Diagnosis and Treatment of Obstetric Anal Sphincter Injuries: New Evidence and Perspectives.

Perineal injury during childbirth is a common event with important morbidity associated in particular with third-and-fourth degree perineal tears (also referred to as obstetric anal sphincter injuries-OASIS). Early diagnosis of these damages is mandatory to define a prompt therapeutic strategy and thus avoid the development of late-onset consequences, such as faecal incontinence. For this purpose, various diagnostic exams can be performed after a thorough clinical examination. The management of OASIS includes several measures and should be individualized according to the timing and features of the clinical presentation.

Determination of butyric acid dosage based on clinical and experimental studies - a literature review.

Short-chain fatty acids produced by bacteria living in the large intestine are the main energy substrate for the colonocytes. Butyric acid is used for the treatment and prevention of exacerbations of various gastrointestinal diseases: diarrhoea, intestinal inflammations, functional disorders, dysbiosis, and post-surgery or post-chemotherapy conditions. The current standard doses of butyric acid (150-300 mg) range between 1.5-3% and 15-30% of the reported daily demand. Increased metabolism of the colonocytes in conditions involving intestine damage or inflammation, increased energy expenditure during a disease, stimulation of intestine growth in 'stress' conditions with accelerated intestinal passage and increased intestinal excretion, and decreased production of endogenous butyrate due to changes in bacterial flora in different pathological conditions require a significant increase of the supply of this acid. Physiological high demand for butyrate and known mechanisms of pathological conditions indicate that current supplementation doses do not cover the demand and their increase should be considered.

Non-invasive obstetric anal sphincter injury diagnostics using impedance spectroscopy.

Obstetric anal sphincter injuries are the most common cause of fecal incontinence in women yet remain under-diagnosed. The aim of this study was to assess the suitability of impedance spectroscopy for diagnosing sphincter injuries arising during delivery. This was a prospective single-center study. 22 female patients were included: 10 with symptoms of sphincter dysfunction, in the early postpartum period, and 12 unaffected, in the distant period of more than 2 years after natural delivery. The presence, extent and severity of anal sphincters injury was assessed by measuring the sphincter parameters in physical examination, the degree of sphincter damage in endoanal ultrasound imaging and the sphincters function parameters in anorectal manometry. All measurements were used as references and compared with the outcomes from the impedance spectroscopy models. Impedance spectroscopy showed the highest precision (with mean accuracy of 83.9%) in relation to transanal ultrasonography. 74.1% of its results corresponded to the results of rectal physical examination and 76.7% - to those of anorectal manometry. The method showed the highest accuracy in the assessment of the sphincter's parameters, both anatomically and functionally. New impedance spectroscopy techniques hold promise for detecting obstetric anal sphincter injuries.

Mesenchymal stem cells for the treatment of complex perianal fistulas in patients with Crohn disease.

Treatment of perianal fistulizing Crohn's disease is demanding and burdened with a high percentage of failures, which forces clinicians to search for new, more effective therapeutic options. One of these options is the use of adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells in local administration. Due to their multipotentiality and complex mechanism of action, stem cells are the promising new therapeutic approach for the treatment-refractory complex perianal fistulas - demonstrating both high efficacy and a favorable safety profile. The paper presents current knowledge on the mechanisms of action and manner of administration of mesenchymal stem cells, as well as the effectiveness and safety of their use in the treatment of perianal Crohn's disease based on available literature.

Butyric acid - a well-known molecule revisited.

The properties of butyric acid, and the role it plays in the gastrointestinal tract, have been known for many years. However, the newest research shows that butyric acid still remains a molecule with a potential that has not as yet been fully exploited. The article provides an outline of relevant up-to-date knowledge about butyric acid, and presents the expert position on the clinical benefits of using butyric acid products in the therapy of gastrointestinal diseases.

Perianal infection of highly oncogenic human papilloma virus: how to prevent from cancer? Case report.

The presence of oncogenic types of human papilloma virus (HPV) in location of the anus is related to anal carcinoma. However, there is little knowledge about the natural history of such infections in patients outside risk groups, its relation to cervical cancer, the risk of anal cancer development as well as any way to prevent it. There are no standard procedures in the case of finding of HPV-associated anal intraepithelial neoplasia in the perianal area. Case report describes an incidental finding of a highly oncogenic type of HPV discovered in a histopathological assessment of a 48-year old woman after a haemorrhoidectomy. This paper presents the approach taken for this patient in terms of diagnosis, treatment and methods of prevention of anal and cervical cancer development.

Laparoscopically assisted ileo-colonic resection in patients with Crohn's disease--preliminary report.

UNLABELLED: Despite increasing number of reports indicating good treatment outcomes, laparoscopic treatment of Crohn's disease remains controversial. The aim of the study was to compare outcomes of laparoscopically assisted and open ileo-colonic resection in patients with active Crohn's disease. MATERIAL AND METHODS: 82 patients who underwent surgical treatment (44 laparoscopic and 38 open procedures) at the Department of General, Oncological and Gastrointestinal Surgery in Warsaw were enrolled to the study. The following perioperative parameters were compared in both these groups: duration of hospitalization and presence of postoperative complications in at least 12 months of follow-up. RESULTS: The conversion rate in the laparoscopy group was 29.5%. There were no statistically significant differences between the study groups with regard to duration of the surgical procedure, requirement for perioperative transfusions and total number of postoperative complications (19.3% in the laparoscopy group versus 28.9% in the open surgery group). However, amount of analgesic drugs required in the postoperative period was significantly lower (25 ± 6 vs 43 ± 9, p < 0.01) and duration of hospitalization was significantly shorter (9.0 vs 11.3 days, p = 0.021) after laparoscopic versus open procedures procedures. Most of the patients with complicated Crohn's disease who were qualified to laparoscopic treatment, underwent successful treatment using this method. Patients in whom conversion was done, were more likely to be on long term preoperative immunosuppressive therapy versus other patients. CONCLUSIONS: Laparoscopy is a demanding procedure from the technical point of view, but provides valuable benefits to patients with Crohn's disease, including those with a complicated disease. However, this method requires ongoing improvement of technical aspects and thorough analysis of failures to identify factors that could accurately select patients with indications and contraindications to this procedure.

Migration of a foreign body into the colon and its autonomous excretion.

BACKGROUND: The frequency of foreign body retention in the abdominal cavity ranges from 1 in 100 to 1 in 3000 surgeries performed. Worldwide literature describes only a few cases of the migration of misplaced surgical gauze into the colon. CASE REPORTS: The first case is a 60-year-old patient following laparoscopic cholecystectomy, who excreted (on his own) a cotton sheet 30 × 65 cm after 26 weeks, which did not possess a radiological locator. The latter fact caused diagnostic difficulties in interpreting ultrasonography, CT-scans and abdominal X-rays. Colonoscopy after 4 months following the excretion of the sheet showed flat, stretched ulceration of the colonic wall near the hepatic turn. The second case is a 76-year-old who had undergone several abdominal surgeries, including a classical cholecystectomy and extirpation of the uterus along with related tissues, as a result of cancer and with subsequent radiotherapy. The reason for the last intervention was an occlusion, which required a resection due to abscesses inside the peritoneal cavity. Abdominal pain continued after the surgery. Uroscopy and abdominal X-rays were performed 3 months later, which confirmed the presence of foreign matter in the abdominal cavity. CONCLUSIONS: Most foreign objects that have migrated into the colon will be excreted autonomously, which warrants a conservative assessment. Radiologically-tagged materials should be used, which will greatly ease identification in cases of suspected retention of surgical materials in the abdominal cavity.