Enterocolic phlebitis: a rare cause of bowel ischemia and review of the literature.

Enterocolic phlebitis (EP) is a rare cause of bowel ischemia due to isolated venulitis of the bowel wall and mesentery without arterial involvement. EP is often misdiagnosed as inflammatory bowel disease, carcinoma, or diverticulitis due to non-specific symptoms as well as non-specific clinical and radiological findings. While unresponsive to pharmacotherapy, surgical resection of the affected bowel appears to be the only successful therapy with a very low recurrence rate. Etiology of EP remains unknown. We report a case of EP with rare presentation in the left hemicolon and unusual histological findings emphasizing the heterogeneity of this cause of enterocolic ischemia. The review and comparison of the three entities-EP, mesenteric inflammatory veno-occlusive disease (MIVOD), and idiopathic myointimal hyperplasia of mesenteric veins (IMHMV), all describing patterns of bowel ischemia due to isolated pathology of mesenteric veins-reveal that the current terminology is unclear. EP and MIVOD are very similar and may be considered the same disease. IMHMV, though, differs in localization, symptom duration, and histological findings but also shares features with EP and MIVOD. Further studies and harmonized terminology are inevitable for better understanding of the disease, prevention of unnecessary pharmacotherapy, and reduction in time to diagnosis.

Diarrhea after bariatric procedures: Diagnosis and therapy.

Diarrhea after bariatric procedures, mainly those with malabsorptive elements including Roux-Y Gastric Bypass and Biliopancreatic Diversion, is common and an essential determinant of quality of life and micro- and macronutrient deficiencies. Bariatric surgery is the only sustainably successful method to address morbid obesity and its comorbidities, particularly gaining more and more importance in the specific treatment of diabetic patients. Approximately half a million procedures are annually performed around the world, with numbers expected to rise drastically in the near future. A multitude of factors exert their influence on bowel habits; preoperative comorbidities and procedure-related aspects are intertwined with postoperative nutritional habits. Diagnosis may be challenging owing to the characteristics of post-bariatric surgery anatomy with hindered accessibility of excluded segments of the small bowel and restriction at the gastric level. Conventional testing measures, if available, generally yield low accuracy and are usually not validated in this specific population. Limited trials of empiric treatment are a practical alternative and oftentimes an indispensable part of the diagnostic process. This review provides an overview of causes for chronic post-bariatric surgery diarrhea and details the particularities of its diagnosis and treatment in this specific patient population. Topics of current interest such as the impact of gut microbiota and the influence of bile acids on morbid obesity and especially their role in diarrhea are highlighted in order to provide a better understanding of the specific problems and chances of future treatment in post-bariatric surgery patients.

Current aspects and future prospects of total anorectal reconstruction--a critical and comprehensive review of the literature.

PURPOSE: Many rectal cancer patients undergo abdominoperineal excision worldwide every year. Various procedures to restore perineal (pseudo-) continence, referred to as total anorectal reconstruction, have been proposed. The best technique, however, has not yet been defined. In this study, the different reconstruction techniques with regard to morbidity, functional outcome and quality of life were analysed. Technical and timing issues (i.e. whether the definitive procedure should be performed synchronously or be delayed), oncological safety, economical aspects as well as possible future improvements are further discussed. METHODS: A MEDLINE and EMBASE search was conducted to identify the pertinent multilingual literature between 1989 and 2013. All publications meeting the defined inclusion/exclusion criteria were eligible for analysis. RESULTS: Dynamic graciloplasty, artificial bowel sphincter, circular smooth muscle cuff or gluteoplasty result in median resting and squeezing neo-anal pressures that equate to the measurements found in incontinent patients. However, quality of life was generally stated to be good by patients who had undergone the procedures, despite imperfect continence, faecal evacuation problems and a considerable associated morbidity. Many patients developed an alternative perception for the urge to defecate that decisively improved functional outcome. Theoretical calculations suggested cost-effectiveness of total anorectal reconstruction compared well to life with a permanent colostomy. CONCLUSIONS: Many patients would be highly motivated to have their abdominal replaced by a functional perineal colostomy. Given the considerable morbidity and questionable functional outcome of current reconstruction technique improvements are required. Tissue engineering might be an option to design an anatomically and physiologically matured, and customised continence organ.

Sirolimus and intraoperative hyperthermic peritoneal chemoperfusion with mitomycin-C do not impair healing of bowel anastomoses.

Surgeons will increasingly have to address the development of gastrointestinal disease in transplant patients or deal with extended bowel resection and bowel anastomosis in advanced cancer patients. Immunosuppressants as well as intraoperative hyperthermic peritoneal chemoperfusion (IHPC) may alter intestinal anastomotic healing. We evaluated the effects of the immunosuppressant sirolimus and of IHPC on healing and stability of bowel anastomoses in pigs. Twenty-four pigs were divided into four groups (SIR: sirolimus was administered orally; IHPC: animals received IHPC with mitomycin-C; COMP: combination of sirolimus and IHPC was administered; CON: sham-treated control group). Animals underwent hand-sutured small bowel and left colon anastomoses and were killed on postoperative day 4. Anastomoses were evaluated by morphometric analysis and immunohistochemistry (IHC) and by measuring the bursting pressure (BP). In all experimental groups (SIR, IHPC, COMP), anastomotic BPs remained unaltered and were not statistically different compared with control (CON). In addition, ileum villous height and colonic crypt depth analysis revealed no significant difference in mucosal thickness, and IHC showed no difference among groups in proliferation, as assessed by the number of KI-67- and bromodeoxyuridine-labeled cells. Immunosuppression with sirolimus as well as IHPC with mitomycin-C do not alter healing of intestinal anastomosis in pigs.