Sarcopenia assessed by total psoas index - is it correlated with post-operative complications in all digestive cancers?

Background and aims: In cancer patients sarcopenia may be a predictor for postoperative complications of curative or palliative surgery. Several indices including the total psoas area index (TPAI) are proposed for the diagnosis of this condition, but there is no validated cut-off point.Our study aimed to assess the role of TPAI as a marker for sarcopenia and to compare the utility of previously proposed cut-off values for predicting post-operative complications in patients with digestive cancers undergoing surgery. Methods: We retrospectively included all adult patients with digestive cancers admitted to a tertiary center for elective surgery between January and December 2019. Sarcopenia was considered based on TPAI evaluated on abdominal computed tomography (CT) and for analysis we used different cut-off points published by various authors. The primary endpoint was the occurrence of any complications as defined by the Clavien-Dindo classification. The secondary endpoints were fistula development, low- versus high-grade Clavien-Dindo post-operative complications, moderate or severe anemia at discharge, major bleeding, hypoalbuminemia at discharge, and decrease in albumin levels by at least 1g/dL. Results: We included 155 patients with a mean age of 64.78 ± 11.40 years, of which 59.35% were males; 58.06% developed postoperative complications. TPAI evaluated as a continuous variable was not a predictor for the development of post-operative complications neither in the general study sample, nor in the gender subgroups of patients. Sarcopenia defined by previously proposed cut-off values was not a predictor of the secondary end-points either. Conclusion: TPAI as a sole parameter for defining sarcopenia was not a predictor for postoperative complications in patients undergoing surgery for digestive neoplasia.

Severe liver trauma with complex portal and common bile duct avulsion: A case report and review of the literature.

BACKGROUND: Given its size and location, the liver is the third most injured organ by abdominal trauma. Thanks to recent advances, it is unanimously accepted that the non-operative management is the current mainstay of treatment for hemodynamically stable patients. However, those patients with hemodynamic instability that generally present with severe liver trauma associated with major vascular lesions will require surgical management. Moreover, an associated injury of the main bile ducts makes surgery compulsory even in the case of hemodynamic stability, thereby imposing therapeutic challenges in the tertiary referral hepato-bilio-pancreatic centers' setting. CASE SUMMARY: We present the case of a 38-year-old male patient with The American Association for the Surgery of Trauma grade V liver injury and an associated right branch of portal vein and common bile duct avulsion, due to a crush polytrauma. The patient was referred to the nearest emergency hospital and because of the hemorrhagic shock, damage control surgery was performed by means of ligation of the right portal vein branch and right hepatic artery, and hemostatic packing. Afterwards, the patient was referred immediately to our tertiary hepato-bilio-pancreatic center. We performed depacking, a right hepatectomy and Roux-en-Y hepaticojejunostomy. On the 9th postoperative day, the patient developed a high output anastomotic bile leak that required a redo of the cholangiojejunostomy. The postoperative period was marked by a surgical incision site of incomplete evisceration that was managed non-operatively by negative wound pressure. The follow-up was optimal, with no complications at 55 mo. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, the current case clearly supports that a favorable outcome in severe liver trauma with associated vascular and biliary injuries is achieved thru proper therapeutic management, conducted in a tertiary referral hepato-bilio-pancreatic center, where a stepwise and complex surgical approach is mandatory.

The prevalence and the impact of sarcopenia in digestive cancers. A systematic review.

Introduction: Sarcopenia is characterized by a decrease in skeletal muscle mass, associated with low muscle strength and/or poor physical performance. Assessing the prevalence of sarcopenia among digestive cancers and establishing the impact that sarcopenia has on the postoperative evolution of digestive tumors may be a central pillar in improving postoperative outcomes by caring for perioperative sarcopenia. This brief review aimed to evaluate the prevalence of sarcopenia in digestive cancer patients. Method and materials: PubMed database was searched for "sarcopenia" AND "digestive cancers" from January 1st, 2010, through September 30th, 2020. PRISMA guideline was used for this systematic review. After the selection process, 31 complete studies were included in our review. Assessment of sarcopenia diagnosis for the studies included in this systematic review was based on a computed tomographic calculation of the skeletal muscle index at the third lumbar vertebra. Results: Among a total of 11,651 patients with digestive cancers, the prevalence of sarcopenia was 43.68%. The highest prevalence of sarcopenic patients was in esophageal (70.4%) and hepatic (60.3%) cancer, following by biliary tract (49.3%), pancreatic (45.70%), colorectal (42.83%) cancer, and gastric cancer (32.05%) with the lowest prevalence. The results of the studies conducted by now regarding the prevalence of sarcopenia in digestive cancers and its relevance in the evolution of these cancers are discordant and uneven. Some studies show that the presence of sarcopenia in patients with digestive cancers is associated with an increased rate of postoperative complications, increased toxicity of chemotherapeutics and increased mortality. Other studies do not find sarcopenia as an independent risk factor associated with negative consequences in the course of patients with digestive cancers. Conclusions: Sarcopenia is prevalent in digestive cancers. There is still no consensus about the impact of sarcopenia on the treatment of digestive cancers. Further studies are needed to evaluate the real consequences of sarcopenia in digestive cancers..

Laparoscopic Repair of Small Ventral Hernias Using the "Ventralex™ Hernia Patch".

Laparoscopy of abdominal wall defects becomes more and more actual, considering the well-known advantages of minimally invasive surgery, and the reduced incidence of post-operative ventral infections and recurrence rates compared to the the open repair with or without mesh. We hereby present the technique of the laparoscopic repair of small ventral hernias (defect 2 centimetres), using the Ventralex mesh, which is bi-faceted, polypropylene and PTFE, circular preformed, it has 8 centimeters in diameter, fixated with 4 transparietal sutures. The mesh is created for open surgery but it is placed in the intraperitoneal cavity. This technique was used for 28 patients,16 women and 12 men, with an average age of 53,3 years (29-72 years), consisting of: 22 umbilical hernias (UH), 2 epigastric hernias (EH), one left-side Spiegelian hernia, one incisional hernia after an open surgery for an umbilical hernia with a Ventralex mesh, and 2 trocar eventrations (TE) after a laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Mean operating time was 52 minutes (42-70 minutes), post-operative hospital stay of 1,8 days (1-5 days). The main advantages are: circular preformed mesh, diameter of 8 centimeters, transfascial suture fixation, correct mesh placement and unfolding may be verified by laparoscopy, reduced costs. The technique is easy to reproduce.