Current status and progression of minimally invasive surgery after neoadjuvant therapy for adenocarcinoma of esophagogastric junction / 中华胃肠外科杂志

The number of minimally invasive surgery (MIS) for adenocarcinoma of esophagogastric junction (AEG) has been increasing year by year. The key technical points such as surgical approach, lymph node dissection and GI tract reconstruction have gradually reached their maturity. With the emergence of proofs of evidence-based neoadjuvant therapy, neoadjuvant chemotherapy or neoadjuvant radiochemotherapy for advanced AEG is also gradually accepted by most surgeons and oncologists. European scholars have previously started researches on MIS after neoadjuvant therapy for esophageal cancer and AEG. Domestic scholars also raise practical suggestions on the application of neoadjuvant therapy for AEG via the cooperation between gastrointestinal and thoracic surgeons, demonstrating the trend in standardization and individualization. But there is still no consent to the indication of MIS after neoadjuvant therapy. Furthermore, there is also a lack of the standardization of technical points for MIS, GI tract reconstruction, short- and long-term outcomes. Such associated problems have been the hot controversy and exploration in recent years. This article describes current progress of neoadjuvant therapy for AEG, current status of MIS after the neoadjuvant therapy in Europe, America, East Asia, including China, and related researches plus future prospects, hoping for better clinical outcomes.

The Feasibility of Long-Segment Fluoroscopy-guided Percutaneous Thoracic Spine Pedicle Screw Fixation, and the Outcome at Two-year Follow-up

@#Introduction: Posterior percutaneous instrumentation may represent a challenge when multiple levels need to be instrumentated, especially when including the upper thoracic spine. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the technical feasibility and the long-term outcome of such long constructs in different surgical conditions. Materials and Methods: This investigation was a retrospective cohort study which included patients who underwent thoraco-lumbar percutaneous fixations. We collected clinical, surgical and radiological data, with a minimum follow-up of 24 months. Health-related quality-oflife, residual pain, instrumentation placement, and complications were studied. Results: A total of 18 procedures were enrolled, in which 182 screws were implanted, (170 positioned in thoracic and 12 in lumbar pedicles, respectively). No surgical complications or hardware failure occurred in our series, 6 out of 182 (3,2%) screws had a partial pedicle breach, without neurological impairment or need for surgical revision. Conclusion: According to our results, a fully posterior percutaneous approach for long thoraco-lumbar spine instrumentation can be considered safe and reproducible, although an adequate training is strictly required.

A comparison of colonoscopy - assisted transanal minimally invasive surgery via glove port and endoscopic submucosal dissection in the treatment of early rectal tumors / 中华胃肠外科杂志

Objective@#To explore the safety and feasibility of colonoscopy - assisted transanal minimally invasive surgery via glove port (CA-TAMIS-GP) in the treatment of early rectal tumors.@*Methods@#A total of 67 patients evaluated as early rectal tumors (adenoma limited within mucosal layer) with diameter ≤4.0 cm at Department of Anal-Colorectal Surgery, Hangzhou Third People′s Hospital from July 2013 to March 2017 were prospectively enrolled in the study. Benign tumors were diagnosed by preoperative imaging in all the patients with the distance to anal edge of 4 to 20 cm. Patients were randomly divided into treatment group and the control group according to the random number table. The treatment group (n=32) underwent CA-TAMIS-GP, including 19 males and 13 females with mean age of (55.6±11.2) years and mean tumor size of (3.3±0.4) cm, while the control group (n=35) underwent endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD, control group), including 20 males and 15 females with mean age of (52.9±12.3) years and mean tumor size of (3.4±0.5) cm. Differences of baseline data between two groups were not significant (all P>0.05). The specific method of CA-TAMIS-GP was as follows: a surgical rubber glove sleeve (No.6) was passed through the anal device; the glove was fixed at the anvil device; after fully expanding the anus, the anal sac was placed into the anus with the fingers outside; then, the cuff and the anal sac were sutured and fixed to the perianal; a well-tight glove path was established; the ultrasonic scalpel, grasper and the colonoscopy lens connected to the host platform and the electric negative pressure suction were inserted into the three finger sleeves respectively and fixed by rubber band or silk thread; the laparoscopic instruments such as the grasper and the ultrasonic scalpel were used for pulling, grasping, cutting, electrocoagulation, suturing and other operations to complete the resection of rectal lesions. Efficacy, postoperative complication and operative cost, etc. between two groups were compared using the student′s t test, chi-square tests, and Fisher′s exact test.@*Results@#Operations of two groups were completed successfully without conversion to laparotomy. Histopathologic examination showed all specimens had negative margins with the surgical resection of the layer to the submucosa, and showed no significant differences between two groups (P>0.05). Compared to the control group, the operation time was shorter [(49.5±14.6) minutes vs.(66.1±17.6) minutes, t=-4.235, P<0.001], and the intraoperative hemorrhage was less [(4.2±1.6) ml vs. (6.2±2.1) ml, t=-4.349, P<0.001] in the treatment group with significant differences. In the treatment group, 6 patients had mild anal pain or discomfort after operation, and 1 patient in the control group showed anal foreign body sensation. The difference was statistically significant [18.8% (6/32) vs. 2.9% (1/35), P=0.048]. The incidence of postoperative hematochezia in the treatment group was lower than that in the control group [9.4% (3/32) vs. 20.0% (7/35), P=0.310] without significant difference. The cost of consumables in the treatment group was (1586.9±204.4) yuan, which was lower than (7694.4±1123.2) yuan in control group, and the difference was statistically significant (t=-30.880, P<0.001). All the patients were followed up for 6 to 36 months after operation, and no recurrence or long-term complication occurred in the treatment group, while 1 case developed local recurrence in the control group.@*Conclusion@#CA-TAMIS-GP is a safe and effective method for early rectal tumors with simple and economical characteristics, which broadens the application of colonoscopy.