A novel approach to lower rectal anastomosis: technique innovation and the preliminary report of twenty cases / Uma nova abordagem para a anastomose retal mais baixa: inovação técnica e relatório preliminar de cinte casos

Background and aims: To describe a practical technique innovation (transanal 'Pull-through' approach) as a feasible, safe and effective alternative to the conventional transabdominal stapler low rectal anastomosis in lesions of minimal anatomical distinction from the adjacent intact mucosa. Material and methods: Prospective case-series of patients with low rectal cancers, familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) and ulcerative colitis undergoing Pull-through transection and very low rectal anastomosis using linear TA-90 noncutting stapler and circular stapler-cutter. Results: In this series, twenty patients (11 men and 9 women) underwent proctectomy by the transanal Pull-through technique. Barring one of the patients that developed a pelvic abscess in the immediate postop follow-up, surgical procedure and the long-term follow-up period was uncomplicated with no critical findings of leakage, stenosis and bleeding. The postop rate of infection and fecal incontinence was not significantly different between genders and different age groups of the study. The mean operative time was calculated 169.9 ± 11.1 minutes. Conclusion: Pull-through transection procedure using the TA-90 non-cutting stapler is a safe, efficient and economically sound technique implicated in low-lying rectal lesions. The transanal 'Pull-through' approach is particularly helpful in situations where the direct visualization of lower rectal mucosa changes the prognosis through determining the marginal extent of intact/involved mucosa (e.g., FAP, villous adenomas, rectal polyps and post-neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy tumors).

Experiência e objetivos: Descrever uma inovação técnica prática (abordagem transanal pull-through) como uma alternativa viável, segura e eficaz à anastomose transabdominal retal baixa convencional com grampos em lesões com mínima diferenciação anatômica com respeito à mucosa intacta adjacente. Material e métodos: Estudo prospectivo de série de casos de pacientes com cânceres retais baixos, polipose adenomatosa familiar e colite ulcerativa submetidos à transecção pull-through e a uma anastomose retal muito baixa com o uso de um grampeador linear não cortante TA-90 e um grampeador cortante circular. Resultados: Nesta série, 20 pacientes (11 homens, 9 mulheres) foram submetidos a uma proctectomia pela técnica transanal pull-through. À exceção de um dos pacientes, que apresentou um abcesso pélvico no seguimento pós-operatório imediato, não ocorreram complicações com o procedimento cirúrgico e ao longo do prolongado período de seguimento, nem houve achados críticos de vazamento, estenose ou sangramento. O percentual de infecção e incontinência fecal no pós-operatório não foi significativamente diferente entre gêneros e nas diferentes faixas etárias dos pacientes envolvidos no estudo. O tempo cirúrgico médio foi de 169,9 ± 11,1 minutos. Conclusão: O procedimento de transecção pull-through com o uso do grampeador não cortante TA-90 é técnica segura, eficaz e economicamente confiável para uso em lesões retais baixas. A abordagem transanal pull-through tem particular utilidade em situações nas quais a visualização direta de alterações na mucosa retal mais baixa muda o prognóstico, mediante a determinação da extensão marginal da mucosa intacta/envolvida (p. ex., FAP, adenomas vilosos, pólipos retais e tumores pós-quimiorradioterapia neoadjuvante).

Significance of platelet count in esophageal carcinomas.

BACKGROUND/AIM: Thrombocytosis is found to be associated with unfavorable prognosis in esophageal carcinoma. Platelets produce thymidine phosphorylase which is a platelet-derived endothelial cell growth factor with angiogenic activity. Increased platelet count may be translated into enhanced tumor growth. We examined the relation between platelet count and several prognostic variables in patients with esophageal cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Three hundred and eighty-one cases with esophageal cancer that underwent esophagectomy in a referral cancer institute during a 5-year period were studied retrospectively. The relation between preoperative platelet count and patient age, gender, site of tumor, presence of multiple cancers and clinicopathological characteristics including histological type, tumor size, depth of penetration (T), lymph node involvement (N), distant metastasis (M), degree of differentiation, presence of vascular, lymphatic and perineural invasion was examined. RESULTS: Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) constituted 93% and adenocarcinoma 7% of cases. Most of patients were in stage III, followed by stage II. The mean platelet count was 245±76 (Χ 10(9)/L). There was no statistically significant correlation between platelet counts with prognostic factors except a weak linear correlation between platelet count and and tumor size (P = 0.03, Pearson correlation coefficient: 0.16). Patients with adenocarcinoma had a higher platelet count than those with SCC (P = 0.003). CONCLUSION: Platelet count does not correlate with prognostic factors in esophageal cancer. However, it is significantly different between SCC and adenocarcinoma of esophagus.

The effect of age on the outcome of esophageal cancer surgery.

BACKGROUND: Surgery is still the best way for treatment of esophageal cancer. The increase in life expectancy and the rising incidence of esophageal tumors have led to a great number of elderly candidates for complex surgery. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of advanced age (70 years or more) on the surgical outcome of esophagectomy for esophageal cancer at a single high-volume center. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between January 2000 and April 2006, 480 cases with esophageal cancer underwent esophagectomy in the referral cancer institute. One hundred sixty-five patients in the elderly group (70 years old or more) were compared with 315 patients in the younger group (< 70 years). All in-hospital morbidity and mortality were studied. RESULTS: The range of age was 38-84 years, with a mean of 58.7. The mean age of the elderly and younger groups was 74 and 53.2, respectively. In the younger group, 70 patients (22.2%) and in the elderly group, 39 patients (23.6%) were complicated (P 0.72).The most common complications in the two groups were pulmonary complications (9.8% in younger and 10.3% in elderly) (P 0.87). Rates of anastomotic leakage and cardiac complications were also similar between the two groups. Hospital mortality rates in younger and elderly patients were 2.8% and 3%, respectively. There was no significant difference between the two groups in morbidities and mortality (P-value > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: With increased experience and care, the outcomes of esophagectomy in elderly patients are comparable to young patients. Advanced age alone is not a contraindication for esophagectomy.