Largest sized enterolith ileus due to a duodenal diverticulum in a virgin abdomen causing small bowel obstruction.

We describe the case of a 73-year-old woman with a high body mass index and a virgin abdomen who presented with a 5-day history of abdominal pain, emesis and confusion on admission. Inflammatory markers and renal function were significantly deranged. CT of the abdomen and pelvis demonstrated a clear transition point and faecalisation of the small bowel proximal to the obstruction. It was suggested that the patient may have ingested a foreign object. A collateral history was obtained, making this less likely and confirmed an acute cognitive impairment. She was optimised following multidisciplinary discussion preoperatively. Thereafter, the patient underwent a laparotomy, where a hard, mobile mass was identified in the jejunum. This was diagnosed as an enterolith of dimensions 62×38×32 mm secondary to a duodenal diverticulum. She improved postoperatively with complete resolution of her confusion and renal function. She was discharged on day 14 of admission.

Protocol for a multi-centre observational and mixed methods pilot study to identify factors predictive of poor functional recovery after major gastrointestinal surgery and strategies to enhance uptake of perioperative optimization: Optimizing the care and treatment pathways for older patients facing major gastrointestinal surgery (OCTAGON).

INTRODUCTION: National datasets report large variations in outcomes from older people (≥65 years) between different UK surgical units. This implies that not all patients receive the same level of care or access to resources, such as rehabilitation or allied health professional input. This might impact functional decline. AIMS: Our aim is to evaluate the baseline status of older patients facing major gastrointestinal surgery and the impact of variation in perioperative assessment and provision of perioperative support on functional outcomes. Patients' experiences and views of assessment and optimization will be explored via integrated qualitative semi-structured interviews. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: This multi-centre, pilot cohort study will include patients ≥65 years presenting via both elective and emergency pathways at three to five South Yorkshire NHS hospitals (Clinical Trials registration NCT04545125). The primary outcome is functional recovery measured using the World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule 2.0 at 6 weeks post-operation. Secondary outcomes include feasibility, quality of life, length of stay and complication rate. An opportunistic sample size of 120 has been estimated and will inform the design of a future, adequately powered study. For the qualitative study, 20-30 semi-structured patient interviews will be undertaken with patients from the cohort study to explore experiences of assessment and optimization. Interviews will be digitally recorded, transcribed verbatim and analysed according to the framework approach. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: This study has been approved by the National Health Service Research Ethics Committee and is registered centrally with Health Research Authority. It has been adopted by the National Institute for Health Research Portfolio scheme. Dissemination will be via international and national surgical and geriatric conferences.

Senescence and Cancer: A Review of Clinical Implications of Senescence and Senotherapies.

Cellular senescence is a key component of human aging that can be induced by a range of stimuli, including DNA damage, cellular stress, telomere shortening, and the activation of oncogenes. Senescence is generally regarded as a tumour suppressive process, both by preventing cancer cell proliferation and suppressing malignant progression from pre-malignant to malignant disease. It may also be a key effector mechanism of many types of anticancer therapies, such as chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and endocrine therapies, both directly and via bioactive molecules released by senescent cells that may stimulate an immune response. However, senescence may contribute to reduced patient resilience to cancer therapies and may provide a pathway for disease recurrence after cancer therapy. A new group of drugs, senotherapies, (drugs which interact with senescent cells to interfere with their pro-aging impacts by either selectively destroying senescent cells (senolytic drugs) or inhibiting their function (senostatic drugs)) are under active investigation to determine whether they can enhance the efficacy of cancer therapies and improve resilience to cancer treatments. Senolytic drugs include quercetin, navitoclax, and fisetin and preclinical and early phase clinical data are emerging of their potential role in cancer treatments, although none are yet in routine use clinically. This article provides a review of these issues.

Clozapine-induced stercoral colitis: a surgical perspective.

We describe a case of a 46-year-old man with schizophrenia treated with clozapine who presented as an emergency with abdominal pain on the background of a 1 month history of constipation. The initial presenting symptoms were vague and a diagnosis was difficult to establish. Initial CT of the abdomen and pelvis demonstrated only minor abnormalities. He continued to deteriorate until a further CT scan revealed worsening stercoral colitis. He subsequently underwent an emergency total colectomy and ileostomy formation and had a complicated prolonged postoperative recovery. This case highlights the risks that clozapine can have on slowing bowel transit and the dangerous consequences that can occur if not identified early.

Parkinson's Disease and Metal Storage Disorders: A Systematic Review.

Metal storage disorders (MSDs) are a set of rare inherited conditions with variable clinical pictures including neurological dysfunction. The objective of this study was, through a systematic review, to identify the prevalence of Parkinsonism in patients with MSDs in order to uncover novel pathways implemented in Parkinson's disease. Human studies describing patients of any age with an MSD diagnosis were analysed. Foreign language publications as well as animal and cellular studies were excluded. Searches were conducted through PubMed and Ovid between April and September 2018. A total of 53 publications were identified including 43 case reports, nine cross-sectional studies, and one cohort study. The publication year ranged from 1981 to 2018. The most frequently identified MSDs were Pantothenate kinase-associated neurodegeneration (PKAN) with 11 papers describing Parkinsonism, Hereditary hemochromatosis (HH) (7 papers), and Wilson's disease (6 papers). The mean ages of onset of Parkinsonism for these MSDs were 33, 53, and 48 years old, respectively. The Parkinsonian features described in the PKAN and HH patients were invariably atypical while the majority (4/6) of the Wilson's disease papers had a typical picture. This paper has highlighted a relationship between MSDs and Parkinsonism. However, due to the low-level evidence identified, further research is required to better define what the relationship is.

Managing a Colonoscopic Perforation in a Patient with No Abdominal Wall.

We describe the case of a 37-year-old gentleman with Crohn's disease and a complex surgical history including a giant incisional hernia with no abdominal wall. He presented on a Sunday to the general surgical on-call with a four-day history of generalised abdominal pain, nausea, and decreased stoma output following colonoscopy. After CT imaging, he was diagnosed with a large colonic perforation. Initially, he was worked up for theatre but following early senior input, a conservative approach with antibiotics was adopted. The patient improved significantly and is currently awaiting plastic surgery input for the management of his abdominal wall defect.

Fournier's gangrene: diagnosis and management aided by repeated clinical examination and ultrasound.

We describe a case of a man aged 57 years admitted to our tertiary centre via his general practitioner, presenting with a 1-week history of scrotal pain, testicular swelling and fluctuance. He was initially managed in the community with flucoclaxacillin for 1 week, but failed to respond to treatment. Clinical history was suggestive of Fournier's gangrene, but initial examination was not conclusive. Repeated examination over the next hour aided diagnosis and helped to track the progression of the condition. The patient was treated with intravenous antibiotics and prepared for theatre. Since there was a delay in getting the patient to theatre, an ultrasound scan was performed to help ascertain the extent of the disease to aid surgical planning. Following successful debridement and skeletalisation of the testicles and ward recovery, he was transferred for plastic reconstruction.

Atypical presentation of a spontaneous coeliac artery dissection resulting in jejunal ischaemia.

We describe a case of a 59-year-old man with no significant medical history apart from a hiatus hernia and depression who presented with periumbilical pain which woke him at night. Before this he had 6 weeks of generalised abdominal pain. Blood tests were relatively normal and CT revealed some ill-defined stranding around the coeliac artery. He was diagnosed with a spontaneous coeliac artery dissection. Given the complexity of the case, a multidisciplinary team approach was adopted. He was managed conservatively and improved significantly over the next few days. Further investigations confirmed ischaemic changes to the distal duodenum and proximal jejunum. He has since been followed-up with CT scans and has had no further episodes 12 months from his initial admission.

Atypical presentation of Bezold's and Citelli's abscesses, with recollection following an incomplete postoperative course of antibiotics.

Bezold's and Citelli's abscesses are rare complications of otitis media. We present a case of a 44-year-old Eastern European man, with a history of recurrent otitis media, who was admitted to hospital with mastoiditis and initially treated with antibiotics. Despite clinical improvement, a CT scan showed mastoiditis with Bezold's and Citelli's abscesses. The patient underwent a myringotomy and grommet insertion, in addition to a cortical mastoidectomy and curettage of the neck abscesses. After a good recovery, he was discharged home. However, likely due to the language barrier, he did not complete a course of antibiotics as prescribed, and the abscess re-collected, necessitating a re-admission and re-operation. This report illustrates the importance of considering rare features of a common disease in the differential, and of communication in ensuring compliance.

Successful intubation of a difficult airway due to a large obstructive vocal cord polyp augmented by the delivery of a transtracheal injection of local anaesthetic.

We describe a case of a very difficult intubation which was safely navigated through careful planning. Our patient presented initially with increasing hoarseness and shortness of breath over a 6-month period. This was investigated and the patient was found to have a large vocal cord mass and was referred for urgent microlaryngoscopy and vocal cord polypectomy. On the day of surgery the obstruction was noted and awake fiberoptic bronchoscopy was used with a remifentanil infusion. Given the mass was large and increased in size with expiration, the time frame to pass the tube was extremely short. We delivered a transtracheal injection of local anaesthesia. This approach allowed for safe passage of the endotracheal tube. In patients such as this it may be worth considering the use of a transtracheal injection in the first instance.

Spontaneous haemoperitoneum due to a sigmoid diverticulum.

Spontaneous haemoperitoneum is rare. When it occurs it is a life-threatening condition. Common causes of this are gynaecological in nature and rarely due to colonic diverticular perforation. Diverticulitis is a common condition affecting people in western countries. This presentation of spontaneous haemoperitoneum highlights the disproportionate abdominal pain and opioid-induced constipation. Significant bloods on admission included haemoglobin of 148 g/L, C reactive protein (CRP) of 1.1 mg/L, white cell count (WCC) of 12.7×10(9)/L (neutrophils 10.9×10(9)/L). Bloods repeated 10 h later revealed the haemoglobin had dropped to 100 g/L, CRP had increased significantly to 120 mg/L, WCC: 7.4×10(9)/L (neutrophils 5.3×10(9)/L) and a reduced packed cell volume: 0.307 L/L. CT scan revealed free fluid and a possible mass. At laparoscopy, frank haemoperitoneum was seen and a decision was made to open and perform a Hartmann's procedure. The patient did very well postoperatively and was discharged on the ninth postoperative day. He is currently awaiting reversal of the ileostomy.