PET probe-guided surgery: applications and clinical protocol

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Association of mechanical bowel preparation with oral antibiotics and anastomotic leak following left sided colorectal resection:an international, multi-centre, prospective audit

Introduction: The optimal bowel preparation strategy to minimise the risk of anastomotic leak is yet to be determined. This study aimed to determine whether oral antibiotics combined with mechanical bowel preparation (MBP+Abx) was associated with a reduced risk of anastomotic leak when compared to mechanical bowel preparation alone (MBP) or no bowel preparation (NBP). Methods: A pre-planned analysis of the European Society of Coloproctology (ESCP) 2017 Left Sided Colorectal Resection audit was performed. Patients undergoing elective left sided colonic or rectal resection with primary anastomosis between 1 January 2017 and 15 March 2017 by any operative approach were included. The primary outcome measure was anastomotic leak. Results: Of 3676 patients across 343 centres in 47 countries, 618 (16.8%) received MBP+ABx, 1945 MBP (52.9%) and 1099 patients NBP (29.9%). Patients undergoing MBP+ABx had the lowest overall rate of anastomotic leak (6.1%, 9.2%, 8.7% respectively) in unadjusted analysis. After case-mix adjustment using a mixed-effects multivariable regression model, MBP+Abx was associated with a lower risk of anastomotic leak (OR 0.52, 0.30–0.92, P = 0.02) but MBP was not (OR 0.92, 0.63–1.36, P = 0.69) compared to NBP. Conclusion: This non-randomised study adds ‘real-world’, contemporaneous, and prospective evidence of the beneficial effects of combined mechanical bowel preparation and oral antibiotics in the prevention of anastomotic leak following left sided colorectal resection across diverse settings. We have also demonstrated limited uptake of this strategy in current international colorectal practice

Avaliação das aderências pós-operatórias em ratos submetidos a peritoniostomia com tela de polipropileno associada à nitrofurazona

RACIONAL: Lesões peritoniais, comuns no per e pós-operatório, levam à formação de aderências, cuja incidência aumenta ainda mais com o uso de telas de polipropileno. A nitrofurazona é uma substância que acelera o processo de cicatrização e, devido a isso, cogitou-se a possibilidade de uma ação sobre as aderências peritoniais. OBJETIVO: Avaliar as aderências pós-operatórias em ratos submetidos a peritoniostomia com fixação de tela de polipropileno associada a nitrofurazona. MATERIAL E MÉTODOS: Utilizaram-se 33 ratos Wistar, divididos em 3 grupos de 11 animais, sendo no grupo I realizado laparotomia com exposição da cavidade ao ar ambiente e posterior laparorrafia; no grupo II, ressecção de fragmento da parede abdominal com fixação de tela de polipropileno no espaço e no grupo III, procedimento semelhante ao do grupo II, porém com tela embebida em nitrofurazona. Após 45 dias foram sacrificados e necropsiados. RESULTADOS: Dos animais do grupo I, sete não tiveram aderências (grau 0), dois tiveram aderências de grau 1 e dois de grau 2. No grupo II, 1 foi classificado como grau 3 e 10 como grau 4. No grupo III, um foi de grau 0, oito de grau 3 e um de grau 4 (um animal foi a óbito antes de 45 dias). Todas as aderências encontradas envolveram parede abdominal; 10 animais tiveram aderências envolvendo apenas o omento (grupo I = 4; grupo II = 1 e grupo III = 5); 11 animais tiveram aderências envolvendo o omento, as alças intestinais e outros órgãos abdominais, sendo 10 do grupo II e um do grupo III; três animais tiveram aderências envolvendo apenas alças intestinais, sendo todos do grupo III. Dos 14 animais que tiveram aderências envolvendo as alças intestinais, 10 eram do grupo II (9 com mais de um ponto) e 4 do grupo III (3 com somente um ponto de fixação). CONCLUSÃO: O uso de nitrofurazona associado à tela de polipropileno não reduziu significativamente a incidência de aderências pós-operatórias em ratos, porém diminuiu a intensidade e gravidade dessas aderências.BACKGROUND: Peritoneal injuries, common in per and postoperative, lead to the formation of adhesions. The use of polypropylene mesh increases the postoperative adhesions incidence. Based on the fact of nitrofurazone accelerates the healing process, a possible action on peritoneal adhesions was cogitated. AIM: To evaluate postoperative adhesions in rats submitted to peritoneostomy with polypropylene mesh fixation associated to nitrofurazone. METHODS: Thirty-three Wistar rats were separated into three groups of eleven animals each one. In group I was performed the laparotomy with exposition of the abdominal cavity followed by the laparotomy suture; in group II was performed the resection of a abdominal wall fragment followed by polypropylene mesh fixation on the gap and in group III was performed the same done in group II, but the mesh was previously impregnated with nitrofurazone. After 45 days the animals were sacrificed and necropsied. RESULTS: Seven animals of group I had no adhesions (degree 0), two had degree 1 adhesions and two had degree 2. In group II, one animal was classificated as degree 3 and ten as degree 4. In group III, one had degree 0, eight had degree 3 and one had degree 4 (one animal died before 45 days). All adhesions found involved the abdominal wall; ten animals had adhesions involving only omentum (group I = 4; group II = 1 and group III = 5); eleven animals had adhesions involving omentum, small bowel and other abdominal organs (group II = 10; group III = 1); three animals had adhesions involving only small bowel, all belonged to group III. Fourteen animals had adhesions involving small bowel, of these ten belonged to group II (nine with more than one fixation point) and four belonged to group III (three with just one fixation point). CONCLUSION: The association of nitrofurazone with polypropylene mesh did not reduce significantly the postoperative adhesions incidence in rats, but reduced the intensity and severity of these adhesions

Evaluating the incidence of pathological complete response in current international rectal cancer practice

The mainstay of management for locally advanced rectal cancer is chemoradiotherapy followed by surgical resection. Following chemoradiotherapy, a complete response may be detected clinically and radiologically (cCR) prior to surgery or pathologically after surgery (pCR). We aim to report the overall complete pathological response (pCR) rate and the reliability of detecting a cCR by conventional pre-operative imaging.A pre-planned analysis of the European Society of Coloproctology (ESCP) 2017 audit was performed. Patients treated by elective rectal resection were included. A pCR was defined as a ypT0 N0 EMVI negative primary tumour; a partial response represented any regression from baseline staging following chemoradiotherapy. The primary endpoint was the pCR rate. The secondary endpoint was agreement between post-treatment MRI restaging (yMRI) and final pathological staging.Of 2572 patients undergoing rectal cancer surgery in 277 participating centres across 44 countries, 673 (26.2%) underwent chemoradiotherapy and surgery. The pCR rate was 10.3% (67/649), with a partial response in 35.9% (233/649) patients. Comparison of AJCC stage determined by post-treatment yMRI with final pathology showed understaging in 13% (55/429) and overstaging in 34% (148/429). Agreement between yMRI and final pathology for T-stage, N-stage, or AJCC status were each graded as 'fair' only (n = 429, Kappa 0.25, 0.26 and 0.35 respectively).The reported pCR rate of 10% highlights the potential for non-operative management in selected cases. The limited strength of agreement between basic conventional post-chemoradiotherapy imaging assessment techniques and pathology suggest alternative markers of response should be considered, in the context of controlled clinical trials

Locoregional recurrence (non hepatic abdominal recurrence) of rectal cancer.

Thirty percent of deaths are related to locoreional recurrence. All patients with nonhepatic abdominal recurrence (NHAR) were considered as having locoregional failure. The aims of this study are firstly to retrospectively evaluate the results of potentially curative resection and palliative treatment modalities for a group of 25 patients with NHAR from rectal cancer. The second aim is to determine the effectiveness of R1 resection in these patients in terms of survival. In this study we have followed 25 patients with NHAR of which 10 were able to undergo potentially curative salvage resection, whilst the remaining 15 had either a palliative (R2) or no resection. The goals of treatment for recurrent rectal cancer are palliation of symptoms, a good quality of life, and if possible, cure with a low rate of treatment--related complications. Indications for salvage surgery depend on several factors including the extent of disease, the presence of concomitant illness and the surgeons experience. Systemic disease, systemic disease with peritoneal implants, multiple hepatic metastases, or extensive pelvic involvement preclude surgical treatment for cure. Curative and noncurative surgical procedures were performed width acceptable complications in the series presented hereThe mean survival for the group undergoing R0 resection was 50 months versus 55 months for the group undergoing R1 resection (not significant). Mean survival were 7,3 and 6 months in the groups undergoing R2, NR and NS respectively. The 5-year survival for the 10 patients who had potentially curative resection was 30 per cent versus 0 per cent for 15 patients who had non-curative procedures (p = 0.001). There was 1 post-operative 30 day mortality in the series of 19 patients who underwent surgery. Five patients (6 per cent) developed one or more post-operative complications. Two of them required reoperation

Does the administration route of leucovorin have any influence on the impairment of colonic healing caused by intraperitoneal 5-fluorouracil treatment?

Intraperitoneal chemotherapy with li-fluorouracil (5-FU) is a new, promising alternative in adjuvant treatment of advanced colorectal cancer. Leucovorin (LV), a biomodulator of 5-FU, potentiates the antineoplastic effect of 5-FU. The aim of this study was to determine whether the administration routes of LV had any influence on the impairment of colonic healing caused by intraperitoneal 5-FU treatment. 48 male Wistar rats were subjected to left colonic resection and anastomosis, and randomized to 1 of 4 groups: control group (receiving intraperitoneal NaCl, intravenous NaCl); ipFU group (receiving intraperitoneal 5-FU, intravenous NaCl); ipFU+ivLV group (receiving intraperitoneal 5-FU, intravenous LV), and ipFU+LV group (receiving intraperitoneal 5-FU+LV, intravenous NaCl). Treatment was started after surgery and continued for 5 days with daily injections. The animals were sacrificed on the 7th day postoperatively. Anastomotic complications were more common in the ipFU, ipFU+ivLV, and ipFU+LV groups (p < 0.05) compared to the control group. The anastomotic breaking strength was significantly reduced in the ipFU, ipFU+ivLV, ipFU+LV groups (p < 0.05) than in the control group, but it did not differ between the ipFU, ipFU+ivLV, and ipFU+LV groups. The hydroxyproline content of the anastomotic segment was also significantly reduced in the ipFU, ipFU+ivLV and ipFU+LV groups (p < 0.05) compared to the control group. However, there was no difference between the anastomotic hydroxyproline content of the ipFU, ipFU+ivLV, and ipFU+LV groups. In this experiment, colonic healing was impaired after intraperitoneal 5-FU administration as judged by the higher rates of anastomotic complications, reductions in anastomotic breaking strength and hydroxyproline content; but LV administration either intravenously or intraperitoneally did not cause further deterioration in colonic healing. Copyright (C) 2001 S. Karger AG, Baser

Early reoperations in rectal cancer

Retrospective review of 76 rectal cancer operations performed in our Colorectal Unit during an 8-year period revealed that ten (13%) patients required relaporotomy because of postoperative early complications at the same hospitilization. There was no mortality due to reoperations. The indications of reoperations were anastomotic leak in three cases, hemorrhage in three cases, intestinal adhesions in three cases and abdominal wound dehiscence in one case. Out often reoperated cases, only three had preoperative radiotherapy. There were no significant difference between the irradiated and non-irradiated groups in terms of the incidence of early reoperation. This study revealed that preoperative radiotherapy did not cause an important increase in morbidity or mortality in rectal cancer

Core curriculum illustration: colonic intussusception due to pedunculated lipoma

This is the 48th installment of a series that will highlight one case per publication issue from the bank of cases available online as a part of the American Society of Emergency Radiology (ASER) educational resources. Our goal is to generate more interest in and use of our online materials. To view more cases online, please visit the ASER Core Curriculum and Recommendations for study online at