Bleeding diatheses and preoperative screening.

Bleeding disorders pose a significant perioperative risk. Surgeons and surgical consultants should have a working knowledge of the cell-based coagulation model. Careful screening for bleeding diatheses begins with a careful history and physical examination. It is paramount to ascertain what medications and nonprescribed supplements and herbal preparations a patient is taking, as these medications can have significant effects on perioperative bleeding tendencies. Finally, screening laboratory-based coagulation assays are available. These must be used judiciously with regard to a patient's history and the clinical circumstances surrounding the surgical stressor.

A targeted approach to sentinel lymph node biopsies in the parotid region for head and neck melanomas.

INTRODUCTION: Cutaneous melanoma is on the rise in the United States, and the head and neck region is the primary site in 20% of patients. Lymph node status is the best indicator of prognosis for melanoma. In the head and neck, sentinel lymph node (SLN) biopsy presents particular challenges, with the parotid region posing difficulties that include locating the lymph nodes, less frequent visualization of blue dye, and the possibility of higher morbidity because of the proximity of lymph nodes to important neurovascular structures. Surgical approaches to the SLN dissection in the parotid region are variable, and may include superficial or total parotidectomies. Parotid-sparing SLN biopsies for head and neck melanomas were evaluated to determine rates of local recurrence. METHODS: The charts of 301 patients from the Yale Melanoma Unit who underwent resection of their head and neck melanoma were reviewed. The location of the primary melanoma was noted, and the sentinel lymph node dissections from the operative reports were documented. Demographic and outcome data were recorded, including course of melanoma management, local recurrence, and postoperative course. RESULTS: Fifty-eight patients underwent SLN biopsy of lymph nodes in the parotid region. Parotid-sparing SLN biopsies comprised 94.8% of total surgical approaches for SLN biopsies in the parotid region. Of the remaining patients who underwent SLN biopsies in the parotid region, 5.17% had a superficial parotidectomy and none had a total parotidectomy. Sentinel lymph nodes were found in all depth layers of the parotid, and LNs were dissected out successfully without the need to remove the parotid in the most cases. The parotid region recurrence rate was 0% for SLN biopsies that either included or spared the parotid gland. There were no localized complications from the sentinel lymph node biopsies. CONCLUSIONS: The parotid-sparing SLN biopsy was performed without any local recurrence in the parotid region. The parotid-sparing SLN biopsy can be carried out in a safe, efficient manner without affecting the rate of local recurrence or postoperative complication. This less-invasive SLN biopsy procedure precludes the complications associated with parotidectomies and may reduce the morbidity for patients with melanomas of the head and neck.

Level I sparing radical neck dissections for cutaneous melanoma in the lymphoscintigram era.

INTRODUCTION: Excision of regional lymph nodes (LNs) in the neck as part of the management for tumors of the head and neck dates back to the 19th century. Crile originally reported the technique of performing a radical neck block dissection in 1905, with notable modifications to the extensive dissection reported throughout the 20th century by Suarez, Ballantyne, Ariyan, and Shah among others. These modifications have aimed to reduce the morbidity encountered by performing the radical neck dissection while balancing the need to remove diseased structures in the head and neck. In this report, we evaluate the outcomes of performing a functional radical neck dissection while sparing the level I LNs as indicated by lymphoscintigraphy. METHODS: The charts of patients from the Yale Melanoma Unit who underwent resection of their head and neck melanoma from January 2000 to December 2006 were reviewed. The location of the primary melanoma and clinical course was noted. Those patients who underwent neck dissections were documented and the extent of the dissections from the operative reports was noted. Demographic and outcome data were recorded, including clinical course of melanoma presentation, local recurrence, and postoperative management. Student t test and χ tests were used to determine statistical significance between groups. P values less than 0.05 were considered statistically significant. RESULTS: A total of 41 patients who were documented to have had a head and neck primary melanoma underwent a functional radical neck dissection. Level I dissections were deemed necessary in 39% of these cases, whereas 61% of patients received functional radical neck dissections with sparing of level I LNs. Specific recurrence of melanoma in the submandibular basin was equivocal for LN sparing dissections (n=1) as compared to excision of level I LNs (n=1) (4% vs 6.25%, P=0.488). Follow-up metastatic rates between the 2 groups were also comparable (44% vs 56%, P=0.328). Overall metastatic rate in follow-up for all patients undergoing LN dissection was 48.8%. There was no statistically significant difference between the average age of patients at diagnosis, Breslow depth, Clark level, and staging between patients who underwent functional radical neck dissections with either excision or sparing of level I LNs. CONCLUSIONS: Clinical and pathological presentation between patients who needed level I sparing dissections and those who did not, failed to demonstrate a statistically significant difference allowing for an adequate comparison. Our results indicate that if lymphoscintigraphy does not show drainage to level I LNs, the functional radical neck dissection can be tailored to spare level I LNs without affecting local recurrence. When not indicated by lymphoscintigram, sparing of level I nodes can be performed safely without changing clinical outcomes, while saving operating room time and minimizing potential damage to the buccal branch of facial nerve and the submandiblular gland.

Metabolic and nutritional changes after bariatric surgery.

Bariatric surgery is the most durable intervention for severe obesity. Appropriate candidates for surgery include those with a body mass index over 40 kg/m(2), or those with a BMI over 35 kg/m(2) who also have weight-related comorbidities. Bariatric procedures are categorized as restrictive, where food intake is limited by a small gastric 'pouch'; malabsorptive, where the length of intestine available for nutrient absorption is decreased; or a combination of both. Although pure malabsorptive procedures, such as the now-historical jejunoileal bypass, achieve greater weight loss than restrictive procedures, they are generally associated with more postoperative metabolic problems. The Roux-en-Y gastric bypass is currently considered the gold standard bariatric procedure for most patients. It results in excellent weight loss with minimal complications, but does require life-long vitamin supplementation. Compliance with vitamins and supplements is also mandatory after malabsorptive procedures. With these procedures, decreased oral intake, as well as altered absorption of nutrients from the GI tract, results in potentially low blood levels of a variety of micronutrients, especially iron, vitamin B12 and folate. Bariatric surgery also improves the comorbid conditions that are associated with obesity, such as diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidemia, obstructive sleep apnea, obesity hypoventilation, gastroesophageal reflux disease, asthma, venous stasis, polycystic ovary syndrome and pseudotumor cerebri. The resolution of diabetes is secondary to weight loss and may also be due to alteration of the enteroinsular axis.