Postoperative complications and survival rate of esophageal cancer: Two-period analysis. / Complicaciones postoperatorias y supervivencia del cáncer de esófago: análisis de dos periodos distintos.

INTRODUCTION: Nowadays, treatment of esophageal cancer requires a multidisciplinary approach, in which esophagectomy remains the mainstay. The aim of this report is to assess whether multimodal treatment and minimally invasive surgery have led to a lower morbidity rate and an improvement in survival rates. METHODS: Retrospective evaluation of 318 patients diagnosed with esophageal cancer including 81 esophagectomies. The periods of 2000-2007 and 2008-2015 were compared, analyzing the prognostic factors that may have an impact in morbidity and survival rate. RESULTS: Major postoperative complications according to the Clavien-Dindo classification accounted for 35%, showing a decrease between the 1.st and 2.nd period: 41% morbidity vs. 30%, 27% mortality vs. 9% (p < .001) and 13.5% fistulas vs. 7%. The implementation of thoracoscopic esophagectomy contributed to the outcome improvement, as shown by 19% morbidity and 5% mortality rates, with triangularized mechanical anastomosis showing 9% fistula and 5% stenosis. The overall 5-year survival rate was 19%, with a significant increase from 11% in the 1.st period to 28% in the 2.nd (p < .001). CONCLUSIONS: Multidisciplinary assessment of patients with esophageal cancer, as well as better selection and indication of treatment and the introduction of new minimally invasive techniques (thoracoscopy and triangularized mechanical anastomosis), have improved the morbidity and mortality rates of esophagectomies, resulting in increased survival rates of these patients.

[Advances in bariatric surgery: from the open approach to the biliopancreatic bypass with laparoscopic gastric preservation. Twelve years of experience]. / Evolución en cirugía bariátrica: del abordaje abierto al bypass biliopancreático con preservación gástrica por vía laparoscópica. Doce años de experiencia.

INTRODUCTION: An analysis is presented of the results in the treatment of morbid obesity after 12 years experience. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A retrospective study of patients subjected to surgery for morbid obesity from July 1998 to April 2010. Open techniques were initially used, and from January 2005 using biliopancreatic bypass with gastric diversion by a laparoscopic approach. RESULTS: A total of 165 patients have been subjected to surgery, 65 with open surgery (gastric bypass and Scopinaro), and 100 laparoscopic. The mean age was 40 years, with 74% females. The mean BMI was 48.6±6 kg/m(2), with 35% super-obese. The mean hospital stay was 7 days, with a morbidity of 26% (43 patients). Seven patients required further surgery, and 2 patients died. There was 99.4% follow-up during a median period of 46 months (1 to 141). There were complications of the gastro-jejunostomy in 17 patients. Seven patients required further surgery due to transmesenteric hernias. The rate of overweight lost was 67% (95% CI: 65-72%), 68% (95% CI: 65-72%) and 68% (95% CI: 63-73%) at 12, 36 and 60 months, respectively. The rate of excess BMI lost was 73% (95% CI: 70-76%), 74% (95% CI: 70-79%) and 74% (95% CI: 68-69%) at 12, 36 and 60 months, respectively. Comparing both approaches, there were more post-operative complications, longer hospital stays, and more incisional hernias in the open approach, with no significant differences found in the rest of the parameters analysed. CONCLUSION: Our long-term results are within those classified as excellent, with acceptable morbidity and mortality. A great advance has been observed in the laparoscopic approach due to the less aggressive surgery, and maintaining an excellent weight loss.

[Prosthetic material fixation in open inguinal hernioplasty: suture vs. synthetic glue]. / Fijación del material protésico en la hernioplastia inguinal abierta: sutura vs. cola sintética.

INTRODUCTION: The use of synthetic glues has become normal practice in several surgical fields. The objective of this study is to compare the short and medium term results of glue and conventional suture in the fixation of the prosthesis in open inguinal hernia repair with a plug and patch technique. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A comparative prospective study was conducted on 198 patients with a diagnosis of a non-recurrent inguinal hernia subjected to open surgery and randomly assigned to mesh fixation with cyanoacrylate glue (n=101) or with suture (n=98). The demographic characteristics, short-term complications, hospital stay, time off work, hernia recurrence, and chronic inguinal neuralgia, were analysed. RESULTS: The overall morbidity was 13.9% in the glue group, and 30.9% in the suture group. No undue inflammatory reactions or mesh migration were observed in the group. The post-operative stay was 14.7h for the glue group, and 19.1h in the suture group (P<.0001). No differences were found regarding days off work. The short-term morbidity was higher in the suture group (19.6% vs. 10.9%). After one year, there was one recurrence in the suture group (1%), and none in the glue group. However, the incidence of moderate/severe intensity chronic neuralgia was 2.9% in the glue group, and 10.3% in the suture group (P=.03). CONCLUSION: The use of cyanoacrylate is safe and effective in open inguinal hernia repair, with good results in the short and medium term.