Sphincteroplasty for fecal incontinence in the era of sacral nerve modulation.

The role of sphincteroplasty in the treatment of patients with fecal incontinence due to anal sphincter defects has been questioned because the success rate declines in the long-term. A new emerging treatment for fecal incontinence, sacral nerve stimulation, has been shown to be effective in these patients. However, the success rate of sphincteroplasty may depend of several patient-related and surgical-related factors and the outcome from sphincteroplasty has been evaluated differently (with qualitative data) from that after sacral nerve stimulation (quantitative data using scoring systems and quality of life). Furthermore, the data available so far on the long-term success rate after sacral nerve modulation do not differ substantially from those after sphincteroplasty. The actual data do not support the replacement of sphincteroplasty with sacral nerve stimulation in patients with fecal incontinence secondary to sphincter defects.

Mucinous cystic neoplasm of the pancreas: a case report.

Cystic neoplasms of the pancreas account for only a small percentage of pancreatic tumours. They include mucinous cystic tumours, which have a higher incidence in females in their forties or fifties. Cystic neoplasms of the pancreas can present in a benign, borderline or malignant form. These tumours have a natural evolution from a benign (mucinous cystadenoma) to a malignant form (cystadenocarcinoma). It is not always easy to diagnose cystic tumours, including mucinous cystic tumours of the pancreas, and the final diagnosis is often reached only after the surgical procedure, which is the gold standard treatment of this disease. We present the case of a 56-year-old woman affected by a mucinous cystic tumour of the body-tail of the pancreas, who underwent distal splenopancreasectomy. She was discharged on postoperative day 12. After an 18-month followup, she is in good general condition and disease-free.

Solid papillary neoplasm of the pancreas: a case report.

Solid pseudopapillary neoplasm of the pancreas, solid and cystic, is a rare disease compared to ductal adenocarcinoma. The tumor most often affects women of African race aged in their twenties or thirties. We report the case of a 48-year-old man affected by solid pseudopapillary neoplasm of the pancreas treated by distal splenopancreasectomy. The patient was discharged on the 10th postoperative day in good general condition, feeling normal and with blood chemistry values within normal limits. The main characteristic differentiating papillary tumors of the pancreas from ductal adenocarcinoma is that in the latter case surgical eradication is a definitive solution and no other treatment is required, as confirmed by our case and those reported in the literature.

Cholecystectomy in situs viscerum inversus totalis. Does laparoscopy increase the pitalls?

Situs viscerum inversus is a rare condition in which the organs are transposed, totally or partially, to the opposite side of the body. Normally, there are no organ dysfunctions. Clinically, symptoms of cholelithiasis may be clear but confused by the location of the gallbladder on the opposite side. We report the case of a 43-year-old female with occasional colic pain in the epigastrium radiating to the right side and subscapular region, particularly after lunch. The laboratory findings showed normal values and, at physical examination, deep palpation of the abdomen in the epigastric region provoked pain. X-rays, ultrasonography, and CT scan showed the presence of multiple gallstones and the situs viscerum inversus of the abdominal organs. The only pathological finding was cholecystolithiasis. Laparoscopic cholecystectomy was judged advisable. Situs viscerum inversus is not a contraindication for laparoscopic cholecystectomy. This abnormal anatomical condition may create some initial difficulty for the surgeons, because of the inverted position of the organs. The peculiarity of our case is the unlikely site of the abdominal pain, located in the epigastrium and on the right side although the patient had situs viscerum inversus. Laparoscopic cholecystectomy can be performed on the left-sided gallbladder proceeding with the "american technique". In difficult cases, open cholecystectomy can be unavoidable.

Acute onset of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma with bowel perforation in a patient with over 15 years' HIV positivity. A case report.

The authors report a rare case of acute onset of ileal non-Hodgkin's lymphoma with acute abdomen due to bowel perforation. The patient, a man aged 36 years, had been HIV-positive for more than 15 years. The patient had been on continuous, differentiated pharmacological treatment for the previous 5 years, and in the last month had had repeated episodes of fever with no clear aetiopathogenesis. Physical examination yielded negative findings and abdominal and chest CT failed to reveal any obvious lesions. The patient was admitted as an emergency case with a picture of acute abdomen and was immediately operated on; ileal perforation due to multiple lymphomatous lesions in the small bowel was diagnosed. The histological diagnosis was large-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma type B. After the operation, the patient was treated by chemotherapy and, currently, after a 12-month follow-up, is in good general condition.