Massive mixed epithelial-stromal tumour of seminal vesicle requiring challenging abdominoperineal resection: a case report and review of literature.

Mixed epithelial-stromal tumours (MESTs) are a rare biphasic tumour that frequently arise in women from the renal and urogenital tract. They are also seen in men but are exceptionally uncommon with only few cases reported to originate from the seminal vesicles. Malignant transformation of its epithelial or stromal components is possible; however, by in large, these tumours are benign in nature. We report the case of a 48-year-old man with no remarkable medical or surgical history who presented with a huge expanding pelvic and intra-abdominal mass that required extensive surgical management including a pelvic exenteration. Histopathological analysis concluded the diagnosis of benign MEST originating from the seminal vesicles with no malignant features. No further systemic therapy was recommended for our patient. Given the technical intricacy in the operative resection of this tumour, we aim to present our findings and surgical management of this complex MEST.

Appendiceal pseudomyxoma peritonei: predictors of recurrence and iterative surgery.

AIM: Appendiceal pseudomyxoma peritonei (PMP) is a rare entity, with recurrence rates up to 26% despite optimal cytoreductive surgery (CRS) and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC). Evidence specific to PMP originating from non-infiltrative appendiceal mucinous neoplasms (low grade - LAMN and high grade - HAMN) is lacking. The aim of this study was to identify patterns of recurrence and predictive factors for patients appropriate for iterative surgery. METHOD: A bi-institutional retrospective analysis was performed on patients undergoing complete cytoreduction and HIPEC for PMP derived from perforated LAMN or HAMN. Multivariate logistic regression was performed to identify independent predictors for re-do CRS. Five-year overall survival (OS) was stratified according to surgical intervention, and 5-year disease-free survival (DFS) was stratified according to histological PMP grade. Cox regression analysis was performed to identify independent predictors for OS and DFS. RESULTS: Sixty of 239 (25.1%) patients developed peritoneal recurrence between 2007 and 2020. The median time to recurrence was 20.7 months. The risk of disease recurrence was highest with high-grade PMP (P <0.001) and increasing PCI (P <0.001). Patients with high-grade histology from their index procedure and aged over 60 years were less likely to be offered iterative surgery on multivariate analysis. Patients who underwent iterative CRS and HIPEC had a 5-year survival of 100%. CONCLUSION: Iterative CRS and HIPEC is feasible in selected patients with recurrent PMP, displaying good oncological outcomes. Age, index histology and level of abdominal quadrant involvement are predictive of proceeding to re-do surgery.

Colorectal cancer in younger adults from a Bi-National Colorectal Cancer Audit registry.

BACKGROUND: The incidence of colorectal cancer (CRC) in younger adults (<50 years old) is rising worldwide, at a rate of 1% per annum since mid-1980s. The clinical concern is that younger adults may have more advanced disease leading to poorer prognosis compared to their older cohort due to lack of screening. Therefore, the aim of this study is to assess the incidence and short-term outcomes of colorectal cancer in younger adults. METHODS: This is a retrospective study from a prospectively maintained bi-national database from 2007 to 2018. RESULTS: There were 1540 younger adults diagnosed with CRC, with a rise from 5.8% in 2007 to 8.4% in 2018. Majority had lower American Society of Anaesthesiologists (ASA) scores (89%), rectal cancers (46.1%) and higher tumour stage (65.4%). As a consequence, they were likely to have higher circumferential resection margin positivity (6%, P = 0.02) and to receive adjuvant chemotherapy (57.1%, P < 0.001) compared to their older cohort. Multivariate analysis showed disadvantaged socioeconomic status (odds ratio (OR) 3.3, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.37-7.94, P < 0.001) and increasing tumour stage (OR 14.9, 95% CI 1.89-116.9, P < 0.001) were independent predictors for circumferential resection margin positivity whereas being female (OR 0.71, 95% CI 0.53-0.95, P = 0.02), higher ASA score (OR 175.3, 95% CI 26.7-1035.5, P < 0.001), urgent surgery (OR 2.75, 95% CI 1.84-4.11, P < 0.001) and anastomotic leak (OR 5.02, 95% CI 3.32-7.58, P < 0.001) were predictors of inpatient mortality. CONCLUSION: There is a steady rise in the incidence of colorectal cancer in younger adults. Both physicians and younger adults should be aware of the potential risk of colorectal cancer (CRC) and appropriate investigations performed so not to delay the diagnosis.

Rate of anastomotic leak following right hemicolectomy by general surgical trainees.

PURPOSE: Performing a right hemicolectomy (RH) is a core technical competency for general surgical trainees. There is a concern that anastomotic leaks occur more frequently when patients are operated on by trainees rather than by surgeons. This study aims to analyse the quality of care outcomes after RH, stratified by the experience level of the operator. METHODS: Patients were retrospectively recruited from the Bi-National Colorectal Cancer Audit (BCCA) Registry, from 2007 to 2018. All patients who underwent a RH for colorectal cancer were eligible. The primary outcome measure was anastomotic leak rate. RESULTS: A total of 6548 eligible right hemicolectomies were identified, with 74% being performed by consultants, 12% by fellows, and 14% by surgical trainees. The overall incidence of an anastomotic leak was 2.1%, with the highest rate of 3.7% noted among supervised registrars. Positive resection margin rate was the highest among unsupervised trainees at 10.5%, as compared with 4.3% among consultants. Anastomotic leak, anastomotic bleeding, prolonged ileus, and pneumonia occurred significantly less frequently with consultant surgeons, as compared with trainees. Independent risk factors for anastomotic leak were urgent surgery, extended right hemicolectomy, conversion to open surgery, and a lower level of operator seniority. Two independent risk factors were identified for inpatient mortality-a high ASA score (III and above) and urgent surgery. CONCLUSION: RH is a common operative procedure in general surgical training. Data from this study may assist with the structuring of surgical training programmes, aimed at maximising both patient safety and trainee professional development and education.

Appendicorectal fistula with a novel solution: First case report and review of the literature.

Appendicorectal fistula can be a cause of chronic abdominal pain, forming years after an occult episode of appendicitis. It can be diagnosed with Colonoscopy and Magnetic Resonance Imaging, and successfully treated surgically with laparoscopic appendicectomy and stapled segmental cuff resection of the rectum.

Safety of laparoscopic appendicectomy during pregnancy: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Acute appendicitis is the most common non-obstetric surgical presentation during pregnancy. There were concerns that laparoscopic appendicectomy increases the risk of foetal loss compared to an open approach. Therefore, with recent advances in perioperative care, it is likely the risk has changed. Here, we performed an updated meta-analysis assessing the safety of laparoscopic appendicectomy in pregnant women. METHODS: A meta-analysis was performed according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. A search was undertaken between 2000 and 2017 on Ovid Medline and Embase. The primary outcome measures were foetal loss and preterm delivery, whereas secondary outcome measures were operative time and hospital length of stay. A random-effect model was performed to pool odds ratio (OR) and standardized mean difference (SMD). RESULTS: Seventeen observational studies were included, with 1886 patients in the laparoscopic and 4261 patients in the open group. Comparing laparoscopic versus open appendicectomy, there were 54 (5.96%) and 136 (3.73%) foetal losses, respectively. However, preterm delivery was much higher in the open approach (8.99%) compared to laparoscopic approach (2.84%). Pooled OR for foetal loss was 1.84 (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.31-2.58, P < 0.001), whereas OR for preterm delivery was 0.39 (95% CI 0.27-0.55, P < 0.001). There was no significant difference between both approaches for operative time (SMD -0.07; 95% CI -0.43 to 0.30, P = 0.71) or hospital length of stay (SMD -0.34; 95% CI -0.83 to 0.16, P = 0.18). CONCLUSION: In a pooled analysis of level III evidence, laparoscopic appendicectomy posed a higher risk of foetal loss but lower risk of preterm delivery. Caution and informed consent are crucial when offering a laparoscopic approach.

Pattern of activation of pelvic floor muscles in men differs with verbal instructions.

AIMS: To investigate the effect of instruction on activation of pelvic floor muscles (PFM) in men as quantified by transperineal ultrasound imaging (US) and to validate these measures with invasive EMG recordings. METHODS: Displacement of pelvic floor landmarks on transperineal US, intra-abdominal pressure (IAP) recorded with a nasogastric transducer, and surface EMG of the abdominal muscles and anal sphincter were recorded in 15 healthy men during sub-maximal PFM contractions in response to different verbal instructions: "tighten around the anus," "elevate the bladder," "shorten the penis," and "stop the flow of urine." In three men, fine-wire EMG recordings were made from puborectalis and bulbocavernosus, and trans-urethral EMG recordings from the striated urethral sphincter (SUS). Displacement data were validated by analysis of relationship with invasive EMG. Displacement, IAP, and abdominal/anal EMG were compared between instructions. RESULTS: Displacement of pelvic landmarks correlated with the EMG of the muscles predicted anatomically to affect their locations. Greatest dorsal displacement of the mid-urethra and SUS activity was achieved with the instruction "shorten the penis." Instruction to "elevate the bladder" induced the greatest increase in abdominal EMG and IAP. "Tighten around the anus" induced greatest anal sphincter activity. CONCLUSIONS: The pattern of urethral movement measured from transperineal US is influenced by the instructions used to teach activation of the pelvic floor muscles in men. Efficacy of PFM training may depend on the instructions used to train activation. Instructions that optimize activation of muscles with a potential to increase urethral pressure without increasing abdominal EMG/IAP are likely ideal. Neurourol. Urodynam. 35:457-463, 2016. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Validity of Estimation of Pelvic Floor Muscle Activity from Transperineal Ultrasound Imaging in Men.

PURPOSE: To investigate the relationship between displacement of pelvic floor landmarks observed with transperineal ultrasound imaging and electromyography of the muscles hypothesised to cause the displacements. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Three healthy men participated in this study, which included ultrasound imaging of the mid-urethra, urethra-vesical junction, ano-rectal junction and bulb of the penis. Fine-wire electromyography electrodes were inserted into the puborectalis and bulbocavernosus muscles and a transurethral catheter electrode recorded striated urethral sphincter electromyography. A nasogastric sensor recorded intra-abdominal pressure. Tasks included submaximal and maximal voluntary contractions, and Valsalva. The relationship between each of the parameters measured from ultrasound images and electromyography or intra-abdominal pressure amplitudes was described with nonlinear regression. RESULTS: Strong, non-linear relationships were calculated for each predicted landmark/muscle pair for submaximal contractions (R2-0.87-0.95). The relationships between mid-urethral displacement and striated urethral sphincter electromyography, and bulb of the penis displacement and bulbocavernosus electromyography were strong during maximal contractions (R2-0.74-0.88). Increased intra-abdominal pressure prevented shortening of puborectalis, which resulted in weak relationships between electromyography and anorectal and urethravesical junction displacement during all tasks. CONCLUSIONS: Displacement of landmarks in transperineal ultrasound imaging provides meaningful measures of activation of individual pelvic floor muscles in men during voluntary contractions. This method may aid assessment of muscle function or feedback for training.

Cytoreductive surgery and heated intraperitoneal chemotherapy for peritoneal carcinomatosis secondary to mucinous adenocarcinoma of the appendix.

Cytoreductive surgery (CRS) followed by hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) is a radical but effective treatment option for select peritoneal malignancies. We sought to determine our early experience with this method for peritoneal carcinomatosis secondary to mucinous adenocarcinomas of appendiceal origin. As such, we performed a retrospective clinical study of 30 consecutive patients undergoing CRS with planned HIPEC at the Princess Alexandra Hospital, between June 2009 to December 2012, with mucinous adenocarcinomas of the appendix. CRS was performed in 30 patients, 13 received HIPEC intraoperatively and 17 received early postoperative intra-peritoneal chemotherapy (EPIC) in addition. Mean age was 52.3 years and median hospital stay was 26 days (range 12-190 days). Peritoneal cancer index scores were 0-10 in 6.7% of patients, 11-20 in 20% of patients and >20 in 73.3% of patients. Complete cytoreduction was achieved overall in 21 patients. In total, 106 complications were observed in 28 patients. Ten were grade 3-A, five were grade 3-B and one grade-5 secondary to a fatal PE on day 97. In patients who received HIPEC, there was no difference in disease-free survival (P = 0.098) or overall survival (P = 0.645) between those who received EPIC versus those who did not. This study demonstrates that satisfactory outcomes with regards to morbidity and survival can be achieved with CRS and HIPEC, at a single-centre institution with growing expertise in the technique. Our results are comparable with outcomes previously described in the international literature.