The Nissen-Sleeve (N-Sleeve): Results of a Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND: The Montpellier bariatric team has recently proposed some technical alternatives to decrease the rate of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) after bariatric surgery and also to offer patients an alternative in case of contraindication to Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGBP): the Nissen-Sleeve (N-Sleeve). OBJECTIVES: We present here the results from a cohort of patients that underwent an operation with this newly designed anti-reflux bariatric procedure N-Sleeve: Nissen valve added to a standard SG. METHODS: Data from a prospective, observational, and monocentric cohort. All consecutive patients presenting to the bariatric surgery department for a laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy between 2016 and 2018 with GERD were included in the study. The fundus was stapled with a margin from the valve, and the valve was created with tissue at a distance from the greater curvature so as to avoid a double layer stapling of the stomach. RESULTS: A total of 70 patients were included in the study. Ninety percent of the cohort presented with a hiatal hernia at the time of surgery. No mortality was observed during the follow-up period. Concerning GERD, 76% of all patients had preoperative esophageal syndromes, whereas 21% were asymptomatic with associated esophagitis. Grade A-C esophagitis was present in 99% of the cohort, but no Barrett's esophagus was present. Fifty-six (80%) patients used PPIs regularly. At 1 year of follow-up, one patient was still symptomatic. CONCLUSIONS: Comparative trials remain necessary between N-Sleeve and standard bariatric procedures to refine the specific indications of each of them and determine the eventual role of the N-Sleeve.

Laparoscopic Roux-en-Y Double Fistulo-Jejunostomy for Chronic Gastric Leaks After Converted Vertical Banded Gastroplasty to Sleeve Gastrectomy.

BACKGROUND: As laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) is becoming the most popular bariatric procedure worldwide, treatment options for managing complications, in particular gastric leaks, are also emerging. Staple line leak is a major short-term complication of the procedure. Patients with persistent gastric leaks after failure of endoscopic and radiologic management are candidates for salvage surgery. Laparoscopic Roux-en-Y fistulo-jejunostomy (RYFJ) represents a surgical option to treat persistent gastric leak post-LSG. METHODS: We present the case of a 55-year-old woman undergoing laparoscopic double RYFJ for persistent gastric leaks after complicated bariatric surgery. The patient developed two chronic gastric leaks (gastro-esophageal and cardial localizations) following conversion to sleeve gastrectomy for failed vertical banded gastroplasty. With the two leaks being refractory to endoscopic treatment 6 months later after laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy, salvage surgery was proposed. Surgery was performed laparoscopically, the gastric leak orifices were identified after careful dissection, and a double RYFJ was successfully completed. RESULTS: Postoperative course was uneventful. The patient remains in good health 6 months after surgery. CONCLUSIONS: Double LRYFJ for chronic leaks after complicated bariatric procedures seems safe with good postoperative outcomes. However, it remains a challenging procedure and should be reserved for selected patients in specialized bariatric centers.

Predictors of metabolic syndrome persistence 1 year after laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass.

BACKGROUND: Laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (LRYGB) is effective in reversing the metabolic syndrome (MS) in up to 90% of patients. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to determine predictors of MS persistence 1 year after LRYGB. SETTING: University Hospital, France. METHODS: Ninety-one patients with a mean age of 44.4 years and a mean body mass index (BMI) of 43.1 kg/m² meeting the criteria for MS were enrolled in this prospective study. Anthropometric, metabolic, and inflammatory biological parameters were assessed before and 1 year after LRYGB. Patients were divided into 2 groups according to the persistence (MS nonresponders) or resolution of MS (MS responders) 1 year after LRYGB and a comparison was performed at baseline and 1 year after surgery. RESULTS: Sixty-nine patients (75.8%) underwent remission, while 22 (24.2%) showed persistence of MS 1 year after LRYGB. At baseline the MS nonresponders group presented significantly higher values of fasting plasma glucose (7.8 versus 5.3 mmol/L, P = .004), glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c, 7.3% versus 5.9%, P = .0004), triglycerides (TG, 2.37 versus 1.33 mmol/L, P = .006), and homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR, 442.5 versus 256, P = .006). The rate of diabetes was significantly higher in this group (68.2% versus 36.8%, P = .0086), as well as the number of MS components per patient. One year after LRYGB, the MS nonresponders showed a significantly lower excess BMI lost (EBMIL) (56.1% versus 82.4%, P = .00008). On multivariate analysis, baseline levels of TG, glucose metabolism markers and EBMIL were associated with the persistence of MS. CONCLUSION: Baseline levels of TG, plasma fasting glucose, and HbA1c, as well as history of type 2 diabetes and EBMIL, represent predictors of MS persistence 1 year after LRYGB.

Morbidity, mortality, and oncological outcomes of 401 consecutive cytoreductive procedures with hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC).

PURPOSE: Cytoreductive surgery (CRS) and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) are a novel curative treatment option for selected patients with peritoneal carcinomatosis (PC). We aimed to report the mortality rate and the most frequent grade III-IV adverse events and to identify associated prognostic markers. We report oncological outcomes and major prognostic factors influencing overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival. METHODS: A total of 401 CRS plus HIPEC procedures were performed on 356 patients. Mortality, grade III-IV adverse events, OS, disease-free survival, and prognostic factors were studied. RESULTS: Based on Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE of the National Cancer Institute 2006), mortality rate was 1 % and overall rate of morbidity grade III-IV was 12.5 %. In multivariate analysis, only the number of digestive anastomoses (>1) significantly correlated with adverse events with an odds ratio of 2.8 (p = 0.032). OS was related to histological type of PC, with a median survival reaching 47.6 months for PC of ovarian cancer origin, 45.8 months for that of colorectal origin, 64.2 months for peritoneal mesothelioma, and 8.1 months for PC of gastric cancer origin. Over half the patients with pseudomyxoma are still alive. Major prognostic factors influencing survival were histological type, World Health Organization performance status (WHO PS) (hazard ratio (HR) = 3.56), operating time (HR = 0.45), previous chemotherapy (HR = 2.04), number of peritonectomies (HR = 2.03), and completeness of cytoreduction score (HR = 3.12). Disease-free survival across all groups was 16.8 months. CONCLUSION: The low mortality rate and 12.5 % grade III-IV morbidity of CRS and HIPEC are acceptable when weighed against overall oncologic survival. This multimodal treatment appears feasible for selected patients and trained centers.

Preventive cancer stem cell-based vaccination reduces liver metastasis development in a rat colon carcinoma syngeneic model.

Cancer stem cells (CSCs) represent a minor population of self-renewing cancer cells that fuel tumor growth. As CSCs are generally spared by conventional treatments, this population is likely to be responsible for relapses that are observed in most cancers. In this work, we analyzed the preventive efficiency of a CSC-based vaccine on the development of liver metastasis from colon cancer in a syngeneic rat model. We isolated a CSC-enriched population from the rat PROb colon carcinoma cell line on the basis of the expression of the aldehyde dehydrogenase-1 (ALDH1) marker. Comparative analysis of vaccines containing lysates of PROb or ALDH(high) cells by mass spectrometry identifies four proteins specifically expressed in the CSC subpopulation. The expression of two of them (heat shock protein 27-kDa and aldose reductase) is already known to be associated with treatment resistance and poor prognosis in colon cancer. Preventive intraperitoneal administration of vaccines was then performed before the intrahepatic injection of PROb cancer cells. While no significant difference in tumor occurrence was observed between control and PROb-vaccinated groups, 50% of the CSC-based vaccinated animals became resistant to tumor development. In addition, CSC-based vaccination induced a 99.5% reduction in tumor volume compared to the control group. To our knowledge, this study constitutes the first work analyzing the potential of a CSC-based vaccination to prevent liver metastasis development. Our data demonstrate that a CSC-based vaccine reduces efficiently both tumor volume and occurrence in a rat colon carcinoma syngeneic model.