The importance of compression time in stapled hemorrhoidopexy: is patience a virtue?

Purpose@#The aim of this study was to evaluate whether longer compression time before firing the stapler reduced the postoperative complications related to staple line formation in stapled hemorrhoidopexy. @*Methods@#This retrospective case-control study was conducted at a colorectal-anal specialty hospital. Consecutive patients with grades III and IV hemorrhoids who underwent stapled hemorrhoidopexy between January 2016 and November 2019 were included. According to the compression time, patients were assigned to the long compression time group (2 minutes) or the typical compression time group (30 seconds). The primary outcome measure was incidence of staple line complications such as dehiscence, bleeding, and stenosis. @*Results@#A total of 348 patients treated with stapled hemorrhoidopexy were evaluated. Seventy-three and 275 patients were included in the long compression time group and the typical compression time group, respectively. No significant differences were observed in patient characteristics between the groups. However, additional procedures were performed more frequently in the typical compression time group (78.1% vs. 92.0%, P=0.001). Bleeding occurred more frequently in the typical compression time group (1.4% vs. 8.4%, P=0.030). The rates of dehiscence and stenosis were not significantly different between the groups. Fecal urgency developed more frequently in the typical compression time group (0% vs. 5.1%, P=0.040). In logistic regression analysis, typical compression time (30 seconds) was the only risk factor for bleeding (odds ratio, 8.496; P=0.040). @*Conclusion@#Longer compression time was associated with a decreased incidence of postoperative bleeding after stapled hemorrhoidopexy.

Transanal gauze packing to manage massive presacral bleeding secondary to prescral abscess caused by rectal anastomotic leakage: a novel approach

Anastomotic leakage following rectal resection is a serious and fearful complication, and may cause presacral abscess and/or peritonitis. To our knowledge, massive hematochezia secondary to presacral abscess caused by anastomotic leakage has not yet been reported in the literature. We observed this rare and life-threatening complication in three patients who were successfully treated with a simple but effective transanal gauze packing technique.

The Surgical Treatment of Malignant Bowel Obstruction Caused by Recurrent Gastric Cancer

PURPOSE: Malignant bowel obstruction caused by recurrent gastric cancer must be treated appropriately to improve the effects of treatment and to prolong survival. We reviewed the surgical treatments for malignant bowel obstruction caused by recurrent gastric cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The subjects were patients with malignant bowel obstruction caused by recurrent gastric cancer and these patients were treated by surgical procedures at our hospital from 1998 to 2008. The patients were treated by resection, ostomy or bypass. The success of treatment was decided when the patients were able to tolerate more than a liquid diet. RESULTS: 42 patients were treated 46 times by surgical procedures. Resection was done12 times, ostomy was done 24 times and bypass was done 10 times. The hospital stay and the period to liquid diet after the operation were shorter in the ostomy group. The post operative morbidity rate was 21.7% and the post operative death rate was 8.7%. There was no significant difference in survival according to the type of surgery. CONCLUSION: Ostomy is good choice for selected patients because it has a shorter hospital stay and period to liquid diet. There was no significant difference in survival according to the type of surgery because curative resection is difficult to perform in patients with malignant bowel obstruction.