Factors influencing bowel function following total abdominal colectomy.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to determine which factors influenced bowel function following total abdominal colectomy. METHODS: Thirty-two patients who had undergone total abdominal colectomy were studied with regard to factors that are classically thought to influence bowel function, namely, residual stump length, transit time, and rectal stump manometry. In a limited subset of patients, anal manometry was done also. RESULTS: Transit time was the best predictor of bowel function following total abdominal colectomy. This was followed by stump length. If transit time was short, then stump length became important in predicting the occurrence of diarrhea following total abdominal colectomy. CONCLUSIONS: Two factors have an important influence on bowel function following total abdominal colectomy: transit time and rectal stump length. Rectal stump length is an anatomic factor that can be controlled by the surgeon. In total abdominal colectomy, rectal stump length of at least 20 cm is necessary if the patient is to have satisfactory postoperative bowel function. This may not always be possible. In these patients, modification of diet to influence transit time and methods to increase rectal compliance will be necessary.

Localized bullous pemphigoid occurring in a surgical wound.

Localized forms of bullous pemphigoid have been reported to occur in sites of trauma. The case of a 79-year-old female who developed blisters at the site of an abdominal surgical wound is reported. The diagnosis of bullous pemphigoid was made by histology and immunofluorescence studies. The reported cases of localized bullous pemphigoid associated with surgical wounds are reviewed.

Current experience with pancreatogastrostomy.

BACKGROUND: The reconstruction technique for the pancreatic remnant remaining after pancreatoduodenectomy has most frequently been pancreatojejunostomy. Although the mortality rate has been reduced to rather low levels in many centers, the leakage rate from this anastomosis remains high, in the range of 10% or greater. An alternative reconstruction, pancreatogastrostomy, has been known for almost 50 years and has been performed on small numbers of patients. The leakage rate for this anastomosis is less than 1% in literature reports in more than 200 patients. The purpose of this report was to add to the previously reported experience with this technique and to compare it with standard reconstruction as performed in a major American medical center by experienced surgeons. METHODS: The medical records of all patients operated on at the Loyola University Medical Center and the Edward Hines, Jr., Veteran's Affairs Hospital from August 1986 to May 1993, with a procedure code relating to the pancreas, were reviewed. RESULTS: A total of 58 Whipple procedures were identified, including 34 pancreatogastrostomies, 23 pancreatojejunostomies and 1 stapled pancreatic stump. No leaks in any pancreatogastrostomies were observed in the 38 patients so treated, whereas 4 leaks and 2 deaths related to the anastomosis occurred in the group of 23 patients with pancreatojejunostomies. The average length of stay was 14.2 days for the pancreatojejunostomy group and 15.5 days for the pancreatogastrostomy group, excluding duration data from those who died or experienced leakage. There was no significant difference in the length of stay between pancreatojejunostomy and pancreactogastrostomy; there was a statistically significant lengthening of stay for those patients whose anastomosis leaked versus those whose did not leak. The 10 patients having a pylorus-sparing operation had an average postoperative stay of 16 days, including both types of reconstruction. CONCLUSIONS: The gradual adoption of this procedure at a major medical center has led to the abandonment of pancreatojejunostomy as a reconstruction technique for the pancreatic remnant remaining after pancreatoduodenectomy.

Common bile duct obstruction by free floating tumor.

UNLABELLED: Tumors usually spread by local invasion or by vascular or lymphatic metastases. We report six patients in whom tumor cells were shed into the common bile duct with resulting obstruction. The three men and three women had jaundice and upper abdominal discomfort. Jaundice was intermittent in four patients. Preoperative total serum bilirubin ranged from 2.5 to 16.1 mg/dl; alkaline phosphatase ranged from 221 to 605 IU/1. Ultrasound showed a dilated gallbladder [GB] in five patients with dilated intrahepatic ducts in three and stones in only one. ERCP showed a single filling defect in two of three patients and multiple defects in one. PTC showed multiple defects in one patient. At operation a thick gelatinous tissue fragment or clot was seen in the common bile duct of each patient. Frozen section identified tumor tissue in all. The source was GB carcinoma [2], GB adenomyoma [1], hepatic metastases of colon cancer [2] and common bile duct cancer [1]. Treatment consisted of pancreaticoduodenectomy [2], including one for GB cancer, left hepatic lobectomy [1], choledochoduodenostomy [1], common duct exploration with T-tube insertion [1] and cholecystectomy [1]. One patient with metastatic colon cancer and another with gallbladder cancer died within one year of operation. The other four are alive from 2 to 4 years later. CONCLUSION: Benign or malignant tumors within the hepatobiliary tree can shed tissue into the common bile duct which can cause biliary obstruction. Any tissue fragment found in the common bile duct should be evaluated by frozen section. Recognition of this mode of tumor spread is needed for appropriate therapy of the underlying benign or malignant tumor.

The role of prophylactic subtotal colectomy in metachronous carcinoma of the colon and rectum.

The risk of metachronous carcinoma of the colon and rectum at 40 year follow-up evaluation is as high as 30 percent. Because of this risk, we reviewed a series of 767 patients treated surgically for carcinoma of the colon and rectum to define a possible prophylactic role for subtotal colectomy. Patients being treated for metachronous carcinoma of the colon and rectum represented 1.6 percent of all patients undergoing surgical treatment for carcinoma of the colon and rectum during this period. There was an early group (less than 2.5 years) and a late group (greater than eight years); with respect to time interval between lesions, the early group possibly representing missed synchronous lesions. Forty-six percent of the patients had associated adenomas. Evaluation of the colon with preoperative colonoscopy may eliminate the "early" metachronous lesions that are probably missed synchronous lesions. The presence of adenomas in a younger patient with a primary carcinoma of the colon and rectum represents a high risk of future carcinoma. Subtotal colectomy should be considered in these patients and may also improve the life-long follow-up evaluation required by allowing proctosigmoidoscopy alone to evaluate effectively the remaining colon and rectum.

Efficacy of intraperitoneal antibiotics in the treatment of severe fecal peritonitis.

A study was performed with rabbits to examine the efficacy of treatments for fecal peritonitis and, specifically, to determine whether it is beneficial to include antibiotics in the saline used to irrigate the peritoneum. A standardized inoculum of human stool suspension was placed in the peritoneal cavity of the rabbits. Fifty-six rabbits were studied to compare the effect of treatments begun 2 hours after peritoneal soiling. The administration of no treatment resulted in 100% mortality (14 of 14). Parenteral cefotetan 25 mg/kg intramuscularly (IM) twice a day (BID) with no other treatment reduced mortality to 50% (p less than 0.05). Cefotetan 25 mg/kg IM BID plus irrigation of the peritoneum with plain saline further reduced mortality to 21% (3 of 14, p less than 0.05). Cefotetan 25 mg/kg IM BID plus irrigation of the peritoneum with saline containing cefotetan 1.0 mg/mL reduced mortality to 14% (2 of 14, p = not significant). These treatments also produced a progressive decrease in the number of intraperitoneal abscesses from 24.0 +/- 2.1 (mean +/- SEM) in the animals receiving no treatment to 9.7 +/- 1.2 abscesses in the animals receiving peritoneal irrigation with saline containing cefotetan (p less than 0.001). A second experiment then was performed specifically to examine the efficacy of intraperitoneal antibiotics. A lethal fecal inoculum was determined in rabbits receiving conventional therapy, i.e., parenteral antibiotics (cefotetan) and irrigation of the peritoneum with plain saline. With two hours delay before treatment, cefotetan 25 mg/kg IM BID and irrigation with plain saline produced 80% mortality (11 of 14). Cefotetan 25 mg/kg IM BID plus cefotetan 1.0 mg/mL in the saline washout reduced mortality to 21% (3 of 14, p = 0.003) and markedly reduced the number of intraperitoneal abscesses from 13.4 +/- 0.7 in the animals receiving irrigation with plain saline to 8.1 +/- 0.8 in the animals receiving irrigation with saline containing cefotetan (p less than 0.0001). Thus, intraperitoneal irrigation with antibiotics was highly effective. Serum antibiotic levels drawn 30 minutes after irrigation were 112.7 +/- 22.4 micrograms/mL in animals that received irrigation with plain saline, and 101.7 +/- 15.2 micrograms/mL in animals that received irrigation with saline containing cefotetan. These serum levels were not significantly different. With 6 hours delay before treatment, all therapy was less effective. Cefotetan 25 mg/kg IM BID and irrigation with plain saline resulted in 100% mortality (14 of 14). With 6 hours delay, cefotetan 25 mg/kg IM BID and irrigation with saline containing cefotetan reduced mortality to 80% (11 of 14).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Hemodynamic effects of pressure support ventilation in cardiac surgery patients.

Hemodynamic consequences of pressure support ventilation (PSV) were compared with intermittent mandatory ventilation (IMV) in 20 patients following aortocoronary bypass. On the morning following surgery, all patients were weaned by IMV to a rate of eight breaths per minute, tidal volume of 12 ml/kg and inspired oxygen concentration of 40 per cent. With patients awake and able to breath spontaneously, PSV was begun at 20 cm of water. In patients with static lung compliance, less than 0.06 l/cm H2O, 30 cm H2O of PSV was used. Subsequently, all patients were weaned to PSV 10 cm of water, continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) at 5 cm water and extubated. Hemodynamic data including oxygen transport were obtained at each level of PSV and at IMV prior to weaning. Analysis using ANOVA showed comparable hemodynamic and oxygen transport parameters for PSV of 30 cm H2O in comparison with IMV. PSV at levels of 20 and 10 cm H2O produced statistically significant increases in heart rate, mean arterial pressure, central venous pressure, and pulmonary capillary wedge pressure. Cardiac output was stable, and these increases were not clinically significant. In awake patients following cardiac surgery, PSV up to 30 cm H2O can be safely applied without hemodynamic embarrassment in patients with good left ventricular ejection fractions.

Mortality and quality of life after total abdominal colectomy.

We have reviewed the results of 107 consecutive total abdominal colectomies performed at our institutions during the past 10 years. Indications for surgery were carcinoma of the colon (60), multiple polyps (nine), diverticular disease (31), and other conditions (seven). Seven (6.5%) were emergency operations. All patients had anastomosis of the terminal ileum into the lower rectum or distal sigmoid colon no more than 25 cm above the anus. Thirty days after surgery, two patients (1.8%) had died of complications of anastomotic leaks. Both were poor candidates for primary reanastomosis. Morbidity was low, occurring in 11 patients (10.3%). Follow-up evaluation of bowel function revealed satisfactory results in 102 patients (95%). Five patients (5%) had experienced chronic debilitating diarrhea. Unfavorable results were more common with diverticular disease than with neoplasia.

Postoperative chylous ascites: diagnosis and treatment. A series report and literature review.

The accumulation of chylous fluid in the abdominal cavity is an infrequent yet alarming complication in abdominal surgery. Excessive lymphatic leakage is occasionally encountered in the course of operations at the base of the mesentery or retroperitoneum. A source can usually be identified and the leak controlled at the time of laparotomy by suture or clip. In the region of presumed leakage the importance of these efforts is reinforced by the are patient in whom such leakage persists, creating problems in recognition and management postoperatively. The development of this complication in a patient undergoing total abdominal colectomy and left-sided hepatic lobectomy prompted a review of our experience and a literature review. We report four cases of postoperative chylous ascites seen over 5 years. The fluid accumulation followed operations on the abdominal aorta (two patients) and on the colon and liver (one patient) and after a mesocaval shunt procedure (one patient). Two patients responded to low-fat, medium-chain triglyceride diets; one patient required peritoneovenous shunting; and one patient died of progressive nutritional deterioration. We review the recognition and management of chylous ascites based on our experience and that reported elsewhere.

Institutionally shared trauma rotations are viable solutions to deficiencies in trauma training.

Numerous national trauma leaders have expressed concern about the lack of uniformity of trauma training in this country. In 1984 we instituted a trauma rotation between the University of Louisville (U.L.), with a large trauma volume, and Loyola University (L.U.) in the planning stages of trauma center development. Third year L.U. residents rotated at U.L. in 3-month blocks with an increased level of responsibility monthly, culminating in major decision-making roles and operative treatment under the chief resident's direction. The L.U. residents functioned as full members of the team and not as passive observers. Fifteen L.U. residents and 12 U.L. residents rotated during this period. Yearly major trauma visits, helicopter flights, and trauma service admissions average 1,908, 700, and 1,520, respectively. U.L. chief residents averaged 136 major operative trauma cases and 115 nonoperative trauma cases each were managed during this time period (RRC records greater than 85th percentile for all U.L. residents). L.U. residents performed an average of 30 major operative cases, nine as teaching assistant, in 3 months. Each managed more than 75 nonoperative cases. Several elements are critical in such a multi-institutional rotation: 1) active communication among the program directors, 2) commitment to one sharing arrangement only, 3) financing and malpractice for off-site residents, 4) housing, and 5) the ability to assimilate off-site residents as true trauma team members. The resident-to-resident interplay is crucial and has succeeded because both residency staffs have had excellent early training.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Less is better. The diagnostic workup of the patient with obstructive jaundice.

The typical patient with suspected obstructive jaundice is often subjected to an extensive preoperative workup on the premise of providing surgeons with information that will aid them at exploration. A 15-year review of 83 patients with obstructive jaundice from the common periampullary carcinomas was carried out and indicated that obtaining such information was unnecessary, unsafe, costly, and time-consuming. It is recommended that the patient with a medical history and liver function test results suggestive of obstructive jaundice should undergo an abdominal ultrasound study. If this discloses distal bile duct obstruction, no further tests are necessary in most patients and the operation should be carried out promptly.

The value of continuous 72-hour peritoneal lavage for peritonitis.

Studies were performed in 120 rabbits to determine whether 72-hour peritoneal lavage is beneficial or harmful in the treatment of peritonitis. Results showed that against a high concentration fecal inoculum (90 percent mortality), peritoneal lavage containing gentamicin and clindamycin reduced mortality to 10 to 20 percent (p less than 0.05). Parenteral antibiotics alone and lavage not containing antibiotics did not decrease mortality. By contrast, against a low fecal inoculum (30 percent mortality), peritoneal lavage containing gentamicin and clindamycin did not alter mortality. However, lavage not containing antibiotics increased mortality to 70 to 80 percent (p less than 0.05). These data demonstrate that continuous peritoneal lavage may be helpful in the treatment of peritonitis provided the lavage solution contains antibiotics and may be harmful if it does not contain antibiotics.

Plasma catecholamine changes during excision of pheochromocytoma.

Sequential changes in plasma norepinephrine (NE) and epinephrine (EPI) concentration were correlated with changes in blood pressure and cardiac rate in 14 patients undergoing surgery because of pheochromocytoma. All patients had elevated preoperative plasma catecholamine levels that increased during induction of anesthesia, intubation, and skin incision, but mean values did not become significantly higher than preoperative values until tumor manipulation. Episodes of hypertension were associated with increased plasma catecholamine levels, and plasma catecholamine levels and blood pressure decreased dramatically after tumor resection. NE and EPI were usually secreted simultaneously, but release of either NE or EPI alone occurred on some occasions. There were marked variations in the concentration ratio of NE to EPI in plasma at different periods of observation, which suggests that pheochromocytomas release varying amounts of catecholamines in a random fashion. Studies of the effect of the duration of preoperative preparation on intraoperative blood pressure, pulse rate, and cardiac arrhythmias failed to demonstrate that treatment for 14 days or longer was more effective than treatment for 4 to 7 days. Neither the brief nor the prolonged period of therapy prevented development of severe hypertension during tumor manipulation.

Scudder Oration on Trauma. The accident hospital.

Provision of prompt, skilled, cost-effective, and rehabilitation-oriented care for the injured worker is best achieved in a hospital with facilities and staff devoted exclusively to these purposes. As a semi-autonomous unit of a major medical center in or near a large metropolitan area, the accident hospital would assure the worker, his employer, and much of the general population the full range of skills and services essential to the treatment of both major and minor trauma at less cost than current or proposed methods.

Radiologic diagnosis of an intra-abdominal abscess. Do multiple tests help?

A review was made of the charts of 94 patients who underwent ultrasonography (US), computed tomography (CT), and gallium citrate Ga 67 (Gall) scan to rule out intra-abdominal abscesses. Of all the clinical and laboratory data, only the presence of pain and tenderness differentiated patients with and without abscesses. A review of radiologic data showed that CT was superior to US, and that US was superior to Gall scan with regard to sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, and positive and negative predictive values. When multiple radiologic tests were performed, results agreed in 72% of cases; therefore, the additional tests were essentially redundant. When radiologic test results disagreed, accuracy rates were CT, 0.86; US, 0.00; and Gall scan, 0.44. These findings suggest that, except to rule out pelvic abscesses in the presence of pelvic inflammatory disease, CT is usually the only special radiologic test that should be performed to localize a suspected intra-abdominal abscess.

Spectrum of catecholamine-secreting tumors of the organ of Zuckerkandl.

In a series of 24 pheochromocytomas, four were tumors in the organ of Zuckerkandl. Their presenting symptoms of headache, palpitation, diaphoresis, and anxiety were similar to symptoms of adrenal pheochromocytomas. Two patients had paroxysmal and two patients sustained hypertension. All four had elevated urinary vanillylmandelic acid, metanephrine or catecholamine levels. Two of the tumors were localized with angiography before the availability of computerized tomography. Two patients underwent initial computerized tomography, which was nondiagnostic. Later scans looking specifically for organ of Zuckerkandl tumors were positive. Organ of Zuckerkandl tumors, like other ectopic pheochromocytomas, have a higher rate of malignancy. Two of the four were malignant tumors. One patient died 4 years after operation, but the other patient remains stable despite metastatic disease 8 years after operation. The two patients with benign tumors remain well 2 and 3 years after resection and treatment with alpha-blockade.

Age, gender, lateral dominance, and prediction of operative skill among general surgery residents.

Ability patterns and surgical proficiency were examined in matched groups of general surgery residents selected on the basis of age, gender, or hand preference from a population of 141 residents who had completed neuropsychologic tests of visuospatial, psychomotor, and stress tolerance abilities and had been rated on 12 aspects of technical skill exhibited during 1480 operative procedures. Older residents (ages 28 to 42 years) exhibited less motor speed (p less than 0.05) and coordination (p less than 0.005) and more caution in avoiding psychomotor errors (p less than 0.05) than did their younger counterparts. No differences were found for visuospatial abilities, stress tolerance, or rated surgical skill. These findings indicate that although age does appear to adversely affect pure motor skills, these are not important components of operative proficiency. Female residents exhibited superior (p less than 0.05) academic achievement (MCAT, Verbal and National Boards Part II) as compared with their male counterparts. They also excelled on a signal detection task requiring identification of visual patterns. However, the women scored less well (p less than 0.05) than men on a visuomotor task demonstrated to be a significant predictor of operative skill. Greater cautiousness in avoiding errors may be a contributing factor to their reduced efficiency on this task. In comparison to male controls, female residents received consistently lower surgical skills ratings, particularly on items measuring confidence and task organization. Left-handed residents were more reactive to stress (p less than 0.03), more cautious (p less than 0.04), and more proficient on a neuropsychologic test of tactile-spatial abilities (p less than 0.03) than right-handed counterparts. Although these traits correlated positively (p less than 0.05) with rated operative skill within the left-handed group, the group received consistently lower ratings than did right-handed residents. The inconvenience of assisting left-handed residents may overshadow attending surgeons' perceptions of their innate abilities. These findings demonstrate significant, neuropsychologically based differences among surgery residents that pose unique challenges to persons responsible for their selection and training.

Neuropsychologic predictors of operative skill among general surgery residents.

The present study develops a rating scale method for evaluating operative skills, assesses the predictive utility of neuropsychologic tests of nonverbal cognitive and psychomotor abilities in accounting for individual differences in surgical skills, and compares the efficiency of these measures with those of traditional residency selection criteria. According to a multifactorial design, 120 general surgery residents were tested with a neuropsychologic test battery and then rated by attending surgeons on surgical skills exhibited during the course of 1445 surgical procedures. Analysis of the neuropsychologic battery resulted in three factors (complex visuo-spatial organization, stress tolerance, psychomotor abilities) that were statistically unrelated to traditional measures such as Medical College Admission Test and National Board scores. Multiple regression analyses indicated that academic predictors, taken alone, either do not correlate (National Board scores) or correlate negatively (Medical College Admission Test scores) with the surgery ratings. Conversely, neuropsychologic test scores show significant positive correlation (r = 0.68) with the ratings. When both sets of predictor variables are combined, a multiple regression coefficient of 0.80 is found with the ratings, with more than two thirds of the predictive power attributable to the neuropsychologic test scores. These tests may provide a useful addition to traditional methods of predicting operative skills.

Gastric outlet and duodenal obstruction from inflammatory pancreatic disease.

During a ten-year period, 16 patients with gastric outlet and duodenal obstruction due to inflammatory pancreatic disease were seen. The cause of obstruction was chronic pancreatitis in ten patients, pseudocysts with associated pancreatitis in five patients, and pancreatic abscess in one patient. All patients had nausea and vomiting, 14 had abdominal pain, and five had weight loss greater than 4.5 kg. Diagnosis was made by plain abdominal film in one case, upper gastrointestinal tract roentgenographic series in 15 cases, and endoscopy in 11 cases. Mobilization of the duodenum relieved the obstruction in two patients. Fixed obstruction remained in 14 patients. This was relieved by gastrojejunostomy in 12 patients. Gastrojejunostomy was combined with drainage of a pseudocyst in three patients, a dilated pancreatic duct in three patients, and a dilated common bile duct in four patients. Obstruction was relieved by pseudocyst drainage in two patients. Associated common duct and pancreatic duct obstruction must be identified preoperatively.