Different characteristics of circular staplers make the difference in anastomotic tensile strength.

Anastomotic leak after gastrointestinal surgery is a severe complication associated with relevant short and long-term sequelae. Most of the anastomoses are currently performed with a surgical stapler that is required to have appropriate characteristics in order to guarantee good performances. The aim of our study was to evaluate, ex vivo, pressure resistance and tensile strength of anastomosis performed with different circular staplers available in the market. We studied 7 circular staplers of 3 different companies, 3 of them used for gastrointestinal anastomosis and 4 staplers for hemorrhoidal prolapse excision. A total of 350 anastomoses, 50 for each of the 7 staplers, were performed using healthy pig fresh intestine, then injected saline solution and recorded the leaking pressure. There were no statistically significant differences between the mean pressure necessary to induce an anastomotic leak in the various instruments (p>0.05). For studying tensile strength, we performed a total of 350 anastomoses with 7 different circular staplers on a special strong paper (Tyvek), and then recorded the maximal tensile force that could open the anastomosis. There were statistically significant differences between one brand stapler vs other 2 companies staplers about the strength necessary to open the staple line (p<0.05). In conclusion, we demonstrated that different circular staplers of three companies available in the market give comparable anastomotic pressure resistance but different tensile strengths. This is probably due to different technical characteristics.

Laparoscopic ventral rectopexy using biologic mesh for the treatment of obstructed defaecation syndrome and/or faecal incontinence in patients with internal rectal prolapse: a critical appraisal of the first 100 cases.

BACKGROUND: Laparoscopic ventral mesh rectopexy (LVR) is gaining wider acceptance as the preferred procedure to correct internal as well as external rectal prolapse associated with obstructed defaecation syndrome and/or faecal incontinence. Very few reports exist on the use of biologic mesh for LVR. The aim of our study was to report the complication and recurrence rate of our first 100 cases of LVR for symptomatic internal rectal prolapse and/or rectocele using a porcine dermal collagen mesh. METHODS: Prospectively collected data on LVR for internal rectal prolapse were analysed. Surgical complications and functional results in terms of faecal incontinence (measured with the Faecal Incontinence Severity Index = FISI) and constipation (measured with the Wexner Constipation Score = WCS) at 3, 6 and 12 months were analysed. It was considered an improvement if FISI or WCS scores were reduced by at least 25 % and a cure if the FISI score decreased to <10 and the WCS decreased to <5. RESULTS: Between April 2009 and April 2013, 100 consecutive female patients (mean age 63 years, range 24-88 years) underwent LVR. All patients had internal rectal prolapse (grade III [n = 25] and grade IV [n = 75] according to the Oxford classification) and rectocele. Mean operative time was 85 ± 40 min. Conversion rate to open technique was 1 %. There was no post-operative mortality. Overall 16 patients (16 %) experienced 18 complications, including rectal perforation (n = 1), small bowel obstruction (n = 2), urinary tract infection (n = 8), subcutaneous emphysema (n = 3), wound haematoma (n = 2), long lasting sacral pain (n = 1) and incisional hernia (1). Median post-operative length of stay was 2 days. Ninety-eight out of 100 patients completed follow-up. At the end of follow-up, the mean FISI score improved from 8.4 (±4.0 standard deviation (SD) p = 0.003) to 3.3 ± 2.3 SD (p = 0.04). Incontinence improved in 37 out of 43 patients (86 %), and 31 patients (72 %) were cured. Similarly, the mean WCS score improved from 18.4 ± 11.6 SD to 5.4 ± 4.1 SD (p = 0.04). Constipation improved in 82 out of 89 patients (92 %), and 70 patients (79 %) were cured. No worsening of continence status, constipation or sexual function was observed. Fourteen patients (14 %) experienced persistence or recurrence of prolapse. CONCLUSIONS: LVR using biologic mesh is a safe and effective procedure for improving symptoms of obstructed defaecation and faecal incontinence in patients with internal rectal prolapse associated with rectocele.

Defecatory disorders in anorexia nervosa: a clinical study.

BACKGROUND: Defecatory disorders in patients with eating disorders have been overlooked. We evaluated the prevalence and type of defecatory disorders in patients with anorexia nervosa. METHODS: The aim of our questionnaire-based study was to determine the prevalence of constipation and faecal incontinence (FI) in patients with anorexia nervosa attending our dedicated eating disorders outpatient clinics and whether length of illness and low body mass index (BMI) exacerbate both constipation and FI. The Wexner constipation score (WCS), Altomare's obstructed defecation score (OD score) and the faecal incontinence severity index (FISI) were used to evaluate constipation and incontinence. A WCS ≥5, OD score ≥10 and a FISI ≥10 were considered clinically relevant. RESULTS: Eighty-five patients (83 females; mean age 28 years ± 13) with anorexia nervosa (study group) and mean BMI of 16 ± 2 kg/m(2) (range 14-19 kg/m(2)) were studied. This group was compared to 57 healthy volunteers (control group) with mean BMI of 22 ± 3 kg/m(2) (range 20-27 kg/m(2)). In the study group, 79/85 (93%) patients suffered from defecatory disorders defined as at least one abnormal score, either WCS, OD score or FISI, compared to 7/57 (12%) controls (p < 0.001). Constipation (defined as WCS ≥5) was present in 70/85 (83%) patients with anorexia and in 7/57 (12%) controls (p = 0.001), while obstructed defecation syndrome (defined as OD score ≥10) was present in 71/85 (84%) patients with anorexia and 7/57 (12%) controls (p < 0.001). In patients with anorexia, the mean WCS score was 10 ± 5 standard deviation (SD) (3 ± 2 SD in controls; p < 0.001), and the mean OD score was 12 ± 4 SD (3 ± 4 SD in controls; p < 0.001). Overall, 62/85 (73%) patients with anorexia had FI defined as FISI score ≥10, and the mean FISI score in anorexia patients was 12 ± 9 SD. A combination of constipation and FI (either both WCS and FISI abnormal or both OD score and FISI abnormal) was present in 55/85 (64%) and 8/85 (9%) presented with FI alone. Moreover, all results are influenced by the severity of the disease measured by BMI and duration. The percentage of defecatory disorders rises from 75 to 100% when BMI is <18 kg/m(2) and from 60 to 75% when the duration of illness is ≥5 years (p < 0.001 and p = 0.021, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Defecatory disorders are associated with anorexia nervosa and increased with the duration and severity of the illness.

Modified laparoscopic ventral mesh rectopexy.

We present a modified laparoscopic ventral mesh rectopexy procedure using biological mesh and bilateral anterior mesh fixation. The rectopexy is anterior with a minimal posterior mobilization. The rectum is symmetrically suspended to the sacral promontory through a mesorectal window.

Static and dynamic evaluation of pelvic floor disorders with an open low-field tilting magnet.

AIM: To assess the feasibility of magnetic resonance defaecography (MRD) in pelvic floor disorders using an open tilting magnet with a 0.25 T static field and to compare the results obtained from the same patient both in supine and orthostatic positions. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From May 2010 to November 2011, 49 symptomatic female subjects (mean age 43.5 years) were enrolled. All the patients underwent MRD in the supine and orthostatic positions using three-dimensional (3D) hybrid contrast-enhanced (HYCE) sequences and dynamic gradient echo (GE) T1-weighted sequences. All the patients underwent conventional defaecography (CD) to correlate both results. Two radiologists evaluated the examinations; inter and intra-observer concordance was measured. The results obtained in the two positions were compared between them and with CD. RESULTS: The comparison between CD and MRD found statistically significant differences in the evaluation of anterior and posterior rectocoele during defaecation in both positions and of rectal prolapse under the pubo-coccygeal line (PCL) during evacuation, only in the supine position (versus MRD orthostatic: rectal prolapse p < 0.0001; anterior rectocoele p < 0.001; posterior rectocoele p = 0.008; versus CD: rectal prolapse p < 0.0001; anterior rectocoele p < 0.001; posterior rectocoele p = 0.01). The value of intra-observer intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) ranged from good to excellent; the interobserver ICC from moderate to excellent. CONCLUSION: MRD is feasible with an open low-field tilting magnet, and it is more accurate in the orthostatic position than in the supine position to evaluate pelvic floor disorders.

IL-15 positively regulates IL-21 production in celiac disease mucosa.

Celiac disease (CD)-associated inflammation is characterized by high interleukin- 21 (IL-21), but the mechanisms that control IL-21 production are not fully understood. Here we analyzed IL-21 cell sources and examined how IL-21 production is regulated in CD. Intraepithelial lymphocytes (IELs) and lamina propria lymphocytes (LPLs), isolated from CD patients and non-CD controls, were analyzed for cell markers, cytokines, and transcription factors by flow cytometry. IL-21 was highly produced by CD4+ and CD4+/CD8+ IELs and LPLs in active CD. IL-21-producing cells coexpressed interferon-γ (IFN-γ) and to a lesser extent T helper type 17 (Th17) cytokines. Treatment of control LPLs with IL-15, a cytokine overproduced in CD, activated Akt and STAT3 (signal transducer and activator of transcription 3), thus enhancing IL-21 synthesis. Active CD biopsies contained elevated levels of Akt, and blockade of IL-15 in those samples reduced IL-21. Similarly, neutralization of IL-15 in biopsies of inactive CD patients inhibited peptic-tryptic digest of gliadin-induced IL-21 expression. These findings indicate that in CD, IL-15 positively regulates IL-21 production.

The role of biologics in pelvic floor surgery.

The advent of laparoscopic surgery and with it Laparoscopic Ventral Mesh Rectopexy (LVMR) has revolutionised the management of internal/external rectal and vaginal vault prolapse. These procedures have traditionally been performed with synthetic meshes. Biologics have gained a prominent role over the last decade in LVMR as well as perineal procedures for rectocoele and cystocoele repair. We examine the existing literature on the use of biologics in pelvic floor surgery comparing this with literature on synthetic mesh for the key outcomes of infection rates, bowel/sexual function and recurrence.

Collagen matrix injection combined with flap repair for complex anal fistula.

Several biomaterials have been proposed to treat anal fistula alone or in combination with other surgical procedures aiming to reduce recurrence rates while minimizing continence impairment. More recently a porcine dermal matrix injection has been proposed as infill biomaterial to treat fistulae. We propose an approach consisting of non-cutting seton positioning followed several weeks later by flap repair associated with dermal matrix injection into the fistula tracts. We report our experience with this two-staged procedure on 24 consecutive patients with complex anal fistulae with a median follow up of > 12 months. In our experience this two-stage approach seems to be safe and effective.

Saving time stitching thick biological mesh during laparoscopic ventral rectopexy.

We present a trick to save time at stitching of thick biological mesh during laparoscopic ventral mesh rectopexy by the use of a belt hole puncher.

Focus on abdominal rectopexy for full-thickness rectal prolapse: meta-analysis of literature.

BACKGROUND: Laparoscopic rectopexy to treat full-thickness rectal prolapse has proven short-term benefits, but there are few long-term follow-up and functional outcome data available. Using meta-analysis techniques, this study was designed to evaluate long-term results of open and laparoscopic abdominal procedures to treat full-thickness rectal prolapse in adults. METHODS: A literature review was performed using the National Library of Medicine's PubMed database. All articles on abdominal rectopexy patients with a follow-up longer than 16 months were considered. The primary end point was recurrence of rectal prolapse, and the secondary end points were improvement in incontinence and constipation. A random effect model was used to aggregate the studies reporting these outcomes, and heterogeneity was assessed. RESULTS: Eight comparative studies, consisting of a total of 467 patients (275 open and 192 laparoscopic), were included. Analysis of the data suggested that there is no significant difference in recurrence, incontinence and constipation improvement between laparoscopic abdominal rectopexy and open abdominal rectopexy. Considering non-comparative trials, the event rate for recurrence was similar in open and laparoscopic suture rectopexy studies and in open and laparoscopic mesh rectopexy trials. Improvement in constipation after the intervention was not statistically significant except for open mesh repair; postoperative improvement in incontinence was statistically significant after laparoscopic procedures and open mesh rectopexy. CONCLUSIONS: Laparoscopic abdominal rectopexy is a safe and feasible procedure, which may compare equally with the open technique with regard to recurrence, incontinence and constipation. However, large-scale randomized trials, with comparative, strong methodology, are still needed to identify outcome measures accurately.

Ligation of the intersphincteric fistula tract (LIFT) to treat anal fistula: early results from a prospective observational study.

BACKGROUND: Ligation of the intersphincteric tract (LIFT), a novel sphincter-saving technique, has been recently described with promising results. Literature data are still scant. In this prospective observational study, we present our experience with this technique. METHODS: Between October 2010 and April 2011, 18 patients with 'complex' fistulas underwent LIFT. All patients were enrolled in the study after a physical examination including digital examination and proctoscopy. For the purpose of this pilot study, fistulas were classified as complex if any of the following conditions were present: tract crossing more than 30% of the external sphincter, anterior fistula in a woman, recurrent fistula or pre-existing incontinence. Endpoints were healing time, presence of recurrence, faecal incontinence and surgical complications. RESULTS: Ten patients were men and 8 were women; mean age was 39 years; minimum follow-up was 4 months. Three patients required drainage seton insertion and delayed LIFT. After LIFT, 1 patient experienced haemorrhoidal thrombosis. At the end of the follow-up, 15 patients (83%) healed with no recurrence. Three patients had persistent symptoms and required further surgical treatment. We did not observe postoperative worsening of continence. CONCLUSIONS: Results from our pilot study indicate that this novel sphincter-saving approach is effective and safe for treating complex anal fistula.