Predictors of surgery outcome for colorectal carcinoma in the United Arab Emirates

In this retrospective study, 72 patients with colorectal cancer were followed up for a mean period of 28.2 months. Predictors of recurrence and survival were determined using standard analyses. Univariate analyses identified a group of patients with a shorter time to recurrence. The mean overall survival time was 63.2 +/- 7.7 months and survival time was shorter for younger patients with palliative resection, lymph node metastasis and peritoneal nodules. In multivariate Cox proportional hazards analysis, the hazard ratio for positive lymph nodes was 2.54 [95% CI: 1.36-4.79] compared to negative nodes, and for Dukes' stages A and B compared to stage C it was 0.45 [95% CI: 0.25-0.81]

Laparoscopic inguinal hernioplasty using the transabdominal preperitoneal approach

Transabdominal preperitoneal approach has been applied for the laparoscopic repair of 25 inguinal hernias in 23 patients. This procedure included the placement of a Prolene or Marlex mesh over the hernial floor and fixation by stapling. The average operative time was 92 min. [range 65-140 min.]. All operations have been completed successfully but one converted to the conventional open surgery due to previous hemicolectomy with adhesions between the colon and bladder. Most of the patients discharged from the hospital on the second day of operation [range 1-4 days] with minimal pain requiring no narcotic analgesics. They returned back to full activity within the first week. Postoperative complications included a case of scrotal hematoma, a case of trocar site infection and a third case of urine retention. They were treated conservatively. Short term follow up for a mean of 7 months [range 4-14 months] showed no recurrence. These data emphasized that laparoscopic hernia repair has several advantages over the traditional open procedure including less postoperative pain, shorter convalescence, less complications and no recurrence. Nevertheless, randomized prospective studies are necessary to demonstrate that whether these advantages of laparoscopic hernia repair are too worthy to replace an inexpensive technique performed under local anesthesia by an expensive procedure requiring general anesthesia