Endoscopic ultrasound for peripancreatic masses.

BACKGROUND: Pancreatic neoplasms can be difficult to diagnose and stage preoperatively. Accurate staging allows the surgeon to select which patients can benefit from resection versus palliative therapy. Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) with endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration (EUS-FNA) is a diagnostic modality that provides visualization of peripancreatic tumors and their relationship to the surrounding structures as well as enabling cytologic diagnosis of the tumor and adjacent lymphadenopathy. METHODS: To define the role of this technique, a retrospective study was performed on 20 patients in the past year with peripancreatic tumors. RESULTS: Twelve men and 8 women ranging in age from 28 to 84 years (mean 67) were included in the study. Each patient underwent computed tomography followed by EUS-FNA, and the results were compared with operative findings or clinical course. The EUS-FNA findings included 10 pancreatic ductal carcinomas (50%), 5 pancreatitis (25%), 2 spindle cell neoplasms (10%), 1 cholangiocarcinoma (5%), 1 cystadenoma (5%), and 1 metastatic breast carcinoma (5%). Overall, EUS-FNA led to a significant change in the management of 12 patients (60%) through either diagnosing benign pathology, upstaging of the carcinoma, or determination that the peripancreatic mass represented a metastatic lesion. Five patients underwent resection of their peripancreatic tumors, and 3 patients had palliative procedures. Operative findings corresponded with EUS-FNA in all 8 patients. The 5 patients diagnosed with pancreatitis continued to be followed up for the possibility of a false negative FNA, but to date none have developed malignancy. CONCLUSIONS: EUS-FNA is a useful tool for the imaging and staging of peripancreatic tumors and will aid in the proper preoperative selection of patients who will benefit from resectional therapy.

Early postoperative feeding after elective colorectal surgery.

BACKGROUND: Several investigators have demonstrated that routine nasogastric decompression after abdominal surgery is unnecessary and can be safely eliminated, and 1 recent study demonstrated the safety of early oral feedings. OBJECTIVE: To test the hypothesis that successful early feeding would lead to a shorter duration of hospitalization and, therefore, would be more cost-effective. PATIENTS: Fifty-eight patients with elective colorectal surgery. METHODS: Patients were prospectively randomized to 1 of 2 postoperative treatment arms: early feeding (EF group, n = 29) and traditional feeding (TF group, n = 29). All patients in the EF group began a liquid diet on the first postoperative day and were advanced to a regular diet when they consumed 1000 mL in 24 hours. All patients in the TF group began a liquid diet after resolution of the postoperative ileus and were advanced to a regular diet after consuming 1000 mL in 24 hours. Patients were dismissed after tolerating two thirds of the regular diet. Both groups had intraoperative orogastric tubes that were removed at the end of surgery. Nasogastric tubes were inserted for persistent postoperative vomiting. RESULTS: No significant differences were noted in age, types of procedures, or in prior abdominal surgery in either group. No significant differences were seen in rates of nausea (55% in EF vs 50% in TF group) or vomiting (48% in EF vs 33% in TF group). One patient in the EF group had aspiration pneumonia, and anastomotic leak resulted in sepsis and eventual death of 1 patient in the TF group. No significant difference was observed in length of hospital stay between the 2 groups (mean +/- SD, 7.2 +/- 3.3 days in EF vs 8.1 +/- 2.3 days in TF group). CONCLUSIONS: Early oral feeding after elective colorectal surgery is safe. Most of the patients tolerated EF; however, there was no significant difference in duration of hospitalization in these patients.

Open versus stereotactic breast biopsy.

BACKGROUND: Stereotactic breast biopsy has been developed as a less invasive means of performing biopsy for mammographic abnormalities. METHODS: From July 1994 through June 1995, 103 women with mammographic abnormalities requiring biopsy were prospectively evaluated. RESULTS: Fifty-one women had open biopsy, and 52 women had stereotactic biopsy. The average age in both groups was 60 years. Pathology revealed malignancy in 12% of stereotactic biopsies and 13% of open biopsies. Complications occurred in 6% of the open biopsies and 4% of the stereotactic biopsies and were limited to hematomas or seromas. The average cost was $2400 for open biopsy and $650 for stereotactic biopsy (P < 0.01). One hundred and one patients returned for a follow-up mammogram within 6 months, and 1 patient in each group required a second biopsy, which revealed benign pathology. A Patient Satisfaction Survey revealed no significant differences in patient satisfaction between the two types of procedures. CONCLUSION: There were no differences between open and stereotactic biopsies in regards to diagnostic accuracy, complications, or patient satisfaction. A significant difference was noted in charges during the time frame of our study.

Laparoscopic appendectomy for complicated appendicitis.

BACKGROUND: Acute gangrenous and perforating appendicitis are associated with an increased risk for postoperative complications and have been considered a relative contraindication of laparoscopic appendectomy. OBJECTIVE: To determine the complication rate following laparoscopic appendectomy for gangrenous of perforating appendicitis. DESIGN: A retrospective analysis of patients who underwent laparoscopic appendectomy for gangrenous or perforating appendicitis. SETTING: A multispecialty clinic. RESULTS: Fifteen patients underwent laparoscopic appendectomy for gangrenous appendicitis and 19 patients for perforating appendicitis. In the gangrenous appendicitis group, average operating time was 85 minutes; average length of hospitalization, 2 days; and morbidity rate, 7% (one patient with abdominal abscess). The perforating appendicitis group had an average operating time of 84 minutes, hospitalization of 7 days, and a morbidity rate of 42%. This morbidity included five patients (26%) who developed intra-abdominal abscesses, two patients (10%) in whom wound infections developed, and one patient (5%) who died of Candida sepsis and multisystem organ failure.

Transanal excision of rectal carcinoma.

Twenty-two men and 16 women with a mean age of 67 years were treated for rectal carcinoma by transanal excision. Patients presented with rectal bleeding (63%), change in bowel habits (11%), rectal pain (4%), or were asymptomatic and discovered on screening proctosigmoidoscopy (22%). The tumors were located from the anal verge to 8 cm proximally and ranged in size from 1 to 4 cm. Pathologic findings included adenocarcinoma (92%), squamous cell carcinoma (4%), and cloacogenic carcinoma (4%). Postoperative hospitalization averaged two days (0 to 29 days). One patient died of a perioperative myocardial infarction for an operative mortality of 3 per cent. Morbidity was 7 per cent and included urinary retention and pneumonia. Postoperative radiation therapy was administered to 11 patients with either undifferentiated tumors or invasion into the muscularis propria. Follow-up in these 38 patients averaged 30 months. One patient died of metastatic carcinoma, and two patients developed local recurrence that was treated successfully by a low anterior resection or abdominoperineal resection. Transanal excision of rectal carcinoma can be performed in properly selected patients with good overall survival and local control.

Inflammatory breast cancer.

Inflammatory breast cancer has historically carried a poor prognosis. This has led to the development of multimodal protocols in an attempt to improve survival. Twenty-three women were treated for inflammatory breast cancer at our institution between 1979 and 1992. The mean age at diagnosis was 55.8 years (40 to 77 years). Eighteen women (78%) presented clinically with an erythematous or swollen and tender breast, and 19 (80%) had pathologically demonstrated dermal lymphatic invasion. Five (21.7%) had evidence of distant metastasis at the time of presentation. Treatment consisted of modified radical mastectomy in 65% of patients in combination with preoperative or postoperative chemotherapy. The most common chemotherapeutic regimen was 5-Fluorouracil, Adriamycin, and Cyclophosphamide. Eleven women (48%) also received chest wall irradiation (4,200 to 6,000 cGy). Eleven women had classic multimodality therapy (surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy). Median survival is 23.4 months (6 to 77 months). We concluded that with combination therapy, selected patients can experience long-term survival; however, overall prognosis remains poor, with eventual disease recurrence and death resulting from the disease.

Therapeutic approach to hepatic abscesses.

Thirty-five patients with hepatic abscesses were treated at our institution during an 8-year period. Twenty-nine patients had bacterial abscesses, and six patients had amoebic abscesses. The patients were admitted with fever (95%), right upper quadrant pain (63%), and nausea and vomiting (40%) as the most common symptoms. Eleven patients had some inciting cause for the abscess formation; the remaining 18 bacterial abscesses were cryptogenic. The primary abnormal test results were leukocytosis (91%) and liver enzyme elevations (80%). All patients with amoebic abscesses were serologically positive for amoebic infection. Computed tomography (CT) was the most effective imaging modality for diagnosis. Twenty patients were treated with open surgical drainage, 11 with percutaneous drainage, and 4 with antibiotics alone. Three of the four latter patients had amoebic abscesses. Abscesses in two patients initially treated with percutaneous drainage did not resolve, and the patients ultimately required surgery. The remaining indications for surgery were concomitant conditions requiring surgical intervention or inaccessibility of the abscess to percutaneous drainage. Antibiotics were given to all patients, with treatment duration from 10 to 60 days. The hospital mortality was 6% due to sepsis and a postoperative myocardial infarction in one patient, and perioperative myocardial infarction in another; overall morbidity was 20%. At a mean follow-up of 13 months, all surviving patients had resolution of the abscess shown by either CT (11 patients) or clinical examination (22 patients). We conclude that effective drainage, whether it be surgical or percutaneous, and appropriate antibiotic coverage are the mainstays of therapy for hepatic abscesses.

A prospective randomized trial comparing open versus laparoscopic appendectomy.

OBJECTIVE: The authors determined whether there was an advantage to laparoscopic appendectomy when compared with open appendectomy. SUMMARY/BACKGROUND DATA: The advantages of laparoscopic appendectomy versus open appendectomy were questioned because the recovery from open appendectomy is brief. METHODS: From January 15, 1992 through January 15, 1993, 75 patients older than 9 years were entered into a study randomizing the choice of operation to either the open or the laparoscopic technique. Statistical comparisons were performed using the Wilcoxon test. RESULTS: Thirty-seven patients were assigned to the open appendectomy group and 38 patients were assigned to the laparoscopic appendectomy group. Two patients were converted intraoperatively from laparoscopic appendectomies to open procedures. Thirty-one patients (81%) in the open group had acute appendicitis, as did 32 patients (84%) in the laparoscopic group. Mean duration of surgery was 65 minutes for open appendectomy and 87 minutes for laparoscopic appendectomy (p < 0.001). There were no statistically significant differences in length of hospitalization, interval until resumption of a regular diet, or morbidity. Duration of both parenteral and oral analgesic use favored laparoscopic appendectomy (2.0 days versus 1.2 days, and 8.0 days versus 5.4 days, p < 0.05). All patients were instructed to return to full activities by 2 weeks postoperatively. This occurred at an average of 25 days for the open appendectomy group versus 14 days for the laparoscopic appendectomy group (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Patients who underwent laparoscopic appendectomies have a shorter duration of analgesic use and return to full activities sooner postoperatively when compared with patients who underwent open appendectomies. The authors consider laparoscopic appendectomy to be the procedure of choice in patients with acute appendicitis.

Combined laparoscopic and endoscopic management of cholelithiasis and choledocholithiasis.

With the advent of laparoscopic cholecystectomy, optimal management of common duct stones remains controversial. Seven hundred six patients underwent laparoscopic cholecystectomy in our institution from January 1990 through January 1992. From this group of patients, 50 were identified as having clinical or radiographic evidence of common duct stones. Thirty-one patients demonstrated preoperative risk factors for common duct stones and underwent preoperative endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP). The risk factors included jaundice (19%), pancreatitis (23%), elevated liver function tests (52%), and ultrasound evidence of choledocholithiasis (6%). Preoperative ERCP was performed in 94% of patients. There were two failures due to periampullary diverticula. Common duct stones were identified in 18 patients (62%) and successfully removed by endoscopic sphincterotomy in all of these patients. Nineteen patients were found to have unsuspected common duct stones on intraoperative cholangiography. Eighteen patients (95%) underwent successful ERCP and endoscopic sphincterotomy with stone extraction. Overall, major morbidity was 2% and included one patient who experienced endoscopic sphincteroplasty. The three endoscopic failures were managed by open common duct exploration, laparoscopic duct exploration, and combined laparoscopic and open common duct exploration. We conclude that combined laparoscopic and endoscopic therapy is a viable option for the management of cholelithiasis with choledocholithiasis.

Laparoscopic-assisted bowel surgery.

The use of laparoscopic surgical techniques is now being applied to a variety of operations traditionally performed in an open fashion. Twenty patients underwent laparoscopic-guided large and small bowel surgery at our institution from March 1991 to April 1992. The indications for surgery included polyps, obstruction, bleeding, and perforation, and pathologic diagnoses included benign polyps, lipomas, inflammatory bowel disease, perforation of a jejunal diverticulum, colonic arteriovenous malformations, and adenocarcinoma. Mobilization of the colon, ligation of the mesentery, and closure of the mesenteric defect were performed using the laparoscopic equipment. One trocar site was enlarged to 3 cm to deliver the bowel through the abdominal wall. All anastomoses were hand-sewn. Postoperative hospitalization ranged from 2 to 31 days (median, five days). No mortality was noted, and morbidity was 20 percent. We conclude that laparoscopic-guided bowel surgery is technically feasible and should translate into shorter hospitalization and less patient discomfort.

Omental pedicle graft to improve ischemic anastomoses.

An end-to-end anastomosis was done in the center of a 5-cm devascularized jejunal segment in 5 control laboratory rabbits and 14 experimental rabbits. A second group consisted of 5 control animals and 11 experimental animals having end-to-end jejunojejunostomy in the center of a 10-cm devascularized jejunal segment. In the experimental animals, the anastomosis was wrapped circumferentially by a vascularized omental pedicle. Anastomotic leaks or fistulas developed in five 10-cm controls (100%), five 5-cm controls (100%), nine 10-cm omental wraps (82%), and four 5-cm omental wraps (29%). The remaining animals had strictures of various degrees. Injection of methylene blue into the omental vessels showed perfusion to the mucosa from the omentum. The difference between the 10-cm segment and the 5-cm segment indicates some limitation to the available blood flow from the omentum. The anastomotic stricturing was due to ischemic injury before reperfusion by ingrowth of omental vessels. A vascularized omental pedicle wrap can augment blood flow; however, the time required for neovascular ingrowth allows ischemic mucosal injury if there is no other available blood supply.

Treatment of acute intestinal ischemia with hyperbaric oxygen.

Hyperbaric oxygen has been shown to improve oxygen tension and promote wound healing. We did a pilot study in which we created ischemic jejunal segments measuring 3, 6, and 9 cm, 10 of each length, in 30 rats. Half of the rats were given hyperbaric oxygen at 100%, 30 psi, for 90 minutes twice daily for 7 days to determine whether hyperbaric oxygen therapy could overcome the ischemic intestinal injury and prevent ischemic necrosis. In the rats with 6- and 9-cm ischemic segments, no difference was seen between the hyperbaric oxygen and control groups. Of the rats with 3-cm ischemic segments, ischemic infarction of the bowel developed in 40% of the hyperbaric oxygen group and 100% of the controls (P = 0.167, Fisher's Exact Test). We then created 3-cm ischemic intestinal segments in 30 additional rats. Again, half were treated with hyperbaric oxygen as previously described for 7 days. There was no difference between the controls and the hyperbaric oxygen group in the rate of perforation (4 of 15 [27%] versus 1 of 15 [7%]) or stricture rate (8 of 15 [53%] versus 9 of 15 [60%]). We concluded that hyperbaric oxygen therapy is of limited value for the treatment of intestinal ischemias.

Treatment of intraductal breast cancer--noncomedo type.

The treatment of intraductal breast carcinoma, ranging from local incision alone to modified radical mastectomy, remains controversial. Seventy-nine patients were treated for intraductal breast carcinoma, noncomedo type at our institution from 1975 to 1991. There were 78 females and one male with a mean age of 58 years and a range from 32 to 90 years. Clinical presentation included a palpable mass in 25 patients, abnormal mammogram in 60 patients, and nipple discharge in 12 patients. Treatment consisted of local excision in 19 patients, simple mastectomy in 25 patients, and modified radical mastectomy in 35 patients. Twenty-five patients underwent simultaneous prophylactic contralateral mastectomy. Choice of treatment was determined by physician preference and no differences were seen in family history, parity, nipple discharge, history of fibrocystic disease, presence of palpable lymph nodes, tumor size, tumor location, patient age, or mammographic findings. Forty-five patients had multicentric tumors on final pathology. One patient demonstrated an axillary lymph node metastasis following modified radical mastectomy raising the question of undetected invasive carcinoma. All patients were free of disease at last evaluation and no differences in survival were noted between different treatment groups with a mean follow up of 5 years. We conclude that local excision is an appropriate option for treatment of intraductal breast carcinoma noncomedo type.

Radical pancreatic resection for benign and malignant disease.

From 1972 to 1990 a total of 44 patients (24 men and 20 women) underwent pancreatic resections at our institution. We undertook a retrospective review to discover what prognostic indicators would predict long-term survival for patients with malignancy. Prognostic indicators included primary tumor location and size, tumor differentiation and grade, tumor invasion, number of positive lymph nodes, and postoperative radiation and chemotherapy. Overall, three patients died within the 30-day postoperative period (7%). One- and five-year survival rates following resection for malignancy were 67.5 and 31 per cent, respectively. Multivariate analysis identified primary tumor origin, nuclear grade, and preoperative bilirubin level greater than 2 mg/dl as the only statistically significant factors in determining survival. One- and five-year survival for tumor location and tumor grade were as follows: [table: see text] Our experience indicates that pancreatic resections are potentially curative in a significant percentage of patients with nonpancreatic primaries and, to a lesser extent, in those individuals with pancreatic adenocarcinoma. Other prognostic indicators examined in our series, however, did not affect long-term survival.

Safety and efficacy of total thyroidectomy for differentiated thyroid carcinoma: a 20-year review.

Controversy continues to exist regarding the optimal extent of resection for differentiated thyroid carcinoma (DTC). Subtotal thyroidectomy has been advocated by some authors in expectation of lower complication rates, while others advocate total thyroidectomy to achieve better cure rates. To examine this issue, the medical records of 124 patients who underwent total thyroidectomy for DTC were retrospectively reviewed. Total thyroidectomy was the initial procedure in 115 patients, while nine patients had complete thyroidectomy following some type of subtotal resection. Concomitant procedures were performed in 47 patients. Ninety papillary, 20 mixed papillary-follicular variant, one Hürthle cell type, and 13 follicular carcinomas were performed. Tumors were bilateral or multicentric in 40 patients, with metastases present in one-third of patients at the same time of initial operation. Permanent hypoparathyroidism developed in two patients, and permanent ipsilateral recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy occurred in one patient, for an overall significant complication rate of 2.4 per cent. Tumor recurrence was noted at a mean of 19 months postoperatively in 14 patients. Ninety-six patients received adjuvant postoperative radioiodine therapy to ablate residual functioning thyroid tissue or suspected metastases. We conclude that total thyroidectomy as treatment for differentiated thyroid carcinoma carries a low rate of morbidity, treats occult contralateral disease, and should facilitate radioiodine scanning and ablation of residual functioning thyroid tissue or metastatic disease.

What are the contraindications for laparoscopic cholecystectomy?

Acute cholecystitis, morbid obesity, and previous upper abdominal surgery have been reported as relative contraindications to laparoscopic cholecystectomy. An analysis of 706 laparoscopic cholecystectomies performed at our institution was undertaken to determine if these relative contraindications led to increased morbidity, an increased rate of conversion to the open technique, or longer operating time. One hundred ninety-seven patients demonstrated one or more relative contraindications to laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Morbidity was not increased in patients with these risk factors, but conversion to open cholecystectomy was required in a greater percentage of patients with acute cholecystitis. We favor an attempt at laparoscopic cholecystectomy in patients with these risk factors; however, they should be counseled as to the increased risk of conversion to open cholecystectomy in the presence of acute cholecystitis.

Laparoscopically assisted resection of a colonic lipoma.

Laparoscopic excision of a lipoma of the sigmoid colon is described. The patient's postoperative recovery was rapid and similar to that experienced in patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy and appendectomy. He enjoyed the benefit of complete surgical excision of his disease while foregoing the postoperative discomfort and morbidity of open celiotomy. Because the majority of lipomas are submucosal, endoscopic removal carries an inherently high risk. For those lesions amenable to it, laparoscopic colotomy and excision offers a viable alternative to open laparotomy excision of colonic lipomas and polyps in general.

Ileorectostomy in the older patient.

Surgeons have always been wary of performing abdominal colectomy and ileorectostomy in the older patient for fear of excessive stool frequency and fecal incontinence. Thirty-two patients, aged 60 years or over, underwent abdominal colectomy and ileorectostomy and were closely questioned regarding their preoperative, early postoperative, and late postoperative bowel habits. These patients were compared with a group of age- and sex-matched controls who had undergone right hemicolectomy. In both groups, the ileocecal valve had been resected, but only the ileorectostomy group had the entire colon resected. Immediately after ileorectostomy, patients underwent an average increase in bowel movements of 3.6 movements per day. This gradually decreased over time, so that, after five years, older patients with ileorectostomy had an average of 1.5 more bowel movements per day than they had had preoperatively. There were similar increases in the right hemicolectomy patient group: 0.9 bowel movements per day immediately after right hemicolectomy and 0.2 bowel movements per day after five years. Incontinence was an uncommon problem in both groups. This study suggests that elderly patients undergoing abdominal colectomy and ileorectostomy have an increase in daily bowel movements, which is not solely attributable to the loss of the right colon. However, it is a procedure that is well tolerated, with a low risk of incontinence and only a mild increase in stool frequency.

Gastric lymphoma treatment. Medical versus surgical.

The treatment of gastric lymphoma is an area of ongoing controversy. Surgical resection has been the standard therapy. Recent advances, however, have been developed in other treatment modalities. A comparison of treatment options is presented.

Prospective, randomized trial of inpatient vs. outpatient bowel preparation for elective colorectal surgery.

A prospective, randomized trial of inpatient vs. outpatient bowel preparation for elective colorectal surgery was performed in 100 consecutive patients. Bowel preparation was standardized for both groups and consisted of 4 liters of Colyte (Reed & Carnrick, Piscataway, NJ) and oral neomycin and Flagyl (G. D. Searle & Co., Skokie, IL) the day before surgery. Patients were randomized into four subcategories: ileocolostomy, colocolostomy, abdominal perineal resection, and other. Tap water enemas were administered on the morning of surgery to ensure and adequate mechanical preparation. Ninety-six percent of the inpatient group and 97 percent of the outpatient group were able to drink three-fourths or more of the oral lavage preparation (P = 0.789, Fisher's exact text). A mean of 2.26 tap water enemas was required to achieve clear returns for the inpatient group, compared with 2.28 tap water enemas for the outpatient group (P = 0.221, Fisher's exact test). The adequacy of the bowel preparation as graded by the primary surgeon was good (84 percent), fair (12 percent), and poor (4 percent) in the outpatient group (P = 0.673, Fisher's exact test). Wound infection developed in 4 percent of the inpatient group and 4 percent of the outpatient group (P = 1.0, Fisher's exact test). Anastomotic leak of intra-abdominal abscess was seen in one patient in each group (P = 1.0, Fisher's exact test). We conclude that outpatient bowel preparation is as effective as inpatient bowel preparation for elective colorectal surgery and offers the advantage of cost savings and shorter hospitalization.