Using Laser Speckle Contrast Imaging to Quantify Perfusion Quality in Kidney and Pancreas Grafts on Vascular Reperfusion: A Proof-of-Principle Study

Introduction. The accuracy of intraoperative graft perfusion assessment still remains subjective, with doppler examination being the only objective adjunct. Laser speckle contrast imaging (LSCI) has been used to assess intraoperative blood flow in neurosurgery and in various surgical specialties. Despite its ability to accurately quantify perfusion at the microvascular level, it has not been clinically evaluated in kidney/kidney-pancreas transplantation for perfusion characterization. We aimed to evaluate the utility of LSCI and identify objective parameters that can be quantified at reperfusion. Methods. This study was registered in ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT04202237). The Moor FLPI-2 blood flow imager was used in 4 patients (1 Simultaneous Pancreas and Kidney, 2 deceased, and 1 living donor kidney transplants) during reperfusion to capture reperfusion data. The following parameters were measured: flux (average speed × concentration of moving red blood cells in the sample volume), doppler centroid, total and valid pixels, valid rate, and total and valid area. Flux data were analyzed with Moor FLPI analysis software. Results. The perfusion characteristics and flux images correlated with initial graft function. Conclusions. LSCI is a safe, noncontact imaging modality that provides real-time, accurate, high-resolution, full field blood flow images and a wide range of flux data to objectively quantify organ reperfusion intraoperatively in kidney/kidney-pancreas transplantation. This modality could be used to develop a robust numerical quantification system for the evaluation and reporting of intraoperative organ perfusion, and aid intraoperative decision-making. Perfusion data could be combined with biomarkers and immunological parameters to more accurately predict graft outcomes

Surgical outcomes of gallbladder cancer: the OMEGA retrospective, multicentre, international cohort study

Background Gallbladder cancer (GBC) is rare but aggressive. The extent of surgical intervention for different GBC stages is non-uniform, ranging from cholecystectomy alone to extended resections including major hepatectomy, resection of adjacent organs and routine extrahepatic bile duct resection (EBDR). Robust evidence here is lacking, however, and survival benefit poorly defined. This study assesses factors associated with recurrence-free survival (RFS), overall survival (OS) and morbidity and mortality following GBC surgery in high income countries (HIC) and low and middle income countries (LMIC).Methods The multicentre, retrospective Operative Management of Gallbladder Cancer (OMEGA) cohort study included all patients who underwent GBC resection across 133 centres between 1st January 2010 and 31st December 2020. Regression analyses assessed factors associated with OS, RFS and morbidity.Findings On multivariable analysis of all 3676 patients, wedge resection and segment IVb/V resection failed to improve RFS (HR 1.04 [0.84-1.29], p = 0.711 and HR 1.18 [0.95-1.46], p = 0.13 respectively) or OS (HR 0.96 [0.79-1.17], p = 0.67 and HR 1.48 [1.16-1.88], p = 0.49 respectively), while major hepatectomy was associated with worse RFS (HR 1.33 [1.02-1.74], p = 0.037) and OS (HR 1.26 [1.03-1.53], p = 0.022). Furthermore, EBDR (OR 2.86 [2.3-3.52], p < 0.0010), resection of additional organs (OR 2.22 [1.62-3.02], p < 0.0010) and major hepatectomy (OR 3.81 [2.55-5.73], p < 0.0010) were all associated with increased morbidity and mortality. Compared to LMIC, patients in HIC were associated with poorer RFS (HR 1.18 [1.02-1.37], p = 0.031) but not OS (HR 1.05 [0.91-1.22], p = 0.48). Adjuvant and neoadjuvant treatments were infrequently used.Interpretation In this large, multicentre analysis of GBC surgical outcomes, liver resection was not conclusively associated with improved survival, and extended resections were associated with greater morbidity and mortality without oncological benefit. Aggressive upfront resections do not benefit higher stage GBC, and international col-laborations are needed to develop evidence-based neoadjuvant and adjuvant treatment strategies to minimise surgical morbidity and prioritise prognostic benefit.Funding Cambridge Hepatopancreatobiliary Department Research Fund.Copyright & COPY; 2023 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)