Totally laparoscopic approach for a single mesenteric localization of Castelman’s disease: state of the art of laparoscopic surgery

Castleman’s disease is a rare proliferative disorder of benign nature characterized by hyperplasia of the lymphoid follicles. The abdomen is rarely affected by this pathology. The difficult preoperative diagnosis has recently led laparoscopic surgery to become an option for diagnosis and treatment of the unicentric form of the disease. Herein we present a literature review reporting our experience representing, according to our knowledge, one of the first cases of totally laparoscopic resection of single abdominal localization of Castelman’s disease

Sepsis Team Organizational Model to Decrease Mortality for Intra-Abdominal Infections: Is Antibiotic Stewardship Enough?

Introduction. Sepsis is an overwhelming reaction to infection with significant morbidity, requiring urgent interventions in order to improve outcomes. The 2016 Sepsis-3 guidelines modified the previous definitions of sepsis and septic shock, and proposed some specific diagnostic and therapeutic measures to define the use of fluid resuscitation and antibiotics. However, some open issues still exist. Methods. A literature research was performed on PubMed and Cochrane using the terms “sepsis” AND “intra-abdominal infections” AND (“antibiotic therapy” OR “antibiotic treatment”). The inclusion criteria were management of intra-abdominal infection (IAI) and effects of antibiotic stewardships programs (ASP) on the outcome of the patients. Discussion. Sepsis-3 definitions represent an added value in the understanding of sepsis mechanisms and in the management of the disease. However, some questions are still open, such as the need for an early identification of sepsis. Sepsis management in the context of IAI is particularly challenging and a prompt diagnosis is essential in order to perform a quick treatment (source control and antibiotic treatment). Antibiotic empirical therapy should be based on the kind of infection (community or hospital acquired), local resistances, and patient’s characteristic and comorbidities, and should be adjusted or de-escalated as soon as microbiological information is available. Antibiotic Stewardship Programs (ASP) have demonstrated to improve antimicrobial utilization with reduction of infections, emergence of multi-drug resistant bacteria, and costs. Surgeons should not be alone in the management of IAI but ideally inserted in a sepsis team together with anaesthesiologists, medical physicians, pharmacists, and infectious diseases specialists, meeting periodically to reassess the response to the treatment. Conclusion. The cornerstones of sepsis management are accurate diagnosis, early resuscitation, effective source control, and timely initiation of appropriate antimicrobial therapy. Current evidence shows that optimizing antibiotic use across surgical specialities is imperative to improve outcomes. Ideally every hospital and every emergency surgery department should aim to provide a sepsis team in order to manage IAI

Should we exclude patients with peritoneal carcinosis of colorectal origin and high PCI from CRS + HIPEC?

International guidelines exclude from surgery patients with peritoneal carcinosis of colorectal origin and a peritoneal cancer index (PCI) ≥ 16. This study aims to analyze the outcomes of patients with colorectal peritoneal carcinosis and PCI greater or equal to 16 treated with cytoreductive surgery (CRS) and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) (CRS + HIPEC). We retrospectively performed a multicenter observational study involving three Italian institutions, namely the IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo in Pavia, the M. Bufalini Hospital in Cesena, and the ASST Papa Giovanni XXIII Hospital in Bergamo. The study included all patients undergoing CRS + HIPEC for peritoneal carcinosis from colorectal origin from November 2011 to June 2022. The study included 71 patients: 56 with PCI < 16 and 15 with PCI ≥ 16. Patients with higher PCI had longer operative times and a statistically significant higher rate of not complete cytoreduction, with a Completeness of Cytoreduction score (CC) 1 (microscopical disease) of 30.8% (p = 0.004). The 2-year OS was 81% for PCI < 16 and 37% for PCI ≥ 16 (p < 0.001). The 2-years DFS was 29% for PCI < 16 and 0% for PCI ≥ 16 (p < 0.001). The 2-year peritoneal DFS for patients with PCI < 16 was 48%, and for patients with PCI ≥ 16 was 57% (p = 0.783). CRS and HIPEC provide reasonable local disease control for patients with carcinosis of colorectal origin and PCI ≥ 16. Such results form the basis for new studies to reassess the exclusion of these patients, as set out in the current guidelines, from CRS and HIPEC. This therapy, combined with new therapeutical strategies, i.e., pressurized intraperitoneal aerosol chemotherapy (PIPAC), could offer reasonable local control of the disease, preventing local complications. As a result, it increases the patient’s chances of receiving chemotherapy to improve the systemic control of the disease

Practice of proctology among general surgery residents and young specialists in Italy: a snapshot survey

Anal diseases are very common and, in most of the cases, require surgery of minor or medium complexity, and, therefore, are among the most accessible diseases for surgeons in training. Aim of this study is to investigate the status of the training in proctology in Italy. A 31-items questionnaire was administered to residents and young specialists (<= 2 years) in general surgery, using mailing lists, and the social media accounts of the Italian Society of Colorectal Surgery. Answers from 338 respondents (53.8% males) were included in the final analysis. Overall, 252 respondents (74.5%) were residents and 86 (25.5%) young specialists. Two hundred and fifty-five (75.4%) respondents practiced proctology for the first time early on during their postgraduate training, but only 19.5% did it continuously for >= 24 months. Almost all respondents (334; 98.8%) had the chance to participate in proctological procedures, 205 (60.5%) as first surgeon. This percentage decreases according to the complexity of the surgery. In fact, only 11 (3.3%) and 24 (7.1%) of the respondents were allowed to be the first surgeon in more complex proctological diseases such as surgery for rectal prolapse and fecal incontinence. The present survey suggests that, in Italy, most surgeons in training deal with anal diseases. However, only few of them could achieve sufficient professional skills in the management of proctological diseases to be able to practice autonomously as young specialists