Gastrosplenic Fistula: a Systematic Review.

Gastrosplenic fistula is an unusual complication of benign as well as malignant gastric and splenic pathologies. This pathology acquires an important clinical significance due to its rare association with life-threatening upper gastrointestinal haemorrhage. The aim of this article is to review the English-language literature in order to gain a better understanding of etiological factors, diagnostic evaluation, and management of gastrosplenic fistula. The systematic search of the literature was performed on PubMed and MEDLINE from January 1950 to September 2020 according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis (PRISMA) statement. We retrieved 44 articles matching our selection criteria from the search. There were 3 case series, 37 case reports, and 4 review of the literature. In our appraisal of articles published in PUBMED, a total of 36 cases of malignant and 10 cases of benign gastrosplenic fistula could be identified. Gastrosplenic fistula is an exceptional complication of malignancies of the gastrointestinal tract. Lymphomas particularly arising from the spleen are the commonest cause. Gastric adenocarcinoma causing GSF is extremely rare. Most cases occur spontaneously, but at times, it can be secondary to tumour necrosis following chemotherapy.

Prospective randomized trial comparing laparoscopic transabdominal preperitoneal (TAPP) and laparoscopic totally extra peritoneal (TEP) approach for bilateral inguinal hernias.

INTRODUCTION: Bilateral inguinal hernias form a part of the complex spectrum of weakness in the region of the myopectineal orifice. Laparoscopic surgery is one of the standard approaches for bilateral hernias. We describe the results of a randomized trial that was undertaken to compare and evaluate TAPP and TEP repair for bilateral inguinal hernias. METHODS: Sixty patients were randomized into two groups. Group I (TAPP) and Group II (TEP) were compared in terms of procedure related variables, conversion, post-operative recovery and complications. Analysis was done using SPSS software version 17. RESULTS: Seventy-seven patients were assessed for fitness to include in the study. Seventeen patients had to be excluded due to either not meeting the inclusion criteria's or for not giving consent. The median age (52 yrs) was comparable in both groups. In Group II (TEP) mean operating time was 120.89 ± 29.28 min compared to 108.16 ± 16.10 min in Group I (TAPP). Post-operative pain scores were less in Group I(TAPP) at all levels of recording (8 h-48 h), though most patients required injectable analgesic for 32 h in both groups (p-value 0.029). Subcutaneous emphysema was more commonly noted in the Group II (TEP) (p-value 0.038). In Group I (TAPP) mean hospital stay was 52.0 ± 14.21 h while in Group II (TEP) it was 52.29 ± 9.36 h (p-value 0.427). Mean time for return to work was 11.8 ± 2.35 days in Group I (TAPP) and 12.41 ± 2.22 days in Group II (TEP) (p-value 0.339). CONCLUSION: The procedures though different in approach were quite similar in outcome. Mean operating time was increased in the TEP repairs along with immediate post-operative pain scores. The pattern of some complications like subcutaneous emphysema was significantly more in the TEP group while minor vascular injury though not significant was different in both groups. The indirect cost incurred from consumables did not vary other than need for more tacks in the TAPP group.

Rare Presentation of Gall Bladder Tuberculosis in a Non Immuno-Compromised Patient.

The gall bladder is least common intra-abdominal organ to be involved by tuberculosis. It is either part of systemic miliary tuberculosis or abdominal tuberculosis. Isolated gall bladder tuberculosis is even rarer, can presents either as calculus or acalculus cholecystitis. Gall bladder tuberculosis presenting as a localized perforation with a sinus formation into anterior abdominal wall is unreported complication in a non immuno-compromised person. A 48-year old female presented with a gradually increasing swelling in right hypochondrium. Abdominal ultrasound showed superficial collection over right hypochondrium with intraperitoneal extension. Computed tomography showed localized gall bladder perforation with extension to the abdominal wall. Patient underwent emergency exploration and cholecystectomy with excision of sinus tract and drainage of abdominal wall abscess. Histopathological examination showed granulomatous cholecystitis suggestive of tuberculosis of gall bladder with extension into the sinus tract. She had an uneventful recovery and was treated with 6-month antitubercular therapy after surgery.

Laparoscopic management of nonmidline ventral hernia.

INTRODUCTION: Ventral hernias may be primary or incisional and classified as midline ventral hernias (MVHs) or non-MVHs (NMVHs). NMVHs are rarer, and their laparoscopic management is technically challenging because of varied anatomic locations, differences in patient positioning at time of surgery, and lack of adequate lateral space for mesh fixation, compounded by the proximity of major organs and bony landmarks. A retrospective review of all the NMVHs operated on in a clinical unit is presented. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: One hundred eighty-three cases met the criteria of ventral hernia, with 25 cases (13.66%) as NMVH. These NMVHs included lumbar (n=5), suprapubic (n=7), iliac (n=10), and subcostal (n=3). Univariate and multivariate analyses were done using SPSS version 19 software (IBM, Armonk, NY). Continuous data were analyzed using the Mann-Whitney U test/t test, and categorical data were analyzed using the chi-squared test. A P value of ≤.05 was considered significant. RESULTS: Demographic profile and presentation were similar in all groups. One case each had seromuscular intestinal injury in the iliac group (P=.668), splenic injury in the lumbar group, and liver injury in the subcostal group (P=.167). In the iliac group there was 1 patient with hematoma (P=.668), whereas seroma was seen in 1 lumbar group patient and 2 iliac group patients (P=.518). Persistent cough impulse was seen in 1 case each in the iliac and lumbar groups (P=.593). One case in the iliac group recurred after primary surgery (P=.668). CONCLUSIONS: NMVHs have a similar spectrum of difficulty and complication profile as those of laparoscopic MVH repairs. Laparoscopic repair of a non-midline hernia is technically challenging but definitely feasible. The incidence of complications and recurrence rate might be more than those for MVHs, but its actual validation needs a much larger comparative study having a longer follow-up.

Appraisal of Laparoscopic Liver Resection in the Treatment of Liver Metastasis with Special Reference to Outcome in Colorectal Malignancies.

Treatment of metastatic liver disease is at the crossroads of an evolutionary transformation with more and more reports reiterating the benefits of resectional therapy in various cancers. A quest for application of laparoscopic approaches to the management of liver metastasis has arisen due to the projected benefits of less morbidity, early recovery, and equivalent oncological outcome in selected malignancies. However, the diverse and heterogenous data on indications, operative technique, and outcome evaluation make a comparative analysis of these studies difficult. This review is an appraisal of technique and outcome of minimally invasive liver resection as reported in the current literature with special reference to treatment of metastatic colorectal cancers.

A rare case of multiple jejunal diverticulosis presenting as intestinal obstruction.

Diverticulosis is rare in jejunum and its unusual presentation of mechanical obstruction is difficult to diagnose pre-operatively. We report a case of a 54-year old male patient who had symptoms of general abdominal pain and vomiting off and on for three years. He had been assessed elsewhere and had received a course of anti-tubercular treatment empirically based on features of recurrent intestinal obstruction due to prevalence of tuberculosis in this region. The patient had presented himself with signs and symptoms of dynamic intestinal obstruction. On examination, the abdomen was found to be swollen with a central abdominal distension and hyperactive bowel sounds. The erect abdominal radiograph showed multiple air-fluid levels and dilated jejunal loops. Following this, the patient underwent an emergency exploratory laparotomy. This revealed multiple jejunal diverticulae, multiple bands and adhesions involving jejunum and proximal ileum. The bands and adhesions were removed and the jejunum was resected along with the inflamed diverticulae.

Options of restorative pancreaticoenteric anastomosis following pancreaticoduodenectomy: a review.

Pancreatic fistula (PF), haemorrhage and delayed gastric emptying are some of the common causes of morbidity and PF is the single most important cause of mortality following pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD). Authors, who claim to have reduced leak rates, recommend modifications of the standard technique of pancreaticojejunostomy (PJ) that are often complex and difficult to standardize for wider applications. Most individual studies, multicenter retrospective analysis and certain prospective studies report a lower leak rate with pancreaticogastrostomy (PG) when compared with PJ. However, the only three randomized controlled clinical trials (RCTs) to date have failed to demonstrate the superiority of either technique. Here we discuss the various aspects of pancreaticoenteric anastomosis following pylorus preserving pancreaticoduodenectomy (PPD) and the standard pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD).

Prognostic relevance of promoter hypermethylation of multiple genes in breast cancer patients.

BACKGROUND: Methylation-mediated suppression of detoxification, DNA repair and tumor suppressor genes has been implicated in cancer development. This study was designed to investigate the impact of concurrent methylation of multiple genes in breast tumors on disease prognosis. METHODS: Methylation specific PCR was carried out to analyze the methylation status of seven genes in archived breast tissues and determine the effect of aberrant methylation of multiple genes on disease prognosis and patients' survival. RESULTS: Promoter hypermethylation was observed in PRB 67%, ERalpha 64%, RASSF1A 63%, p16INK4A 51%, RARbeta2 22%, GSTP1 25% and BRCA1 27% of the breast cancers, respectively. Concurrent methylation of BRCA1, ERalpha, GSTP1 and RARbeta2, was observed in a large proportion of breast cancers analyzed, suggesting that these genes do not appear to be methylated alone. Patients with high methylation indices had poor prognosis (p<0.001, Hazards ratio=14.58). Cox regression analysis showed RARbeta2 promoter methylation to be an independent important determinant of breast cancer prognosis. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that methylation of multiple genes plays an important role in prognosis of breast cancer. Our study not only describes the association of methylation mediated silencing of multiple genes with the severity of disease, but also drives to speculate the molecular crosstalk between genes or genetic pathways regulated by them individually.

Symptomatic outcome of laparoscopic cardiomyotomy without an antireflux procedure: experience in initial 40 cases.

The aim of surgical treatment in achalasia cardia is symptom relief. Most studies have evaluated the results of laparoscopic cardiomyotomy with an antireflux procedure. However, data on the effectiveness of laparoscopic cardiomyotomy without an antireflux procedure is sparse. We describe our experience of laparoscopic cardiomyotomy without antireflux procedure in 40 consecutive patients with respect to symptom relief and complications. There was no mortality and 1 conversion. Preoperatively dysphagia, regurgitation, and heartburn were present in 40, 39, and 11 patients. At a mean follow-up of 26 months, there was a significant improvement in symptom scores. Two patients (5%) had persistent postoperative dysphagia. One improved on conservative therapy, whereas other was treated with relaparoscopic cardiomyotomy. Three patients (7.5%) developed heartburn in the postoperative period, which was well controlled with proton pump inhibitors. Laparoscopic cardiomyotomy without antireflux procedure results in excellent relief of dysphagia without producing significant symptomatic reflux in the follow-up.

Ambulatory total extraperitoneal inguinal hernia repair: feasibility and impact on quality of life.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Feasibility of ambulatory laparoscopic inguinal hernia repair in developing countries is not known due to lack of dedicated outpatient centers. This study prospectively evaluated the feasibility of outpatient discharge after laparoscopic total extraperitoneal inguinal hernia repair done in combination with in-hospital services and its impact on quality of life. METHODS: Forty patients were studied who had uncomplicated inguinal hernias and fulfilled the selection criteria. Quality of life was evaluated by using the SF-12 questionnaire. RESULTS: Ninety percent of patients could be discharged as outpatients. Four patients required admission. No major complications or readmissions occurred. Physical components of quality of life deteriorated in the immediate postoperative period but improved to above preoperative levels within one month. A transient deterioration in subgroups of the mental health component was observed, which recovered to normal in less than a week. There was no significant alteration in the emotional component. There has been no recurrence at a median follow-up of 25 months. CONCLUSION: It was feasible to safely perform outpatient TEP in combination with routine in-hospital services without increasing complications or causing any adverse impact on quality of life. This was possible subject to adherence to proper selection and discharge criteria.

Factors associated with attrition in patients with breast cancer: a retrospective study.

BACKGROUND: Attrition in follow up is a key limitation of longitudinal studies, especially in cancer patients in developing countries. We did a retrospective analysis of possible factors that resulted in attrition of patients with breast cancer during follow up. METHODS: This study is a comparison between patients who came for a follow up regularly to our clinic with those who did not but could be contacted on phone or by post. A computerized grouped database was constructed with the following parameters: age, religious community, other co-morbid conditions if present, distance from place of residence to our city, residence in city/ village, initial stage of the disease, type of treatment and disease relapse or death. RESULTS: Using binary logistic regression, disease relapse was found to be the most important cause of non-compliance. The odds ratio for irregularity or loss to follow up of patients with disease relapse was 2.53 (95% CI: 1.17-5.46; p = 0.02) for patients who were alive with disease relapse and 6.1 8 (95% CI: 3.47-11.02; p < 0.001) for patients who had died due to the disease compared with those who were alive and free of disease. The age and place of residence in a village were other significant factors. The odds of attrition due to age were 1.03 (95% CI: 1.01-1.05; p = 0.04) for each year of increase in age and that of residence in a village was 1.85 (95% CI: 1.02-3.36; p = 0.04). CONCLUSION: Age, disease relapse and residing in a village are important causes of attrition during follow up of patients with breast cancer in India.

A randomized comparison of the early outcome of stapled and unstapled techniques of laparoscopic total extraperitoneal inguinal hernia repair.

OBJECTIVE: The need for stapling is a relative drawback of laparoscopic hernia repairs because it adds to the complications and costs. The safety of unstapled repairs as a viable alternative lacks validation, due to the dearth of analogous comparative trials. METHODS: Patients were randomized to undergo either stapled or unstapled total extraperitoneal hernia repairs. The groups were matched for age and the type of hernia repaired. Pain scores, intraoperative complications, postoperative complications, postoperative recovery, and long-term outcomes (ie, groin pain, paraesthesias, testicular atrophy, and recurrence) were studied. RESULTS: The incidence of complications, pain scores, pain trends, hospital stay, return to activity, and long-term outcomes were comparable. No recurrence has been noted at a median follow-up of 23 months in 63 hernias repaired in 49 patients. CONCLUSION: Unstapled laparoscopic hernia repair scores are equivalent to their stapled counterparts with respect to recurrence and complications.