The result of treatment enterovesical fistulas for Crohn's disease

A fístula enterovesical na doença de Crohn é relativamente incomum. O objetivo deste estudo é analisar sua incidência e o resultado do seu tratamento em doentes de Crohn no ambulatório de Doenças Inflamatórias Intestinais do Serviço de Cólon e Reto do Departamento de Gastroenterologia do HCFMUSP. MÉTODOS:Dos 647 pacientes com doença de Crohn , quatorze apresentaram fístula enterovesical no período de 1984 a 2006, tendo sido todos tratados cirurgicamente. RESULTADOS: Dos quatorze pacientes, doze são homens sendo a média de idade do início da doença de Crohn de 28,8 anos. O tempo médio de evolução da doença até o diagnóstico da fístula enterovesical foi de 155,1 meses. Em relação à extensão da doença, sete pacientes tinham Crohn em intestino delgado, cólon e região perianal; cinco apenas no intestino delgado; um em cólon e região perianal e outro com acometimento de intestino delgado e perianal. No total treze pacientes tinham doença de Crohn em intestino delgado. O trajeto da fístula enterovesical mais comum foi de intestino delgado (seis pacientes). Os demais pacientes apresentaram fístula enterovesical em: cólon sigmóide (quatro pacientes), entero-colo-vesical (dois pacientes), colo-vesico-cutânea (um paciente) e outra entero-reto-vesical (um paciente). Todos foram tratados cirurgicamente com ressecção da porção intestinal acometida e sutura da lesão da bexiga, e em um doente foi feito cistectomia parcial. No pós-operatório imediato tivemos duas recorrências da fistula enterovesical, um paciente permanece em tratamento clínico e o outro foi a óbito. No acompanhamento dos demais doentes, observou-se que: oito pacientes apresentam-se sem sintomas e com medicação, três assintomáticos e sem medicação; um paciente com medicação e com sintomas relacionados à doença de Crohn (mas sem queixas ou recorrência de fístula enterovesical). CONCLUSÃO: O índice de fístula enterovesical em doentes com Crohn neste estudo foi de 2,1%. O tratamento cirúrgico da fistula enterovesical com a ressecção do intestino acometido e sutura da lesão da bexiga mostrou-se eficaz.Enterovesical fistula is relatively uncommon in Crohn's disease. The objective of this study is to analyze the incidence and the result of the treatment of patients with Crohn's disease at the Inflammatory Bowel Clinic of Service of Colon and Rectum of Gastroenterology Department (HCFMUSP). METHODS: 14 out of 647 patients with Crohn's disease presented enterovesical fistula between 1984 and 2006, in which all of them were treated with surgical intervention. RESULTS: 12 out of 14 patients were male and the Crohn's symptoms started with a mean age of 28,8 years. The mean age of evolution of Crohn's disease before discovering the enterovesical fistula was 155,1 months. In regard to Crohn's disease extension, there were seven patients with Crohn's disease in the small intestine, colon and perianal region; five with manifestation only in the small intestine; one had colon and perianal disease and other had small intestine and perianal disease. 13 out of 14 patients studied had Crohn's disease in small intestine. The most commonly encountered type of fistula was in the small intestine (six patients). The others patients presented enterovesical fistula in: sigmoid (four patients), entero-colo-vesical (two patients), colo-vesico-cutaneous (one patient) and entero-reto-vesical (one patient). All the patients were treated with surgical intervention involving resection of the affected bowel and closure of the bladder defect and one patient needed partial cystectomy. In the postoperative period there were two enterovesical fistula recurrences: one patient is still being treated with medical therapy and the other died. In the clinical follow-up of the other patients, eight of them are without symptoms and taking medications, three patients are asymptomatic and under no medications, and one patient is taking medications for Crohn's disease but without enterovesical fistula. CONCLUSIONS: the rate of enterovesical fistula of the Crohn's patients was 2.1 per cent. The surgical intervention involving resection of the affected bowel and closure of the bladder defect was efficient

NOTES: present and future – a brief review

The evolution of minimally invasive surgery has resulted in improvedsurgical outcomes, such as faster wound healing, better cosmeticresults and early hospital discharge. Natural orifice transluminalendoscopic surgery (NOTES) is an alternative to laparoscopy withthe advantage of eliminating abdominal incisions since it combinesendoscopic and laparoscopic techniques that access the abdominalcavity through natural orifices. Although it is a developing technique, many advantages have already been attributed to NOTES, such as lower incidence of hernia, wound infection and adhesions. Indications and contraindications will arise in parallel to the development of this technique and are subject to scrutiny. In this article, the authors review the current status of NOTES as well as its perspectives for the future

Intestinal mucosa-associated microflora in ulcerative colitis patients before and after restorative proctocolectomy with an ileoanal pouch

PURPOSE: This study was designed to identify the mucosa-associated microflora in patients with severe ulcerative colitis before and after restorative proctocolectomy with ileoanal pouch construction in comparison with historic controls. METHODS: Ten patients with a diagnosis of ulcerative colitis were evaluated. Mucus was collected during colonoscopy from all segments of the colon and terminal ileum before surgery, and from the ileal pouch two and eight months after ileostomy closure. The prevalence and mean concentration of the mucosa-associated microflora were compared over time and with historic controls. RESULTS: Veillonella sp was the most prevalent bacterium in patients and controls. Klebsiella sp was significantly more prevalent in the ileum of controls, was not found in patients with ulcerative colitis, and after proctocolectomy returned to values found in controls. Some bacteria such as Enterobacter sp, Staphylococcus sp (coag-), Bacteroides sp (npg), Lactobacillus sp, and Veillonella sp had higher mean concentrations in the ileal pouch of patients after surgery than in controls. CONCLUSION: No bacterium was identified that could be exclusively responsible for the maintenance of the inflammatory process. The mucosa-associated microflora of patients with ulcerative colitis underwent significant changes after proctocolectomy with ileal pouch construction and returned to almost normal values for some bacteria

Association of fecal occult blood tests results with colonoscopic findings in a general hospital and validation of the screening test

Globally, colorectal cancer is the third leading cause of cancer death among men and the second among women, corresponding to about 10% of all cancers. The Brazilian Ministry of Health and National Cancer Institute recommend the screening of colorectal cancer for people over 50 years-old with Fecal Occult Blood Test. Endoscopy is limited to patients with positive screening results. The aim of this study is to evaluate the incidence of malignant or premalignant lesions diagnosed by endoscopy in patients with positive or negative Fecal Occult Blood Test and assess the efficacy of Fecal Occult Blood Test to predict the finding of a malignant colorectal lesion. We carried out a cross-sectional study among patients with a Fecal Occult Blood Test result that were submitted to colonoscopy, in the same hospital, from March 2016 to July 2017. Sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive value of Fecal Occult Blood Test compared to colonoscopy neoplastic findings was calculated. The total of 92 patients were enrolled, 52 (56.5%) were female, Fecal Occult Blood Test was positive in 42.4% of them and in 41 (44.6%) the colonoscopy showed abnormal findings. Polyps were the most frequent alteration, found in 20 patients (21.7%). Among the patients with polyps, 15 (16.3%) had neoplastic and 5 (5.4%) presented non-neoplastic polyps. The Fecal Occult Blood Test sensitivity for detection of neoplastic polyps was 66.7%, specificity 62.3%, positive predictive value 11% and negative predictive value was 94.2%. Considering the need for a screening method, Fecal Occult Blood Test showed to be an effective and reliable screening test that can be applied in public health programs to detect and prevent colorectal cancer. Resumo: Globalmente, o carcinoma colorretal é a terceira principal causa de morte por neoplasia entre homens e a segunda entre mulheres, correspondendo a 10% de todas as neoplasias. O Ministério da Saúde Brasileiro e o Instituto Nacional do Câncer recomendam a triagem do câncer colorretal para indivíduos acima de 50 anos, utilizando a Pesquisa de Sangue Oculto nas fezes. A endoscopia é reservada para aqueles com Pesquisa de Sangue Oculto nas fezes positiva. O objetivo deste estudo é avaliar a incidência de lesões malignas/pré-malignas diagnósticas na colonoscopia e correlacionar com os resultados prévios da Pesquisa de Sangue Oculto e verificar a eficácia da Pesquisa de Sangue Oculto para predizer uma lesão colorretal maligna. Realizamos um estudo transversal em pacientes que apresentavam resultados positivos ou negativos de Pesquisa de Sangue Oculto nas fezes e foram submetidos à colonoscopia, na mesma instituição, entre março de 2016 e julho de 2017. Dos 92 participantes; 52 (56,5%) eram do sexo feminino, a Pesquisa de Sangue Oculto nas fezes foi positiva em 42,4%; e em 41 (44,6%) a colonoscopia mostrou alterações. Em 20 pacientes (21,7%) havia pólipos; 15 (16,3%) eram neoplásicos e 5 (5,4%) não neoplásicos. A sensibilidade da Pesquisa de Sangue Oculto nas fezes para detecção de pólipos neoplásicos foi 66,7%; a especificidade 62,3%; o valor preditivo positivo 11% e o valor preditivo negativo 94,2%. Considerando a necessidade de um método de triagem, a Pesquisa de Sangue Oculto nas fezes mostrou ser um exame de triagem eficaz e confiável para ser aplicado em programas de saúde pública com o objetivo de detectar e prevenir o carcinoma colorretal. Keywords: Colonoscopy, Fecal occult blood test, Polyps, Adenoma, Adenocarcinoma, Palavras-chave: Colonoscopia, Pesquisa de sangue oculto nas fezes, Pólipos, Adenoma, Adenocarcinom

Anal Incontinence Improvement After Silicone Injection May Be Related to Restoration of Sphincter Asymmetry

Background. This study aimed to evaluate manometric parameters that may explain improvement in anal incontinence using a silicone bulking agent. Methods. Incontinent patients having internal sphincter defects were prospectively selected and injected with a silicone bulking agent. Manometry and endoanal ultrasound were performed before and 3 months after injections. Twenty continent healthy volunteers were used only for manometric comparison. Results. Thirty-five patients (28 females; mean age 60.3 years) and 20 controls entered this study. Patients had lower resting and squeeze pressures compared with controls (P<.05). Length of the high-pressure zone increased from 1 to 1.7 cm postinjection (P=.002). Asymmetry index showed a significant change postinjection (P<.001). Conclusion. Despite considerable clinical improvement, no significant increase in manometric pressures was noted posttreatment. There was significant improvement in both high-pressure zone and asymmetry index, and these findings may explain the mechanism of action of the bulking agent injected

Absence of lymph nodes in the resected specimen after radical surgery for distal rectal cancer and neoadjuvant chemoradiation therapy: What does it mean?

Purpose: The number of retrieved lymph nodes during radical surgery has been considered of great importance to ensure adequate staging and radical resection. However, this finding may not be applicable after neoadjuvant therapy in which, not only is there a decrease in lymph nodes recovered, but also a subgroup of patients with absence of lymph nodes in the resected specimen. Methods: Patients with absence of lymph nodes were compared with patients with ypN0 disease and patients with ypN+ disease. Results: Thirty-two patients (11 percent) had absence of lymph nodes, 171 patients (61 percent) had ypN0 disease, and 78 patients (28 percent) had ypN+ disease. Patients with absence of lymph nodes had significantly lower ypT status (ypT0-1, 40 vs. 13 percent; P < 0.001) and decreased risk of perineural invasion (6 vs. 21 percent; P = 0.04) compared with ypN0 patients. Five-year disease-free survival (74 percent) was similar to patients with ypN0 (59 percent; P = 0.2), and both were significantly better than patients with ypN+ disease (30 percent; P < 0.001). Conclusions: Absence of lymph nodes retrieved from the resected specimen is associated with favorable pathologic features (ypT and perineural invasion status) and good disease-free survival rates. In this setting, absence of retrieved lymph nodes may reflect improved response to neoadjuvant chemoradiation therapy rather than inappropriate or suboptimal oncologic radicality

Interval between surgery and neoadjuvant chemoradiation therapy for distal rectal cancer: Does delayed surgery have an impact on outcome?

Background: The optimal interval between neoadjuvant chemoradiation therapy (CRT) and surgery in the treatment of patients with distal rectal cancer is controversial. The purpose of this study is to evaluate whether this interval has an impact on survival. Methods and Materials: Patients who underwent surgery after CRT were retrospectively reviewed. Patients with a sustained complete clinical response (cCR) 1 year after CRT were excluded from this study. Clinical and pathologic characteristics and overall and disease-free survival were compared between patients undergoing surgery 12 weeks or less from CRT and patients undergoing surgery longer than 12 weeks from CRT completion and between patients with a surgery delay caused by a suspected cCR and those with a delay for other reasons. Results: Two hundred fifty patients underwent surgery, and 48.4% had CRT-to-surgery intervals of 12 weeks or less. There were no statistical differences in overall survival (86% vs. 81.6%) or disease-free survival rates (56.5% and 58.9%) between patients according to interval (<= 12 vs. >1 2 weeks). Patients with intervals of 12 weeks or less had significantly higher rates of Stage III disease (34% vs. 20%; p = 0.009). The delay in surgery was caused by a suspected cCR in 23 patients (interval, 48 +/- 10.3 weeks). Five-year overall and disease-free survival rates for this subset were 84.9% and 51.6%, not significantly different compared with the remaining group (84%; p = 0.96 and 57.8 %; p = 0.76, respectively). Conclusions: Delay in surgery for the evaluation of tumor response after neoadjuvant CRT is safe and does not negatively affect survival. These results support the hypothesis that shorter intervals may interrupt ongoing tumor necrosis. (C) 2008 Elsevier Inc