Common side closure type, but not stapler brand or oversewing, influences side-to-side anastomotic leak rates.

BACKGROUND: Anastomotic leak (AL) increases costs and cancer recurrence. Studies show decreased AL with side-to-side stapled anastomosis (SSA), but none identify risk factors within SSAs. We hypothesized that stapler characteristics and closure technique of the common enterotomy affect AL rates. METHODS: Retrospective review of bowel SSAs was performed. Data included stapler brand, staple line oversewing, and closure method (handsewn, HC; linear stapler [Barcelona technique], BT; transverse stapler, TX). Primary endpoint was AL. Statistical analysis included Fisher's test and logistic regression. RESULTS: 463 patients were identified, 58.5% BT, 21.2% HC, and 20.3% TX. Covidien staplers comprised 74.9%, Ethicon 18.1%. There were no differences between stapler types (Covidien 5.8%, Ethicon 6.0%). However, AL rates varied by common side closure (BT 3.7% vs. TX 10.6%, p = 0.017), remaining significant on multivariate analysis. CONCLUSION: Closure method of the common side impacts AL rates. Barcelona technique has fewer leaks than transverse stapled closure. Further prospective evaluation is recommended.

Repair of a colonoscopic perforation of the rectum with transanal endoscopic microsurgery.

Iatrogenic colonic perforations are relatively uncommon but serious complications of diagnostic and therapeutic colonoscopies. Transanal endoscopic microsurgery (TEM) is an useful approach to the rectum and may be used for repair of a rectal perforation during colonoscopy. A 56-year-old male had an iatrogenic perforation of the rectum during a routine follow-up colonoscopy repaired by TEM with an uneventful and rapid recovery.

Perineal reconstruction with local flaps: technique and results.

BACKGROUND: Wide excision of perineal lesions, often including the entire anal canal, may be necessary for benign and malignant conditions. Closure of these large defects is challenging, especially when continence is a goal. The aim of this study was to assess our experience with local flap closure of large perineal defects. METHODS: From 1994 to 2009, 20 patients underwent wide perineal and/or anal canal excisions and reconstruction using local flaps. Mean age was 45 years (range 20-65 years), 13 were male, and 8 (40 %) were immunocompromised. Primary indications included anal or perineal squamous cell carcinoma-(n = 12), Buschke-Lowenstein tumor (n = 3), and anal intraepithelial neoplasia (n = 3), hidradenitis, stenosis, ectropion, and traumatic cloaca repair (n = 1 each). Primary procedures included wide local excision of large neoplastic lesions-(n = 15) (mean size 10 cm, range 5-18 cm), abdominoperineal resection (APR) (n = 2), perineoplasty with sphincteroplasty-(n = 1), and others-(n = 2). All were reconstructed with bilateral local flaps (V-Y 18, S 2). Thirteen had complete excision of the anal canal to the anorectal ring preserving the sphincters. Six (30 %) had ostomies; 2 with APR and 4 temporary. RESULTS: There were no perioperative deaths. Mean hospital stay was 4.2 days. Follow-up averaged 35 months (range 3-87 months) in survivors. Five patients died during follow-up; 2 of complications of acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) and 3 of cancer (2 treated palliatively). Wound dehiscence occurred in 6 (30 %) patients: in 3 cases, this was minor dehiscence and healed quickly; in 3 cases, it was major dehiscence and occurred in the 2 radiation/APR patients and in one patient with advanced AIDS. Radiation was the only significant risk factor (P < .05). Twelve of 14 eligible patients with long-term follow-up and an intact anal canal are fully continent, and 2 are partially continent (1 traumatic cloaca; 1 the same as before surgery). CONCLUSION: Local flap reconstruction of the perineum and anal canal is an excellent method of managing large perineal defects. Most heal primarily, even in immunocompromised patients, and continence may be preserved. Local flaps should be avoided in irradiated patients.

HIV-positive patients with anal carcinoma have poorer treatment tolerance and outcome than HIV-negative patients.

PURPOSE: Anal carcinoma is being found in HIV-positive patients with increasing frequency. Most patients are treated with combined chemotherapy and radiation. It was our impression that HIV-positive patients do not fare as well as HIV-negative patients in terms of both response to and tolerance of therapy. METHODS: To test this hypothesis, we reviewed our experience with anal carcinoma and compared HIV-positive to HIV-negative patients by age, gender, sexual orientation, stage at diagnosis, treatment rendered, response to treatment, tolerance, and survival. From 1985 to 1998, 98 patients with anal neoplasms were treated. Seventy-three patients had invasive squamous-cell carcinoma (including cloacogenic carcinoma), and this cohort was analyzed. Thirteen patients were HIV positive and 60 were HIV negative. RESULTS: The HIV-positive and HIV-negative groups differed significantly by age (42 vs. 62 years, P < 0.001), male gender (92 vs. 42 percent, P < 0.001), and homosexuality (46 vs. 15 percent, P < 0.05). There were no differences by stage at diagnosis or radiation dose received. Acute treatment major toxicity differed significantly (HIV positive 80 percent vs. HIV negative 30 percent; P < 0.005). Only 62 percent of HIV-positive patients were rendered disease free after initial therapy vs. 85 percent of HIV-negative patients (P = 0.11). Median time to cancer-related death was 1.4 vs. 5.3 years (P < 0.05). A survival model did not show age, gender, stage, or treatment to be independent predictors. CONCLUSION: We found that HIV-positive patients with anal carcinoma seem to be a different population from HIV-negative patients by age, gender, and sexual orientation. They have a poorer tolerance for combined therapy and a shorter time to cancer-related death. A strong trend to poorer initial response rate was also seen. These results suggest that the treatment of HIV-positive patients with anal carcinoma needs to be reassessed.

Hemorrhoids: what the dermatologist should know.

Anorectal disorders are common and more than one half of the population will experience one at some time during their lives. It is important for the clinician to recognize the differences between internal and external hemorrhoids and other anorectal problems such as fissures, abscesses, fistulas, skin tags, and a variety of dermatologic conditions because the treatment is often different. This article will discuss the anatomy, pathophysiology, diagnosis, and treatment of internal and external hemorrhoids.

Changes in circulating levels of HIV, CD4, and tissue expression of HIV in a patient with recent-onset ulcerative colitis treated by surgery. Case report.

OBJECTIVE: To determine CD4+ T-cell count and circulating and tissue levels of HIV before and after surgery in a patient with recent-onset ulcerative colitis. STUDY DESIGN/METHODS: CD4 lymphocytes and circulating and tissue HIV RNA levels were measured in an HIV-infected patient with ulcerative colitis before and after proctocolectomy. RESULTS: Approximately 3 weeks prior to surgery for ulcerative colitis that was unresponsive to corticosteroids, the patient's CD4 count was 930 cells/mm3 and fell to 313 cells/mm3 within 10 days; the viral burden was approximately 80,000 RNA copies/mL. Tissue macrophages and lymphocytes in biopsy and resection specimens were shown to express high levels of HIV RNA by in situ hybridization. Five days postoperatively, the patient became asymptomatic and was discharged on tapering prednisone without antiretroviral agents. After surgery, the patient's CD4 count progressively rose, while viral RNA levels precipitously dropped. At 3, 6, and 15 weeks postoperatively, CD4 and viral RNA counts were 622 cells/mm3 and 31,300 RNA copies/mL, 843 cells/mm3 and 11,400 RNA copies/mL, and 747 cells/mm3 and 1500 RNA copies/mL, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Circulating levels of HIV and CD4+ cells, as well as tissue expression of HIV, apparently can be influenced by localized inflammatory processes such as those occurring in inflammatory bowel disease.

Which physiologic tests are useful in patients with constipation?

PURPOSE: Physiologic tests such as manometry, colonic transit times, balloon compliance, defecography, pudendal nerve latency, and electromyography are used to evaluate patients with severe constipation. Patients referred because of severe constipation between 1991 and 1996 were studied to examine the role that physiologic testing played in making a diagnosis and directing treatment. METHODS: Of 139 patients referred for severe idiopathic constipation, physiologic testing was recommended in 127, and 104 patients underwent the studies. The pretesting impression was noted, and test results were evaluated to determine diagnostic accuracy. If a specific initial impression was documented, tests were classified as refuting it, confirming it or confirming and adding significant information. If there was no clear pretest impression, tests were evaluated for their ability to indicate a diagnosis. The patient's history also was evaluated to determine what information was most useful in making a diagnosis. Historical features including duration of constipation, symptoms consistent with outlet obstruction or dysmotility, age, associated urinary incontinence, and prior hysterectomy were analyzed. Data were collected prospectively, then reviewed by an independent observer. RESULTS: Ninety-eight study patients remained after 29 were excluded who did not undergo the recommended studies (19) or because no initial impression was documented (10). In 43 patients (44 percent), testing did not provide additional useful information. In 8 patients, testing confirmed the initial impression and added information impacting the treatment plan. Test results clearly refuted the initial impression in only one patient. In 46 (47 percent) patients the initial impression was uncertain, and in 43 (94 percent) of these, testing aided in making the diagnosis. In three cases, the diagnosis remained uncertain after testing. Prior hysterectomy (P = 0.003), urinary incontinence (P < 0.001), and symptoms of pelvic outlet obstruction (P = 0.03) were associated with a high incidence of rectocele. Defecography and transit times were the most useful tests. Surprisingly, symptoms of outlet obstruction or dysmotility did not show an overall correlation with transit times. CONCLUSIONS: In one-half of these patients with severe constipation, physiologic testing added significant information, leading to a specific diagnosis. Pretesting history and symptoms did not predict which patients were most likely to benefit from these studies.

Perianal manifestations of human immunodeficiency virus infection: experience with 260 patients.

PURPOSE: Individuals infected with the human immunodeficiency virus often have disorders affecting the anorectum. These disorders may be complex and difficult to treat. We reported our early experience with 40 human immunodeficiency virus-positive patients with perianal disorders in 1990. We now present our series of 260 consecutive human immunodeficiency virus-positive patients with perianal disorders who underwent evaluation between 1989 and 1996 to examine the distribution of disorders, their treatments, and outcomes. METHOD: Patients were identified at initial presentation and followed prospectively. RESULTS: Two-hundred forty-nine (96 percent) of 260 patients were male, with an average age of 34.9 (range, 19-58) years. Average duration of human immunodeficiency virus positivity was 5 years, 5 months, with a maximum of 11 years, 5 months. Median CD4 count was 175 (range, 2-1,100) cells/mm3. Only 89 (34 percent) patients satisfied the criteria of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's for acquired immunodeficiency syndrome at presentation. The most frequent major presenting symptoms were anorectal pain (55 percent), a mass (19 percent), and blood in the stool (16 percent). Risk factors included homosexuality (75 percent) and a prior history of sexually transmitted disease (45 percent). Forty different perianal disorders were identified, which were categorized as benign noninfectious (18), infectious (14), neoplastic (6), and septic (2). The most common disorders were condyloma (42 percent), fistula (34 percent), fissure (32 percent), and abscess (25 percent). Neoplasms were present in 19 patients (7 percent). One hundred seventy-one patients (66 percent) had more than one disorder, with an average of 2.9 disorders among these patients. Four hundred eighty-five procedures were performed on 178 patients (2.7/patient), with no mortalities and a 2 percent complication rate. Thirty-one patients (12 percent) died during the course of follow-up, but anorectal disease was the cause of death in only two patients. CONCLUSIONS: Perianal manifestations of human immunodeficiency virus infection are common, often multiple, and varied. Patients with perianal disorders seek treatment throughout the course of the human immunodeficiency virus infection, and a perianal condition may be this disease's initial manifestation. Although recurrence is common and healing delayed, improved overall management of human immunodeficiency virus infection and a healthier human immunodeficiency virus-positive patient population have improved the outcome of surgical intervention in human immunodeficiency virus-infected patients with perianal disorders.

Squamous cell carcinoma arising in an unhealed wound in Crohn's disease.

A 49-year-old black woman with a 23-year history of Crohn's disease came to our clinic; she had a squamous cell carcinoma arising in an unhealed perineal wound 16 years after abdominoperineal resection (APR). We report this case to show the potential for malignant degeneration in such wounds. This patient had had multiple procedures for fistulotomies and incision and drainage of abscesses and, ultimately, an APR. After the APR, she had a persistent perineal wound, which did not fully heal despite extensive local and systemic therapy. Our examination revealed a chronic wound involving the entire perineum and vagina, including the labia, both inguinal folds, and the intergluteal cleft. Biopsies showed moderately differentiated squamous cell carcinoma throughout. We believe healing may be impaired in patients who have Crohn's disease, with a significant risk of unhealed perineal wounds after APR. Chronic unhealing wounds may progress to carcinoma, and this propensity toward transformation may be increased by immunosuppression. Complaints of persistent pain and unhealing wounds in the absence of infection in patients with Crohn's disease suggest the possibility of malignancy and biopsy is recommended.

Isolated colonic neurofibroma manifested by massive lower gastrointestinal bleeding and intussusception.

We report a case of rare solitary neurofibroma of the transverse colon in a patient without neurofibromatosis. The patient was found to have an intussuscepting tumor prolapsing transanally, with massive lower gastrointestinal bleeding. This case represents only the second documented report of an isolated colonic neurofibroma.

The best operation for rectal prolapse.

Rectal prolapse remains a disorder for which the cause is not clearly understood and the best method of management is debated. Because the natural history of prolapse frequently leads to complications of incontinence and constipation, we believe that all patients presenting with internal and external prolapse should be considered for repair. Although the type of operative repair recommended may vary, it is clear that all patients with external rectal prolapse should be offered some type of repair. What is not clear from the literature is the appropriate management of those patients with internal prolapse. As shown in the George Washington University experience, surgery is rarely performed for isolated internal prolapse. Most patients who present with internal prolapse also have an associated enterocele, rectocele, or cystocele. Repair of the internal prolapse and the associated disorder may benefit many of these patients. If internal prolapse is an isolated finding, it is not clear to what extent the prolapse is responsible for the patient's symptoms, and repair is generally not advised. These guidelines are easy to enumerate but may be difficult to practice in some patients. Therefore, ongoing evaluation of clinical results is critical to improve our understanding of these disorders. This discussion has outlined the current theories of the cause of rectal prolapse, the symptoms and findings patients present with, and the possible approaches to repair.

Transanal endoscopic microsurgery. Initial registry results.

UNLABELLED: Transanal endoscopic microsurgery (TEM) was first used on a regular basis in the United States in 1990. Because there is a sole source of instrumentation, the surgeons who use this equipment are known to us. Thus, this earliest registry is a compilation of data based on most patients who underwent TEM in the United States from 1990 to 1994. METHOD: One hundred fifty-three cases were voluntarily registered by six surgeons. Pathology included 54 carcinomas, 82 adenomas, and 17 other entities. Most resections were full thickness. Fifty percent of cases were out of reach of standard instruments. Complication rate, hospital stay, and blood loss were recorded. Technical difficulties at time of surgery (9 percent), early complications (15 percent), and late complications (5 percent) have been tabulated. RESULTS: Recurrence rates for carcinoma were 10 percent for T1, 40 percent for T2, and 66 percent for T3 stages. Failures were treated by abdominoperineal resection or low anterior resection. Adenomas recurred in 11 percent, but these recurrences were small and easily treatable. CONCLUSION: TEM has a low complication rate. By carefully selecting small, superficial cancers and adenomas, TEM results in superior outcome over other approaches to the mid and upper rectum.

Excellent outcome using selective criteria for rectocele repair.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to review our experience with patients with rectoceles using very selective criteria for operative repair and to critically review our surgical results. METHODS: This is a review of patients selected for rectocele repair between 1989 and 1994. RESULTS: Two hundred seventy-nine patients were evaluated for pelvic outlet symptoms in our clinic. Defecography was performed in 180 patients; rectocele was seen in 143 patients (79 percent; 135 females and 8 males). On physical examination, 132 patients had a palpable rectocele (73 percent). Rectocele repair was recommended for 35 patients (13 percent); 33 (32 females and 1 male) underwent this procedure. Mean age was 55 (range, 16-78) years. Although many patients complained of constipation, incontinence and pelvic pain, in these 33 patients criteria for repair included the sensation of a vaginal mass or bulge that required digital support and/or rectal digitizing for evacuation (58 percent), retention of barium in the rectocele on defecography (55 percent), or a very large rectocele with internal anterior rectal wall prolapse (6 percent). A hysterectomy had been performed previously in 47 percent of women repaired. Rectocele repair was performed by a standard transanal approach in 31 patients and transabdominally in 2 patients. Hospital stay averaged 3.7 (range, 1-8) days. Few postoperative complications occurred; urinary retention was the most common (18 percent). All patients were followed postoperatively, and 26 patients (79 percent) answered a standardized questionnaire. Mean follow-up was 31 (range, 5-64) months. Eighty percent of patients questioned who initially complained of a vaginal mass or bulge reported complete resolution (significant improvement by the sign test, P < 0.5). Subjectively, 92 percent of patients questioned reported improvement in their preoperative symptoms and satisfaction with the operation. CONCLUSION: Rectoceles are frequently identified during defecography, which is performed for pelvic floor complaints, yet are often asymptomatic. In contrast to other recent reports of rectocele repair, our data indicate that careful selection of patients using specific criteria may result in very good clinical results.

Intraoperative reasons for abandoning ileal pouch-anal anastomosis procedures.

PURPOSE: Ileal pouch-anal anastomosis (IPAA) has become the operation of choice for most patients with chronic ulcerative colitis and familial adenomatous polyposis. However, because of technical or disease factors at the time of pouch construction, IPAA must sometimes be abandoned. A retrospective review was conducted to find reasons for IPAA failure or abandonment. METHODS: Since 1981, 103 patients have had to have an IPAA procedure at the George Washington University Medical Center in Washington, DC. All charts were reviewed and data retrospectively collected. RESULTS: Six of 103 patients (six percent) were unable to have IPAA constructed. Five patients ultimately received a standard end ileostomy, and one had an ileorectal anastomosis. The reasons for abandoning the IPAA procedure were an ischemic pouch, failure to reach the anus, poorly controlled presacral hemorrhage, desmoid of the mesentery, and finding incurable colon carcinoma. CONCLUSIONS: Information regarding the risk of failure or abandonment during the IPAA procedure should be discussed with the patient during preoperative counseling and must be included as an element of informed consent.

Microbiology of human immunodeficiency virus anorectal disease.

PURPOSE: Individuals who are seropositive for the human immunodeficiency virus are at high risk for opportunistic infection and anorectal disorders. Little prospective information is available regarding anorectal pathogens in these patients. METHODS: One hundred sixty-three HIV-seropositive patients presented to the colorectal clinic between 1989 and 1992. Forty-seven (29 percent) patients were thought to have an infectious process and were prospectively studied using a standardized multiculture protocol. RESULTS: Mean age was 33 (range, 19-59) years. All were male; high-risk behavior accounted for 87 percent of HIV transmissions. Presenting complaints included anorectal pain (79 percent), pus per anum (28 percent), and blood per anum (26 percent). Examination revealed perianal tenderness (60 percent), condyloma (38 percent), perianal ulcers (38 percent), and anal fissures (34 percent). Sixty-six sets of cultures were performed; 28 patients had one set, 15 had two sets, and 4 had three sets. Thirty-two of these 47 patients (68 percent) had positive cultures including herpes (50 percent), cytomegalovirus (25 percent), Neisseria gonorrhoeae (16 percent), chlamydia (16 percent), acidfast bacilli (2 percent), and others (9 percent). Six of 32 patients with positive cultures had more than one organism cultured. Sixteen (50 percent) patients with positive cultures were treated medically, 8 (25 percent) were treated surgically and 8 (25 percent) were treated with both modalities. Sixty-one procedures were performed on 17 patients for condylomata. Eighteen patients had 20 procedures for abscesses, 50 percent of whom had positive cultures for other than common bowel flora; all improved. Fourteen patients underwent 33 procedures for perianal fistulas. Mycobacterium fortuitum was cultured from one patient who required 13 procedures for abscesses and fistulas. Forty-five (96 percent) patients were followed for an average of 12.5 months +/- 2.9 SEM (range, 1-94 months). Symptoms were improved or resolved in 22 of 32 (69 percent) patients with positive cultures and in 11 of 13 (84 percent) with negative cultures. CONCLUSIONS: Specific pathogens may often be identified in human immunodeficiency virus-seropositive patients with anorectal disorders if aggressively sought. Although patients without specific pathogens identified may be expected to improve with planned empiric treatment, positive identification allows more directed therapy.

Perineal manifestations of HIV infection.

Individuals who are seropositive for the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) frequently have disorders affecting the anorectum, yet little has been reported on this subject. We reviewed our initial experience with patients with HIV referred to the Division of Colon and Rectal Surgery. Forty patients (age range, 19-45 years; mean, 32.2 years) were seen between 1985 and 1989. The mean duration of symptoms was six months (range, one week to six years). In 25 patients (63 percent), more than one anorectal condition was identified. Condylomata were seen in 21 patients (52 percent), and in 11 these were associated with other pathologies. Fistulas and/or abscesses were identified in 15 patients (37 percent). Three had a "watering-can perineum," all without any identifiable predisposing factors. Nineteen patients had symptomatic hemorrhoids (seven), fissures (17), and/or perianal herpes infections (five), usually in combination with other lesions (89 percent). Three individuals developed neoplastic processes. Rectal disease was discovered in addition in nine patients. This included nonspecific proctitis in four, a rectal mass in four (polyps, two; rectal diverticulum, one; and Kaposi's sarcoma, one), and a nonspecific rectal ulcer in one. Four patients had other symptoms, including diarrhea, incontinence, soiling, frequency, and/or urgency, always in combination with other anal disorders. Seventy-one operative procedures were performed in 31 patients (78 percent). Only six (8 percent) of these were for diagnosis and biopsy alone. Mean follow-up was 15.5 months in the 23 patients followed for greater than one month. Only 6 of 23 (26 percent) had resolution of their problem. Nine (39 percent) developed new perianal conditions. Anorectal disorders are often seen in patients infected with HIV. They may be aggressive, cause significant morbidity, and be difficult to resolve.

Influence of sleep on anal sphincteric pressure in health and after ileal pouch-anal anastomosis.

Fecal incontinence at night may be a disturbing consequence of ileal pouch-anal anastomosis (IPAA). The hypothesis was that decreases in anal canal resting pressure occur as sleep deepens and that the decreases are more profound in pouch patients with incontinence than in controls. Using a sleeve catheter assembly for recording intraluminal and canal pressure and polysomnographic recordings of sleep stages, progressive decreases in anal canal resting pressure with deepening sleep occurred in 11 healthy controls (mean +/- SEM: 57 +/- 3 mm Hg to 43 +/- 3 mm Hg: P less than 0.05) and in 11 patients after IPAA (55 +/- 3 mm Hg to 42 +/- 4 mm Hg; P less than 0.05). Minute-to-minute variations in mean pressure were also found in both controls and IPAA patients, and they were greater at night in patients (P less than 0.05), except during rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. In three patients, resting pressure during REM sleep decreased markedly to 31 +/- 8 mm Hg. This decrease plus the variations in pressure during REM sleep led to incontinence. In conclusion, decreases in anal resting pressure coupled with marked minute-to-minute variations in pressure during sleep occurred in controls and in patients after IPAA and, when profound, led to nocturnal fecal incontinence in some patients.

Human anal motility while fasting, after feeding, and during sleep.

The aim of this study was to determine whether the human anal sphincter responds dynamically to changing physiological states. In 19 healthy human subjects, intraluminal anal canal pressure was measured with a 5-cm perfused sleeve sensor during the day while fasting (3 hours) and after feeding (3 hours) and at night during sleep (8 hours). Daytime mean anal canal pressures (+/- SEM) while fasting (50 +/- 3 mm Hg) were similar to those after feeding (49 +/- 3 mm Hg) and to those at night during sleep (49 +/- 3 mm Hg). Marked minute-to-minute variations in mean pressure occurred in all three periods, however, as did large phasic increases and decreases in pressure (greater than 20 mm Hg) and small phasic changes in pressure less than 20 mm Hg (anal slow waves). The minute-to-minute variations in mean pressure were greater during the awake fed state (4 +/- 1 mm Hg/min) than at night during sleep (2 +/- 1 mm Hg/min; P less than 0.03), as were the number of large phasic waves per minute (increases in pressure: awake, fed = 0.5 +/- 1 waves/min, night = 0.3 +/- 0.1 waves/min, P less than 0.05; decreases in pressure: awake, fed = 0.4 +/- 0.1 waves/min, night = 0.2 +/- 0.1 waves/min, P less than 0.05). Anal small waves had a similar frequency of about 17 waves/min in all three states. In conclusion, the anal sphincter maintains a continuous pressure barrier to rectal outflow both during the day and at night during sleep. However, marked minute-to-minute variations in mean pressure and large phasic increases and decreases in pressure do occur. Both are fewer at night during sleep.

The surgical management of children with ulcerative colitis. The old vs. the new.

The authors' experience with children who have chronic ulcerative colitis was reviewed to compare their current surgical approach (ileoanal anastomosis) with earlier methods of management. Between 1960 and 1984, 137 children with chronic ulcerative colitis underwent surgery (mean duration of follow-up, 7.1 years). In 91 patients, the procedures were a total proctocolectomy with ileostomy or Kock pouch (66) or a lesser colectomy with either an ileostomy (16) or an ileorectal anastomosis (9) (group I). Forty-six patients underwent an ileoanal anastomosis procedure (group II). Children in group I were more likely to have significant preoperative loss of weight, a debilitated condition, and malnutrition. Urgent or emergency surgical intervention was required in 25 percent of patients in group I but in only 4 percent of patients in group II. Trends included 1) a younger age at operation in group II, 2) a higher mortality in group I (7.7 percent) than group II (0 percent), and 3) a higher perioperative mortality with emergency operations (23 percent) than elective procedures (1.6 percent). In group I, 98 percent of patients had an abdominal ostomy, but no patients in group II had an abdominal ostomy. The children with an ileoanal anastomosis had an average of 4.8 stools during waking hours and 1.3 stools each night. On the basis of this experience, the authors recommend use of the ileoanal anastomosis procedure in the surgical treatment of chronic ulcerative colitis in children.