A novel, easy, and safe technique to repair a stoma prolapse using a surgical stapling device.

A stoma prolapse is one of the late complications and often occurs when the stoma is made in an emergency situation. This complication is not lethal, but causes irritable stoma, skin trouble, and difficulty in stoma care. We herein report the case of a 48-year-old female with an end colostomy that was created as an emergency operation 4 months before. On admission, her colostomy protruded approximately 20 cm from the skin with marked redness, swelling, and erosion; it was impossible to treat manually. We repaired the prolapse successfully in a simple procedure with a Proximate Linear Cutter 100. Briefly, under mild sedation, the instrument was diagonally inserted into the prolapsed stoma and applied twice on both sides. Then, the base of each divided tissue was stapled and cut with the same device. Finally, the prolapse was completely repaired without major bleeding and severe pain. We have applied this novel technique successfully in 5 further cases, and there have been no complications or recurrences. This technique can be performed without spinal or general anesthesia and seems to be a very useful procedure for patients with prolapse of a stoma.

[Nutritional support in various disease states. B. Nutritional support in severe infection].

Within one decade the concept of clinical nutritional support has changed. It was once thought that total parenteral nutrition was an all-purpose panacea, and then that role was played by enteral nutrition. Recently, however, immunonutrition has emerged as a new methodology for nutritional support. Because of the pathologic complexity, numerous problems remain in nutritional support for surgical patients with severe infection. The best route of nutrition in the acute phase, actual efficacy of immune system-enhancing diets, and the prevention of bacterial translocation (BT) and Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) should be resolved. This paper describes concerns in the clinical nutritional management of patients with severe infection and examines how the remaining questions are being resolved.

Septic thrombophlebitis of the portal and superior mesenteric veins as a complication of appendicitis: report of a case.

Pylephlebitis is extremely rare and associated with high mortality, even in this modern era. It usually occurs secondary to infection in the region drained by the portal systems or in the structure contiguous to the portal vein. We report a case of septic thrombophlebitis of the portal and superior mesenteric veins (SMV) with multiple liver abscesses caused by acute appendicitis with an abscess of the mesoappendix. We performed appendectomy and successfully removed the thrombi using a Fogarty catheter. Postoperative histopathological examination confirmed a diagnosis of appendicitis and septic thrombophlebitis of the portal vein and SMV. The patient recovered completely with appropriate medical and surgical treatment.

[Surgery for disease of the esophagus. 8. Corrosive esophagitis].

After the ingestion of caustic substances, not only the esophagus but also the gastrointestinal tract is injured. Severe caustic upper gastrointestinal tract injuries are associated with high mortality and morbidity rates when mediastinitis, chemical peritonitis, or perforation of the gastrointestinal tract occurs. Perforation may occur in the late phase, especially with the ingestion of alkaline solution, because the inflammation invades more deeply with the continuous release of OH-after coming into contact with protein. Therefore care must be taken in the estimation of the extent of inflammation after the ingestion of caustic alkaline solution. There are on established indications for surgery in acute-phase corrosive esophagitis. At present, we determine the indications for surgery based on blood gas examination, endoscopy, and computed tomography (CT). Blood gas examination is used to diagnose the systemic status. Endoscopy reveals corrosive changes with mucosal injury, while CT reveals the presence of mediastinitis, chemical peritonitis, and gastrointestinal tract perforation in the acute phase. Patients in the acute phase first undergo limited resection of the injured organs without reconstruction, with secondary esophageal reconstruction performed subsequently. This paper reports on our successful experience in the early surgical treatment of patients who had severe tissue injury after the ingestion of caustic substances. Patient prognosis was good using our surgical technique.