Handsewn ileal pouch-anal anastomosis on the dentate line after total proctectomy: technique to avoid incomplete mucosectomy and the need for long-term follow-up of the anal transition zone.

PURPOSE: During ileal pouch-anal anastomosis, both conservation of the anal transitional zone during the stapled technique and incomplete mucosectomy in the standard Park's procedure may expose the patient to disease recurrence. We propose here an technique whose aim is to solve both problems by performing handsewn ileal pouch-anal anastomosis on the dentate line after rectal eversion and total proctectomy. METHODS: We reviewed the records of 172 consecutive patients who had undergone ileal pouch-anal anastomosis since 1984 for chronic ulcerative colitis (n = 80), familial adenomatous polyposis (n = 48), selected cases of Crohn's disease (n = 42), or other causes (n = 2). RESULTS: One patient (0.5 percent) died postoperatively. Operative morbidity was similar to that reported after the Park's and stapled procedures. Of our 128 patients with a five-year follow-up, anastomotic stricture occurred in 15 (12 percent), and 4 patients (3 percent) had to have pouch removal. Stool frequency per 24 hours was 4.8 +/- 1.6 (range, 1-11), continence was perfect in 104 patients (81 percent), and sexual activity was estimated to be unchanged in 120 (94 percent). No evidence of disease recurrence was noted in the patients with familial adenomatous polyposis or ulcerative colitis. CONCLUSIONS: During ileal pouch-anal anastomosis, Park's procedure carries the risk of incomplete mucosectomy and disease recurrence, and the stapled procedure requires a long-term follow-up of the anal transitional zone. Our alternative technique with total proctectomy avoids both problems and gives similar long-term functional results.

Local excision of rectal cancer for cure: should we always regard rigid pathologic criteria?

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The purposes of this study were to assess the relationship between the incidence of recurrence and the pathologic criteria usually applied to the selection of patients for curative local excision of rectal carcinoma and to determine whether failure to fulfill one of these criterias is always an indication for secondary abdominoperineal resection (APR). METHODOLOGY: From 1982 to 1992, 30 patients with rectal carcinoma (mean age: 69 +/- 10 years) were treated by local excision (LE). Univariate analysis of the cancer recurrence rate according to pathologic criteria was performed. RESULTS: The mean follow-up was 57 +/- 40 months (range: 6-145). Five patients (17%) had recurrent disease (local in 3, distant in 1, and local and distant in 1). Two of the three local cases were successfully treated. At the end of follow-up, 90% of the patients had no evidence of recurrence, and the rectal cancer-specific death rate was 10%. Although not significant, tumor penetration beyond the submucosa and vessel or nerve invasion were associated with an increased incidence of cancer recurrence. Tumor size and differentiation, and the presence of a mucinous component were not associated with a significant increase in recurrence. According to the usual pathologic criteria proposed for curative LE, 20 patients should, theoretically, have undergone secondary APR. However, 16 of them (80%) were treated by LE only, and at the end of follow-up, 17 (85%) were alive without recurrence. CONCLUSIONS: The rigid rule of systematically performing secondary APR after LE for rectal carcinoma when one or more pathologic selection criteria are not met should perhaps be reconsidered, especially for tumors exceeding 3 cm in diameter, moderately differentiated tumors, and in incidences when a mucinous component is present. However, in cases of vessel, nerve or muscular invasion, secondary APR is probably the best choice for cure.

Assessing the effectiveness of mesorectal excision in rectal cancer: prognostic value of the number of lymph nodes found in resected specimens.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to determine whether the number of involved or uninvolved lymph nodes in resected specimens can be used to predict the effectiveness of surgical resection for rectal cancer. METHODS: Local recurrence and survival rates for 118 patients undergoing curative resection for rectal carcinoma, without adjuvant therapy, were retrospectively studied. RESULTS: Mean follow-up was 62+/-37 months. Mean number of involved or uninvolved lymph nodes per resected specimen was 12+/-7. Overall local recurrence rate was 15.2 percent. In patients without involved lymph nodes (N0 patients) and with T1 or T2 tumors, the local recurrence rate ranged from 0 to 8 percent (not significant), depending on the number of lymph nodes on the specimen. In patients without involved lymph nodes and those with T3 tumors, the actuarial survival rate at ten years was significantly lower (P < 0.05), and the local recurrence rate was higher (P < 0.02) in patients with fewer than ten lymph nodes than in those with more than ten nodes. In patients with involved lymph nodes, the mean number of nodes on the resected specimen correlated closely with the mean number involved by the tumor. CONCLUSION: The assessment of the effectiveness of rectal excision for cancer is in part helped by the number of involved or uninvolved lymph nodes found on the resected specimen. This is of particular interest in patients without involved lymph nodes and those having infiltrating T3 tumors, for whom the long-term survival and local recurrence rates were significantly better when more than ten lymph nodes were present. On the other hand, when fewer than ten nodes were found, whatever the cause, adjuvant radiotherapy had to be considered, because of the high risk of local failure rate.

New treatment for ileal pouch-anal or coloanal anastomotic stenosis.

Persistent anastomotic stricture following ileal pouch-anal or coloanal anastomoses can be treated by transanal resection using a stapler or a more complex procedure, such as transanal pouch advancement with neoanastomosis. We propose an easier and faster technique, which does not require any particular device. Its long-term functional results are satisfactory in most patients.

Bone assessment in patients with ileal pouch-anal anastomosis for inflammatory bowel disease.

BACKGROUND: Patients with ulcerative colitis are at risk of low bone mineral density (BMD). Proctocolectomy with ileal pouch-anal anastomosis (IPAA) for ulcerative colitis diminishes the risk of bone disease. The aims of this study were to assess the mechanism of low BMD and to measure bone density changes after IPAA. METHODS: Twenty patients with IPAA for ulcerative colitis, of mean(s.d.) age 38(9) (range 21-58) years, had measurements of lumbar spine and femoral neck BMD by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry, a mean(s.d.) 28(23) (range 3-84) months after proctocolectomy. Serum levels of calcium, phosphate, parathyroid hormone, osteocalcin and 25-hydroxy vitamin D were determined. Fifteen patients were followed for 28(12) (range 8-50) months. RESULTS: At baseline, six patients had spine BMD more than two standard deviations below the normal value, and three had vertebral crush fractures. Mean vitamin D values were normal and no patient had osteomalacia. BMD increased with time elapsed since IPAA (spine: r = 0.71, P = 0.005). During follow-up, mean(s.d.) changes in bone density were +2.3(3.8) and +2.1(5.6) per cent per year at the spine and femoral neck respectively. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that in patients with IPAA for ulcerative colitis, low BMD is not associated with vitamin D malabsorption and may be reversible after surgery.

Functional outcome after coloanal versus low colorectal anastomosis for rectal carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to compare retrospectively the longterm functional results of straight or J-pouch coloanal anastomosis and low colorectal anastomosis in patients operated for rectal carcinoma. STUDY DESIGN: Of the 260 patients who underwent rectal resection for carcinoma in our department during a 12-year period, 105 were included in this study. Of these, 37 had straight coloanal, 15 J-pouch coloanal, and 53 low colorectal anastomoses. RESULTS: At 1 year of followup, continence was significantly better after low colorectal than straight coloanal anastomosis (perfect continence: 81% versus 51%; p < 0.01). No significant difference was observed for continence after J-pouch coloanal and low colorectal anastomosis. Stool frequency during a 24-hour period was significantly higher after straight coloanal anastomosis than after either J-pouch coloanal (p < 0.05) or low colorectal anastomosis (p < 0.01). Night stools were significantly more frequent after straight than J-pouch coloanal anastomosis (p < 0.05). Three years after surgery, continence had improved in the three groups, as 70% of the straight coloanal group, 91% of the J-pouch coloanal group, and 94% of the colorectal anastomosis group had perfect continence (p < 0.02 versus straight coloanal anastomosis). No significant difference for continence was observed between the J-pouch coloanal and low colorectal anastomosis groups. Neither were significant differences observed among the three groups for urgency, gas/stool discrimination, stool frequency (including night stools), or the need for medication. CONCLUSIONS: The functional results of both J-pouch coloanal and low stapled colorectal anastomosis seem better than those of straight coloanal anastomosis. Both J-pouch and low-stapled procedures can safely be proposed for patients with rectal carcinoma requiring total mesorectal rectal excision; however, because low stapled colorectal anastomosis seems to us easier and faster to perform, we consider it the best option for rectal reconstruction after proctectomy for carcinoma, provided it is possible based on the level of the tumor.

Segmental reversal of the small bowel as an alternative to intestinal transplantation in patients with short bowel syndrome.

OBJECTIVE: This article reports the results of segmental reversal of the small bowel on parenteral nutrition dependency in patients with very short bowel syndrome. SUMMARY BACKGROUND DATA: Segmental reversal of the small bowel could be seen as an acceptable alternative to intestinal transplantation in patients with very short bowel syndrome deemed to be dependent on home parenteral nutrition. METHODS: Eight patients with short bowel syndrome underwent, at the time of intestinal continuity restoration, a segmental reversal of the distal (n = 7) or proximal (n = 1) small bowel. The median length of the remnant small bowel was 40 cm (range, 25 to 70 cm), including a median length of reversed segment of 12 cm (range, 8 to 15 cm). Five patients presented with jejunotransverse anastomosis, and one each with jejunorectal, jejuno left colonic, or jejunocaecal anastomosis with left colostomy. RESULTS: There were no postoperative deaths. Three patients were reoperated early for wound dehiscence, acute cholecystitis, and sepsis of unknown origin. Three patients experienced transient intestinal obstruction, which was treated conservatively. Median follow-up was 35 months (range, 2 to 108 months). One patient died of pulmonary embolism 7 months postoperatively. By the end of follow-up, three patients were on 100% oral nutrition, one had fluid and electrolyte infusions only, and, in the four other patients, parenteral nutrition regimen was reduced to four (range of 3 to 5) cyclic nocturnal infusions per week. Parenteral nutrition cessation was obtained in 3 of 5 patients at 1 years and in 3 of 3 patients at 4 years. CONCLUSION: Segmental reversal of the small bowel could be proposed as an alternative to intestinal transplantation in patients with short bowel syndrome before the possible occurrence of parenteral nutrition-related complications, because weaning for parenteral nutrition (four patients) or reduction of the frequency of infusions (four patients) was observed in the current study.

Ileal pouch-anal anastomosis with mesorectal excision for rectal cancer complicating familial adenomatous polyposis.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the long term results of ileal pouch-anal anastomosis (IPAA) with mesorectal excision for rectal carcinoma complicating familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP). DESIGN: Retrospective study. SETTING: Teaching hospital, France. SUBJECTS: 6 patients with FAP and associated rectal carcinoma and 87 patients who underwent IPAA for benign disease. MAIN OUTCOMES MEASURES: Morbidity and mortality. RESULTS: There were no postoperative deaths and no significant differences between the groups in postoperative morbidity. Mean follow-up was 35 months. Two patients in the cancer group died 33 and 40 months after IPAA of liver metastases, but had no evidence of local recurrence. There were no recurrences among the other 4 patients. There were no significant differences between the groups in stool frequency, continence, gas/stool discrimination, leak, or need for protective pads. The risk of impotence and retrograde ejaculation was higher (but not significantly) in men with rectal cancer than in those with benign disease (1/4, 25% compared with 1/47, 2%; p = 0.15). CONCLUSION: In cases of rectal carcinoma complicating FAP, IPAA with mesorectal excision should be proposed as an alternative to coloproctectomy with definitive ileostomy. Long term functional evaluation showed that continence and defaecation were similar to those followed up after IPAA for benign disease.

Coloanal anastomosis for benign lesions: long term functional results in 11 patients.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the indications, morbidity, and long-term functional results of rectal resection and coloanal anastomosis for benign rectal lesions. DESIGN: Retrospective study. SETTING: Teaching hospital, France. SUBJECTS AND INTERVENTIONS: Eleven patients were operated on for villous adenoma (n = 5), radiation proctitis (n = 2), solitary rectal ulcer (n = 2), rectal stenosis (n = 1) and rectovaginal fistula (n = 1). MAIN OUTCOMES MEASURES: Morbidity, mortality, and long-term results. RESULTS: There were no postoperative deaths. 2 patients (18%) developed major postoperative complications: one pelvic abscess was treated conservatively and one anastomotic fistula required a diverting colostomy. The mean (SD) follow-up period was 89 (35) months. Functional results were judged as perfect (n = 4), good (n = 1), or acceptable (n = 2) (mean stool frequency: 1.4), including the five with villous adenoma, one with radiation proctitis, and the one with a rectovaginal fistula. By the end of the follow-up period, 4 patients (36%) had permanent colostomies (including the two patients with solitary rectal ulcers). Two of them were required soon after operation, and two following failure 5 and 2 years later, respectively, after initially good functional results. CONCLUSION: Rectal resection with coloanal anastomosis can safely be proposed for selected patients with benign rectal lesions including diffuse villous adenoma, rectovaginal fistula, and radiation proctitis without deterioration of the anal sphincter. The poor results in the 2 cases of solitary rectal ulcer suggest that for this condition coloanal anastomosis should be done only after the failure of previous surgical treatment.

Ileal pouch/anal anastomosis for Crohn's disease.

BACKGROUND: Patients with Crohn's disease (CD) are not commonly considered as candidates for ileal pouch/anal anastomosis (IPAA). This approach has been avoided because of the poor results observed, retrospectively, in patients with an initial diagnosis of ulcerative colitis who were found to have CD on examination of the resected specimen. However, in 1985, we decided to investigate an alternative to coloproctectomy with definitive end-ileostomy by a prospective study of IPAA for selected patients with CD. METHODS: Between 1985 and 1992, 31 patients with CD, but with no evidence of anoperineal or small-bowel disease, were recruited to our study. They comprised 15 men and 16 women whose mean age was 36 years (SD 14; range 16-72). All CD patients underwent IPAA. The short-term and long-term functional results of this procedure were compared with those of 71 ulcerative colitis patients who also underwent IPAA during the same period in our unit. Mean follow-up was 59 (SD 25) months. FINDINGS: No significant differences were observed between patients with CD and ulcerative colitis in the postoperative complication rate. Of the 31 CD patients, six (19%) experienced specific complications 9 months to 6 years after surgery: three had pouch-perineal fistulas, which required pouch excision in two cases; one had a pouch-vaginal fistula that was treated by gracilis muscle interposition; and one had an extrasphincteric abscess, which was treated surgically. Two patients (6%), one of whom was treated for an extrasphincteric abscess, experienced CD recurrence on the reservoir, and were treated successfully with azathioprine. At 5-year follow-up, there were no significant differences between patients with CD and ulcerative colitis in stool frequency (5.0 [2.0] vs 4.7 [1.4] per day; p=0.68), continence, gas/stool discrimination, leak or need for protective pads, and sexual activity. INTERPRETATION: Our results show that in selected cases of CD without anoperineal or small-bowel manifestations, IPPA can be recommended as an alternative to coloprotectomy with definitive end-ileostomy, when rectal resection is essential.

[Immediate vaginal reconstruction with a musculocutaneous flap from the gracilis muscle after extended abdomino-perineal resection]. / Reconstruction vaginale immédiate avec un lambeau musculo-cutané de muscle droit interne après amputation abdomino-périnéale élargie.

Reconstruction of a functional vagina after radical abdomino-perineal resection is a difficult surgical problem. The use of the gracilis myocutaneous flap provides a satisfactory solution. This article describes the surgical procedure of immediate vaginal reconstruction using the gracilis myocutaneous flap. Unfortunately, this technique is still not widely used by surgical teams. Nevertheless, it is a useful flap because of its low morbidity and the satisfying result of the functional neovaginal cavity.

Colonoscopy of acute colitis. A safe and reliable tool for assessment of severity.

Complications that might lead to surgery in severe attacks of ulcerative colitis have been found to be correlated with the depth of colonic ulcerations as measured by pathological examination of colectomy specimens. In order to evaluate the value of colonoscopy for the assessment of colonic ulcerations, we have reviewed the clinical, biological, colonoscopic, and anatomical findings in 85 consecutive patients with attacks of ulcerative colitis involving at least the rectosigmoid and part of the descending colon, seen in our center between 1981 and 1989. All had colonoscopy performed by a senior endoscopist at entry. Extensive deep colonic ulcerations were diagnosed in 46 of them, and moderate endoscopic colitis in 39. No complication related to colonoscopy occurred except for one colonic dilatation. Forty-three of the 46 patients with severe endoscopic colitis were operated upon; 38 of them failed to improve with high-dose corticosteroids and five had a toxic megacolon. Extensive ulcerations reaching at least the circular muscle layer were found at pathological examination of colectomy specimen in 42 of the 43 patients. Conversely, 30 of 39 patients with moderate endoscopic colitis went into clinical remission with medical treatment, and only nine patients needed further surgery because of medical treatment failure. Six of these nine patients underwent another colonoscopy prior to colectomy, and all six showed features of severe endoscopic colitis. Deep ulcerations reaching the circular muscle layer were found at pathological examination in five of these six patients and in one additional patient whose colonoscopy had been performed 21 days before colectomy.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Treatment of Crohn's disease recurrence after ileoanal anastomosis by azathioprine.

Ileoanal anastomosis is a surgical procedure performed in patients with ulcerative colitis. In a small number of patients operated on for ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease occurs in the reservoir, mimicking pouchitis, and may lead to pouch excision and to a permanent terminal ileostomy. Two patients with recurrent Crohn's disease in the reservoir after ileoanal anastomosis were treated with azathioprine for 18 and 24 months, respectively. Azathioprine induced a complete clinical and endoscopic remission. These two observations suggested that immunosuppressive drugs were a good option for permanent ileostomy in cases of recurrence of Crohn's disease in the reservoir after ileoanal anastomosis.

Relationship of apical lymph node involvement to survival in resected colon carcinoma.

In a prospective study of 197 patients with resected colon carcinoma treated between 1974 and 1985, we explored the relationships between pathologic parameters, and the effect of the latter on survival, to identify the parameter whose systematic measurement would improve the predictive capacity of pathologic staging. Prognostic characteristics were studied by univariate analysis. The results showed significant relationships between the location and number of lymph nodes involved, blood vessel invasion, depth of tumor penetration, and metastases. The five-year survival rates were 45 percent and 17 percent (P < 0.001) for patients without and with apical lymph node involvement, respectively, and 44 percent and 6 percent (P < 0.05) for those with four or less nodes involved and more than four involved, respectively. Among the patients treated by incomplete resection, the respective survival rates of those resected for metastases and of those resected for apical lymph node involvement did not differ significantly. We conclude that the involvement of apical lymph nodes has a significant effect on prognosis and suggest systematic pathologic examination of these nodes to allow simpler and more reproducible selection of patients for treatment by incomplete resection who are at high risk of disease-related death.

Relationship between gastric acid secretion and the rate of recurrent ulcer after parietal cell vagotomy.

OBJECTIVE: This study assessed the effect of gastric secretion on the rate of recurrent ulcer after parietal cell vagotomy for duodenal ulcer. SUMMARY BACKGROUND DATA: Three hundred patients who underwent parietal cell vagotomy for duodenal ulcer between 1975 and 1986 were evaluated. The mean follow-up period for 280 patients was 5 years. METHODS: The gastric secretion tests concerned basal acid output (BAO) and peak acid output stimulated by pentagastrin or insulin. Tests were preoperative for 172 patients and postoperative for 118. RESULTS: At the end of that time, the overall incidence of symptomatic recurrent ulcer was 15%. Two criteria were shown to be important predictors of recurrent ulcer: preoperative BAO > 7 mmol/hr, for which the recurrence rate 5 years after vagotomy was 30% versus 11% for values below this threshold (p = 0.01), and postoperative BAO > 1.4 mmol/hr, for which the recurrence rate at 5 years was 72% versus 8% for lower values (p = 0.0001). All patients with recurrent ulcer had either a postoperative BAO > 7 mmol/hr and/or a postoperative reduction in BAO < 80%. CONCLUSION: Preoperative BAO > 7 mmol/hr and postoperative BAO > 1.4 mmol/hr were shown to be factors predictive of RU. All patients with RU presented either with preoperative BAO > 7 mmol/hr and/or a reduction in BAO < 80%. Consequently, in our opinion, these criteria could be used either to select patients for vagotomy or to assess the effectiveness of vagotomy of different types, especially those performed by celioscopy.

[The time of proctectomy during ileo-anal anastomosis]. / Le temps de proctectomie au cours d'anastomose iléo-anale.

Proctectomy is one of the most important operative phases of ileal pouch-anal anastomosis. It allows complete resection of the rectal mucosa and determines the quality of the postoperative course and the functional results. Two procedures are described, either with a distal rectal mucosectomy or complete resection of the rectal wall as far as the pectinate line. Functional results are identical. The second procedure leads to a complete resection of the rectal mucosa and therefore will be indicated in cases of low rectal cancer of dysplasia when the anus can be preserved.