The knowledge of Polish medical students about surgical treatment of obesity

BACKGROUND: Surgical treatment of morbid obesity is becoming an increasingly important approach for the treatment of this condition. However, knowledge about the possibility of surgical procedures among general practitioners is far from satisfactory. The source of the problem might be due to a lack of information about bariatric surgery in university curriculum. METHODS: We assessed the knowledge of students from four Polish medical universities. The survey was conducted among 468 students, in their sixth (final) year of study. The survey included two parts—the first nine questions assessed of the level of the students’ knowledge about the methods of surgical treatment of obesity, and the following three questions allowed for an evaluation of the amount of information on metabolic surgery provided to students during surgery courses. RESULTS: The results demonstrate a low level of knowledge on the possibility of applying metabolic surgery to treat morbid obesity. The students themselves expressed a need to improve their knowledge and favorably assessed the proposition of expanding the curriculum to include more information on the subject of metabolic surgery. CONCLUSION: The awareness of surgical treatment for morbid obesity among medical students should be improved. The development of an interesting curriculum that is based on current guidelines should be undertaken

Single center outcomes of laparoscopic transperitoneal lateral adrenalectomy – Lessons learned after 500 cases: A retrospective cohort study

AbstractIntroductionAlthough laparoscopic adrenalectomy is considered relatively safe, the results of treatment vary depending on the profile of the hospital. We would like to present our experience with laparoscopic surgery of the adrenals.MethodsWe conducted a retrospective cohort study of consecutive patients operated for adrenal tumours in the years 2003–2014. The study group included 175 (35%) men and 325 (65%) women. The entire group was divided into 4 cohorts of 125 consecutively operated patients. Primary outcomes were operative measures (operative time, its correlation with tumour size, blood loss, conversion rate, use of peritoneal drainage). Secondary outcomes were the intra- and postoperative complications (using the Clavien-Dindo classification), histological type of the tumours and length of hospital stay.ResultsThere were no differences between groups in terms of the size and location of the tumour. The mean operative time in each group was 85.7; 83.7; 89.6; 104.6 min (p < 0.001). The operative time correlated to the size of the tumour. There were no differences in the conversion rates as well as in the blood loss. However, it was observed that the complication rate was declining in subsequent subgroups (14.4%, 11.2%, 8% and 5.6%, respectively, p = 0.013). Length of hospital stay was 4.9 days, 3.9 days, 2.9 days, 2.4 days, respectively (p < 0.001).ConclusionThe results of laparoscopic adrenalectomy depend not only on the experience of the single surgeon, but on the whole team involved in perioperative care. In high volume centers with extensive experience in surgery of adrenals, this technique may provide an alternative to open surgery, also in selected cases of malignant tumours

Impact of bariatric surgery on non-alcoholic fatty liver disease

Wstęp: prawie 300 milionów ludzi na świecie BMI przekracza 30 (kg/m2). Otyłość jest przyczyną wielu poważnych schorzeń, takich jak cukrzyca typu 2, nadciśnienie tętnicze czy niealkoholowe stłuszczenie wątroby. Chirurgia bariatryczna jest jedyną efektywną metodą uzyskania redukcji masy ciała u pacjentów z otyłością olbrzymią. Cele: Celem tej pracy jest ocena wpływu chirurgii bariatrycznej na niealkoholowe stłuszczenie wątroby u pacjentów operowanych z powodu otyłości olbrzymiej. Materiał i metodologia: Włączyliśmy 20 pacjentów zakwalifikowanych do zabiegu bariatrycznego z BMI >40 kg/m2 lub BMI >35kg/m2 z współwystępującymi chorobami towarzyszącymi. Średnia masa ciała badanej grupy wynosiła 143,85 kg, ze średnim BMI 49,16 kg/m2. Przed zabiegiem dokonano oceny stopnia niealkoholowego stłuszczenia wątroby przy użyciu skali Sherifa Saadeha podczas badania ultrasonograficznego. Dokonaliśmy także oceny stężeń enzymów wątrobowych. Obserwację i wizyty kontrolne kontynuowano do 12 miesięcy po zabiegu. Wyniki: Dwanaście miesięcy po operacji średnia masa ciała badanej grupy wynosiła 102,34 kg. WL wyniosło średnio 33,0%, EWL 58,8%, a EBMIL 61,37%. U wszystkich pacjentów zaobserwowano remisję stłuszczenia wątroby. Uszkodzenie wątroby, ocenione przy użyciu ultrasonografii, zmniejszyło się ze średnio 1,85 pkt w skali Sherifa Saadeha przed zabiegiem do 0,15 pkt po 12 miesiącach (p=0,00). Poziomy enzymów wątrobowych zmalały z 64,5 (U/l) do 27,95 (U/l) dla ALT (p=0,00) oraz z 54,4 (U/l) do 27,2 (U/l) dla AST. Wnioski: rocedury bariatryczne nie tylko pozwalają na znaczącą oraz trwała utratę masy ciała, ale także przyczyniają się do zmniejszenia stłuszczenia wątroby oraz poprawy jej funkcjonowania.Introduction; p to 300 million people have the body mass index (BMI) greater than 30 kg/m2. Obesity is the cause of many serious diseases, such as type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Bariatric surgery is the only effective method of achieving weight loss in patients with morbid obesity. Objectives: The aim of the study was to assess the impact of bariatric surgery on non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in patients operated on due to morbid obesity. Material and Methods: We included 20 patients who were qualified for bariatric procedures based on BMI > 40 kg/ m2 or BMI > 35kg/m2 with the presence of comorbidities. The average body weight in the group was 143.85kg, with an average BMI of 49.16kg/m2. Before the procedure, we evaluated the severity of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in each patient using the Sheriff-Saadeh ultrasound scale. We also evaluated the levels of liver enzymes. Follow-up evaluation was performed twelve months after surgery. Results: Twelve months after surgery, the average weight was 102.34 kg. The mean %WL was 33.01%, %EWL was 58.8%, and %EBMIL was 61.37%. All patients showed remission of fatty liver disease. Liver damage, evaluated with ultrasound imaging, decreased from an average of 1.85 on the Sheriff-Saadeh scale, before surgery, to 0.15 twelve months after surgery (p < 0.001). As regards liver enzymes, the level of alanine aminotransferase decreased from 64.5 (U/l) to 27.95 (U/l) (p < 0.001), and the level of aspartate aminotransferase decreased from 54.4 (U/l) to 27.2 (U/l). Conclusions: Bariatric procedures not only lead to a significant and lasting weight loss, but they also contribute to the reduction of fatty liver disease and improve liver function

The safety of selective use of splenic flexure mobilization in sigmoid and rectal resections -systematic review and meta-analysis

Background: According to traditional textbooks on surgery, splenic flexure mobilization is suggested as a mandatory part of open rectal resection. However, its use in minimally invasive access seems to be limited. This stage of the procedure is considered difficult in the laparoscopic approach. The aim of this study was to systematically review literature on flexure mobilization and perform meta-analysis. Methods: A systematic review of the literature was performed using the Medline, Embase and Scopus databases to identify all eligible studies that compared patients undergoing rectal or sigmoid resection with or without splenic flexure mobilization. Inclusion criteria: (1) comparison of groups of patients with and without mobilization and (2) reports on overall morbidity, anastomotic leakage, operative time, length of specimen, number of harvested lymph nodes, or length of hospital stay. The outcomes of interest were: operative time, conversion rate, number of lymph nodes harvested, overall morbidity, mortality, leakage rate, reoperation rate, and length of stay. Results: Initial search yielded 2282 studies. In the end, we included 10 studies in the meta-analysis. Splenic flexure is associated with longer operative time (95% confidence interval (CI) 23.61&#8315;41.25; p &lt; 0.001) and higher rate of anastomotic leakage (risk ratios (RR): 1.02; 95% CI 1.10&#8315;3.35; p = 0.02), however the length of hospital stay is shorter by 0.42 days. There were no differences in remaining outcomes. Conclusions: Not mobilizing the splenic flexure results in a significantly shorter operative time and a longer length of stay. Further research is required to establish whether flexure mobilization is required in minimally invasive surgery

Laparoscopic transperitoneal lateral adrenalectomy for malignant and potentially malignant adrenal tumours

BACKGROUND: Laparoscopic adrenalectomy is still controversial in cases where malignancy is suspected. However, many proponents of this technique argue that in the hands of an experienced surgeon, laparoscopy can be safely performed. The aim of this study is to present our own experience with the application of laparoscopic surgery for the treatment of malignant and potentially malignant adrenal tumours. METHODS: Our analysis included 52 patients who underwent laparoscopic adrenalectomy in 2003–2014 due to a malignant or potentially malignant adrenal tumour. Inclusion criteria were primary adrenal malignancy, adrenal metastasis or pheochromocytoma with a PASS score greater than 6. We analyzed the conversion rate, intra- and postoperative complications, intraoperative blood loss and R0 resection rate. Survival was estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method. RESULTS: Conversion was necessary in 5 (9.7 %) cases. Complications occurred in a total of 6 patients (11.5 %). R0 resection was achieved in 41 (78.8 %) patients and R1 resection in 9 (17.3 %) patients. In 2 (3.9 %) cases R2 resection was performed. The mean follow-up time was 32.9 months. Survival depended on the type of tumour and was comparable with survival after open adrenalectomy presented in other studies. CONCLUSIONS: We consider that laparoscopic surgery for adrenal malignancy can be an equal alternative to open surgery and in the hand of an experienced surgeon it guarantees the possibility of noninferiority. Additionally, starting a procedure with laparoscopy allows for minimally invasive evaluation of peritoneal cavity. The key element in surgery for any malignancy is not the surgical access itself but the proper technique

Laparoscopic adrenalectomy for pheochromocytoma is more difficult compared to other adrenal tumors

INTRODUCTION: Laparoscopic adrenalectomy is the gold standard for the treatment of benign adrenal tumors. However, some authors raise the problem of differences in surgery for pheochromocytoma in comparison to other lesions. AIM: To compare laparoscopic adrenalectomy for pheochromocytoma and for other tumors. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Four hundred and thirty-seven patients with adrenal tumors were included in the retrospective analysis. Patients were divided into two groups: 1 (124 patients treated for pheochromocytoma) and 2 (313 patients with other types of tumor). The two groups were compared with respect to mean operative time, intraoperative blood loss, conversion rate, complication rate and the relationship of tumor size with operative time. RESULTS: The mean operative time in group 1 was 91 min, and in group 2 it was 82 min (p = 0.016). In both groups 1 and 2, tumor size correlated with operative time (p < 0.0001 and p = 0.0003, respectively). The mean blood loss in groups 1 and 2 was 117 ml and 54 ml, respectively (p = 0.0011). The complication rate in groups 1 and 2 was 4% and 4.2%, respectively (p = 0.9542). In groups 1 and 2, conversion was necessary in 2 (1.6%) and 5 (1.6%) cases, respectively (p = 0.9925). CONCLUSIONS: Longer operative time and higher blood loss after laparoscopic adrenalectomy for pheochromocytoma indicate its greater difficulty. However, despite these drawbacks, minimally invasive surgery still seems to be an effective and safe method

Changing patterns in the surgical treatment of perforated duodenal ulcer : single centre experience

INTRODUCTION: Although the surgical treatment of patients with perforated duodenal ulcer is the method of choice, the introduction of effective pharmacotherapy has changed the surgical strategy. Nowadays less extensive procedures are chosen more frequently. The introduction of laparoscopic procedures had a significant impact on treatment results. AIM: To present our experience in the treatment of perforated duodenal ulcer in two periods, by comparing open radical anti-ulcer procedures with laparoscopic ulcer repair. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The analysis covered patients operated on for perforated duodenal ulcer. Two groups of patients were compared. Group 1 included 245 patients operated on in the period 1980–1994 with a traditional method (pyloroplasty + vagotomy) before introduction of proton pump inhibitors (PPI). Group 2 included 106 patients treated in the period 2000–2014 with the laparoscopic technique supplemented with PPI therapy. Groups were compared in terms of patients’ demographic structure, operative time, complication rate and mortality. RESULTS: The mean operative time in group 1 was shorter than in group 2 (p < 0.0001). Complications were noted in 57 (23.3%) patients in group 1 and 14 (13.5%) patients in group 2 (p = 0.0312). Reoperation was necessary in 13 (5.3%) cases in group 1 and in 5 cases in group 2 (p = 0.8179). The mortality rate in group 1 was significantly higher than in group 2 (10.2% vs. 2.8%, p = 0.0192). In group 1, median length of hospital stay was 9 days and differed significantly from group 2 (6 days, p < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: Within the last 30 years, significant changes in treatment of perforated peptic ulcer (PPU) have occurred, mainly related to abandoning routine radical anti-ulcer procedures and replacing the open technique with minimally invasive surgery. Thus it was possible to improve treatment results by reducing complication and mortality rates, and shortening the length of hospital stay. Although the laparoscopic operation is longer, it improves outcomes. In the authors’ opinion, in each patient with suspected peptic ulcer perforation, laparoscopy should be the method of choice