Management and 1-year outcomes of anastomotic leakage after elective colorectal surgery.

PURPOSE: To analyze different types of management and one-year outcomes of anastomotic leakage (AL) after elective colorectal resection. METHODS: All patients with anastomotic leakage after elective colorectal surgery with anastomosis (76/1,546; 4.9%), with the exclusion of cases with proximal diverting stoma, were followed-up for at least one year. Primary endpoints were as follows: composite outcome of one-year mortality and/or unplanned intensive care unit (ICU) admission and additional morbidity rates. Secondary endpoints were as follows: length of stay (LOS), one-year persistent stoma rate, and rate of return to intended oncologic therapy (RIOT). RESULTS: One-year mortality rate was 10.5% and unplanned ICU admission rate was 30.3%. Risk factors of the composite outcome included age (aOR = 1.08 per 1-year increase, p = 0.002) and anastomotic breakdown with end stoma at reoperation (aOR = 2.77, p = 0.007). Additional morbidity rate was 52.6%: risk factors included open versus laparoscopic reoperation (aOR = 4.38, p = 0.03) and ICU admission (aOR = 3.63, p = 0.05). Median (IQR) overall LOS was 20 days (14-26), higher in the subgroup of patients reoperated without stoma. At 1 year, a stoma persisted in 32.0% of patients, higher in the open (41.2%) versus laparoscopic (12.5%) reoperation group (p = 0.04). Only 4 out of 18 patients (22.2%) were able to RIOT. CONCLUSION: Mortality and/or unplanned ICU admission rates after AL are influenced by increasing age and by anastomotic breakdown at reoperation; additional morbidity rates are influenced by unplanned ICU admission and by laparoscopic approach to reoperation, the latter also reducing permanent stoma and failure to RIOT rates. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov # NCT03560180.

Hyperthermic Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy for Primary or Recurrent Adrenocortical Carcinoma. A Single Center Study.

BACKGROUND: This study explores the impact of Hypertermic Intra PEritoneal Chemotherapy (HIPEC) on adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC) management through a safety analysis completed by a preliminary evaluation of survival performances. METHODS: Retrospective chart review of 27 patients submitted to surgical treatment completed by HIPEC for primary (SP, 13 patients) or recurrent (SR, 14 patients, 17 treatments) ACC. Safety was evaluated by means of procedural morbidity and mortality. Survival performances included multiple end points: local/peritoneal disease-free survival (l/pDFS), overall progression-free survival (OPFS), and overall survival (OS). RESULTS: In the SP group, mortality was nil and morbidity was 46% (major 23%). At a median follow-up of 25 months, the median value for all the different survival measures had not been reached. Mortality was also nil in the SR group. However, morbidity was 77% (major 18%). Median l/pDFS and OPFS were 12 ± 4 and 8 ± 2 months, respectively. At a median follow-up of 30 months, median OS had not been reached. CONCLUSION: Surgery and HIPEC is an invasive procedure. Its employment in the surgery for primary setting deserves attention as it may affect oncologic outcomes positively. Its value in the management of recurrences seems less appreciable, albeit it may find its place in the multimodal management of a rare disease for which multiple therapeutic options do not yet exist.

Intraoperative ICG-based imaging of liver neoplasms: a simple yet powerful tool. Preliminary results.

BACKGROUND: Detecting small nodules that are grossly unidentifiable remains a major challenge in liver resection for cancer. Novel developments in navigation surgery, especially indocyanine green (ICG)-based fluorescence imaging, are making a clear breakthrough in addressing this issue. ICG is almost routinely administered during the preoperative stage in hepatobiliary surgery. However, its full potential has yet to be realized, partly because there are no precise guidelines regarding the optimal dose or timing of ICG injections before liver surgery. The main goal of this study was to design an algorithm for the management of ICG injections to achieve optimal liver staining results. METHODS: Twenty-seven consecutive, unselected patients undergoing liver resection for cancer were enrolled and underwent preoperative liver function assessment by the LiMON test. Extra ICG i.v. injections at different doses and timings were performed. In vivo intraoperative analysis of the stain detected by near-infrared fluorescence imaging of the liver and ex vivo analysis of each resected nodule was performed and compared to the pathological analysis. RESULTS: (i) The success rate of ICG injections in terms of liver staining was 92.6%; (ii) in the absence of or with 7 or more days from a previous ICG injection, the best dose to inject before the operation was 0.2 mg/kg, and the best timing was between 24 and 48 h before the scheduled surgery; and (iii) the ICG fluorescence patterns observed in the tumors were total fluorescence staining (41% of the cases), partial fluorescence staining (15%), rim fluorescence staining surrounding the tumor (30%), and no staining (15%). CONCLUSIONS: This study is a building block for the characterization of liver nodules and the search for additional surface lesions undetected by preoperative radiological work-up-a crucial task for the successful treatment of liver cancer at an early stage using a safe, minimally invasive, and inexpensive technique.