booking screen was able to identify a majority of patients, some were detected only during subsequent assessment. Clinical vigilance throughout pregnancy facilitates such detection.Item A Retrospective study on perinatal post-mortems(University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2016) Liyanage, S.K.; Mahendra, B.A.G.G.; Ratnayake, R.M.U.S.; Hewavisenthi, S.J.A post-mortem examination is the key to the recognition of pathologies related to perinatal deaths. A perinatal death could be related to fetal, maternal or placental factors. A complete perinatal post-mortem (PPM) includes examination of the dead body and the placenta. The PPM findings assist the clinical team in confirming their clinical findings and uncover the additional pathologies, and the family for future pregnancy planning. This study was carried out to identify the number of perinatal post mortems (PPMs) reported during the study period, the number of PPMs with multiple congenital anomalies and the number of PPMs accompanied by a placenta and the number of placentae with identifiable pathology. This study was on already reported PPMs in a tertiary care center from January 2011- August 2016. Multiple congenital anomalies were noted in 14% (16/118) of the PPMs. Placentae were submitted for examination in 26% (31/118) with clinically significant placental pathologies in 23% (7/31). In 64% (76/118) of PPMs there were no gross abnormality in the fetus/baby. The placenta was not available for examination in 72% (55/76) and therefore, the possibility of placental pathology, which might have led to the death, could not be excluded.Item Snakebite in children: a two year retrospective review of victims admitted to a tertiary care hospital in sri lanka(Sri Lanka College of Paediatricians, 2010) Jayasinghe, Y.C.; Kasturiratne, A.; Rajindrajith, S.; Samaraweera, S.A.S.G.; de Silva, H.J.INTRODUCTION: Snakebite is an incident which causes great parental concern and medical unease, and envenomation is always more serious in a child. OBJECTIVE: To determine the pattern and characteristics of snake bites in children admitted to a tertiary care hospital in Southwest Sri Lanka. DESIGN, SETTING AND METHOD: A retrospective descriptive study was conducted to collect data on circumstances of the bite, clinical manifestations and management of paediatric victims of snakebite. Patient records of children admitted to the paediatric wards of Colombo North Teaching Hospital, Ragama, from January 2008 to December 2009 were reviewed. RESULTS: Our study population comprised 41 children (1.6 per 1000 admissions). Malerfemale ratio was 23:18. Mean age was 6 (SD=3.46) years. The bites were definite in 4 subjects and circumstantial (fang marks, signs of local and systemic envenomation) in the others. Twenty five (61%) were between 5 to 12 years of age. Nine (22%) bites occurred indoors and 13 (31.7%) in the home garden. In 12 (29.3%) the place of bite was not documented. In 42% the bite took place between 4pm-8pm. The snake species was identified by carers in 19 (46%) and confirmed by a doctor in 16 (39%) by identifying the dead snake. Of the 16 snakes brought for identification., 8 were hump-nosed vipers, 2 were Russell vipers, one was a krait and the rest were non-venomous species. Definite puncture marks were seen in 17 (41.4%) and were on the lower limbs in 11 (26.8%) and on the upper limbs in 6 (14.6%). First aid was given to 12 (29%) of the victims and the median time taken to reach hospital was 30 minutes (range 10 minutes to 15 hours). Nephrotoxicity developed in 1 (2.4%) (Russell viper bite). Antivenom was required by only 4 children in whom Russell viper bite was either suspected or confirmed. Three children developed reactions to antivenom. There were no deaths. None required intensive care. The median stay in hospital was 1 day (range 1-5 days) with 35 (94.6%) children being discharged home within 2 days. CONCLUSIONS: Snakebite in children was mainly diagnosed on circumstantial evidence, and mostly occurred in and around their homes. The outcome was good in all patients probably because the hump-nosed viper or non-venomous snakes were the offenders in most cases in this study.Item Snakebites in children - a five year retrospective review of victims admitted to two hospitals in Sri Lanka(Sri Lanka Medical Association, 2012) Jayasinghe, Y.C.; Kasturiratne, A.; Somaraweera, S.A.S.G.; de Silva, H.J.INTRODUCTION: Snakebite in children causes great parental concern and medical unease. AIMS: To determine characteristics of paediatric snakebite in two hospitals, in the wet zone (Colombo North Teaching Hospital (CNTH) and dry zone (Base Hospital Polonnaruwa-BHP). METHODS: A retrospective study collected data on snakebite by reviewing records of children admitted to CNTH and BHP from January 2007 to December 2011. RESULTS: There were 188 snakebite victims (CNTH 71, BHP 117).Similarities in the two cohorts were (CNTH and BHP -M:F=35:36and 64:53; mean age 6 years (SD3) and 7 years (SD3); definite bites 30(53.6%) and 39(37.5%); circumstantial evidence in 57(80.3%) and 84(71.8%);time of bite: between 4- 8pm 42.6% and 47.2%. Majority of confirmed bites were HNV (60%) in CNTH and Kraits (30.8%) in BHP. Differences in the cohorts were :place of bite: in and around the home, median time from bite to hospital, administration of first aid, antivenom use, intensive care, median (range) duration of hospitalization and deaths (CNTH vs BHP): 37(56.9%) and 29(27.6%),35 vs 102.5 minutes, 21.4% vs 1%, 5.6% vs 17.1%, 1.4% vs 5.1%, 1 (1-7) days vs 2 (1-13), 0 vs 3.4% (Krait bites). CONCLUSIONS: Snakebites occur in ambulatory children, diagnosed mainly on circumstantial evidence and occur in and around homes irrespective of geographic location. Clinical features and outcome depend on offending species and availability of resources.Item Concomitant leptospirosis-hantavirus co-infection in acute patients hospitalized in Sri Lanka: implications for a potentially worldwide underestimated problem(Cambridge University Press, 2015) Sunil-Chandra, N.P.; Clement, J.; Maes, P.; de Silva, H.J.; Van Esbroeck, M.; Van Ranst, M.Two global (re-)emerging zoonoses, leptospirosis and hantavirus infections, are clinically indistinguishable. Thirty-one patients, hospitalized in Sri Lanka for acute severe leptospirosis, were after exclusion of other potentially involved pathogens, prospectively screened with IgM ELISA for both pathogens. Of these, nine (29·0%) were positive for leptospirosis only, one (3·2%) for hantavirus only, seven (22·5%) for both pathogens concomitantly, whereas 13 (41·9%) remained negative for both. Moreover, in a retrospective study of 23 former patients, serologically confirmed for past leptospirosis, six (26·0%) were also positive in two different IgG ELISA hantavirus formats. Surprisingly, European Puumala hantavirus (PUUV) results were constantly higher, although statistically not significantly different, than Asian Hantaan virus (HTNV), suggesting an unexplained cross-reaction, since PUUV is considered absent throughout Asia. Moreover, RT-PCR on all hantavirus IgM ELISA positives was negative. Concomitant leptospirosis-hantavirus infections are probably heavily underestimated worldwide, compromising epidemiological data, therapeutical decisions, and clinical outcome.Item A Comparative retrospective study of novel Reverse-Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction-based Liquid Hybridization (RT-PCR-LH) assay with Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) amplification, virus isolation and serological techniques for early, definitive laboratory diagnosis of dengue infection(Malaysian Society of Parasitology and Tropical Medicine, 2007) Hapugoda, M.D.; de Silva, N.R.; Khan, B.; Gunasena, S.; Dayanath, M.Y.D.; Abeyewickreme, W.Dengue is an important vector borne viral infection in South East Asia. Dengue virus is responsible for dengue fever, dengue haemorrhagic fever and dengue shock syndrome. Early diagnosis of infection helps in monitoring the disease, determining when hospital admission is necessary and in reducing case fatalities. The objective of the study was to carry out a comparative retrospective study of a novel Reverse Transcription-Polymerase Chain Reaction-based Liquid Hybridization (RT-PCR-LH) assay with PCR amplification, virus isolation and serological techniques for laboratory diagnosis of dengue infection. Amplified products of Non Structural-3 gene were hybridized with a mixture of the 4 dengue type-specific Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA) probes in liquid phase. The assay was validated in a comparative retrospective study using acute serum samples collected from 88 patients with dengue confirmed by Haemagglutination Inhibition (HAI) assay. The assay was highly specific for diagnosis of dengue infection. As an early (<5 days of fever) laboratory diagnostic method, this assay had 100% sensitivity for detection of dengue patients confirmed by HAI assay. A high analytical sensitivity of 2 fluorescent focus units of dengue virus/reaction was achieved. Novel RT-PCR-LH assay using a single serum specimen offers distinct advantages of specificity and sensitivity over other diagnostic techniques for early definitive laboratory diagnosis of dengue infection at the time during which serological methods cannot be used.Item Prevalence of inflammatory bowel disease in two districts of Sri Lanka: a hospital based survey(BioMed Central, 2010) Niriella, M.A.; de Silva, A.P.; Dayaratne, A.H.G.K.; Ariyasinghe, M.H.A.D.P.; Navarathne, M.M.N.; Peiris, R.S.K.; Samarasekara, D.; Satarasinghe, R.L.; Rajindrajith, S.; Dassanayake, A.S.; Wickremasinghe, A.R.; de Silva, H.J.BACKGROUND: Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is being increasingly diagnosed in Asia. However there are few epidemiological data from the region. METHODS: To determine prevalence and clinical characteristics of IBD, a hospital-based survey was performed in the Colombo and Gampaha districts (combined population 4.5 million) in Sri Lanka. Patients with established ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease (CD), who were permanent residents of these adjoining districts, were recruited from hospital registries and out-patient clinics. Clinical information was obtained from medical records and patient interviews. RESULTS: There were 295 cases of IBD (UC = 240, CD = 55), of which 34 (UC = 30, CD = 4) were newly diagnosed during the study year. The prevalence rate for UC was 5.3/100,000 (95% CI 5.0-5.6/100,000), and CD was 1.2/100,000 (95% CI 1.0-1.4/100,000). The incidence rates were 0.69/100,000 (95% CI 0.44-0.94/100,000) for UC and 0.09/100,000 (95% CI 0.002-0.18/100,000) for CD. Female:male ratios were 1.5 for UC and 1.0 for CD. Mean age at diagnosis was (males and females) 36.6 and 38.1y for UC and 33.4 and 36.2y for CD. Among UC patients, 51.1% had proctitis and at presentation 58.4% had mild disease. 80% of CD patients had only large bowel involvement. Few patients had undergone surgery. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of IBD in this population was low compared to Western populations, but similar to some in Asia. There was a female preponderance for UC. UC was mainly mild, distal or left-sided, while CD mainly involved the large bowel.Item A New technique for suture rectopexy without resection for rectal prolapse(Springer-Verlag, 2009) Liyanage, C.A.H.; Rathnayake, G.; Deen, K.I.BACKGROUND: We surmised that if rectopexy was performed without dissection of the lateral rectal stalks in patients with full-thickness rectal prolapse and normal preoperative transit, sigmoid resection may not be required. This study evaluated a new approach to abdominal suture rectopexy for rectal prolapse. METHODS: A total of 81 patients (57 male, 24 female; median age 37 years, range 5-82 years) with rectal prolapse were assessed by clinical examination, anal manometry (maximum resting pressure, MRP, and squeeze pressure, MSP) and radioopaque marker transit studies. Of the 81 patients, 70 with normal preoperative transit underwent suture fixation alone, without resection, performed under spinal anaesthesia, through a 7-cm transverse left lower quadrant incision gaining access to the presacral space via a left pararectal "window", preserving the lateral stalks. RESULTS: Average surgical time was 50 min, mortality was zero, and morbidity was 9% (three patients with wound infection, four with urinary retention). Anal incontinence improved in 43 of 53 patients (81%, p=0.001). MRP and MSP had improved at 3 months after surgery: MRP from a mean of 27.6+/-1.4 mmHg (range 2-30 mmHg) before surgery to 32.5+/-2.21 mmHg (2-60 mmHg) after surgery (p=0.008); MSP from 69.25+/-6.4 mmHg (8-153 mmHg) before surgery to 79+/-4.77 mmHg (35-157 mmHg) after surgery (p=0.001).. Transit was unchanged in 18 of 20 patients (90%) who were evaluated before and after surgery; none was constipated after surgery. At 56 months, prolapse had recurred in five patients (7%). CONCLUSION: Abdominal suture rectopexy with a left pararectal approach without sigmoid resection in those with normal preoperative transit resulted in an improvement in anal incontinence and satisfactory long-term control of prolapse. The operation did not alter transit and did not result in significant constipationItem Yellow oleander poisoning in Sri Lanka: outcome in a secondary care hospital(SAGE Publishing, 2002) Fonseka, M.M.D.; Seneviratne, S.L.; de Silva, C.E.; Gunatilake, S.B.; de Silva, H.J.Cardiac toxicity after self-poisoning from ingestion of yellow oleander seeds is common in Sri Lanka. We studied all patients with yellow oleanderpoisoning (YOP) admitted to a secondary care hospital in north central Sri Lanka from May to August 1999, with the objective of determining theoutcome of management using currently available treatment. Patients with bradyarrhythmias were treated with intravenous boluses of atropine and intravenous infusions of isoprenaline. Temporary cardiac pacing was done for those not responding to drug therapy. During the study period 168 patients with YOP were admitted to the hospital (male:female = 55:113). There were six deaths (2.4%), four had third-degree heart block and two died of undetermined causes. They died soon after delayed admission to the hospital before any definitive treatment could be instituted. Of the remaining 162 patients, 90 (55.6%) patients required treatment, and 80 were treated with only atropine and/or isoprenaline while 10 required cardiac pacing in addition. Twenty-five (14.8%) patients had arrhythmias that were considered life threatening (second-degree heart block type II, third-degree heart block and nodal bradycardia). All patients who were treated made a complete recovery. Only a small proportion of patients (17%) admitted with YOP developed life-threatening cardiac arrhythmias. Treatment with atropine and isoprenaline was safe and adequate in most casesItem Suicide in Sri Lanka: Points to ponder(Sri Lanka Medical Association, 2000) de Silva, H.J.; Kasturiaratchi, N.; Seneviratne, S.L.; Senaratne, D.C.; Molagoda, A.; Ellawala, N.S.No Abstract Available