Pre-operative erector spinae plane block should be considered a viable option for laparoscopic colectomies.

BACKGROUND: The Erector Spinae Plane (ESP) block is a recent development in the field of regional anaesthesia and has been increasingly explored for abdominal surgeries to reduce opioid use and improve pain control. Colorectal cancer is the commonest cancer in multi-ethnic Singapore and requires surgery for curative treatment. ESP is a promising alternative in colorectal surgeries, but few studies have evaluated its efficacy in such surgeries. Therefore, this study aims to evaluate the use of ESP blocks in laparoscopic colorectal surgeries to establish its safety and efficacy in this field. METHODS: A prospective two-armed interventional cohort study comparing T8-T10 ESP blocks with conventional multimodal intravenous analgesia for laparoscopic colectomies was conducted in a single institution in Singapore. The decision for doing an ESP block versus conventional multimodal intravenous analgesia was made by a consensus between the attending surgeon and anesthesiologist. Outcomes measured were total intra-operative opioid consumption, post-operative pain control and patient outcome. Post-operative pain control was measured by pain score, analgesia use, and amount of opioids consumed. Patient outcome was determined by presence of ileus. RESULTS: A total of 146 patients were included, of which 30 patients received an ESP block. Overall, the ESP group had a significantly lower median opioid usage both intra-operatively and post-operatively (p = 0.031). Fewer patients required patient-controlled analgesia and rescue analgesia post-operatively for pain control (p < 0.001) amongst the ESP group. Pain scores were similar and post-operative ileus was absent in both groups. Multivariate analysis found that the ESP block had an independent effect on reducing intra-opioid consumption (p = 0.014). Multivariate analysis of post-operative opioid use and pain scores did not yield statistically significant results. CONCLUSIONS: The ESP block was an effective alternative regional anaesthesia for colorectal surgery that reduced intra-operative and post-operative opioid use while attaining satisfactory pain control.

Pre-operative Imaging Characteristics in Histology-Proven Resected Intrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) are the most common primary liver cancers. With the increasing incidence of ICC over the past two decades in Asia, it is essential to differentiate between HCC and ICC. However, ICC may mimic the radiological appearance of HCC on computed tomography scans (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), leading to misdiagnosis of ICC. The objective of this study is to evaluate and describe the association of specific pre-operative imaging characteristics (arterial enhancement, portal venous washout) in patients with histologically proven resected ICC in our centre. METHODS: Data on patients with histology-proven ICC and mixed hepatocellular-cholangiocarcinomas (HCC-CC) who had undergone surgical resection at Singapore General Hospital (SGH) were identified from a prospectively maintained database. Pre-operative cross-sectional imaging reports were analysed. RESULTS: Ninety-one patients underwent resection between 1 January 2000 and 31 December 2016. Among those with no risk factors for HCC, a significant percentage of patients with ICC (24.3%) show imaging characteristics of both arterial phase hyperenhancement and non-peripheral venous washout. Among patients with risk factors for HCC, between 20.0 and 33.3% of patients with pure ICC fulfilled the imaging criteria for HCC, and this proportion was generally even higher in the mixed HCC-CC group. CONCLUSIONS: A significant proportion of patients with pure ICC showed pre-operative imaging characteristics which fulfilled the diagnostic criteria for HCC. The differential of ICC should be borne in mind in populations where both malignancies are endemic.

Multimodal prerehabilitation for elderly patients with sarcopenia in colorectal surgery.

Sarcopenia, which is characterized by progressive and generalized loss of skeletal muscle mass and strength, has been well described to be associated with numerous poor postoperative outcomes, such as increased perioperative mortality, postoperative sepsis, prolonged length of stay, increased cost of care, decreased functional outcome, and poorer oncological outcomes in cancer surgery. Multimodal prehabilitation, as a concept that involves boosting and optimizing the preoperative condition of a patient prior to the upcoming stressors of a surgical procedure, has the purported benefits of reversing the effects of sarcopenia, shortening hospitalization, improving the rate of return to bowel activity, reducing the costs of hospitalization, and improving quality of life. This review aims to present the current literature surrounding the concept of sarcopenia, its implications pertaining to colorectal cancer and surgery, a summary of studied multimodal prehabilitation interventions, and potential future advances in the management of sarcopenia.

Diagnosing Sarcopenia with AI-Aided Ultrasound (DINOSAUR)-A Pilot Study.

Background: Sarcopenia has been recognized as a determining factor in surgical outcomes and is associated with an increased risk of postoperative complications and readmission. Diagnosis is currently based on clinical guidelines, which includes assessment of skeletal muscle mass but not quality. Ultrasound has been proposed as a useful point-of-care diagnostic tool to assess muscle quality, but no validated cut-offs for sarcopenia have been reported. Using novel automated artificial intelligence (AI) software to interpret ultrasound images may assist in mitigating the operator-dependent nature of the modality. Our study aims to evaluate the fidelity of AI-aided ultrasound as a reliable and reproducible modality to assess muscle quality and diagnose sarcopenia in surgical patients. Methods: Thirty-six adult participants from an outpatient clinic were recruited for this prospective cohort study. Sarcopenia was diagnosed according to Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia (AWGS) 2019 guidelines. Ultrasonography of the rectus femoris muscle was performed, and images were analyzed by an AI software (MuscleSound® (Version 5.69.0)) to derive muscle parameters including intramuscular adipose tissue (IMAT) as a proxy of muscle quality. A receiver operative characteristic (ROC) curve was used to assess the predictive capability of IMAT and its derivatives, with area under the curve (AUC) as a measure of overall diagnostic accuracy. To evaluate consistency between ultrasound users of different experience, intra- and inter-rater reliability of muscle ultrasound parameters was analyzed in a separate cohort using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) and Bland-Altman plots. Results: The median age was 69.5 years (range: 26-87), and the prevalence of sarcopenia in the cohort was 30.6%. The ROC curve plotted with IMAT index (IMAT% divided by muscle area) yielded an AUC of 0.727 (95% CI: 0.551-0.904). An optimal cut-off point of 4.827%/cm2 for IMAT index was determined with a Youden's Index of 0.498. We also demonstrated that IMAT index has excellent intra-rater reliability (ICC = 0.938, CI: 0.905-0.961) and good inter-rater reliability (ICC = 0.776, CI: 0.627-0.866). In Bland-Altman plots, the limits of agreement were from -1.489 to 1.566 and -2.107 to 4.562, respectively. Discussion: IMAT index obtained via ultrasound has the potential to act as a point-of-care evaluation for sarcopenia screening and diagnosis, with good intra- and inter-rater reliability. The proposed IMAT index cut-off maximizes sensitivity for case finding, supporting its use as an easily implementable point-of-care test in the community for sarcopenia screening. Further research incorporating other ultrasound parameters of muscle quality may provide the basis for a more robust diagnostic tool to help predict surgical risk and outcomes.