Treatment of acute diverticulitis with open abdomen technique.

AIM: The aim of this study is to highlight our experience about the use of open Abdomen's technique as strategy for the management of complicated colon diverticulitis with a delayed anastomosis or colostomy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty patients, with III and IV Hinchey stage, have been undertaken to a surgical procedure with Open Abdomen technique and application of Ab-thera device. A second surgical look was made after 48-72 hours in order to evaluate the possibility to do an anastomosis or colostomy. RESULTS: No deaths in patients with anastomosis were reported, but one case of leakage at the 8th day and one case of micro pulmonary embolism had been displayed. Elderly patients were discharged between the 15TH /18th day. One patient affected by lymphoma was sent in haematology department for other treatment. DISCUSSION: Today trend is to treat the diverticular disease with colic and paracolic abscess by a medical therapy and percutaneous drainage under CT scan or ultrasound view. With III and IV of Hinchey scale we perform the resection with anastomosis or colostomy. The open abdomen technique allows the surgeons to make the decision of colostomy or anastomosis in the second surgical look at 48-72 hours after the first treatment with irrigation and aspiration during AB-Thera. CONCLUSION: The Open Abdomen technique is a valid therapeutic alternative approach for patients with acute diverticulitis disease in III and IV Hinchey grade. This therapeutic approach gives important advantages in patients with delayed colostomy. KEY WORDS: Diverticulitis, Damage Control Surgery, Open Abdomen.

Vertebral carcinomatosis eleven years after advanced gastric cancer resection: A case report.

Bone metastasis is an uncommon event in advanced gastric cancer patients and bone metastases are rarely detected as isolated lesions. However, eleven years after treatment for locally advanced gastric cancer, including total gastrectomy followed by adjuvant chemotherapy, a 49-year-old female was admitted to the IX Division of General Surgery of the Second University of Naples (Naples, Italy) exhibiting severe progressive neurological symptoms. Magnetic resonance imaging indicated vertebral abnormalities, with evidence of marrow infiltration in several vertebral bodies; however, a contrast-enhanced computed tomography scan did not detect disease progression to other sites. Biopsy of the soft tissue at the level of the second lumbar vertebra (L2) revealed a metastatic lesion derived from gastric mucinous adenocarcinoma. The patient was initially treated with radiotherapy directed to the L2-L4 vertebral bodies to control the pain. Subsequently, systemic chemotherapy according to a FOLFOX-4 (leucovorin, fluorouracil and oxaliplatin) regimen commenced. However, after eight cycles, pulmonary progression of the disease occurred. Thus, palliative care was administered and the patient succumbed one month later. The late relapse of gastric cancer in the current patient may be associated with the theory of tumour dormancy.