Extensive Abdominal Surgery After Caustic Ingestion

OBJECTIVE: To report the authors’ experience in extensive abdominal surgery after caustic ingestion, and to clarify its indications. SUMMARY BACKGROUND DATA: After caustic ingestion, extension of corrosive injuries beyond the esophagus and stomach to the duodenum, jejunum, or adjacent abdominal organs is an uncommon but severe complication. The limit to which resection of the damaged organs can be reasonably performed is not clearly defined. METHODS: From 1988 to 1997, nine patients underwent esophagogastrectomy extended to the colon (n = 2), the small bowel (n = 2), the duodenopancreas (n = 4), the tail of the pancreas (n = 1), or the spleen (n = 1). Outcome was evaluated in terms of complications, death, and function after esophageal reconstruction. RESULTS: Five patients required reintervention in the postoperative period for extension of the caustic lesions. There were two postoperative deaths. Seven patients had secondary esophageal reconstruction 4 to 8 months (median 6 months) after initial resection. Three additional patients died 8, 24, and 32 months after the initial resection. Three survivors eat normally, and one has unexplained dysphagia. CONCLUSIONS: An aggressive surgical approach allows successful initial treatment of extended caustic injuries. Early surgical treatment is essential to improve the prognosis in these patients

Trichobezoar: A rare cause of bowel obstruction

A bezoar is an intraluminal mass formed by the accumulation of undigested material in the gastrointestinal tract. A trichobezoar is a bezoar made up of hair and is a rare cause of bowel obstruction of the proximal gastrointestinal tract. They are seen mostly in young women with trichotillomania and trichotillophagia and symptoms include epigastric pain, nausea, loss of appetite and bowel or gastric outlet obstruction. We herein describe a case of a trichobezoar that presented as a gastric outlet obstruction and was subsequently successfully removed via a laparotomy

Surgery for Caustic Injuries of the Upper Gastrointestinal Tract

International audienc

Fibrin glue is effective healing perianal fistulas in patients with Crohn's disease.

peer reviewedBACKGROUND & AIMS: Fibrin glue is a therapeutic for fistulas that activates thrombin to form a fibrin clot, which mechanically seals the fistula tract. We assessed the efficacy and safety of a heterologous fibrin glue that was injected into the fistula tracts of patients with Crohn's disease (ClinicalTrials.gov No. NCT00723047). METHODS: This multicenter, open-label, randomized controlled trial included patients with a Crohn's disease activity index < or =250 and fistulas between the anus (or low rectum) and perineum, vulva, or vagina, that drained for more than 2 months. Magnetic resonance imaging or endosonography was performed to assess fistula tracts and the absence of abscesses. Patients were stratified into groups with simple or complex fistulas and randomly assigned to receive fibrin glue injections (n = 36) or only observation (n = 41) after removal of setons. The primary end point was clinical remission at week 8, defined as the absence of draining, perianal pain, or abscesses. At week 8, a fibrin glue injection was offered to patients who were not in remission. RESULTS: Clinical remission was observed in 13 of the 34 patients (38%) of the fibrin glue group compared with 6 of the 37 (16%) in the observation group; these findings demonstrate the benefit of fibrin glue (odds ratio, 3.2; 95% confidence interval: 1.1-9.8; P = .04). The benefit seemed to be greater in patients with simple fistulas. Four patients in the fibrin glue group and 6 in the observation group had adverse events. CONCLUSIONS: Fibrin glue injection is a simple, effective, and well-tolerated therapeutic option for patients with Crohn's disease and perianal fistula tracts

Anti-TNF Therapy Is Associated With an Increased Risk of Postoperative Morbidity After Surgery for Ileocolonic Crohn Disease

Objective: To determine the risk factors of morbidity after surgery for ileocolonic Crohn disease (CD).Summary Background Data: The risk factors of morbidity after surgery for CD, particularly the role of anti-TNF therapy, remain controversial and have not been evaluated in a large prospective cohort study. Methods: From 2013 to 2015, data on 592 consecutive patients who underwent surgery for CD in 19 French specialty centers were collected prospectively. Possible relationships between anti-TNF and postoperative overall morbidity were tested by univariate and multivariate analyses. Because treatment by anti-TNF is possibly dependent on the characteristics of the patients and disease, a propensity score was calculated and introduced in the analyses using adjustment of the inverse probability of treatment-weighted method.Results: Postoperative mortality, overall and intra-abdominal septic morbidity rates in the entire cohort were 0%, 29.7%, and 8.4%, respectively; 143 (24.1%) patients had received anti-TNF 180 min (OR = 2.71; CI 95% = 1.54–4.78, P Conclusions: Preoperative anti-TNF therapy is associated with a higher risk of morbidity after surgery for ileocolonic CD. This information should be considered in the surgical management of these patients, particularly with regard to the preoperative preparation and indication of temporary defunctioning stoma

Postoperative complications after ileocecal resection in Crohn's disease: A prospective study from the REMIND group

OBJECTIVES: We sought to determine the frequency of and risk factors for early (30-day) postoperative complications after ileocecal resection in a well-characterized, prospective cohort of Crohn's disease patients. METHODS: The REMIND group performed a nationwide study in 9 French university medical centers. Clinical-, biological-, surgical-, and treatment-related data on the 3 months before surgery were collected prospectively. Patients operated on between 1 September 2010 and 30 August 2014 were included. RESULTS: A total of 209 patients were included. The indication for ileocecal resection was stricturing disease in 109 (52%) cases, penetrating complications in 88 (42%), and medication-refractory inflammatory disease in 12 (6%). A two-stage procedure was performed in 33 (16%) patients. There were no postoperative deaths. Forty-three (21%) patients (23% of the patients with a one-stage procedure vs. 9% of those with a two-stage procedure, P=0.28) experienced a total of 54 early postoperative complications after a median time interval of 5 days (interquartile range, 4-12): intra-abdominal septic complications (n=38), extraintestinal infections (n=10), and hemorrhage (n=6). Eighteen complications (33%) were severe (Dindo-Clavien III-IV). Reoperation was necessary in 14 (7%) patients, and secondary stomy was performed in 8 (4.5%). In a multivariate analysis, corticosteroid treatment in the 4 weeks before surgery was significantly associated with an elevated postoperative complication rate (odds ratio (95% confidence interval)=2.69 (1.15-6.29); P=0.022). Neither preoperative exposure to anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF) agents (n=93, 44%) nor trough serum anti-TNF levels were significant risk factors for postoperative complications. CONCLUSIONS: In this large, nationwide, prospective cohort, postoperative complications were observed after 21% of the ileocecal resections. Corticosteroid treatment in the 4 weeks before surgery was significantly associated with an elevated postoperative complication rate. In contrast, preoperative anti-TNF therapy (regardless of the serum level or the time interval between last administration and surgery) was not associated with an elevated risk of postoperative complications