Surgical complications of carotid body tumors surgery: a review.

Carotid body tumor (CBT) is a rare neoplasm, although it represents about 65% of head and neck paragangliomas. Surgical excision is considered the appropriate therapy for CBTs. The aim of this study was to evaluate surgical outcomes on a large scale. We reviewed 19 studies between 2004 to 2014 with a total of 625 procedures. We observed a higher number of cases in women (62%). Only 3 (0,48%) deaths were reported as surgical complication. Total cranial nerve injuries were 302 (48,32%) of which 194 (31,04%) were transient and 108 (17,28%) were permanent. We found a total of 174 (27,84%) arterial injuries, most of which are external carotid artery (ECA) injuries. Cerebrovascular accident due to surgery were 15 (2,4%). We concluded that surgical resection remains the treatment of choice for these disease despite the related morbidity.

The use of intraoperative ultrasound for diagnosis and stadiation in pancreatic head neoformations.

UNLABELLED: The intraoperative staging of the pancreatic cancer is important to make a proper treatment. For this reason the intraoperative echography is playing an important role in the right treatment choice. The intraoperative echography, that can be performed with an open or laparoscopic probe, is used to confirm the preoperative diagnosis and assess the pancreatic cancer resecability. The intraoperative echography (IOUS) or laparoscopic intraoperative echography (LIOUS) are useful to identify the patients with a non resecable cancer and perform a faster neoadjuvant treatment. The LIOUS can also avoid an useless laparotomy. The aim of this study is to assess, both in our experience and in the cited literature, the concordance rate between the pancreatic cancer preoperative staging, performed with TC and MRI (when it is available), and intraoperative staging, performed with intraoperative laparotomic or laparoscopic echography. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We have analyzed the treatment management of 34 patients, who were candidate to major surgery for suspected pancreatic head cancer and who underwent to intraoperative LIOUS or IOUS staging from 2001 to 2012. RESULTS: LIOUS and IOUS have allowed to detect cases in which preoperative diagnosis, proved by CT and MRI, was not agreeing with intraoperative diagnosis (22 patients on 34, 64% discordance rate), avoiding the execution of a demolitive and uneseful surgery in order to guarantee the surveillance and life's quality of patients. CONCLUSION: We suggest to perform in every patients undergone to pancreatic surgery an intraoperative ultrasound exam, to detect unresecable and unpredicted lesions.

Long-term survival after curative resection for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma--Surgical treatment.

INTRODUCTION: Recent reports have demonstrated improvement in the 5-years serviva with resecate ductal adenocarcinoma. The aim of study is to determinate the factor influencing long-term survival after DCP. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We have critically reviewed a group of 85 patients how were admitted to our department with diagnosis of ductal adenocarcinoma of the head of pancreas between January 1974 and January 1998. RESULTS: Patients were stratified according to stage using TNM classification; in stage I 31 patients with 5 T1aN0M0 disease, 11 patients with T1bN0M0 and 15 patients T2N0M0 disease. By contrast, in stage III 54 patients with 48 patients T2N1M0 and 6 patients with T3N1M0. Tumour size was recorded for 72 patients with a median of 3.8 cm. The R1 dissection was performed in 67 patients. The R2 resection was performed in 18 patients. In our series we verified and analysed the histopathologic features of 5 patients with 15-years survival (5.8%). The features regard age, male or female, tumours size, stage and positive lymph node resection. DISCUSSION: We found a specifically subset of patients where the combination of prognostic factors, in particular, negative surgical margins R0, tumour size ≤ 30 mm and the absence of lymph node metastasis independently reduced the mortality indicating that earlier tumour detection and histologically curative resection are important factors contributing to long term survival and healing of ductal adenocarcinoma of the head of the pancreas.

Health related quality of life after radical cystectomy: comparison of ileal conduit to continent orthotopic neobladder.

AIMS: To compare health related quality of life (HRQOL) between patients with two different types of urinary diversion, ileal conduit and orthotopic neobladder, and between them and an age-matched population of healthy subjects. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Eighty eight patients treated with radical cystectomy for bladder cancer at our institutions between 2002 and 2007 were contacted for this survey. All of them had a follow-up of more than 12 months after surgery and were recurrence free. The SF-36 questionnaire was provided to each patient during a follow-up visit at outpatient clinics. Overall, 79 patients (90%) returned the questionnaire and were included in this analysis. They were divided into two groups: group 1 comprised 44 patients with an ileal conduit diversion, and group 2 included 35 patients with a neobladder. As a control, normative values of an age-matched healthy Italian population were considered. RESULTS: No significant difference was found in scale scores between the neobladder and ileal conduit groups. Scale scores for role-physical functioning, social functioning and role-emotional functioning in both the neobladder and ileal conduit groups were significantly below the Italian population norm. Patients with a neobladder 65 years old or older (n=18) had significantly lower scores for role-physical functioning and role-emotional functioning than those younger than 65 years (n=17; p<0.05). CONCLUSION: Few differences between ileal conduit and orthotopic bladder substitution have been detected. Thus, the assumption that continent reconstruction provides better HRQOL than ileal conduit diversion cannot be supported. Patient education and active participation in treatment decisions seem to be the key to postoperative satisfaction.

A case of infectious esophagitis caused by human papilloma virus.

Esophageal infections may be caused by diverse pathogens that alter the mucosal lining and produce mild symptoms or sometimes critical clinical diseases with a high risk of mortality, particularly among the immunocompromised. The most common causes of infectious esophagitis are: herpes virus, candida, cytomegalovirus (CMV), and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV); human papilloma virus (HPV) infections are rare in Western countries. Endoscopic features of infectious esophagitis are specific for different agents; nonetheless, differential diagnosis is difficult and requires biopsy, cultures and brushing. We present the clinical case of a young woman admitted to the Department of General Surgery of A.O.U. Federico II, Naples, for a large, deep ulcerative lesion of the esophagus caused by HPV infection.

Laparoscopic antireflux surgery: indications, preoperative evaluation, techniques, and outcomes.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: During the past decade, the development of mini-invasive surgery has determined a resurgence in popularity of the antireflux surgery. The purpose of this study is to examine indications, preoperative evaluation, surgical techniques, and outcomes after mini-invasive surgery. METHODOLOGY: From 1996 to 2000, 25 patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease associated to hiatal hernia underwent laparoscopic surgery. The indication for surgery was failure of long-term medical therapy. All patients had severe acid reflux on 24h-pH monitoring, endoscopic evidence of esophagitis, and defective lower esophageal sphincter. Nissen fundoplication was performed in 16 patients with normal esophageal body motility, and 270 degrees posterior fundoplication in 9 patients with low esophageal motility. RESULTS: Mortality and conversion rate were 0. Mean operative time was 130 minutes and mean postoperative hospital stay 5 days. Twenty-four (96%) patients were completely cured of reflux symptoms off all medications. Transient, mild postoperative dysphagia occurred in 3 patients (12%). There was a significant improvement of the results in postoperative esophageal manometry and 24h-pH monitoring. CONCLUSIONS: Despite the fact that few patients were treated by using laparoscopic approach, results are encouraging with less morbidity and great advantages for patients. Precise selection of patients and surgical techniques are essential.

[Cystic echinococcosis in humans: our clinic experience]. / Idatidosi cistica: una nostra esperienza clinica.

Echinococcosis in humans is a zoonotic infection caused by larval stages of cestode species of the Echinococcus genus. In cystic echinococcosis (CE), caused by Echinococcus granulosus, the liver is the first and the more frequent involved organ, followed by the lung. Heart, spleen, kidney and brain are usually less involved. The finding of a cyst in course of echinococcosis is usually fortuitous, during ultrasound examination, X-ray or CT. The Authors report 4 cases of human CE admitted to the Department of Infectious Diseases University of Naples "Federico II". Each case is peculiar both for the organ involved by the cysts and for the symptomatolgy. The abdominal pain, in case 1 caused by gallstones, allowed, by the ultrasound examination, to find several hydatid cysts in the liver, never symptomatic until then. The woman, in case 2, was operated for cysts in the lung, without receiving pharmacological prophylaxis. The same occurred in case 4, in which the lack of prophylaxis caused very serious relapses. In case 3, the young woman underwent an ultrasound examination because of an abdominal pain. A unique large cyst extended only in the spleen. The specific serology for immunoglobulin anti-E. granulosus resulted positive 1:61 (n.v. < 50). The Albendazole therapy caused the disappareance of pain, quickly. Later, the patient was splenectomized. It's not clear why only the spleen was involved and why the anti-E. granulosus serum levels of were increased only a little. The man, in case 4, was admitted with chest pain and electrocardiographic findings of myocardial anterior ischemia. He underwent surgical treatment of three hepatic cysts by E. granulosus, during the previous year. Two-dimensional echocardiography, transesophageal echocardiography, and cardiac magnetic resonance revealed a round cystic mass, 6 x 6 mm, located in the middle interventricular septum. The cardiac isoenzymes were in the normal ranges, but the anti-E. granulosus immunoglobulins were positive 1:5120 (n.v. < 64). The patient was treated with Albendazole. This caused the almost simultaneous disappearance of the circular cystic and clinical and electrocardiographic findings of myocardial ischemia. A cardiac hydatid cyst is an uncommon lesion, occurring in about 0.4-2% of patients with echinococcosis. In conclusion, Cystic echinococcosis is a problem in Mediterranean regions because of the high population of stray dogs, favourable conditions created by man and, above all, the illegal slaughtering.

[Techniques and outcomes of laparoscopic surgery in gastroesophageal reflux disease]. / Tecniche e risultati della chirurgia laparoscopica nella malattia da reflusso gastroesofageo.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study is to report personal experience in laparoscopic antireflux surgery and to analyze the clinical and functional outcomes of this procedure, also in relation to the different techniques used. METHODS: From 1996 to 2000, 20 patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease associated with hiatal hernia underwent laparoscopic surgery. The indication for surgery was failure of long-term medical therapy. All patients had severe acid reflux on 24 hrs-pH monitoring, endoscopic evidence of esophagitis and hiatal hernia, and defective lower esophageal sphincter. A Nissen fundoplication was performed in 13 patients with normal esophageal body motility, and a 270 degrees posterior fundoplication in seven patients with low esophageal motility. RESULTS: Mortality and conversion rate were 0. Mean operative time was 135 min and mean postoperative hospital stay 5 days. Operative morbidity was 15%. All the patients were completely cured of reflux symptoms; transient mild postoperative dysphagia occurred in two patients (10%). There was a significantly improvement of the results in postoperative esophageal manometry and 24 hrs-pH monitoring. CONCLUSIONS: This preliminary experience suggests that laparoscopic surgery represents a safe and effective procedure for the treatment of gastroesophageal reflux disease. Precise selection of patients and adequate surgical technique are essential.

Is the erythrocyte membrane fatty acid composition a valid index of skeletal muscle membrane fatty acid composition?

Recent studies suggest that insulin sensitivity is related to the fatty acid composition of phospholipids in skeletal muscle (SM) membranes. Since it is difficult to obtain muscle biopsies, it may be useful to have information on the fatty acid composition using more accessible cells such as erythrocytes. This would be possible only if the composition of erythrocyte and muscle membranes are very similar. Since no comparative data are available, we evaluated the phospholipid fatty acid composition of erythrocyte and SM membranes in 16 individuals, 10 nondiabetics (male to female ratio, 4:6; age, 50 +/- 11 years; body mass index, 27 +/- 5 kg/m2; mean +/- SD) and 6 type 2 diabetic patients (male to female ratio, 2:4; age, 64 +/- 5 years; body mass index, 27 +/- 4 kg/m2). All patients underwent abdominal surgery, during which a biopsy of the abdominal rectus muscle (50 to 100 mg) was obtained. Erythrocyte and SM phospholipid fatty acids were extracted and then methylated; the methyl fatty acids were separated and quantified by gas chromatography. Compared with erythrocyte membranes, muscle membranes showed a significantly higher proportion of omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acid ([PUFA] 43.0% +/- 3.1% v29.7% +/- 1.6%, P < .001) and lower saturated fatty acid ([SFA] 41.1% +/- 1.5% v 43.4% +/- 1.2%, P < .001), monounsaturated fatty acid ([MUFA] 11.5% +/- 1.7% v 20.0% +/- 1.9%, P < .001), and omega-3 PUFA (3.8% +/- 0.6% v 7.4% +/- 1.0%, P < .001). The greatest increase involved linoleic acid (26.9% +/- 2.8% v 10.3% +/- 1.6%, P < .001), whereas lignoceric acid (0.8% +/- 0.2% v 5.0% +/- 0.6%, P < .001) and oleic acid (10.4% +/- 1.6% v 13.5% +/- 1.3%, P < .001) were significantly lower. These results show that erythrocyte and muscle membrane phospholipid fatty acids are significantly different. Therefore, data on SM membranes cannot be extrapolated on the basis of measures of erythrocyte phospholipid fatty acid composition.

Survival after pancreaticoduodenectomy for ductal adenocarcinoma of the head of the pancreas.

Recent reports have demonstrated an improvement in 5-year actuarial survival of patients with resected ductal adenocarcinoma. The purpose of this study was to determine the factors favoring long-term survival after pancreaticoduodenectomy. Between 1974 and 1995, 75 patients with pancreatic head carcinoma underwent pancreaticoduodenectomy in our department. The overall postoperative mortality rate was 5.3% and morbidity was 24%. Median survival following resection was 17 months. The estimated 1-, 2- and 5-year survival rates were 68%, 46.7% and 18.7%, respectively. Five-year survival was significantly greater for node-negative versus node-positive patients (41.7% vs 7.8%, P < 0.001), for smaller (< 3 cm) versus larger tumours (33.3% vs 8.8%, P < 0.006), and for negative versus positive resection margins (23.3% vs 0, P < 0.001). Other factors, including gender, age, and blood transfusion had no significant effect on survival. The multivariate analysis was done using the Cox proportional hazards model to determine independent prognostic determinants of survival. The presence of positive resection margins was the strongest independent predictor of decreased survival. Lymph node metastasis, tumour size > 3 cm, and poor histologic differentiation were also independent predictors of poor survival. The most favorable subset consisted in 17 patients who had negative resection margins, negative lymph nodes, and tumor size < 3 cm. Their 5-year survival rate was 52.9%.

Factors influencing survival after resection for ductal adenocarcinoma of the head of the pancreas.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Recent reports have demonstrated improvement in the 5-year actuarial survival for patients with resected ductal adenocarcinoma. The purpose of this study is to determine the factors favoring long-term survival after pancreaticoduodenectomy. METHODS: Between 1974 and 1995, 75 patients with pancreatic head carcinoma underwent pancreaticoduodenectomy in our department. RESULTS: Overall postoperative mortality rate was 5. 3% and morbidity was 24%. Median survival following resection was 17 months. Estimated 1-, 2-, and 5-year survival rates were 68%, 46.7%, and 18.7%, respectively. Five-year survival was greater for node-negative than for node-positive patients (41.7% vs. 7.8%, P < 0. 001) and for smaller (<3 cm) than for larger tumors (33.3% vs. 8.8%, P < 0.006). The 5-year survival in patients with negative margins (n = 60) was 23.3%, whereas no patient with positive margins (n = 15) survived at 13 months (P < 0.001). Multivariate analysis, performed by the Cox proportional hazards model, indicated that margin status, lymph node metastasis, tumor size, and poor histological differentiation were independent predictors of poor survival. CONCLUSIONS: Five-year survival for patients undergoing pancreaticoduodenectomy for ductal adenocarcinoma of the pancreas was 18.7%. Survival was greater in the group of patients with negative lymph nodes, tumor size <3 cm, and negative margin status.

[Secondary bacterial peritonitis: a diagnostic and therapeutic update]. / La peritonite batterica secondaria: attualità diagnostica e terapeutica.

In spite of the availability of new powerful antibiotics, intraabdominal sepsis still has a high mortality rate (20-50%). With regards to postoperative peritonitis, the referred high mortality rate is due to a late recognition and a consequently late treatment. The causes for late diagnosis are: uncertain clinical picture; misuse of analgesic drugs; reluctance of the surgeon to accept a failure. Moreover, many operated patients are under treatment with antibiotics: their misuse, particularly broad spectrum ones, is responsible for the selection of resistant bacteria. Age is another very significant prognostic factor: mortality rate is constantly higher in elderly subjects than in younger ones. Malnutrition, immunodepression, origin and location of sepsis, concomitant diseases, immunosuppressive treatments, delayed diagnosis, all can significantly affect clinical outcome. Probably the most important and less assessable factor is represented by the surgeon himself with his experience and technical accuracy: any mistake may worse patient's prognosis. Recently, many Authors have stressed the pathogenic relevance of the intestinal mucosa as a barrier, which may influence the clinical course.

To assess the efficacy of prophylaxis in digestive tract surgery using a predictive model of complication risk.

One hundred and ninety-one patients, all candidates for major clean-contaminated surgery, were classified according to the risk of developing postoperative wound infection, using clinical and nutritional factors. A widely validated nutritional assessment model, the Prognostic Nutritional Index (PNI), was used preoperatively to evaluate the risk and probability of post-operative septic complications. Based on the predicted outcome, patients were assigned to either a poor or a good risk group for statistical comparison. A prospective, double-blind, randomized trial was performed to compare the effectiveness of the monocyclic beta-lactam, aztreonam, with gentamicin for short-term perioperative prophylaxis. In the poor risk group (PNI greater than 40), aztreonam prophylaxis significantly reduced postoperative septic complications (p less than 0.05). The use of an objective scoring system to assess the risk of postoperative sepsis is recommended for future studies on antibiotic prophylaxis as it offers a realistic assessment basis.