Sphincter-saving surgery in low rectal cancer.

A correct surgical approach to rectal cancer today has to make due allowance for both improved overall survival with local control of disease and preservation of the sphincter and urinary and genital functions. Increased understanding of the natural history, the importance of preoperative accurate staging and new surgical techniques may influence future treatment strategies. The aim of this study was to review and make a reappraisal of the role of sphincter-preserving surgery in the treatment of carcinomas of the lower third of the rectum. From January 1999 to June 2004, 63 consecutive total rectal resections were performed at our surgical department. Thirty-five of these patients, who underwent surgery for a primary adenocarcinoma of the distal rectum (3.5 to 8 cm from the anal verge), were reviewed retrospectively. The preoperative clinical assessment was based largely on T staging, tumor size, fixation and distance from the anal verge. Patient stratification, based on the definitive pathological report, was 3 Dukes' stage A (T1 N0), 21 stage B (T2 N0) and 11 stage C (T2-3-4 N+). The distance from the anal verge was > 5 cm in 30 patients and < 5 cm in 5. Sphincter-saving procedures were performed in 28/35 patients (80%); 7 (20%) had abdominoperineal resections of the rectum for very distal, locally extensive tumours or local recurrence (2 patients). The overall recurrence rate was 11.4%. Postoperative morbidity related to the procedures was low: anastomotic leakage occurred in 10.7% (3/28). Perfect continence was documented in 86.3%. The minimum follow-up time is 12 months. Our data, in agreement with the findings of other Authors, appear to bear out the validity of sphincter-saving procedures in the treatment of cancer of the lower third of the rectum. This approach is possible for the majority of patients. Functional results are good, using an accurate nerve-sparing technique, and may be improved by employing a colonic reservoir in selected cases.

[Surgical treatment of iatrogenic bile duct injuries following laparoscopic cholecystectomy: analysis of long-term results. Retrospective clinical study in 51 patients operated in the Campania region from 1991 to 2003]. / Trattamento chirurgico delle lesioni iatrogene della via biliare in seguito a colecistectomia videolaparoscopica: analisi dei risultati a distanza. Studio clinico retrospettivo in 51 pazienti operati nella regione Campania dal 1991 al 2003.

An higher incidence rate of iatrogenic bile duct injuries is reported in cholecystectomy performed with the laparoscopy than with the laparotomy approach. The aim of this study was to provide a multicentre report on surgical treatment and the outcome of biliary complications during and following laparoscopic cholecystectomy. A questionnaire was mailed to all surgeons with experience in laparoscopic cholecystectomy in the Campania region. Data were collected from January 1991 to December 2003. Each patient was requested to indicate age, gender, associated diseases, site and type of lesion, surgical experience, diagnosis, treatment and complications. Twenty-six surgeons answered the questionnaire. Fifty-one patients (36 F/15 M; mean age: 42.5 +/- 11.9, range 13-91 years) with bile duct injuries following laparoscopic cholecystectomy were reported. The most frequent lesions were main bile duct partial or total transection. The intraoperative mortality rate was 1/51 (1.9%) due to a complex biliary and vascular injury. The postoperative mortality rate of revision surgery was 5/50 (10%). T-tube positioning (n = 20) and Roux-en-Y hepato-jejunostomy (n = 20) were the procedures most frequently performed. The complication rate in patients treated with the T-tube was significantly higher than in those treated with hepatico-jejunostomy. Surgical treatment of biliary injuries following laparoscopic cholecystectomy was characterized by unusually high mortality and morbidity for a non-neoplastic disease. Roux-en-Y hepato-jejunostomy remains the procedure of choice for these injuries.

[Small intestinal polyposis in Peutz-Jeghers syndrome: combined treatment with surgery and intra-operative endoscopy]. / La poliposi del tenue nella sindrome di Peutz-Jeghers: trattamento combinato chirurgia-endoscopia intraoperatoria.

Polyps occur throughout the gastrointestinal tract in Peutz-Jeghers syndrome, but the most serious problems are encountered in the management of small bowel polyposis. We report here on a case of Peutz-Jeghers syndrome admitted to hospital for intestinal obstruction and anaemia. The patient was submitted to colonoscopy, oesophagogastro-duodenoscopy and small bowel enema. At laparotomy, multiple intussusceptions were found and we conducted a combined surgical-endoscopic approach. Most of the polyps were identified and removed endoscopically (snare polypectomy). Five enterotomies were performed to remove 18 very large polyps (> 3 cm). Finally, a limited portion of the jejunal tract (20 cm) was resected owing to the presence of multiple, large, obstructive polyps. None of the polyps showed cancerous transformation. The shortcomings of the traditional surgical approach include repeated small bowel resections and often early reoperation to manage complications caused by polyps missed at the time of previous surgery. If surgical intervention is required, intraoperative endoscopy is always indicated. Conservative surgical management, the role of intraoperative endoscopy, planned medical follow-up and the need for a national registration system are stressed.