Locoregional Anaesthesia for Laparotomy: A Literature Review and Subsequent Case Series Highlighting the Potential of an Alternative Anaesthetic Technique.

Laparotomy is a surgical incision utilised in both emergency and elective scenarios to gain access to abdominal surgery. General anaesthesia is usually necessitated due to the substantial insult of the approach and to facilitate organ relaxation and paralysis. However, this brings with it the need for an assessment of the suitability of the anaesthetic technique, with a large number of patients having comorbidities significant enough to exclude them from surgery. Locoregional anaesthesia, provided via spinal, epidural, or a combined approach offers a means of providing anaesthesia that places a reduced level of strain on patients' cardiorespiratory function. We review the existing literature on the topic of so-called "awake laparotomy" performed with locoregional anaesthesia and present a case series including both elective and emergency procedures.

Fecal incontinence in systemic sclerosis is secondary to neuropathy.

OBJECTIVES: Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a chronic multi-system autoimmune disorder with gastrointestinal tract (GIT) involvement in up to 90% of patients and anorectal involvement occurs in up to 50% of patients. The pathogenesis of gastrointestinal abnormalities may be both myogenic and neurogenic. We aimed to identify which anorectal physiological abnormalities correlate with clinical symptoms and thus understand the pathophysiology of anorectal involvement in SSc. METHODS: In total, 44 SSc patients (24 symptomatic (Sx) (fecal incontinence) and 20 asymptomatic (ASx)) and 20 incontinent controls (ICs) were studied. Patients underwent anorectal manometry, rectal mucosal blood flow (RMBF), rectal compliance (barostat), and rectoanal inhibitory reflex assessment (RAIR). RESULTS: Anal squeeze pressure was lower in the IC group compared with both the ASx and Sx groups (IC: 46.95 (30-63.9)) vs. ASx: 104.6 (81-128.3) vs. (Sx: 121.4 (101.3-141.6); P < 0.05). Resting pressure was lower in the IC group. RMBF and rectal compliance did not differ between groups. Anal, but not rectal, sensory threshold, was significantly attenuated in Sx patients (Sx: 10.4 (8.8-11.4) vs. ASx: 6.7 (5.7-7.7) vs. IC: 8.5 (6.5-10.4); P < 0.05). There was a positive correlation between anal sensory thresholds and incontinence score in SSc patients (r = 0.54; P < 0.05). RAIR was absent in 11/24 Sx patients but only in 2/20 ASx and in 1/20 IC patients. CONCLUSIONS: Fecal incontinence in SSc is related to neuropathy as suggested by absent RAIR and higher anal sensory threshold and is related less so to sphincter atrophy and rectal fibrosis.

Temporary sacral nerve stimulation alters rectal sensory function: a physiological study.

BACKGROUND: The indications for sacral nerve stimulation are increasing, but the mechanism remains poorly understood. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to examine the effect of sacral nerve stimulation on rectal compliance and rectal sensory function. DESIGN: This was a prospective study. SETTINGS: This study took place at a university teaching hospital. PATIENTS: Twenty-three consecutive consenting patients (22 female; median age, 49 y) undergoing temporary sacral nerve stimulation for fecal incontinence were prospectively studied. Clinical response was assessed by the use of bowel diaries and Wexner scores. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Anal manometry, rectal compliance, volume and pressure thresholds to rectal distension (barostat), and rectal Doppler mucosal blood flow were measured before and at the end of stimulation. RESULTS: Sixteen patients (70%) had a favorable clinical response. Median anal squeeze pressures increased with stimulation from 40 (range, 6-156) cmH2O to 64 (range, 16-243) cmH2O. Median rectal compliance did not significantly change with stimulation (prestimulation: 11.5 (range, 7.9-21.8) mL/mmHg, poststimulation: 12.4 (range, 6.2-22) mL/mmHg, P = .941). Rectal wall pressures associated with urge (baseline: 15.4 (range, 11-26.7) mmHg, poststimulation: 19 (range, 11.1-42.7) mmHg, P = .054) and maximal tolerated thresholds (baseline: 21.6 (8.5-31.9) mmHg, poststimulation: 27.1 (14.3-43.3) mmHg, P = .023) significantly increased after stimulation. Rectal Doppler mucosal blood flow did not significantly change with stimulation (baseline: 125.8 (69.9-346.8), poststimulation: 112.4 (50.2-404.1), P = .735). Changes in anal resting pressure and rectal wall pressures with stimulation were evident only in responders; however, changes in anal squeeze pressures were evident in both responders and nonresponders. LIMITATIONS: The study reports results following short-term stimulation in a small but homogenous group of patients. A larger long-term study will follow. CONCLUSION: Temporary sacral nerve stimulation does not change rectal compliance, but is associated with significant changes to the pressure thresholds of rectal distension. This, together with the observation that outcome is not related to sphincter integrity, supports the hypothesis of an afferent-mediated mechanism of action.

A review of urinary stone analysis techniques.

Knowledge of the chemical composition and structure of urinary stones is of great value in the choice of treatment and prevention of recurrence. This is a brief review and a comparative study of the principles and practical application of various chemical and physical techniques used for urinary stone analysis. The different methods of classifying and grouping urinary stones by results of chemical analytic techniques are, also, compared and evaluated. In addition to reviewing various techniques used for the in-vitro analysis of removed stone samples, the newly emerging physical and radiological techniques for the in-vivo intact-stone analysis are, also, evaluated. These in-vivo techniques, particularly the rapidly advancing unenhanced spiral CT scanning, represent an important step forward towards the notion of non- destructive analysis of urinary stones while still in situ before the choice of treatment modality.