Effect of anti-reflux suture on gastroesophageal reflux symptoms after one anastomosis gastric bypass: a randomized controlled trial.

PURPOSE: Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is an issue after one anastomosis gastric bypass (OAGB) and modification of OAGB with adding an anti-reflux system may decrease the incidence of postoperative GERD. This study aimed to compare the efficacy of the anti-reflux mechanism to treat preoperative GERD and prevent de novo GERD. METHODS: A prospective randomized clinical trial study was conducted on patients with a body mass index of 40 and more from August 2020 to February 2022. Patients undergoing one anastomosis gastric bypass with and without anti-reflux sutures (groups A and B, respectively). These patients had follow-ups for one year after the surgery. GERD symptoms were assessed in all the patients using the GERD symptom questionnaire. RESULTS: The mean age was 39.5 ± 9.8 years and 40.7 ± 10.2 years in groups A and B respectively. GERD symptoms remission occurred in 76.5% and 68.4% of patients in groups A and B, respectively. The incidence of de novo GERD symptoms was lower in group A, compared to group B (6.2% and 16.1% in groups A and B respectively), without any statistically significant difference (p-value: 0.239). CONCLUSION: GERD symptoms and de novo GERD after OAGB seems to be under-reported after OAGB. This study suggests that applying an anti-reflux suture can decrease de novo GERD symptoms.

The predictive relationship between early and long-term weight loss outcomes after one anastomosis gastric bypass.

BACKGROUND: Weight loss failure after bariatric surgery imposes great stress on patients and surgeons and great costs on healthcare systems. The literature review shows that weight loss failure is the most common cause of redo bariatric surgery. Therefore, identifying the predictors of weight loss failure in patients in the early stages can help bariatric surgeons. The present study aims to determine the association between primary weight loss and long-term weight loss outcomes. METHODS: This retrospective cohort study was conducted on 329 patients undergoing OAGB who were followed for 60 months. For the prediction of short-term (24 months) and long-term (60 months) successful weight loss and weight regain, we used %TWL and BMI at any regular follow-ups. RESULTS: In preoperative indices, age, sex, DLP, hypothyroidism, and HTN were not significant to predict successful short-term and long-term weight loss but %TWL at 12 months is a significant predictor of successful weight loss in short-term and long-term follow up. In the prediction of weight regain, preoperative indices (except BMI) were not significant but 12-month %TWL was a significant predictor. CONCLUSIONS: This index can help surgeons find these patients early and provide helpful instructions to manage their issues more promptly to reach better weight loss outcomes.

Severity of post-Roux-en-Y gastric bypass dumping syndrome and weight loss outcomes: is there any correlation?

PURPOSE: The present research was conducted to evaluate the effect of the severity of dumping syndrome (DS) on weight loss outcomes after Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) in patients with class III obesity. METHODS: The present retrospective cohort study used the dumping symptom rating scale (DSRS) to evaluate the severity of DS and its correlation with weight loss outcomes in 207 patients 1 year after their RYGB. The patients were assigned to group A with mild-to-moderate DS or group B with severe DS. RESULTS: The mean age of the patients was 42.18 ± 10.46 years and their mean preoperative BMI 42.74 ± 5.59 kg/m2. The total weight loss percentage (%TWL) in group B was insignificantly higher than that in group A, but besides that was not significantly different in the two groups. CONCLUSION: The present findings suggested insignificant relationships between the presence and severity of DS after RYGB and adequate postoperative weight loss.

Effect of silymarin on liver size and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease in morbidly obese patients: A randomized double-blind clinical trial.

Background: A large liver size is a factor that may increase the difficulty of bariatric surgery (BS) and unwanted complications. Some agents have been used to decrease the liver size before BS. Silymarin has been used as an antioxidant agent to improve liver function tests. This study was designed to evaluate the effects of silymarin on liver dimensions, function, and lipid profile. Materials and Methods: A double-blind randomized clinical trial was performed on 56 patients. The patients were divided into silymarin and placebo groups. Blood samples and sonographic examinations were taken from the patients before and 4 weeks after the administration of the silymarin or placebo. In the first group, 140 mg silymarin was prescribed every 8 h for 4 weeks, and the other group received placebo in the same way with the same tablet shape. After the completion of the 4-week treatment, laboratory tests and ultrasonography were carried out again. Results: Thirty-nine (69.6%) patients were female with a mean body mass index (BMI) of 46.2 kg/m2 and a mean age of 36.8 years. Most of the patients had a compliance of 80% and higher. The analysis did not show any significant difference in aspartate transaminase, alkaline transaminase, liver size, cholesterol, and triglyceride changes among the silymarin and placebo groups. BMI loss was slightly higher in the silymarin group although the difference was not statistically significant. Conclusion: The present findings show that silymarin administration for 4 weeks does not affect liver size and function, but further evaluations should be carried out on the subject.

Effect of Jejunostomy Feeding Tube Placement on Complications and Outcome of Pancreaticoduodenectomy Procedures.

Objective:The aim of this study was to compare the perioperative outcomes and complications between pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD) candidates with and without jejunostomy tube (J-tube) feeding. Materials and methods:This retrospective cohort study was performed on 48 patient candidates for PD, with or without J-tube placement during surgery, in Shahid Modarres Hospital, Tehran, Iran, between 2013 and 2021. Two groups were matched for age, gender, history of heart, endocrine, hypertension and kidney diseases, and drug use. A 12 French jejunal feeding tube was placed at 20-30 cm distal to gastrojejunostomy anastomosis. Outcomes, including biliary leak, postoperative pancreatic fistula (POPF), delayed gastric emptying (DGE), surgical site infection (SSI), intra-abdominal infection, duration of nasogastric tube (NGT) stay, postoperative (PO) tolerance length, need for total parenteral nutrition (TPN), hospitalization length, and mortality rate, were assessed. Results:There were eight cases with leak (37.5% J-tube group, of which six (75%) were pancreatic type and two (25%) biliary type. There were 11 (22.9%) patients with DGE (54.5% in J-tube group). There was no significant inter-group difference in SSI (P=0.340), intra-abdominal infection managed non-invasively (P=0.369), intra-abdominal abscess managed by percutaneous drainage (P=0.158), patients requiring TPN (P=0.447), NGT placement duration (P=0.088), PO tolerance time (P=0.327), hospital stay (P=0.760) and mortality rate (P=0.851). Conclusion:J-tube placement after PD for pancreatic cancer may be associated with increased postoperative complications. The conclusion of the present study is that there is no difference between performing and not performing the J-tube placement method in terms of complications and consequences.

Safety and Efficacy of One Anastomosis Gastric Bypass on Patients with Severe Obesity Aged 65 Years and Above.

PURPOSE: With the global increase in life expectancy and the subsequent impaired quality of life in older obese adults, modalities such as bariatric surgery become crucial to help lose excess weight. This study was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of one anastomosis gastric bypass (OAGB) in patients 65 years old and above. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This retrospective cohort study was conducted on 61 patients with severe obesity aged ≥ 65 years through Iran National Obesity Surgery Database. The patients had undergone OAGB and were followed up for 12 to 60 months. The required data was extracted through national database. RESULTS: Mean age and BMI of the patients were 67.62 ± 2.03 years and 46.42 ± 5.46 kg/m2, respectively. Regarding gender, 90.1% of the participants were female. Mean operative time and length of hospital stay were 41.37 ± 13.91 min and 1.16 ± 0.61 days, respectively. Five patients (8.19%) required ICU admission. The changes in %TWL after 3, 6, 12, 24, 36, 48, and 60 month follow-up was 18.62%, 25.51%, 32.84%, 35.86%, 38.49%, 31.41%, and 29.52%, respectively. The resolution of gastroesophageal reflux disease, diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia, obstructive sleep apnea, and hypertension after 24 month was about 100%, 65%, 73.33%, 100%, and 76%, respectively. The postoperative early and late complications were 6.53% and 11.46%, respectively. We did not find significant difference in above results between two age groups of 65-70 and > 70 years. CONCLUSIONS: OAGB can be a good choice in older obese adults because of its shorter operative time, higher potency, and low complication rate.

Gastric Remnant Mucocele after Conversion of Vertical Band Gastroplasty to One Anastomosis Gastric Bypass: a Video Vignette.

Conversional bariatric surgery is a challenging procedure to patients as well as the surgeon. One anastomosis gastric bypass (OAGB) is a known safe conversional procedure after primary restrictive weight loss surgeries such as vertical banded gastroplasty (VBG). A very rare reported complication after these operations is the formation of mucocele of gastric remnant during pouch creation. This is a video report of diagnosis and management of gastric remnant mucocele after conversion of VBG to OAGB.

Laparoscopic repair of an incarcerated Morgagni Hernia in a COVID-19-positive patient: A video case report.

INTRODUCTION: Morgagni Hernia (MH) is a type of congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH). CDH is a diaphragmatic discontinuity that permits abdominal viscera to herniate into the chest during development. It does not only occur in early childhood but also has been reported in adults. The most prevalent clinical sign of MH is respiratory disorder of all ages. CASE PRESENTATION: An elderly woman with a known history of diabetes, ischemic heart disease, hypertension, and constipation presented to us with increased abdominal pain. Besides, her PCR test results were positive for COVID-19. She underwent diagnostic laparoscopy surgery. The incision was closed with an intracorporeal suture, and then dual mesh was fixed to diaphragmatic wall. The postoperative progress was satisfactory two weeks after surgery. Based on a negative PCR test, the patient was discharged from the hospital. DISCUSSION: The foramina of Morgagni is a defect in the costosternal trigons produced by a lack of anterior pleuroperitoneal membrane muscularization. Although gastrointestinal symptoms and cardiorespiratory discomfort are typically connected with the diagnosis and treatment of MH in youngsters, there are a few middle-aged people who, like our case, develop symptoms suddenly. Albeit a paradigm change in the 21st century deems less invasive laparoscopic surgery to be the treatment of choice, open surgical procedures via a trans-thoracic or trans-abdominal route are still used. CONCLUSION: MH is indeed uncommon in adults, but in patients with an acute onset of intestinal obstruction, the possibility of MH should be in mind. It can be fatal if it is misdiagnosed.

Selenium Deficiency After Bariatric Surgery, Incidence and Symptoms: a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

This study review the prevalence of selenium deficiency after bariatric surgery, incidence, and symptoms. A systematic literature search and meta-analysis was performed in PubMed and Scopus for articles published by November 1, 2021, including the keywords "Roux-en Y gastric bypass", "RYGB", "Omega bypass", "Mini bypass", "One anastomosis gastric bypass", "Bariatric surgery", "Weight loss surgery", "Metabolic surgery", "Gastric bypass", "Loop gastric bypass", "Selenium", "Selenium deficiency", or a combination of aimed tothem in the title or abstract. In this review, nine studies examining a total of 1174 patients were included in this meta-analysis. The mean age of the patients was 41.14 ± 7.69 years. The mean interval between bariatric surgery and selenium deficiency was 40.36 ± 43.29 months. Mean BMI before surgery and at the time of selenium deficiency was 43.68 ± 4.91 kg/m2 and 28.41 ± 9.09 kg/m2, respectively. Additionally, the results showed a prevalence of 16% and 2% of selenium deficiency at 1- and 2-year follow-up after bariatric surgery, respectively. Symptoms included weakness, myopathy, and cardiomyopathy, loss of muscle mass, erythematous desquamating eruption, lethargy, dyspnea, and bilateral lower extremity pitting edema. Forty percent of studies reported "Selenium orally (100 µg once daily)" as treatment option. A multidisciplinary team of healthcare professionals, including dietitians, should be involved in the bariatric patient's care. As a result, clinicians should encourage patients to take supplements for the rest of their lives, and patients should be monitored after surgery if necessary.

Abdominal apoplexy due to rupture of inferior pancreaticoduodenal artery: A rare case of acute abdomen.

BACKGROUND: Abdominal apoplexy is one of the rare causes of non-traumatic intra-abdominal bleeding. This condition is usually seen in male patients in their 50s with history of hypertension. As soon as abdominal apoplexy is suspected, immediate resuscitation should be performed followed by emergent surgery. The patient's outcome depends entirely on the clinical condition and the time interval between diagnosis and treatment. CASE PRESENTATION: Herein we present a 63-year-old man with idiopathic spontaneous intraperitoneal hemorrhage (ISIH) caused by spontaneous rupture of non-aneurysmal inferior pancreaticoduodenalartery (IPDA). CONCLUSION: In this report, a case of abdominal apoplexy has been presented caused by spontaneous rupture of non-aneurysmal inferior pancreaticoduodenalartery (IPDA) in a patient without any significant past medical history.

Analgesic Effect of Intraperitoneal Bupivacaine Hydrochloride After Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy: a Randomized Clinical Trial.

BACKGROUND: The indications for sleeve gastrectomy as a primary procedure for the surgical treatment of morbid obesity have increased worldwide. Pain is the most common complaint for patients on the first day after laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy. There are various methods for decreasing pain after laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy such as the use of intraperitoneal bupivacaine hydrochloride. This clinical trial was an attempt to discover the effects of intraperitoneal bupivacaine hydrochloride on alleviating postoperative pain after laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy. METHODS: In general, 120 patients meeting the inclusion criteria were enrolled. Patients were randomly allocated into two interventions and control groups using a balanced block randomization technique. One group received intraperitoneal bupivacaine hydrochloride (30 cm3), and the other group served as the control one and did not receive bupivacaine hydrochloride. Diclofenac suppository and paracetamol injection were administered to both groups for postoperative pain management. RESULTS: The mean subjective postoperative pain score was significantly decreased in patients who received intraperitoneal bupivacaine hydrochloride within the first 24 h after the surgery; thus, the instillation of bupivacaine hydrochloride was beneficial in managing postoperative pain. CONCLUSIONS: The intraoperative peritoneal irrigation of bupivacaine hydrochloride (30 cm3, 0.25%) in sleeve gastrectomy patients was safe and effective in reducing postoperative pain, nausea, and vomiting (IRCT2016120329181N4).

Evaluating the Correlation Between the Survival Rate of Patients with Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma and Expression of p53 and Cyclin D1 Biomarkers Along with Other Prognostic Factors.

OBJECTIVE: In the present study, we aimed to evaluate the relationship between the survival rate of patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and expression of two biomarkers along with age, gender, tumor margin, depth of invasion, site of tumor, tumor diameter, tumor grade, number of involved nodes, and vascular invasion. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this retrospective survey, medical records of patients referred to the Shohada-e Tajrish hospital during 2001 to 2005 were reviewed and subjects with definite diagnosis of SCC were included. Required data were extracted from the patients' records, and their prepared paraffin-embedded tissue blocks were collected under supervision of two pathologists. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) analysis was performed at the Firoozgar hospital in Tehran, Iran. RESULTS: The studied population included 20 men (74%) and 7 women (26%). The mean age at diagnosis was 58 ± 22. Results showed significantly higher survival rates in women compared to men (85.7 vs. 40%) (p = 0.001) and in patients with well-differentiated tumors compared to poor-differentiated cases (20 vs. 5%) (p = 0.004). No significant relationship was found between p53 expression and prognostic factors like age, gender, the site, grade, and size of the tumor, depth of invasion, involvement of lymph nodes, and vascular invasion. CONCLUSION: Positivity of p53 and cyclin D1 was not found to be predictive of survival in patients with esophageal SCC which might be due to the small sample size of the present survey. Further investigations with larger sample populations and longer follow-ups are required to evaluate this correlation.

Carotid free-floating thrombus causing stroke in a young woman with lupus anticoagulant: A case report and review of the literature.

INTRODUCTION: In young adults Stroke is a challenging condition and various tests are needed to diagnose and manage its underlying problems. Free floating thrombosis of internal carotid artery (FFT-ICA) is one of the rare problems among carotid artery diseases which can lead to stroke in adults. Owing to limited cases of FFT-ICA there is not a worldwide accepted consensus on management of FFT-ICA, but some recurrences after medical management have been reported in the literature. PRESENTATION OF CASE: A-25-year old woman was referred to hospital with sudden onset aphasia and right sided hemiparesis. Carotid duplex ultrasonography showed an iso-echogenic thrombus ranged about 5×10mm partially attached to arterial wall of the right internal carotid artery. It was floating in accordance with the heartbeat. Anticoagulation therapy was initiated and subsequently she underwent an urgent operation. To explore the etiology of her problem, various lab tests were carried out; the results showed markedly elevated levels of lupus anticoagulant. She was discharged from hospital after an uneventful recovery showing gradual improvement of symptoms in follow-up visits. DISCUSSION: FFT-ICA is one of the scarce disorders of carotid artery. Less than 150 cases have been reported in the literature indicating its common occurrence in old men. Hence the etiology of this case (FFT in a young patient with high levels of lupus anticoagulant antibody) may be the first of its type. CONCLUSION: In this case we chose surgical treatment resulting in complete resolution of symptoms and non-recurrence within 6 month follow-up.

Comparison of efficacy of side to side versus end to side arteriovenous fistulae formation in chronic renal failure as a permanent hemodialysis access.

BACKGROUND: In candidate patients for permanent hemodialysis or dialysis on a regular basis, an appropriate vascular access has great importance. The best permanent access is AVF (arterio venous fistula). Use of a technique to create AVF with better patency seems to be logical. OBJECTIVES: The present study aimed to compare the efficacy rate of AVFs using two different anastomosis methods; Side to Side (STS) versus End to Side (ETS) and to determine whether the different approaches render any preferences or complications. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Sixty end stage renal disease (ESRD) patients were included in this clinical trial in two assigned groups of 30 patients. In one group end to side method to create AVF was used while in the other group Side to Side technique was applied for access in surgery. Both groups were followed for duration of 6 months to assess patency. For evaluating the quantitive variables, t-test was used while qualitative variables were measured using the chi-square and Fisher`s exact tests. RESULTS: In the 6 months duration, 6 patients (20%) in the STS (side to side) group and 5 patients (16.6%) in the ETS (end to side) group experienced a non-functional AVF. In the ETS group the failure was generally a result of thrombosed access while in the STS group, 4 out of 6 patients with complications, experienced thrombosis while the other 2 patients had venous hypertension. The total failure rate was 18.3% and during the 6 months of follow up no significant difference was detected in the efficacy rate. Nevertheless, in case of longer follow ups, different outcomes could be seen. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrated that there was no significant statistical difference between the functional patency rates of fistulae placed by STS or ETS methods.

Simultaneous gastric adenocarcinoma and gastrointestinal stromal tumor of the stomach: a case report.

Simultaneous a collision tumor of stomach consisting of adenocarcinoma and Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumor (GIST) is very rare based on our knowledge. This coexistence has rarely been reported in literatures. We report a case of 64-year-old woman who has diagnosed with prepyloric poorly-differentiated diffuse signet-ring cell type adenocarcinoma and has undergone an elective D2 total gastrectomy. During operation another mass in fundic body region has found. The pathologic examination of the mass has shown GIST. Immunohistochemical staining for CD117 and Desmin was positive whilst that for S100 was negative. This case reports the simultaneous two tumors development of different histotypes and natures in the same organ.