How to choose the most appropriate technique for the single-stage treatment of cholecysto-choledocolithiasis?

BACKGROUND: We utilized transcystic clearance and intra-operative papillotomy through a rendezvous technique for the treatment of cholecysto-choledocolithiasis. The goal of this study was to evaluate the reliability of pre-operative parameters to address the most suitable surgical procedure. METHODS: A total of 180 patients affected by calculi of the gallbladder and bile duct underwent the single-stage treatment. According to several pre-operative parameters, 141 patients had to supposedly undergo transcystic clearance of the bile duct, while 39 patients had to be treated with the rendezvous technique. All patients were treated with the sequential procedure: first, we tried the transcystic procedure and, if there was a failure, we used a rendezvous technique. We prospectively analysed each group based on a series of variables such as sex, age, operative time, success rate of proposed treatment, conversion rate, post-operative complications and hospital stay. RESULTS: Transcystic clearance was successful in 134 out of 141 patients (95.0%), while 2 patients needed to undergo a laparo-endoscopy procedure (failure). Thirty-five out of 39 patients (89.7%) obtained common bile-duct (CBD) clearance through the rendezvous technique, while 1 patient obtained clean-up through the simple transcystic procedure (failure). Five out of 141 patients with transcystic clearance and 3 out of 39 patients with the rendezvous technique underwent laparotomy CBD clearance with conversion rates of 3.5% and 7.7%, respectively. Post-operative complications showed similar percentages for both procedures. However, the surgical time turned out to be longer for the rendezvous technique. CONCLUSIONS: The one-stage procedure for the treatment of cholecysto-choledocolithiasis was possible in 94% of the cases utilizing a surgical technique selected according to the patient's case history. The pre-operative parameters, such as jaundice, CBD diameters and stone diameters, have certified their reliability as good predictors of the most suitable procedure to follow.

Impact of the new guidelines of the American Thyroid Association on the treatment of the differentiated thyroid tumor in an Italian center with medium-high volume thyroid surgery.

BACKGROUND: The therapy for differentiated thyroid tumors is currently built upon two cornerstones: the stage of the disease and the new guidelines of the American Thyroid Association, jointly converging to lobohystmectomy for selected cases that meet certain criteria. The aim of the study was to relate these guidelines to the activity of an Italian center with a medium-high volume of thyroidectomies in a region with a high rate of endemic disease of the thyroid. METHODS: In order to conduct the analysis, the clinical records of the last 3 years, including 194 cases of total thyroidectomy and 3 lobohystmectomy, were taken into consideration. There were 46 cases of differentiated thyroid cancer (18 incidental tumors were found during thyroidectomies for benign diseases). Postoperative complications, patient characteristics and the stage of the tumor were assessed in relation to the new ATA guidelines. RESULTS: All patients underwent total thyroidectomy, with 2 of them also undergoing lymphadenectomy. The incidence of transient hypoparathyroidism was 19% with 1 case of permanent deficit. No cases of recurrent nerve injury were reported. Twenty-five out of the 28 patients with cancer preoperatively diagnosed were found with more nodules and in 15 of them the nodule had a diameter bigger than 1 cm. All the parameters suggested lobohystmectomy only for one case. The treatment for the differentiated thyroid tumor is still widely discussed. Above all, differences between populations, screening methods and surveillance programs are still evident. CONCLUSIONS: The ATA guidelines applied to our cases, even if limited, have shown limited applicability to our study, mainly due to the high incidence of multinodularity and the size of the nodule: typical characteristics of a region with a high rate of endemic thyroid pathology.

Single-stage procedure for the treatment of cholecysto-choledocolithiasis: a surgical procedures review.

While laparoscopic cholecystectomy is generally accepted as the treatment of choice for simple gallbladder stones, in cases in which common bile duct stones are also present, clinical and diagnostic elements, along with intraoperative findings, define the optimal means of treatment. All available options must be accessible to the surgical team which must necessarily be multidisciplinary and include a surgeon, an endoscopist, and a radiologist in order to identify the best option for a truly personalized surgery. This review describes the different techniques and approaches used based on distinctive recommendations and factors, according to the specific cases treated and the results achieved.

Preoperative risk factors in total thyroidectomy of substernal goiter.

The definition of substernal goiter (SG) is based on variable criteria leading to a considerable variation in the reported incidence (from 0.2% to 45%). The peri- and postoperative complications are higher in total thyroidectomy (TT) for SG than that for cervical goiter. The aim of this study was to evaluate the preoperative risk factors associated with postoperative complications. From 2002 to 2014, 142 (8.5%; 98 women and 44 men) of the 1690 patients who underwent TT had a SG. We retrospectively evaluated the following parameters: sex, age, histology, pre- and retrovascular position, recurrence, and extension beyond the carina. These parameters were then related to the postoperative complications: seroma/hematoma, transient and permanent hypocalcemia, transient and permanent laryngeal nerve palsy, and the length of surgery. The results were further compared with a control group of 120 patients operated on in the same period with TT for cervical goiter. All but two procedures were terminated via cervicotomy, where partial sternotomies were required. No perioperative mortality was observed. Results of the statistical analysis (Student's t-test and Fisher's exact test) indicated an association between recurrence and extension beyond the carina with all postoperative complications. The group that underwent TT of SG showed a statistically significant higher risk for transient hypocalcemia (relative risk =1.767 with 95% confidence interval: 1.131-2.7605, P=0.0124, and need to treat =7.1) and a trend toward significance for transient recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy (relative risk =6.7806 with 95% confidence interval: 0.8577-53.2898, P=0.0696, and need to treat =20.8) compared to the group that underwent TT of cervical goiter. TT is the procedure to perform in SG even if the incidence of complications is higher than for cervical goiters. The major risk factors associated with postoperative complications are recurrence and extension beyond the carina. In the presence of these factors, greater care should be taken.

Symptoms of obstructive defecation syndrome: functional outcome after stapled haemorrhoidectomy.

BACKGROUND: Patients with haemorrhoids often present obstructive defecation symptoms. Preoperative they can be classified in three groups: slight, severe and mild symptoms. Aim of this study was to postoperatively evaluate functional outcome in patients who underwent stapled haemorrhoidectomy in mild obstructive defecation syndrome. METHODS: We enrolled 98 patients with mild obstructive defecation symptoms using Wexner score preoperatively (range 8-16) from the 332 consecutive patients treated with stapled haemorrhoidectomy between January 2009 and December 2011. All patients were clinically examined 1 month after surgical treatment and every 6 months with a mean followup of 30 months (range 24-42 months). RESULTS: The 98 patients enrolled included 58 men and 40 women. There were no intraoperative complications. Postoperative complications included four patients. A reduction of Wexner score from a mean preoperative score of 12 to a mean postoperative score of 6 just 6 months after surgery was observed. This difference was statistically significant (p<0.001: Mann-Whitney U test). CONCLUSIONS: Careful clinical evaluation of patients with haemorrhoids and obstructive defecation symptom is required to establish the most appropriate treatment. The results of this study indicated that stapled haemorrhoidectomy can improves the functional symptoms for patients with constipation symptoms of moderate degree. KEY WORDS: Functional outcome, Obstructive defecation symptoms, Stapled haemorrhoidectomy.

Efficacy and safety of ablative techniques in elderly HCC patients.

BACKGROUND: This study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy and safety of ablative techniques in elderly patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). METHODS: From February 2004 to February 2009, 80 elderly patients (age > or = 70 years) affected by non-resectable HCC were treated with a regional palliative approach, trans-arterial-chemo-embolization and radio-frequency-thermal-ablation (TACE, RFA). Our approach includes a first treatment of TACE and then a control CT plan after a month. A possible following RFA can be performed to ensure a complete necrosis of the lesions, and then a further contrast enhanced CT scan after 2 months. For 60 patients, the first TACE was sufficient to treat the disease at beginning. For 15 patients TACE was followed by RFA, and for 5 patients an RFA was performed directly due to nodule localization. Response to TACE is assessed every 2 to 3 months with serial AFP level and TC scan. RESULTS: Two patients died for related method's causes (2.5%): liver-renal syndrome (1 patients), and portal thrombosis with irreversible postoperative liver failure (1 patients). A total of 15 patients were lost to follow-up (18.7%): 2 (2.5%) patients had died for non-tumor-related causes, 1 due to a liver transplantation, and 12 (15%) due to failure to attend follow-up visits. All patients developed further localisation, medially after 4 months, and underwent TACE treatment for a mean of another two times. A mean follow up is 36.7 months (1-60) with a mean survival rate of 35.1 months (1-60). CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that, even in over 70-year-olds, TACE and RFA treatment should be employed to completely cure HCC, if liver function and tumor stage are acceptable.

Effective treatment of haemorrhoids: early complication and late results after 150 consecutive stapled haemorrhoidectomies.

BACKGROUND: Haemorrhoidectomy according to Longo potentially reduces post-operative pain and allows an early return to work. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of the technique, the early and especially late complications, and recurrences, in 150 patients. METHODS: Between January 2005 and December 2006, we performed 150 consecutive haemorrhoidectomies with the Longo technique: 82 for third degree haemorrhoids and 68 for fourth degree haemorrhoids. The mean age of patients was 42 years. Every patient had a pre-operative proctoscopy and endoscopy KIT PPH01 (Ethicon Endo Surgery) was used. We evaluated the length of the operation, the post-operative pain, the early and late complications, and the recurrence of the disease. The mean follow up was 52 months (range 36-72). RESULTS: There was no mortality. The mean length of the operation was 25 minutes with a range of 15 to 45 minutes. Pain, evaluated using the V.A.S. scale, was very light in 114 patients (V.A.S. 2,1) and light in 36 (V.A.S. 3.2). Only 11 (7.5%) patients took painkillers, on demand, for a week after discharge from hospital and 2 patients (1,3%) for more than one month. Early complications (6.6%) were: 5 bleeding (2 after seven days), 4 acute urinary retentions, 1 external haemorrhoid thrombosis and 1 haematoma of the rectus wall. Mean Hospital stay was 2.1 days. Late complications (10%) were: 5 "faecal urgency" which disappeared after six months, 6 moderate asymptomatic strictures, and 4 persistent skin tags. There were 8 recurrences (5.1%), 2 for haemorrhoids of grade 3 e 6 for haemorrhoids of grade 4. All the recurrences appeared within the first 24 months. CONCLUSION: The stapled procedure according to Longo is an effective treatment for haemorrhoids. The results for postoperative pain and early return to work are very good. However, special care for haemostasis is essential in order to avoid bleeding. An effective surgical technique prevents late complications, but results after long term follow up show a not insignificant percentage of recurrences that appeared especially in the fourth degree haemorrhoids. Therefore a careful pre-operative exclusion of those patients with a prominent prolax is necessary

Minimally invasive approach of the most common complications after laparoscopic cholecystectomy.

AIM OF THE STUDY: LC is now considered the gold standard in the treatment of cholelithiasis with a minimal incidence of complications, typically, bile peritoneum and hemoperitoneum. METHODOLOGY: The Authors wished to verify the possibility of treating complications after LC with a minimally invasive approach. In 1100 LCs over 8 years, they treated 9 bile peritoneum and 4 hemoperitoneum. RESULTS: It was possible to treat all 13 patients with a minimally invasive approach with a complete resolution of the complication and with no further occurrences during the follow up. CONCLUSIONS: The Authors believe that it is possible to treat the majority of complications arising after LC with minimally invasive methods. Nevertheless, a very early diagnosis and the close cooperation of an Endoscopist and an Radiologist is necessary.