Surgical pathology associated with Meckel´s diverticulum in a tertiary hospital: 12 year review.

OBJECTIVE: We want to present our experience about surgical pathology of Meckel´s diverticulum by means of a retrospective study. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We report a group of patients of our Department of General and Abdominal Surgery and Paediatric Surgery of our Hospital with Meckel´s diverticulum since January 1997 to January 2010. We report the clinical presentation, complementary test, interventions, and the postoperative follow up. RESULTS: 45 patients were operated in total, 33 of them in emergency surgery under the clinical form of acute abdominal pain; and the others 12 in programmed surgery, these cases came up more frequently like a clinical manifestations of latent abdominal pain, rectal bleeding and anemia. The complementary tests were so varied; abdominal ultrasounds were used in 63% of emergency cases and the 40% of programmed cases, in these patients,gammagraphy with Tc99 was the second test in frequency. Laparoscopy was used in 10 cases (22%). The main surgery technique used was diverticulectomy (82%). CONCLUSIONS: The presence of Meckel´s diverticulum has to be clinically suspected in all patients with abdominal pain of unknow naetiology. Access to the abdominal cavity using routine laparoscopy provides essential information on the diagnosis and for the treatment.

Fibrinogen-thrombin collagen patch reinforcement of high-risk colonic anastomoses in rats.

AIM: To evaluate the effectiveness of human fibrinogen-thrombin collagen patch (TachoSil®) in the reinforcement of high-risk colon anastomoses. METHODS: A quasi-experimental study was conducted in Wistar rats (n = 56) that all underwent high-risk anastomoses (anastomosis with only two sutures) after colectomies. The rats were divided into two randomized groups: Control group (24 rats) and treatment group (24 rats). In the treatment group, high-risk anastomosis was reinforced with TachoSil® (a piece of TachoSil® was applied over this high-risk anastomosis, covering the gap). Leak incidence, overall survival, intra-abdominal adhesions, and histologic healing of anastomoses were analyzed. Survivors were divided into two subgroups and euthanized at 15 and 30 d after intervention in order to analyze the adhesions and histologic changes. RESULTS: Overall survival was 71.4% and 57.14% in the TachoSil® group and control group, respectively (P = 0.29); four rats died from other causes and six rats in the treatment group and 10 in the control group experienced colonic leakage (P > 0.05). The intra-abdominal adhesion score was similar in both groups, with no differences between subgroups. We found non-significant differences in the healing process according to the histologic score used in both groups (P = 0.066). CONCLUSION: In our study, the use of TachoSil® was associated with a non-statistically significant reduction in the rate of leakage in high-risk anastomoses. TachoSil® has been shown to be a safe product because it does not affect the histologic healing process or increase intra-abdominal adhesions.

Patología quirúrgica asociada a divertículo de Meckel en un hospital de tercer nivel. Revisión de 12 años / Surgical pathology associated with Meckel's diverticulum in a tertiary hospital: 12 year review

Objetivo: presentar nuestra experiencia en la patología quirúrgica del divertículo de Meckel mediante un estudio retrospectivo. Material y métodos: presentamos una serie de casos de pacientes afectos de divertículo de Meckel, en los Servicios de Cirugía General y del Aparato Digestivo y de Cirugía Pediátrica del Hospital Universitario Virgen del Rocío, en un periodo de tiempo comprendido entre enero de 1997 y enero de 2010. En la serie se recoge la tipología de paciente, la clínica de debut, las pruebas complementarias y el tipo de intervención realizada, así como el tiempo de seguimiento postoperatorio. Resultados: se intervinieron un total de 45 pacientes, 33 de forma urgente, bajo la forma de abdomen agudo, y 12 de ellos programada, estos casos se presentaron como un cuadro de dolor abdominal más larvado, acompañado a veces de anemia ferropénica, con rectorragia manifiesta o no. Las pruebas complementarias fueron muy variadas, la más utilizada, la ecografía abdominal, realizada en el 63% de los casos urgentes y en el 40% de los programados, en estos últimos cabe destacar también el empleo de la gammagrafía con Tc99. Se utilizó el abordaje laparoscópico en 10 casos (22% del total). La técnica quirúrgica mayoritaria consistió en diverticulectomía y enterorrafia (82% de los casos). Conclusiones: la sospecha clínica de divertículo de Meckel debe estar presente en todo paciente con dolor abdominal de etiología desconocida. Consideramos que el acceso por vía laparoscópica a la cavidad abdominal contribuye al diagnóstico y tratamiento de esta enfermedad(AU)

Objective: we want to present our experience about surgical pathology of Meckel’s diverticulum by means of a retrospective study. Material and methods: we report a group of patients of our Department of General and Abdominal Surgery and Paediatric Surgery of our Hospital with Meckel’s diverticulum since January 1997 to January 2010. We report the clinical presentation, complementary test, interventions, and the postoperative follow up. Results: 45 patients were operated in total, 33 of them in emergency surgery under the clinical form of acute abdominal pain; and the others 12 in programmed surgery, these cases came up more frequently like a clinical manifestations of latent abdominal pain, rectal bleeding and anemia. The complementary tests were so varied; abdominal ultrasounds were used in 63% of emergency cases and the 40% of programmed cases, in these patients, gammagraphy with Tc99 was the second test in frequency. Laparoscopy was used in 10 cases (22%). The main surgery technique used was diverticulectomy (82%). Conclusions: the presence of Meckel’s diverticulum has to be clinically suspected in all patients with abdominal pain of unknown aetiology. Access to the abdominal cavity using routine laparoscopy provides essential information on the diagnosis and for the treatment(AU)