Treating acute colonic diverticulitis with extraluminal pericolic air: An Acute Care Surgery in the Netherlands (ACCSENT) multicenter retrospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Owing to improved quality of computed tomography, a new category of complicated acute diverticulitis, including patients with pericolic air but without abscess formation, can be defined (Hinchey 1a). Recent studies question whether this new category of acute diverticulitis could be treated as uncomplicated cases. The aim of our study is to report on the clinical course of acute diverticulitis Hinchey 1a in current clinical practice. METHODS: For this multicenter retrospective cohort study, patients presenting at the emergency department with Hinchey 1a acute diverticulitis as demonstrated by computed tomography scan, were identified. The primary outcome measure was successful conservative treatment with observation alone, antibiotics, and/or hospital admission. Readmissions, percutaneous drainage of abscesses, and emergency operations were considered as failure. RESULTS: Between October 2016 and October 2018, 1,199 patients were clinically suspected for acute diverticulitis, of whom 101 (8.4%) were radiologically diagnosed to have type 1a acute diverticulitis (average age 57 (±13) years, 45% female) and started with conservative treatment. This was successful in 86 (85%) patients. One of the 15 unsuccessfully treated patients (1%) received percutaneous drainage of an abdominal abscess. Surgery was required in 9 cases (9%) after a median time of 6 days (range, 3 to 69 days). Although a difference in the volume of extraluminal air on computed tomography scan was found, this was not shown to be a risk factor for the clinical course. CONCLUSION: Patients with type 1a acute diverticulitis can be treated successfully by conservative therapy in the majority of cases (85%). More research is required to define predictive factors for successful conservative management.

​Treating pyogenic liver abscesses secondary to diverticulitis in a patient using immunosuppressants for Crohn's disease by performing a sigmoid colectomy.

Pyogenic liver abscess (PLA) formation is a rare complication of Crohn's disease (CD). As symptoms often mimic a CD exacerbation, diagnosis can be delayed leading to severe disease. The current case report describes a case of a patient with a history of CD that was admitted with multiple PLAs, which persisted despite percutaneous drainage combined with antibiotics. After a sigmoid resection, the liver abscesses diminished rapidly.

[Gastrografin as a prognostic and therapeutic medium; use for small bowel obstruction, but not for closed loop obstruction]. / Gastrografin als prognostisch en therapeutisch medium.

Timely recognition and treatment of small bowel obstruction is of great importance for the course of the disease. Complete obstruction of the small bowel can lead to serious complications such as bowel ischaemia and perforation. Gastrografin, which is traditionally used as an oral contrast agent in imaging diagnostics, is of prognostic and therapeutic value in patients presenting with adhesive small bowel obstruction. CT is necessary to rule out closed loop obstruction or other than adhesive causes of the bowel obstruction before using Gastrografin. Patients with closed loop obstruction can rapidly develop bowel ischaemia and immediate surgery is indicated once diagnosed. Awaiting clinical resolution of the small bowel obstruction without surgery is justified when closed loop obstruction has been ruled out, there are no signs of bowel ischaemia and an abdominal radiograph within 4-24 hours after administration of Gastrografin shows the oral contrast in the colon.

An avulsion fracture of the calcaneal tuberosity: delay of treatment causes the 'Achilles heel' of optimal recovery.

A 72-year-old woman was diagnosed with an avulsion fracture of the tuberosity of the calcaneus. The fracture was planned for elective fixation 12 days after the accident. The planned open reduction and internal fixation was not possible due to a decubital wound on the Achilles heel as a result of pressure on the skin of the fractured tuberosity. Closed reduction and internal fixation was performed, leading to an acceptable outcome. Avulsion fractures of the tuberosity of the calcaneus are rare injuries, and delay in treatment should be avoided as it may lead to preventable complications.

Gastric perforation due to foreign body ingestion mimicking acute cholecystitis.

An 82-year-old man presented with signs and symptoms that were suggestive of acute cholecystitis. He underwent a laparoscopic cholecystectomy. During the intervention, a wooden foreign body was removed from the infiltrated omentum, probably after it had perforated the gastric antrum. The gastric perforation had led to a secondary infection of the gallbladder. The presumed gastric perforation was treated conservatively, and the patient recovered well and was discharged after 7 days. Secondary inflamed gallbladders are rare; the current case is, to the best of our knowledge, the first case reporting a secondary infection of the gallbladder due to a gastric perforation. Clinicians should be aware of possible ingestion of foreign bodies in elderly patients wearing dental prosthetic devices.

Pathological fractures in a patient with chronic lymphatic leucaemia without disease progression.

We describe a case of a 59-year-old woman with a medical history of upper leg pain and chronic lymphatic leucaemia (CLL), with known diffuse bone marrow infiltration and without signs of lymphatic or extra-lymphatic disease activity on positron emission tomography CT (PET-CT). She presented with multiple fractures of the pelvis, sacrum and left proximal femur as a result of a low energy fall. During admission, she sustained a non-traumatic fracture of the right proximal femur. Pathological fractures in patients with CLL are usually based on Richter's transformation or multiple myeloma. However, in the current case, a PET-CT and a bone marrow biopsy showed no signs of this. We did see a normoparathyroid hypercalcaemia in our patient, most likely caused by a CLL-based release of local osteoclast stimulating factors. A combination of fludarabine/cyclofosfamide/rituximab was started as treatment in combination with allopurinol and sodium bicarbonate to prevent further osteolysis.

A retrospective analysis of surgical site infections after chlorhexidine-alcohol versus iodine-alcohol for pre-operative antisepsis.

BACKGROUND: Surgical site infection (SSI) is the most common hospital-acquired infection in the Netherlands. There is little evidence in regard to differences in the efficacy of pre-operative topical antisepsis with iodine-alcohol as compared with chlorhexidine-alcohol for preventing SSI. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective analysis at a single center, involving all patients who underwent breast, colon, or vascular surgery in 2010 and 2011, in which pre-operative disinfection of the skin was done with iodine-alcohol in 2010 and with chlorhexidine-alcohol in 2011. Demographic characteristics, surgical parameters, and rates of SSI were compared in the two groups of patients. Subgroup analyses were done for wound classification, wound type, and type of surgery performed. Associations of patient characteristics with SSI were also investigated. Data were analyzed with χ(2) tests, Student t-tests, and logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: No statistically significant difference was found in the rates of SSI in the two study groups, at 6.1% for the patients who underwent antisepsis with iodine-alcohol and 3.8% for those who underwent disinfection with chlorhexidine-alcohol (p=0.20). After multivariable analysis, an odds ratio (OR) of 0.68 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.30-1.47) in favor of chlorhexidine-alcohol was found. Male gender, acute surgery, absence of antibiotic prophylaxis, and longer hospital length of stay (LOS) were all associated with SSI after pre-operative topical antisepsis. CONCLUSION: In this single-center study conducted over a course of one year with each of the preparations investigated, no difference in the rate of SSI was found after an instantaneous protocol change from iodine-alcohol to chlorhexidine-alcohol for pre-operative topical antisepsis.

The relationship between trauma mechanism, fracture type, and treatment of midshaft clavicular fractures.

OBJECTIVE: The debate on whether midshaft clavicular fractures should preferably be treated operatively or nonoperatively still continues. Several patient-related factors may influence this treatment decision. A retrospective study was carried out to determine the relation between fracture type and trauma mechanism, age and sex, and the influence of these factors on the choice of primary treatment. METHODS: Data on the trauma mechanism and treatment of 232 adult patients, who presented with a midshaft clavicular fracture in two hospitals in the Netherlands during the years 2006-2009, were collected. The extent of clavicular shortening, displacement, and fracture type on the primary radiograph were scored. RESULTS: Traffic accidents are the main cause of midshaft clavicular fractures. After correction for age, no relation was found between the trauma mechanism and the fracture type. Older age correlated with more comminuted and displaced fractures. Extensive shortening (>20 mm) was identified as the main clinical indication for primary surgery, whereas displacement and fracture classification seemed less relevant. Operative treatment was increasingly favored from 5% in 2006 to 44% in 2009, which could not be explained by an increase in more complex fractures or by age-related or trauma mechanism-related factors. CONCLUSION: Age has a major influence on the fracture type, whereas the trauma mechanism does not. The choice for the surgical treatment of midshaft clavicular fractures is primarily determined by the amount of axial shortening of the clavicle, rather than by the overall displacement or fracture type. Over the years, the choice of treatment seems to have been increasingly influenced by the patient's and surgeon's preferences.

Displaced midshaft fractures of the clavicle: non-operative treatment versus plate fixation (Sleutel-TRIAL). A multicentre randomised controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: The traditional view that the vast majority of midshaft clavicular fractures heal with good functional outcomes following non-operative treatment may be no longer valid for all midshaft clavicular fractures. Recent studies have presented a relatively high incidence of non-union and identified speciic limitations of the shoulder function in subgroups of patients with these injuries. AIM: A prospective, multicentre randomised controlled trial (RCT) will be conducted in 21 hospitals in the Netherlands, comparing fracture consolidation and shoulder function after either non-operative treatment with a sling or a plate fixation. METHODS/DESIGN: A total of 350 patients will be included, between 18 and 60 years of age, with a dislocated midshaft clavicular fracture. The primary outcome is the incidence of non-union, which will be determined with standardised X-rays (Antero-Posterior and 30 degrees caudocephalad view). Secondary outcome will be the functional outcome, measured using the Constant Score. Strength of the shoulder muscles will be measured with a handheld dynamometer (MicroFET2). Furthermore, the health-related Quality of Life score (ShortForm-36) and the Disabilities of Arm, Shoulder and Hand (DASH) Outcome Measure will be monitored as subjective parameters. Data on complications, bone union, cosmetic aspects and use of painkillers will be collected with follow-up questionnaires. The follow-up time will be two years. All patients will be monitored at regular intervals over the subsequent twelve months (two and six weeks, three months and one year). After two years an interview by telephone and a written survey will be performed to evaluate the two-year functional and mechanical outcomes. All data will be analysed on an intention-to-treat basis, using univariate and multivariate analyses. DISCUSSION: This trial will provide level-1 evidence for the comparison of consolidation and functional outcome between two standardised treatment options for dislocated midshaft clavicular fractures. The gathered data may support the development of a clinical guideline for treatment of clavicular fractures. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Netherlands National Trial Register NTR2399.

Historical overview of varicose vein surgery.

Varicose veins are as old as Hippocrates. Varicose vein treatments come and go. Surgery for varicose vein disease is one of the commonest elective general surgical procedures. The history of varicose vein surgery has been traced. We note the first descriptions of varicose veins, and we particularly focus on the ligation of the saphenofemoral junction, stripping of the great saphenous veins, phlebectomy, and perforant vein surgery. We end with the rapid rise of minimally invasive procedures, such as foam sclerotherapy, radiofrequency ablation, and endovenous lasertherapy. Within 10 years, the advantages of minimal invasiveness for these procedures, combined with claims of equivalent short-term outcomes and even better long-term results, have already influenced our everyday practice. At present, the gold standard treatment of varicose veins still is surgical ligation and stripping of the insufficient vein. Concomitantly or sequentially with the treatment of truncal insufficiency, residual varicosities can be treated by phlebectomy. New minimally invasive techniques, however, have changed the clinical landscape for varicose vein surgery tremendously. The dramatic changes of the last decade are probably the precursors of the next generation.