Amyand's Hernia, State of the Art and New Points of View.

BACKGROUND: Amyand's hernia (AH) is an inguinal hernia containing the vermiform appendix, with an incidence between 0.4% and 1% of all inguinal hernias. Acute or perforated appendicitis can complicate AH. CASE PRESENTATION: A 75-year-old Caucasian man presented with incarceration of vermiform appendix in inguinal hernia sac. Diagnosis was posed preoperatively with computed tomography (CT) scan. Patient underwent urgent surgery and simultaneous appendectomy and hernia repair by Bassini's technique were performed. CONCLUSIONS: Preoperative diagnosis of AH is rare; however it could be useful for surgeon to choose operative approach. Treatment of AH depends on grade of appendix inflammation and/or perforation. The technique utilized to repair hernia depends largely on surgeon's preferences; the presence of inflamed or perforated appendix is not an absolute contraindication for using a prosthetic mesh.

A randomised clinical trial (RCT) of a symbiotic mixture in patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS): effects on symptoms, colonic transit and quality of life.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study is to test in a double-blinded, randomised placebo-controlled study the effects of a commercially available multi-strain symbiotic mixture on symptoms, colonic transit and quality of life in irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) patients who meet Rome III criteria. BACKGROUND: There is only one other double-blinded RCT on a single-strain symbiotic mixture in IBS. METHODS: This is a double-blinded, randomised placebo-controlled study of a symbiotic mixture (Probinul, 5 g bid) over 4 weeks after 2 weeks of run-in. The primary endpoints were global satisfactory relief of abdominal flatulence and bloating. Responders were patients who reported at least 50 % of the weeks of treatment with global satisfactory relief. The secondary endpoints were change in abdominal bloating, flatulence, pain and urgency by a 100-mm visual analog scale, stool frequency and bowel functions on validated adjectival scales (Bristol Scale and sense of incomplete evacuation). Pre- and post-treatment colonic transit time (Metcalf) and quality of life (SF-36) were assessed. RESULTS: Sixty-four IBS patients (symbiotic n = 32, 64 % females, mean age 38.7 ± 12.6 years) were studied. This symbiotic mixture reduced flatulence over a 4-week period of treatment (repeated-measures analysis of covariance, p < 0.05). Proportions of responders were not significantly different between groups. At the end of the treatment, a longer rectosigmoid transit time and a significant improvement in most SF-36 scores were observed in the symbiotic group. CONCLUSIONS: This symbiotic mixture has shown a beneficial effect in decreasing the severity of flatulence in IBS patients, a lack of adverse events and a good side-effect profile; however, it failed to achieve an improvement in global satisfactory relief of abdominal flatulence and bloating. Further studies are warranted.

Difficult diagnosis of celiac disease: diagnostic accuracy and utility of chromo-zoom endoscopy.

BACKGROUND: Chromo-zoom endoscopy has been demonstrated to be valuable in assessing the degree of intestinal villous atrophy in patients with suspected celiac disease. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of chromo-zoom endoscopy in patients with difficult diagnosis because of nonconcordant test results and/or the confounding of a gluten-free diet initiated before an appropriate diagnosis of celiac disease and to compare the findings to a recent reference standard, the in vitro gliadin challenge test. DESIGN: Prospective, case-control study. SETTING: Tertiary-care referral hospital. PATIENTS: Patients without celiac disease (negative control group, n = 9), patients with celiac disease (positive control group, n = 41), and patients with difficult diagnosis (n = 27). INTERVENTION: Chromo-endoscopy with indigo carmine and endoscopic zoom-magnification were performed. Duodenal fragments were collected for the in vitro gliadin challenge test. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) was used for statistical analyses on accuracy. MAIN OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS: Diagnostic accuracy of chromo-zoom endoscopy for detection of mucosal abnormalities in patients with difficult diagnosis. RESULTS: Chromo-zoom endoscopy had a high accuracy for celiac disease diagnosis in analyses on negative controls and positive controls (area under roc = 0.99). In the difficult diagnosis group, the accuracy of chromo-zoom endoscopy was lower (area under roc = 0.83), but it increased after exclusion of patients with celiac disease on gluten-free diet (area under roc = 0.88). LIMITATIONS: There was a 4% failure rate in the ability to cultivate biopsies. Also, the study was done at an academic medical center. CONCLUSION: Chromo-zoom endoscopy has high accuracy for cases of difficult diagnosis of celiac disease but only in untreated patients with celiac disease.

Association between persistent symptoms and long-term quality of life after laparoscopic total fundoplication.

BACKGROUND: We investigated which factors are significantly associated with long-term quality of life after laparoscopic total fundoplication in the treatment of gastroesophageal reflux disease. METHODS: Patients (n = 144) were given a standardized frequency-intensity symptoms questionnaire and the Short-Form 36 Health Survey for quality-of-life evaluation before and after laparoscopic total fundoplication. RESULTS: At follow-up evaluation (n = 102), patients had a significant reduction in their symptoms score and no deterioration in quality of life. A significant association with postoperative dysphagia for solids and/or liquids was found in the physical component summary score of the Short-Form 36 administered to patients postoperatively (P = .003). CONCLUSIONS: In this study, laparoscopic total fundoplication was a safe and effective surgical treatment for gastroesophageal reflux disease, generally offering an improved long-term quality of life, with the exception of a minority of patients (6 of 102 patients; 5.8%) who experienced persistent severe dysphagia.

Pancreaticoduodenectomy as the primary therapeutic choice in cystic dystrophy of the duodenal wall in heterotopic pancreas.

On the basis of a review of the literature and description of a clinical case, the aim of this paper was to evaluate the role of pancreaticoduodenectomy as the primary therapeutic choice in a rare, serious condition such as cystic dystrophy of the duodenal wall in heterotopic pancreas. The diagnosis is difficult because of the non-specific clinical manifestations, and radiological and endoscopic imaging are decisive. Computed tomography and magnetic resonance are very useful for demonstrating the presence of cysts in a thickened duodenal wall but endoscopic ultrasonography is the most useful imaging examination. The choice of therapeutic option is still debated. Although some Authors have proposed a medical approach using octreotide or endoscopic treatment for selected patients, pancreaticoduodenectomy is usually proposed for symptomatic patients. When surgery is needed, pancreaticoduodenectomy should be preferred, reserving by-pass procedures for high-risk patients. Because of the non-specific clinical manifestations and the very difficult diagnostic and therapeutic management, these patients need to be studied and treated in specialised, dedicated centres.

Hydatid disease of the liver: thirty years of surgical experience.

Hydatid disease of the liver is a relatively frequent disease. Although the natural history is almost completely known, several complications may occur. The aim of this study was to show that radical surgical resection of the hepatic hydatid cyst is a safe and very effective technique, based on our results after 30-year experience. A review of most significant studies was carried out. We retrospectively evaluated our surgical cases. From January 1973 to December 2003 we treated 216 patients, 98 males and 118 females. Survival was compared with the Kaplan-Meier test, using log-rank analysis to compare data. Differences with a p value less than 0.05 were considered significant. A total of 279 cysts were excised. We performed pericystectomy in 122 cases, 73 of which closed. We also performed 19 atypical resections, 10 segmentectomies, 20 lobectomies and 2 percutaneous treatments. In more than 90% of cases, preoperative data collection was completed by preoperative ultrasound. The cumulative morbidity was 13%. The recurrence rate amounted to 4.3% at 5 years and 7% at 10 years: of these, 6 occurred after non-radical surgery and 2 after total pericystectomy or liver resection (p < 0.001). Technical advances and accumulated experience permit safe treatment of hepatic hydatid cysts by radical resection, with an almost zero recurrence rate, making it the treatment of choice over partial resection. The utility of percutaneous treatment remains confined to limited indications, such as laparoscopy.

The prevalence of sexual behavior disorders in patients with treated and untreated gastroesophageal reflux disease.

BACKGROUND: Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a chronic disease. Sexual behavior is often altered in chronic illness. The aim of this study was to evaluate sexual behavior in patients affected with GERD before and after medical or surgical treatment in comparison to healthy controls (HC). METHODS: Upper GI endoscopy and 24-h ambulatory pH testing were performed to confirm GERD in symptomatic patients. GERD patients completed an anonymous questionnaire on sexual life before and after medical or surgical treatment. RESULTS: Compared with HC, untreated patients with GERD showed more frequent difficulty in attaining orgasm and painful intercourse. GERD patients after surgical treatment had significantly more difficulty in attaining orgasm, while after continuous medical treatment GERD patients compared with HC had significantly more difficulty in attaining orgasm, higher painful intercourse, lower sexual desire, and perceived more frequently that the partner was unhelpful. When compared with untreated conditions, GERD patients after surgical treatment had a significant improvement in attaining orgasm and in painful intercourse but a significant decrease in sexual desire, a lower satisfaction with their sexual life, and a higher prevalence of an unhelpful partner, whereas GERD patients after medical treatment had a decrease in all indices of sexual behavior. CONCLUSION: Untreated GERD is associated with disorders in sexual behavior. Compared with HC, only the surgical group partially improved after treatment.