Intraoperative endomanometric laparoscopic Nissen fundoplication improves postoperative outcomes in large sliding hiatus hernia with severe gastroesophageal reflux disease. A retrospective cohort study

Background: Laparoscopic Nissen Fundoplication (LNF) is the gold standard surgical intervention for gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). LNF can be followed by recurrent symptoms or complications affecting patient satisfaction. The aim of this study is to assess the value of the intraoperative endomanometric evaluation of esophagogastric competence and pressure combined with LNF in patients with large sliding hiatus hernia (> 5 cm) with severe GERD (DeMeester score >100). Materials and methods: This is a retrospective, multicenter cohort study. Baseline characteristics, postoperative dysphagia and gas bloat syndrome, recurrent symptoms, and satisfaction were collected from a prospectively maintained database. Outcomes analyzed included recurrent reflux symptoms, postoperative side effects, and satisfaction with surgery. Results: 360 patients were stratified into endomanometric LNF (180 patients, LNF+) and LNF alone (180 patients, LNF). Recurrent heartburn (3.9% vs. 8.3%) and recurrent regurgitation (2.2% vs. 5%) showed a lower incidence in the LNF+ group (P=0.012). Postoperative score III recurrent heartburn and score III regurgitations occurred in 0% vs. 3.3% and 0% vs. 2.8% cases in the LNF+ and LNF groups, respectively (P=0.005). Postoperative persistent dysphagia and gas bloat syndrome occurred in 1.75% vs. 5.6% and 0% vs. 3.9% of patients (P=0.001). Score III postoperative persistent dysphagia was 0% vs. 2.8% in the two groups (P=0.007). There was no redo surgery for dysphagia after LNF+. Patient satisfaction at the end of the study was 93.3% vs. 86.7% in both cohorts, respectively (P=0.05). Conclusions: Intraoperative high-resolution manometry (HRM) and endoscopic were feasible in all patients, and the outcomes were favorable from an effectiveness and safety standpoint

Laparoscopy in management of appendicitis in high-, middle-, and low-income countries: a multicenter, prospective, cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Appendicitis is the most common abdominal surgical emergency worldwide. Differences between high- and low-income settings in the availability of laparoscopic appendectomy, alternative management choices, and outcomes are poorly described. The aim was to identify variation in surgical management and outcomes of appendicitis within low-, middle-, and high-Human Development Index (HDI) countries worldwide. METHODS: This is a multicenter, international prospective cohort study. Consecutive sampling of patients undergoing emergency appendectomy over 6 months was conducted. Follow-up lasted 30 days. RESULTS: 4546 patients from 52 countries underwent appendectomy (2499 high-, 1540 middle-, and 507 low-HDI groups). Surgical site infection (SSI) rates were higher in low-HDI (OR 2.57, 95% CI 1.33-4.99, p = 0.005) but not middle-HDI countries (OR 1.38, 95% CI 0.76-2.52, p = 0.291), compared with high-HDI countries after adjustment. A laparoscopic approach was common in high-HDI countries (1693/2499, 67.7%), but infrequent in low-HDI (41/507, 8.1%) and middle-HDI (132/1540, 8.6%) groups. After accounting for case-mix, laparoscopy was still associated with fewer overall complications (OR 0.55, 95% CI 0.42-0.71, p < 0.001) and SSIs (OR 0.22, 95% CI 0.14-0.33, p < 0.001). In propensity-score matched groups within low-/middle-HDI countries, laparoscopy was still associated with fewer overall complications (OR 0.23 95% CI 0.11-0.44) and SSI (OR 0.21 95% CI 0.09-0.45). CONCLUSION: A laparoscopic approach is associated with better outcomes and availability appears to differ by country HDI. Despite the profound clinical, operational, and financial barriers to its widespread introduction, laparoscopy could significantly improve outcomes for patients in low-resource environments. TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT02179112

Global economic burden of unmet surgical need for appendicitis

Background: There is a substantial gap in provision of adequate surgical care in many low-and middle-income countries. This study aimed to identify the economic burden of unmet surgical need for the common condition of appendicitis. Methods: Data on the incidence of appendicitis from 170 countries and two different approaches were used to estimate numbers of patients who do not receive surgery: as a fixed proportion of the total unmet surgical need per country (approach 1); and based on country income status (approach 2). Indirect costs with current levels of access and local quality, and those if quality were at the standards of high-income countries, were estimated. A human capital approach was applied, focusing on the economic burden resulting from premature death and absenteeism. Results: Excess mortality was 4185 per 100 000 cases of appendicitis using approach 1 and 3448 per 100 000 using approach 2. The economic burden of continuing current levels of access and local quality was US $92 492 million using approach 1 and$73 141 million using approach 2. The economic burden of not providing surgical care to the standards of high-income countries was $95 004 million using approach 1 and$75 666 million using approach 2. The largest share of these costs resulted from premature death (97.7 per cent) and lack of access (97.0 per cent) in contrast to lack of quality. Conclusion: For a comparatively non-complex emergency condition such as appendicitis, increasing access to care should be prioritized. Although improving quality of care should not be neglected, increasing provision of care at current standards could reduce societal costs substantially

Pooled analysis of WHO Surgical Safety Checklist use and mortality after emergency laparotomy

Background The World Health Organization (WHO) Surgical Safety Checklist has fostered safe practice for 10 years, yet its place in emergency surgery has not been assessed on a global scale. The aim of this study was to evaluate reported checklist use in emergency settings and examine the relationship with perioperative mortality in patients who had emergency laparotomy. Methods In two multinational cohort studies, adults undergoing emergency laparotomy were compared with those having elective gastrointestinal surgery. Relationships between reported checklist use and mortality were determined using multivariable logistic regression and bootstrapped simulation. Results Of 12 296 patients included from 76 countries, 4843 underwent emergency laparotomy. After adjusting for patient and disease factors, checklist use before emergency laparotomy was more common in countries with a high Human Development Index (HDI) (2455 of 2741, 89.6 per cent) compared with that in countries with a middle (753 of 1242, 60.6 per cent; odds ratio (OR) 0.17, 95 per cent c.i. 0.14 to 0.21, P <0001) or low (363 of 860, 422 per cent; OR 008, 007 to 010, P <0.001) HDI. Checklist use was less common in elective surgery than for emergency laparotomy in high-HDI countries (risk difference -94 (95 per cent c.i. -11.9 to -6.9) per cent; P <0001), but the relationship was reversed in low-HDI countries (+121 (+7.0 to +173) per cent; P <0001). In multivariable models, checklist use was associated with a lower 30-day perioperative mortality (OR 0.60, 0.50 to 073; P <0.001). The greatest absolute benefit was seen for emergency surgery in low- and middle-HDI countries. Conclusion Checklist use in emergency laparotomy was associated with a significantly lower perioperative mortality rate. Checklist use in low-HDI countries was half that in high-HDI countries.Peer reviewe

Mortality of emergency abdominal surgery in high-, middle- and low-income countries

Background: Surgical mortality data are collected routinely in high-income countries, yet virtually no low- or middle-income countries have outcome surveillance in place. The aim was prospectively to collect worldwide mortality data following emergency abdominal surgery, comparing findings across countries with a low, middle or high Human Development Index (HDI). Methods: This was a prospective, multicentre, cohort study. Self-selected hospitals performing emergency surgery submitted prespecified data for consecutive patients from at least one 2-week interval during July to December 2014. Postoperative mortality was analysed by hierarchical multivariable logistic regression. Results: Data were obtained for 10 745 patients from 357 centres in 58 countries; 6538 were from high-, 2889 from middle- and 1318 from low-HDI settings. The overall mortality rate was 1⋅6 per cent at 24 h (high 1⋅1 per cent, middle 1⋅9 per cent, low 3⋅4 per cent; P < 0⋅001), increasing to 5⋅4 per cent by 30 days (high 4⋅5 per cent, middle 6⋅0 per cent, low 8⋅6 per cent; P < 0⋅001). Of the 578 patients who died, 404 (69⋅9 per cent) did so between 24 h and 30 days following surgery (high 74⋅2 per cent, middle 68⋅8 per cent, low 60⋅5 per cent). After adjustment, 30-day mortality remained higher in middle-income (odds ratio (OR) 2⋅78, 95 per cent c.i. 1⋅84 to 4⋅20) and low-income (OR 2⋅97, 1⋅84 to 4⋅81) countries. Surgical safety checklist use was less frequent in low- and middle-income countries, but when used was associated with reduced mortality at 30 days. Conclusion: Mortality is three times higher in low- compared with high-HDI countries even when adjusted for prognostic factors. Patient safety factors may have an important role. Registration number: NCT02179112 (http://www.clinicaltrials.gov)

Global variation in anastomosis and end colostomy formation following left-sided colorectal resection

Background End colostomy rates following colorectal resection vary across institutions in high-income settings, being influenced by patient, disease, surgeon and system factors. This study aimed to assess global variation in end colostomy rates after left-sided colorectal resection. Methods This study comprised an analysis of GlobalSurg-1 and -2 international, prospective, observational cohort studies (2014, 2016), including consecutive adult patients undergoing elective or emergency left-sided colorectal resection within discrete 2-week windows. Countries were grouped into high-, middle- and low-income tertiles according to the United Nations Human Development Index (HDI). Factors associated with colostomy formation versus primary anastomosis were explored using a multilevel, multivariable logistic regression model. Results In total, 1635 patients from 242 hospitals in 57 countries undergoing left-sided colorectal resection were included: 113 (6·9 per cent) from low-HDI, 254 (15·5 per cent) from middle-HDI and 1268 (77·6 per cent) from high-HDI countries. There was a higher proportion of patients with perforated disease (57·5, 40·9 and 35·4 per cent; P < 0·001) and subsequent use of end colostomy (52·2, 24·8 and 18·9 per cent; P < 0·001) in low- compared with middle- and high-HDI settings. The association with colostomy use in low-HDI settings persisted (odds ratio (OR) 3·20, 95 per cent c.i. 1·35 to 7·57; P = 0·008) after risk adjustment for malignant disease (OR 2·34, 1·65 to 3·32; P < 0·001), emergency surgery (OR 4·08, 2·73 to 6·10; P < 0·001), time to operation at least 48 h (OR 1·99, 1·28 to 3·09; P = 0·002) and disease perforation (OR 4·00, 2·81 to 5·69; P < 0·001). Conclusion Global differences existed in the proportion of patients receiving end stomas after left-sided colorectal resection based on income, which went beyond case mix alone

Role of sonoelastography and MR spectroscopy in diagnosis of solid breast lesions with histopathological correlation

Objective: To demonstrate the role of ultrasound elastography and magnetic resonance spectroscopy in diagnosis of solid breast lesions with histopathological correlation. Patients and methods: This study included 40 female patients, and their ages ranged from 17 to 73 years with mean age of 43.18 years. Patients were referred on the basis of suspected breast lesion and/or nipple discharge. All patients underwent elastography in addition to conventional ultrasonography and MR spectroscopy and the radiological results were correlated with histopathological examination for achieving confirmed final diagnosis. Results: All benign lesions were 17 on the basis of elastography, while the malignant lesions were 18. Fifteen malignant lesions (93.7%, 15/21) had an elastography score 5, while Thirteen benign lesions (86.7%, 13/19) had an elastography score 3. On the basis of DCE-MRI, benign lesions were 16, while the malignant lesions were 19. Sixteen malignant lesions (94.1%) were diagnosed as BI-RADS 5, while fourteen benign lesions (93.3%) were diagnosed as BI-RADS 3. On the basis of MR spectroscopy, benign lesions were 17, while the malignant lesions were 19. Nineteen malignant lesions (90.5) had positive choline peak while seventeen benign lesions (89.5%) had negative choline peak. The study showed conventional ultrasound sensitivity, specificity, PPV, NPV and accuracy as 85%, 80%, 80.9%, 84.2% and 82.5% respectively, and sono-elastography sensitivity, specificity, PPV, NPV and accuracy as 90%, 85%, 85.7%, 89.4% and 87.5% respectively. Dynamic contrast enhanced MRI sensitivity, specificity, PPV, NPV and accuracy were 85.7%, 84.2%, 85.7%, 84.2% and 85% respectively, while MR spectroscopy sensitivity, specificity, PPV, NPV and accuracy were 90.4%, 89.4%, 90.4%, 89.5% and 80.5% respectively. Conclusion: The study showed that sono-elastography and MR spectroscopy are valuable noninvasive diagnostic imaging techniques in diagnosis of early breast malignancy than any other diagnostic tools, consequently help to avoid nondesirable invasive surgical biopsy of the breast lesions

Common interventional techniques (single versus combined) in management of hepatocellular carcinoma

To evaluate the role of transarterial chemoembolization “TACE”, radiofrequency ablation “RFA” and combination of both techniques in management of hepatocellular carcinoma “HCC”. Patients and methods: This study was carried out at Al-Azhar University Hospital (New Damietta) during the period from May 2013 to June 2015. It included forty patients were included in this study (27 males and 13 females), with age ranged from 43 to 68year (mean age 51year). They were divided into three groups after laboratory and radiological assessment: group 1 treated with TACE, group 2 treated with RFA and group 3 treated with combined therapy. The response was evaluated by triphasic MDCT, alpha-fetoprotein as well as clinical follow-up and classified as complete and partial response, and the overall survival was recorded. Results: There were no major complications detected. At 3month follow-up, there was complete response “CR” in 32 patients (80%), and partial response “PR” in 8 patients (20%). At 6months, there was complete response in 34 patients (85%), and partial response in 3 patients (7.5%). At 12months, there was complete response in 33 patients (82.5%), and partial response in one patient (2.5%). It is proved that complete response with high percentage achieved by combined therapy than either by TACE or by RFA (100%, 88.46% and 75% respectively), with the overall survival was 85%. Conclusion: The study showed that combined therapy achieved better results regarding complete response and overall survival rate than RF or TACE alone