Acute Appendicitis During Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19): Increasing Incidence of Complicate Appendicitis, Severity and Length of Hospitalization.

BACKGROUND/AIM: COVID-19 is rapidly spreading, and due to the high morbidity and mortality caused by the pandemic many Governments have introduced social restrictions. Those measures combined with infection-related patient anxiety, led to hiding other diseases. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of COVID-19 on numbers and severity of acute appendicitis cases referred during the pandemic. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Between March 2019 and March 2021, all patients who underwent appendectomy in Tor Vergata Hospital, Rome were included. Patients were divided in two groups (COVID-19/pre-COVID-19). Clinical features, intraoperative findings, hospital stay, and histologic examination data were included in the retrospective analysis. RESULTS: Out of 334 admitted patients, 36 (10.7%) had a diagnosis of acute appendicitis (COVID-19 group) vs. 59(11.2%) in the pre-COVID-19 group. The COVID-19 group presented significantly longer hospitalization, incidence of appendicular abscess, perforation, and severity of inflammation at univariate analysis p=0.002, p=0.021, p=0.001, p=0.006, p=0.001, respectively. At multivariate analysis, appendicular abscess (p=0.015) and higher serum levels of C reactive protein (p<0.008) were associated with prolonged hospital stay. CONCLUSION: This study highlights the correlation between COVID-19 pandemic and the severity of acute appendicitis presentations.

The impact of log odds of positive lymph nodes (LODDS) in colon and rectal cancer patient stratification: a single-center analysis of 323 patients.

Log odds of positive nodes (LODDS), defined as the log of the ratio between the number of positive nodes and the number of negative nodes, has been recently introduced as a tool in predicting prognosis. This study aims to establish the effective and prognostic value of LODDS in predicting the survival outcome of CRC patients undergoing surgical resection. The study population is represented by 323 consecutive patients with primary colon or rectal adenocarcinoma thatunderwent curative resection. LODDS values were calculated by empirical logistic formula, log(pnod + 0.5)/(tnod - pnod + 0.5). It was defined as the log of the ratio between the number of positive nodes and the number of negative nodes. The patients were divided into three groups: LODDS0 (≤ - 1.36), LODDS1 (> - 1.36 ≤ - 0.53) and LODDS2 (> - 0.53). Kaplan-Meier curve analyses showed 3-year OS rates of the patients staged by LODDS classification. These values were 88.3, 74.8 and 61.8% for LODDS0, LODDS1 and LODDS2, respectively (P ≤ 0.001). In a multivariate analysis, LODDS is an independent prognostic factor of 3-year OS. This is in contrast to pN stage and lymph node ratio, which shows no statistical significance. ROC analyses showed that LODDS predicted OS better than lymph node ratio. LODDS classification has a better prognostic effect than pN stage and lymph node ratio. LODDS offers a finer stratification and accurately predicts survival of CRC patients.

Preoperative trans-jugular porto-systemic shunt for oncological gastric surgery in a cirrhotic patient.

Abdominal surgery in cirrhotic patients with portal hypertension is associated with high incidence of disease and mortality. In these patients, oncological gastric procedures with lymph-nodes dissection show much higher complication rates than in normotensive portal vein patients. Thus, normalization of portal vein pressure may be a favorable determinant factor to reduce complications. We report a case of a patient with hepatitis C virus-related hepatic cirrhosis, esophageal varices, portal hypertension and gastric cancer. We demonstrated the efficacy of a preoperative trans-jugular porto-systemic shunt to perform oncological radical resection more safely. We retained preoperative the trans-jugular porto-systemic shunt in the patients with elevated portal pressure and gastric cancer to perform a gastrectomy more safely and to decrease morbidity and mortality of these cases.

Does ghost ileostomy have a role in the laparoscopic rectal surgery era? A randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Anastomotic leakage following anterior rectal resection is the most important and most commonly faced complication of laparoscopy and open surgery. To prevent this complication, the construction of a preventing stoma is usually adopted. It is not easy to decide whether to construct a protective stoma in patients with a medium risk of anastomotic leakage. In these patients, ghost ileostomy (GI), a pre-stage ileostomy that can be externalized and opened if needed, has proved useful. We conducted a prospective, randomized, controlled study to evaluate the advantages of GI in laparoscopic rectal resection. METHODS: All patients with surgical indications for laparoscopic rectal resection who were at medium risk for anastomotic leakage from January 2007 to January 2013 were included and were randomly divided in 2 groups. All of the patients were subjected to laparoscopic anterior rectal resection with the performance of GI (group A) or without the construction of any protective stoma (group B). The presence and severity of clinically evident postoperative anastomotic leakage and other postoperative complications and reinterventions were investigated. RESULTS: Of the 55 patients allocated to group A, 3 experienced anastomotic leakage compared with 4 in group B. The patients with GI experienced a lower severity of anastomotic leakage and shorter hospitalization compared with the patients in group B. None of the patients with GI and anastomotic leakage required laparotomy to treat the dehiscence. CONCLUSIONS: The use of GI in laparoscopic rectal resections in patients at medium risk for anastomotic leakage was useful because it allowed for the avoidance of stoma creation in all of the patients, thus reducing the number of stomas performed, improving the quality of life of the patients and preserving, in most cases, the benefits gained by laparoscopy.

Does the removal of retained staples really improve postoperative chronic sequelae after transanal stapled operations?

BACKGROUND: Transanal stapled procedures are increasingly being used. Several postoperative complications can be referred to their application, including those related to the presence of retained staples at the level of the staple line. OBJECTIVE: This study was conducted to assess whether the removal of the retained staples is a useful approach to improve some of the most common postoperative complications of these surgical techniques. DESIGN: This is a retrospective study. SETTINGS: The study was conducted at the One-Day Surgery Unit of St. Andrea Hospital. PATIENTS: All of the patients who underwent a stapled transanal procedure from January 2003 to December 2011 were included in the study. Patients included in the study were followed postoperatively for 1 year after surgery to identify the presence of retained staples. INTERVENTIONS: If identified, the retained staples were removed endoscopically or transanally. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: After the staple removal, patients were followed with biweekly office visit for 2 months to evaluate the progression of symptoms. RESULTS: From the 566 patients included in the study, 165 experienced postoperative complications, and in 66 of these cases, retained staples were found and removed. With the removal of retained staples, symptoms were almost all resolved or improved. In only 1 case did the retained staples removal not modify the symptoms. LIMITATIONS: The study design may have introduced potential selection bias. In addition, the study was limited by the lack of a specific questionnaire for the evaluation of symptoms improvement. CONCLUSIONS: The removal of the retained staples is an efficacious and safe procedure to solve or improve postoperative complications and should be always considered.

Diaphragmatic rupture with right colon and small intestine herniation after blunt trauma: a case report.

INTRODUCTION: Traumatic diaphragmatic hernias are an unusual presentation of trauma, and are observed in about 10% of diaphragmatic injuries. The diagnosis is often missed because of non-specific clinical signs, and the absence of additional intra-abdominal and thoracic injuries. CASE PRESENTATION: We report a case of a 59-year-old Italian man hospitalized for abdominal pain and vomiting. His medical history included a blunt trauma seven years previously. A chest X-ray showed right diaphragm elevation, and computed tomography revealed that the greater omentum, a portion of the colon and the small intestine had been transposed in the hemithorax through a diaphragm rupture. The patient underwent laparotomy, at which time the colon and small intestine were reduced back into the abdomen and the diaphragm was repaired. CONCLUSIONS: This was a unusual case of traumatic right-sided diaphragmatic hernia. Diaphragmatic ruptures may be revealed many years after the initial trauma. The suspicion of diaphragmatic rupture in a patient with multiple traumas contributes to early diagnosis. Surgical repair remains the only curative treatment for diaphragmatic hernias. Prosthetic patches may be a good solution when the diaphragmatic defect is severe and too large for primary closure, whereas primary repair remains the gold standard for the closure of small to moderate sized diaphragmatic defects.