Quality of life is impaired in patients with peristomal bulging of a sigmoid colostomy.

OBJECTIVE: Peristomal bulging caused by hernia or prolapse is common in patients with a sigmoidostomy. It is not known whether and to what extent peristomal bulging influences various daily activities. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of bulging by using a general and disease-specific health scale (Short Health Scale, SHS) and a stoma-specific quality of life (Stoma-QoL) questionnaire in patients with and without peristomal bulging. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Seventy patients with sigmoidostomies were examined to identify peristomal bulging. The mean (SD) age was 71.7 (13.7) years and the patients had had their sigmoidostomies for a mean of 8.1 (7.9) years. Bulging was noticed in 46 patients (66%) while 24 had no bulging. RESULTS: It was found that patients with bulging were at a disadvantage. In the SHS, patients with bulging reported significantly impaired QoL in 3 out of 4 scales regarding symptom load, worry and general sense of well-being. Also, in the Stoma-QoL questionnaire there was a significant difference between patients with and those without bulging. CONCLUSIONS: QoL evaluated with a general and disease-specific instrument (SHS) was significantly impaired in patients with bulging around a sigmoidostomy. The Stoma-QoL questionnaire showed a small but statistically significant difference between patients with and those without bulging but the clinical significance is uncertain. Further studies are required to evaluate the role of some of the individual items in the Stoma-QoL questionnaire.

Characterization of antigen and bacterial transport in the follicle-associated epithelium of human ileum.

The follicle-associated epithelium (FAE), covering Peyer's patches, provides a route of entry for antigens and microorganisms. Animal studies showed enhanced antigen and bacterial uptake in FAE, but no study on barrier function of human FAE has been reported. Our aim was to characterize the normal barrier properties of human FAE. Specimens of normal ileum were taken from 30 patients with noninflammatory colonic disease. Villus epithelium (VE) and FAE were identified and mounted in Ussing chambers. Permeability to 51Cr-EDTA, transmucosal flux of the protein antigen, horseradish peroxidase (HRP), and transport of fluorescent Escherichia coli (chemically killed K-12 and live HB101) were measured. Uptake mechanisms were studied by confocal- and transmission electron microscopy, and by using pharmacological inhibitors in an in vitro coculture model of FAE and in human ileal FAE. HRP flux was substantially higher in FAE than in VE, and was reduced by an amiloride analog. Electron microscopy showed HRP-containing endosomes. Transport of E. coli K-12 and HB101 was also augmented in FAE and was confirmed by confocal microscopy. In vitro coculture experiments and electron microscopy revealed actin-dependent, mainly transcellular, uptake of E. coli K-12 into FAE. 51Cr-EDTA permeability was equal in FAE and VE. Augmented HRP flux and bacterial uptake but similar paracellular permeability, suggest functional variations of transcellular transport in the FAE. We show for the first time that FAE of human ileum is functionally distinct from regular VE, rendering the FAE more prone to bacterial-epithelial cell interactions and delivery of antigens to the mucosal immune system.

Outcome of repair of bilateral groin hernias: a prospective evaluation of 1,487 patients.

OBJECTIVE: To find out whether simultaneous repair of bilateral hernias increases the risk of recurrence compared with unilateral repair. DESIGN: Prospective study. SETTING: Swedish hospitals participating in the Swedish Hernia Register (SHR). INTERVENTIONS: Prospective collection of data from the SHR, 1992-1999 inclusive. The Cox proportional hazard test was used for calculating odds ratio (OR). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Hernia repairs were followed up in a life table fashion until re-operation for recurrence or death of the patient. RESULTS: 33416 unilateral and 1487 bilateral operations on 2974 groin hernias were found. Direct hernias were more common in the bilateral than in the unilateral group, 1,825, 61% compared with 13,336, 40%, (p < 0.0001). A laparoscopic method was used for 1774 (60%) of bilateral and 3285 (10%) unilateral repairs, and 455 bilateral operations (31%) were done as day cases compared with 18376 (55%) unilateral ones (p < 0.0001 for both comparisons). The cumulative incidence of reoperation at three years for groin hernias after bilateral and unilateral repair was 4.1% (95% confidence interval 3.1% to 5.1%) and 3.4% (95% Cl 3.1% to 3.7%, respectively. After adjustment for other risk factors, the OR for reoperation for recurrence after bilateral repair was 1.2 (95% CI 0.9 to 1.5) with unilateral repair as reference. The OR for reoperation after laparoscopic bilateral repair compared with open bilateral repair was 0.9 (95% CI 0.6 to 1.4). CONCLUSIONS: Simultaneous repair of bilateral hernias does not increase the risk of reoperation for recurrence and there is no significant difference in the risk of reoperation after bilateral repair using open or laparoscopic techniques.