Surgical Treatment of Pulmonary Aspergilloma

Introduction: Surgical approaches for the management of pulmonary aspergilloma have been accompanied with high levels of morbidity and mortality. However, these therapeutic options are still favored over other approaches for the treatment of Pulmonary Aspergilloma. In this study, we aimed to describe the characteristics of 30 patients with aspergilloma who referred to  Ghaem hospital between 2017-2018 and describe their results. Materials and Methods: This retrospective study was conducted on 30 patients (i.e., 21 males and 9 females) with pulmonary aspergilloma who were treated via surgery. The patients were examined based on their age, gender, clinical symptoms prior to surgery, affected pulmonary lobe, surgical method, and postoperative complications. Results: The mean age of the patients was 48.13(5.2) years. Hemoptysis (90%) was the most common symptom of pulmonary aspergilloma, followed by productive cough and drug-resistant pneumonia. The most common problematic lobes included left upper lobe and right upper lobe. Regarding the surgical method, 21 and 9 patients underwent lobectomy and segmentectomy, respectively. After the surgery, residual space, wound infection, ad bronchopleural fistula was observed in 5 (16.7%), 3 (10%), and 2 (6.7%) cases, respectively. Furthermore, only one patient passed away. Conclusion: As the findings indicated, the methods of surgery (i.e., lobectomy and segmentectomy) showed effective treatment for patients

A Review of the Diagnosis and Management of Premalignant Pancreatic Cystic Lesions

Pancreatic cystic lesions are an increasingly common clinical finding. They represent a heterogeneous group of lesions that include two of the three known precursors of pancreatic cancer, intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms (IPMN) and mucinous cystic neoplasms (MCN). Given that approximately 8% of pancreatic cancers arise from these lesions, careful surveillance and timely surgery offers an opportunity for early curative resection in a disease with a dismal prognosis. This review summarizes the current evidence and guidelines for the diagnosis and management of IPMN/MCN. Current pre-operative diagnostic tests in pancreatic cysts are imperfect and a proportion of patients continue to undergo unnecessary surgical resection annually. Balancing cancer prevention while preventing surgical overtreatment, continues to be challenging when managing pancreatic cysts. Cyst fluid molecular markers, such as KRAS, GNAS, VHL, PIK3CA, SMAD4 and TP53, as well as emerging endoscopic technologies such as needle-based confocal laser endomicroscopy and through the needle microbiopsy forceps demonstrate improved diagnostic accuracy. Differences in management and areas of uncertainty between the guidelines are also discussed, including indications for surgery, surveillance protocols and if and when surveillance can be discontinued

Sphincter of Oddi Function and Risk Factors for Dysfunction

The sphincter of Oddi (SO) is a smooth muscle valve regulating the flow of biliary and pancreatic secretions into the duodenum, initially described in 1887 by the Italian anatomist, Ruggero Oddi. SO dysfunction (SOD) is a broad term referring to numerous biliary, pancreatic, and hepatic disorders resulting from spasms, strictures, and relaxation of this valve at inappropriate times. This review brings attention to various factors that may increase the risk of SOD, including but not limited to: cholecystectomy, opiates, and alcohol. Lack of proper recognition and treatment of SOD may be associated with clinical events, including pancreatitis and biliary symptoms with hepatic enzyme elevation. Pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic approaches are discussed to help recognize, prevent, and treat SOD. Future studies are needed to assess the treatment benefit of agents such as calcium-channel blockers, glyceryl trinitrate, or tricyclic antidepressants in patients with SOD

Pancreatic QST Differentiates Chronic Pancreatitis Patients into Distinct Pain Phenotypes Independent of Psychiatric Comorbidities

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Quantitative sensory testing (QST) has been previously used to study pain in chronic pancreatitis (CP) but included methods that are not suitable for clinical purposes. The aims of this study were to determine if pancreatic QST (P-QST) can differentiate patients into distinct pain phenotypes and to determine the association of these with their clinical pain and psychiatric comorbidities. METHODS: A multicenter cross-sectional study was conducted where patients completed validated questionnaires assessing quality of life (QoL), depression and anxiety scores as well as clinical pain symptoms followed by P-QST which included a cold pressor test, repetitive pin prick stimuli and pressure stimulation of the upper abdominal (T10) and control dermatomes. P-QST categorized patients into pain phenotypes based on a previously established nomogram. QoL, clinical pain and psychiatric assessment scores were compared across these groups. RESULTS: A total of 179 patients were enrolled with a mean age of 54.1±13.6 years among whom 59% were males and 42% had an alcohol etiology. P-QST showed no hyperalgesia in 91 (51%), segmental hyperalgesia in 50 (28%) and widespread hyperalgesia in 38 (21%) patients. Patients with widespread hyperalgesia had significantly higher pain intensity scores (P = .03) and rates of constant pain (P = .002) as well as decreased QoL (P < .001) and physical functioning (P =.03) in comparison with the other two pain phenotypes. In contrast, psychiatric comorbidities were similar across all groups. CONCLUSION: P-QST may serve as novel unbiased pain assessment tool in CP as it categorizes patients into distinct pain phenotypes independent of their psychiatric comorbidities