Evaluating the Evolving Morbidity of Omentoplasty for Perforated Peptic Ulcer Disease.

Mortality for perforated peptic ulcer (PPU) surgery ranges from 2-22% with morbidity ranging from 15-45%. Traditionally, these had been repaired with vagotomy and antrectomy or pyloroplasty with smaller perforations repaired with an omentoplasty. Laparoscopic repair has become increasingly prevalent and demonstrated to have shorter length of stay (LOS) and fewer complications. We are evaluating the surgical repair of PPU with omentoplasty to determine trends of utilization and surgical outcomes. We conducted a 13-year (2005-2017) retrospective review, utilizing the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database. A total of 6873 patients had open or laparoscopic repair of a PPU, with 2285 patients identified as utilizing omentoplasty. Five hundred eighty-eight omentoplasty patients were further identified as having a laparoscopic technique. We compared patient demographics, comorbidities, and perioperative morbidity and mortality for surgical patients between 2005-2011 and 2012-2017. We trended the perioperative outcomes across the study intervals. Parametric and nonparametric tests were used to evaluate outcomes. Between 2005 and between 2017, laparoscopic surgical repair with omentoplasty has increased from 3.8% to 34.6%. Overall mortality for open operations declined during this interval (12.7%-9.3%) while it remained unchanged for laparoscopic operations (4.6%-4.2%), there was not a significant difference between the laparoscopic and open 30-day mortality. Both open surgery and laparoscopic surgery are being used on an increasingly healthy cohort (increased functional status decreased predicted perioperative morbidity). Relative to the 2005-2011, the laparoscopic surgery 2012-2017 cohort had increases in both serious and overall morbidity, although this was not statistically significant. Compared to the 2005-2011, the 2012-2017 open surgery cohort had increasing serious morbidity (OR 2.03) and overall morbidity (OR 1.91). There was a trend of decreasing LOS and increased return to the operating room for patients with laparoscopic surgery. Laparoscopic Graham patch repair of peptic ulcers significantly increased, although open repair still constitutes the majority of the cases. Despite Graham patch repair being utilized on a healthier patient population, morbidity and mortality for laparoscopic repair have remained unchanged. Postoperative morbidity and mortality for open surgery have increased. This indicates that laparoscopic repair is more commonly utilized for low- or medium risk patients, leaving an increasingly sick patient population selected to open repair.

The Bethesda Classification for Thyroid Fine Needle Aspiration: A Predictor or an Alarmist?

Thyroid malignancies comprise only 2 per cent of all cancers. Yet the incidence of thyroid cancers has been increasing faster than other malignancies, likely due to increased screening and surveillance of thyroid nodules. The Bethesda system represents the preferred method of evaluating thyroid nodules for malignancy using fine needle aspiration (FNA). Many thyroidectomies are performed for small, asymptomatic nodules found on ultrasound. These small papillary cancers (<0.5 cm) are termed microcarcinomas and represent a more indolent natural history causing some to name them "occult papillary tumors." The objective is to assess the relationship between the Bethesda classification and pathologic stage of thyroid cancer with attention to T1a lesions. A single institution, retrospective study of thyroidectomy patients who had a preoperative FNA and a final pathology of thyroid malignancy were performed. The distribution of stage relative to Bethesda classification was significantly different than expected (P = 0.00382). The low risk Bethesda II, (odds ratio;OR 9.15, 2.7931-29.97, P = 0.0003) and the intermediate group, Bethesda III, (OR 3.48, 1.4436-8.4124, P = 0.0055) had a statistically significant higher incidence of T1a. The Bethesda classification for thyroid FNA falls short in the accuracy of intermediate stage malignancies. Patients whose FNA were Bethesda II or III had a higher likelihood of indolent T1a disease.

A unique use of intraoperative digital specimen radiography in the treatment of primary hyperparathyroidism.

Intraoperative evaluation of primary parathyroid specimens historically has been difficult. Frozen section diagnosis is not reliable and time-consuming. A visible rim of compressed normal parathyroid tissue is seen histologically surrounding a parathyroid adenoma and absent in parathyroid hyperplasia. Adjuncts such as radionuclide scanning and intraoperative parathyroid hormone levels help but are indirect methods of evaluation. Intraoperative digital specimen radiography (IDSR) of specimens is a novel technique that was compared with frozen section analysis. The study spanned a 12-month period. Thirty-six patients with primary hyperparathyroidism met eligibility criteria. Resected parathyroid specimens were evaluated with the Bioptics PiXarray100 digital radiograph system and pathologic evaluation. Thirty-nine specimens were evaluated with IDSR, reflecting three patients with multiple glands excised. Thirty patients were pathologically found to have adenomas (83%) and six were hyperplasia (17%). Twenty-seven of 30 adenoma specimens had an IDSR visible rim of compressed tissue (sensitivity 90%) and no hyperplasia specimens had an IDSR visible rim (specificity 100%). Fisher's exact test was significant (P = 0.000). Frozen section correctly diagnosed adenoma in only 16 of 30 specimens (sensitivity 53%). IDSR of parathyroid specimens is a powerful modality in the real-time differentiation of parathyroid adenomas from hyperplasia (sensitivity 90%). This technique is noninferior to the current "gold standard," frozen section (sensitivity 53%). We propose IDSR evaluation of all parathyroid surgical specimens for the immediate diagnosis of adenoma versus hyperplasia.

The computerized synoptic operative report: a novel tool in surgical residency education.

HYPOTHESIS: As opposed to the traditional dictated report, the use of a computer-based synoptic operative report will mandate that the surgical resident have a better understanding of all facets of the procedure. DESIGN: A prospective study over a 10-month period. SETTING: A 636-bed community teaching hospital. PATIENTS: A total of 57 consecutive patients and 60 operative procedures for breast cancer. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: A total of 60 consecutive breast cancer narrative operative reports, dictated by the attending surgeon, were compared with synoptic computerized operative reports filled by an operating resident. It included a total of 36 items containing data on demographics, preoperative history, diagnostic evaluation, and precise intraoperative findings. The 2 types of reports were compared for overall completeness and for the completeness of individual items. RESULTS: Comparison of the narrative and synoptic reports showed that there was significant improvement in data completeness with the use of the synoptic report. The overall analysis showed that the synoptic operating report contained 94.7% of the preoperative and operative data, whereas the dictated operative report was able to capture only 66% of the data (P < .001). Eleven of 15 items in the general and preoperative sections of the dictated report and 6 of 21 items in the intraoperative section of the dictated report were underreported compared with those same items in the synoptic report (P = .004-.001). CONCLUSION: The computerized synoptic operative report is superior to the dictated report in the documentation of important preoperative and intraoperative data. Although checklists and templates are not new in medicine, the use of a synoptic operative report as a surgical educational tool is a novel concept. Each resident who participated in our study had to develop a better understanding of the operative procedure in order to complete a more accurate synoptic report.

Can computed tomography scan be performed effectively in the diagnosis of acute appendicitis without the added morbidity of rectal contrast?

The highest degrees of accuracy have been demonstrated for CT scans using rectal contrast in diagnosing appendicitis. However, the administration of rectal contrast is associated with patient discomfort and rarely, rectosigmoid perforation (0.04%). Additionally, the commonly accepted negative appendectomy rate is around 16 per cent. We performed a retrospective review of radiology, operative, and pathology reports of consecutive patients undergoing appendectomy or CT examination for appendicitis during 2006. CT scans were performed without rectal contrast. The accuracy of each type of inpatient CT examination and negative appendectomy rates were determined. Two hundred and thirty-eight patients underwent appendectomy. One hundred and thirty-four appendectomy patients (56%) received a preoperative CT scan. The negative appendectomy rates were 6.3 per cent overall, 8.7 per cent without CT examination and 4.5 per cent with CT (P = 0.3). Two hundred and forty-five inpatient CT scans were performed for suspected appendicitis with a sensitivity of 90 per cent, specificity of 98 per cent, accuracy of 94 per cent, positive predictive value of 98 per cent, and negative predictive value of 91 per cent. CT scanning without rectal contrast is effective for the diagnosis of acute appendicitis making rectal contrast, with its attendant morbidity, unnecessary. The previously acceptable published negative appendectomy rate is higher than that found in current surgical practice likely due to preoperative CT scanning.

The efficacy of MRI as an adjuvant to traditional mammography.

The objective of our study is to assess the utility of breast Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) when used for indications other than those published in peer-reviewed studies. A retrospective chart review was conducted of the records of 588 women who underwent both mammography and breast MRI. Patients excluded from the study were those who had breast MRI for accepted indications based on published peer-review studies. Included on the study were the remaining 122 patients. An evaluation was then made in each case as to whether the MRI finding caused a change in the patient's management. In this review, subject age ranged from 27- to 85-years-old. The mean age of the sample was 54.5 years. Of the positive MRI results, 29 (27.7%) had additional findings. There were 25 (20.3%) subjects with a treatment change and 97 (79.5%) without. In conclusion, breast MRI affected the clinical management in 25 (20.3%) of 122 patients. The majority of the 25 patients have invasive ductal carcinoma, followed by ductal carcinoma in situ. We believe this is a significant percentage positively affected by the additional use of breast MRI. We suggest that indications for the use of breast MRI in addition to traditional breast imaging should include all patients with invasive ductal carcinoma.

Utility of liver function tests after laparoscopic cholecystectomy.

Many surgeons routinely obtain liver function tests (LFTs) after all laparoscopic cholecystectomies. Others argue that LFTs provide no useful information and add time and expense to the patient's hospitalization. This purpose of this study was to determine if routine postoperative LFTs predict complications. One hundred ninety-nine consecutive patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy were included in the analysis. Nine (4.5%) patients had postoperative complications: eight with retained common bile duct stones and one with a cystic duct stump leak. All were diagnosed with postoperative endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography. Only four of the nine patients had hyperbilirubinemia. Overall, 39 patients had postcholecystectomy hyperbilirubinemia, with four (10%) patients having complications (three retained stones and one had a bile leak). For the entire study population, there was no difference between pre- and postoperative total bilirubin and aspartate aminotransferase levels (0.6 vs 0.6 mg/dL; P = 0.623 and 25 vs 41 U/L; P = 0.111, respectively). There was a statistically significant difference in pre- and postoperative alanine aminotransferase and alkaline phosphatase (31 vs 50 U/L; P = 0.003 and 95 vs 90 U/L; P = 0.001, respectively). Postoperative elevations in liver function tests are frequently seen after laparoscopic cholecystectomy. These elevations do not predict postoperative complications. LFTs should be obtained only when clinically indicated.

Factitious oxygen desaturation after isosulfan blue injection.

Profound pulse oximetery desaturations are observed following isosulfan blue dye injection during breast sentinel node biopsy. The objective of this study was to examine the effect isosulfan dye has on oxygenation status and the reliability of pulse oximetery in evaluating this parameter. After study design, institutional review board approval was obtained. A prospective 5-month study was performed between January and April 2002. Twenty-one women with invasive breast cancer were monitored during breast sentinel node biopsies. Twenty-two operative cases were analyzed by pulse oximetry and arterial catheterization to record oxygen saturation. Time intervals of analysis were 0, 5, 10, 20, 30, and 40 minutes following injection of isosulfan blue dye. Simultaneous pulse oximetry and arterial blood gas analysis allowed comparison of indirect oximetry oxygen saturation (SpO2) to actual arterial oxygen saturation (SaO2). SpO2 values were decreased from baseline values at 10, 20, and 30 minutes without decrease in SaO2 saturation (P < 0.001). The mean oximetry SpO2 desaturation was 5.6 per cent, with a range to 9 per cent. After injection with isosulfan blue dye, a significant SpO2 desaturation occurs. Clinicians must be aware of the factitious effect isosulfan blue dye has on SpO2 monitoring, to assess accurately the oxygenation status of the anesthetized patient.

Are preoperative serum calcium, parathyroid hormone, and adenoma weight predictive of postoperative hypocalcemia?

The objective of this study is to determine whether preoperative serum calcium, parathyroid hormone, or adenoma weight is predictive of postoperative hypocalcemia after removal of a parathyroid adenoma. A retrospective chart review was performed for consecutive parathyroidectomy patients over a 6-year period at a community-based teaching institution. Patients with renal failure (serum creatinine >1.7), hyperplastic disease, and parathyroid carcinoma were excluded. The outcome measures were postoperative serum calcium and the presence of signs or symptoms such as paresthesias, anxiety, or Chvostek's sign. One hundred forty-one patients underwent parathyroidectomy during the study period. Fifty-four patients were excluded as a result of hyperplastic disease, renal failure, carcinoma, or unavailable records. Of the remaining 87 patients 25 (28.7%) developed hypocalcemia (serum calcium < 8.0), and ten patients (11.5%), developed symptoms. The mean preoperative calcium levels for the normocalcemic and hypocalcemic groups were 10.9 and 10.6, respectively (P < 0.217). The mean preoperative parathyroid hormone levels (normal 10-54) were 214 and 139, respectively (P < 0.305), and the mean adenoma weights were 1.059 and 1.337 g respectively (P < 0.343). This study demonstrates no statistically significant difference in the mean preoperative serum calcium levels, parathyroid hormone levels, or adenoma weight between normocalcemic and hypocalcemic patients postoperatively.