Fissurectomy versus lateral internal sphincterotomy in the treatment of chronic anal fissures: no advantages in terms of post-operative incontinence.

PURPOSE: The standard treatment for chronic anal fissures that have failed non-operative management is lateral internal sphincterotomy. Surgery can cause de novo incontinence. Fissurectomy has been proposed as a sphincter/saving procedure, especially in the presence of a deep posterior pouch with or without a crypt infection. This study investigated whether fissurectomy offers a benefit in terms of de novo post-operative incontinence. METHODS: Patients surgically managed with fissurectomy or lateral internal sphincterotomy for chronic anal fissures from 2013 to 2019 have been included. Healing rate, changes in continence and patient satisfaction were investigated at long-term follow-up. RESULTS: One hundred twenty patients (55 females, 65 males) were analysed: 29 patients underwent fissurectomy and 91 lateral internal sphincterotomy. Mean follow-up was 55 months [confidence interval (CI) 5-116 months]. Both techniques showed some rate of de novo post-operative incontinence (> +3 Vaizey score points): 8.9% lateral internal sphincterotomy, 17.8% fissurectomy (p = 0.338). The mean Vaizey score in these patients was 10.37 [standard deviation (sd) 6.3] after lateral internal sphincterotomy (LIS) and 5.4 (sd 2.3) after fissurectomy Healing rate was 97.8% in the lateral internal sphincterotomy group and 75.8% in the fissurectomy group (p = 0.001). In the lateral internal sphincterotomy group, patients with de novo post-op incontinence showed a statistically significant lower satisfaction rate (9.2 ± 1.57 versus 6.13 ± 3; p = 0.023) while no differences were present in the fissurectomy group (8.87 ± 1.69 versus 7.4 ± 1.14; p = 0.077). CONCLUSIONS: Lateral internal sphincterotomy is confirmed as the preferred technique in term of healing rate. Fissurectomy did not offer a lower rate of de novo post-operative incontinence, but resulted in lower Vaizey scores in patients in whom this occurred. Satisfaction was lower in patients suffering a de novo post-operative incontinence after lateral internal sphincterotomy.

Weight Gain and Asthenia Following Thyroidectomy: Current Knowledge from Literature Review.

BACKGROUND: Thyroidectomy is a common procedure all over the world. Its complication rate is low, but some patients complain of weight gain and/or asthenia. The aim of this review is to investigate the correlation between thyroidectomy and weight change and asthenia. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Seven papers concerning weight gain and four concerning asthenia were found. RESULTS: Weight gain would seem to be more related to the change in habits after surgery. Asthenia seems to be more linked to endocrine mechanisms not yet clarified although a deficiency of triiodothyronine and its metabolites could explain some of its aspects. CONCLUSION: Patients who are candidates for thyroidectomy should be adequately informed of the onset of both possible implications of the surgical act in terms of weight gain and chronic asthenia.

Which Role for Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy in the Treatment of Fournier's Gangrene? A Retrospective Study.

Purpose: In Fournier's gangrene, surgical debridement plus antimicrobial therapy is the mainstay of treatment but can cause a great loss of tissue. The disease needs long hospital stays and, despite all, has a high mortality rate. The aim of our study is to investigate if factors, such as hyperbaric therapy, can offer an improvement in prognosis. Methods: We retrospectively evaluated data on 23 consecutive patients admitted for Fournier's gangrene at the University Hospital "P. Giaccone" of Palermo from 2011 to 2018. Factors related to length of hospital stay and mortality were examined. Results: Mortality occurred in three patients (13.1%) and was correlated with the delay between admission and surgical operation [1.7 days (C.I. 0.9-3.5) in patients who survived vs. 6.8 days (C.I. 3.5-13.4) in patients who died (p = 0.001)]. Hospital stay was longer in patients treated with hyperbaric oxygen therapy [mean 11 (C.I. 0.50-21.89) vs. mean 25 (C.I. 18.02-31.97); p = 0.02] without an improvement in survival (p = 1.00). Conclusion: Our study proves that a delay in the treatment of patients with Fournier's gangrene has a correlation with the mortality rate, while the use of hyperbaric oxygen therapy seems to not improve the survival rate, increasing the hospital stay instead.

Papillary Thyroid Microcarcinoma: Active Surveillance Against Surgery. Considerations of an Italian Working Group From a Systematic Review.

Introduction: Active surveillance is considered a viable option for papillary thyroid microcarcinoma. Since the last decade of the 20th century, this method has spread from Japan to other countries, but has not yet been fully accepted and validated by the major Western Scientific Societies. In 2016, a systematic review on the results of active surveillance was published, based on two articles that showed encouraging results. Other reviews published subsequently, were mainly based on articles from the Far East. The aim of this review is to assess the most recent results published from 2017 to 2020 on this subject. Materials and Methods: A systematic literature search was performed on MEDLINE via PUBMED, Web of Science, and Scopus according to PRISMA criteria. The MESH terms "papillary thyroid microcarcinoma" and "active surveillance" were adopted. Tumor progression, secondary localizations, and quality of life were the main benchmarks. Results: Nine studies met the inclusion criteria. The increase in volume ranged from 2.7% and 23.2%; the occurrence of lymph node metastases from 1.3% to 29%; QoL was improved in both articles that addressed this topic. The level of evidence is considered low due to the retrospective and uncontrolled nature of most of the studies included in the review. Conclusion: The evidence from the literature currently available on AS falls into two strands: a robust data set from the Japanese experience, and an initial experience from Western countries, whose data are still limited but which show a lack of substantial alerts against this practice. Further data is useful to validate the spread of Active Surveillance.

Interpretation of intraoperative parathyroid hormone monitoring according to the Rome criterion in primary hyperparathyroidism.

Intraoperative parathyroid hormone dosage allows real-time monitoring of the decrease in PTH levels during parathyroidectomy and verify procedure's efficacy. Currently, none of the interpretative criteria used has absolute accuracy. The aim of this study is to evaluate diagnostic accuracy of the Rome criterion verifying diagnostic significance of the individual assays. A total of 205 patients with primary hyperparathyroidism from a single adenoma were retrospectively evaluated and monitored with baseline PTH, PTH at 10 min and PTH at 20 min after adenoma excision. The accuracy of the latter two assays compared with baseline was compared by ROC curves. In addition, was evaluated the influence on these data of localization diagnostics (ultrasounds and scintigraphy), definitive histology, and type of surgery performed. The ratio of 20-min sampling to baseline in the Rome criterion showed highest diagnostic significance. This finding was not influenced by the type of surgery performed, definitive histologic examination, or intraoperative localization of the adenoma. The Rome criterion has shown its high reliability in detecting persistence. The ratio of sampling at 20 min to baseline is by far the best performing. Further studies are needed to evaluate whether sampling at 10 min after adenoma excision can be considered not mandatory.

Effects of Intraoperative Nerve Monitoring Techniques on Voice and Swallowing Disorders after Uncomplicated Thyroidectomy: Preliminary Report of a Bi-Institutional Prospective Study.

Background: Voice and swallowing problems are frequently associated with thyroidectomy. Intermittent nerve monitoring (i-IONM) seems to provide a positive effect in reducing its prevalence. The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that continuous intraoperative nerve monitoring (c-IONM) may reduce the prevalence of these disorders even further than i-IONM. Methods: This 3-arm prospective bi-institutional study compared 179 consecutive patients that underwent thyroidectomy: 56 without IONM, 55 with i-IONM and 67 with c-IONM. Neck dissections and laryngeal nerve palsies were excluded. Two questionnaires (VHI-10 for voice disorders and EAT-10 for swallowing disorders; both validated for Italian language use) were administered before and 1 month after surgery. Statistical significance was analyzed by the chi-squared test. Results: After thyroidectomy, no statistically significant differences were found in the three groups concerning EAT-10. although these symptoms seemed to be influenced by gastro-esophageal reflux. VHI-10 worsened in the "no-IONM" group compared with both i-IONM (p < 0.09, not quite statistically significant) and c-IONM (p < 0.04). Conclusion: Both i- and c-IONM improve voice quality independently of laryngeal nerve integrity. Reduced dissection and particularly restrained manipulation could explain these results, being particularly favorable for c-IONM.

Chronic asthenia in patients who have undergone endocrine neck surgery.

INTRODUCTION: The impact of chronic asthenia after thyroidectomy has been evaluated in two previous studies comparing total thyroidectomy and hemithyroidectomy. We compared its impact on patients undergoing thyroidectomy, parathyroidectomy for primary hyperparathyroidism, and cholecystectomy. METHODS: Patients recruited for surgery (233 consecutive total thyroidectomies for non-toxic multinodular goiter, Group I, 43 consecutive parathyroidectomies for primary hyperparathyroidism, group II and a sample of 43 laparoscopic cholecystectomies, group III) were compared at three times: pre-operative, 6 months after surgery, 1 year after surgery. A brief fatigue inventory (BFI) was administered to assess asthenia. We excluded intermediate or high-risk thyroid carcinomas, Grave's disease, obese patients, secondary and tertiary hyperparathyroidism, vitamin D deficiency, and acute cholecystitis. In the postoperative period, patients who had undergone complications of each surgical procedure were also excluded. Demographics, smoking, alcohol abuse, chronic diseases (renal, cardiac, pulmonary, hepatic, and diabetes mellitus), anxiety and depression were noted. RESULTS: In Group I the significant increase of asthenia during the three periods of detection (p < 0.001) was confirmed. Renal failure further increased the risk of asthenia. In Group II, asthenia after 6 months and 1 year after surgery decreased significantly (p < 0.001). In Group III, the variations in BFI during the three periods were not significant. CONCLUSIONS: Asthenia is a frequent sequela of total thyroidectomy, also in comparison with other types of surgery. Patients undergoing thyroidectomy must be informed of the possible implications of surgery, which should be calibrated on the strict application of guidelines.

Predictors of Central Compartment Involvement in Patients with Positive Lateral Cervical Lymph Nodes According to Clinical and/or Ultrasound Evaluation.

Lymph node neck metastases are frequent in papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC). Current guidelines state, on a weak level of evidence, that level VI dissection is mandatory in the presence of latero-cervical metastases. The aim of our study is to evaluate predictive factors for the absence of level VI involvement despite the presence of metastases to the lateral cervical stations in PTC. Eighty-eight patients operated for PTC with level II-V metastases were retrospectively enrolled in the study. Demographics, thyroid function, autoimmunity, nodule size and site, cancer variant, multifocality, Bethesda and EU-TIRADS, number of central and lateral lymph nodes removed, number of positive lymph nodes and outcome were recorded. At univariate analysis, PTC location and number of positive lateral lymph nodes were risk criteria for failure to cure. ROC curves demonstrated the association of the number of positive lateral lymph nodes and failure to cure. On multivariate analysis, the protective factors were PTC located in lobe center and number of positive lateral lymph nodes < 4. Kaplan-Meier curves confirmed the absence of central lymph nodes as a positive prognostic factor. In the selected cases, Central Neck Dissection (CND) could be avoided even in the presence of positive Lateralcervical Lymph Nodes (LLN+).

Breast cancer in previously thyroidectomized patients: which thyroid disorders are a risk factor?

The aim of this study was to evaluate whether there are thyroid diseases in which breast cancer will appear later as well as the role of autoimmunity. This was a retrospective observational study. A total of 410 females (thyroid surgery and later breast cancer) and 524 females (thyroid surgery only) were compared with regard to pathological thyroid findings, thyroid hormones, thyroid autoimmunity and type of breast cancer. Thyroid autoimmunity, especially antithyroid peroxidase antibodies, significantly increased the risk of breast cancer (p < 0.01); however, this was not true for other thyroid diseases, including thyroid cancer. No variant of breast cancer was predominant, and only thyroid autoimmunity was associated with the risk of breast cancer. Further research is needed to explain the impacts of different antithyroid antibodies.

Improving Diagnostic Performance for Thyroid Nodules Classified as Bethesda Category III or IV: How and by Whom Ultrasonography Should be Performed.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this prospective study is to evaluate if the association of Bethesda system and a 3-categories Ultrasonography (US) risk stratification system proposed by the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists/American College of Endocrinology/Associazione Medici Endocrinologi improves the performance of cytology alone in III or IV categories and if further variables such as US provider (radiologist; endocrinologist, or endocrine surgeon both coming from a dedicated team) influence the accuracy of the diagnostic. METHODS: 570 consecutive patients with complete clinical records, affected by Bethesda III or IV nodules, have been addressed to two public referral surgical centers of Western Sicily. Age, sex, autoimmunity, nodule size, and US provider were recorded. Fisher's exact test was used for the univariate analysis; Odd's ratios were calculated for the multivariate analysis. RESULTS: 248 patients had malignancy at histology, 322 were benign. The mean age was 52 years for the malignancy group and 58 y for the benign group (P < 0.001). At univariate analysis, autoimmunity was correlated with benign group (P < 0.001), and US risk 2 and 3 were correlated with malignancy (nearly 10-folds, P < 0.001); In addition, no difference was found concerning nodule size. At multivariate analysis, US risk 2 and 3 were strong predictors of malignancy (P < 0.0001) especially if cytology was Bethesda IV; endocrinologist and surgeon were more accurate in predicting malignancy compared with the radiologist (P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: In the context of indeterminate nodules, the American College of Endocrinology/American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists/Associazione Medici Endocrinologi US risk stratification system strongly improves the results of Bethesda system especially when performed from dedicated endocrinologist or endocrine surgeon.

Feasibility and Safety of Laparoscopic Complete Mesocolic Excision (CME) for Right-sided Colon Cancer: Short-term Outcomes. A Randomized Clinical Study.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this prospective clinical study is to compare short-term outcome of laparoscopic right hemicolectomy using the Complete Mesocolic Excision (CME group) with patients who underwent conventional right-sided colonic resection (NCME group). SUMMARY BACKGROUND DATA: Although CME with central vascular ligation in laparoscopic right hemicolectomy is associated with a significant decrease in local recurrence rates and improvements in cancer-related 5-year survival, there may be additional risks associated with this technique because of increased surgical complications. As a result, there is controversy surrounding its use. METHODS: In this randomized controlled trial, several primary endpoints (operative time, intraoperative blood loss, other complications, conversion rate, and anastomotic leak) and secondary endpoints (overall postoperative complications) were evaluated. In addition, we evaluated histopathologic data, including specimen length and the number of lymph nodes harvested, as objective signs of the quality of CME, related to oncological outcomes. RESULTS: The CME group had a significantly longer mean operative time than the NCME group (216.3 minutes vs 191.5 minutes, P = 0.005). However, the CME group had a higher number of lymph nodes (23.8 vs 16.6; P < 0.001) and larger surgical specimens (34.3 cm vs 29.3 cm; P = 0.002). No differences were reported with respect to intraoperative blood loss, conversion rate, leakage, or other postoperative complications. CONCLUSIONS: In this study laparoscopic CME were a safe and feasible technique with improvement in lymph nodes harvesting and length of surgical specimens with no increase of surgical intraoperative and postoperative complications.

A Stepwise Proposal for Low-Grade Hemorrhoidal Disease: Injection Sclerotherapy as a First-Line Treatment and Rubber Band Ligation for Persistent Relapses.

Outpatient treatments are actually the techniques of choice in the management of low-grade hemorrhoidal disease. Among these, rubber band ligation (RBL) and injection sclerotherapy (IS) are the most frequently performed. Both techniques are used, without one having been determined to be superior over the other. We analyzed the studies that compare these two techniques in terms of efficacy and safety in order to offer a proposal for treatment choice. RBL seems to be most efficient in terms of symptom resolution for second-degree hemorrhoidal disease and equal or superior for treatment of third-degree disease. However, IS offers lower rates of severe post-operative pain and minor complications. Since outpatient treatments are offered to patients as painless options that allow a prompt recovery, we propose a stepwise protocol using 3% polidocanol or aluminum potassium sulfate and tannic acid IS as the first treatment option, as it has less complications, followed by RBL in cases of relapse.

Coexistence of Von Willebrand disease and gastrointestinal stromal tumor (G.I.S.T): Case report of a rare and challenge association.

Von Willebrand disease (VWD) is the most common inherited bleeding disorder and is caused by a quantitative (type 1 and 3) or qualitative (type 2) defect of Von Willebrand factor (VWF). Bleeding from the gastrointestinal (GI) tract is not uncommon in VWD and is usually associated with angiodysplasia. We report herein on the management of a patient affected by VWD2B with severe GI bleeding secondary to gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) complicated by deep vein thrombosis (DVT). The current case demonstrated that the hemostatic balance, in RBDs under specific circumstances, can range from a tendency toward a hemorrhagic to normal or prothrombotic state. In these patients, a close collaboration between hematologists and surgeons can guarantee appropriate management in high-risk clinical scenarios.

Targeting chemoresistant colorectal cancer via systemic administration of a BMP7 variant.

Despite intense research and clinical efforts, patients affected by advanced colorectal cancer (CRC) have still a poor prognosis. The discovery of colorectal (CR) cancer stem cell (CSC) as the cell compartment responsible for tumor initiation and propagation may provide new opportunities for the development of new therapeutic strategies. Given the reduced sensitivity of CR-CSCs to chemotherapy and the ability of bone morphogenetic proteins (BMP) to promote colonic stem cell differentiation, we aimed to investigate whether an enhanced variant of BMP7 (BMP7v) could sensitize to chemotherapy-resistant CRC cells and tumors. Thirty-five primary human cultures enriched in CR-CSCs, including four from chemoresistant metastatic lesions, were used for in vitro studies and to generate CR-CSC-based mouse avatars to evaluate tumor growth and progression upon treatment with BMP7v alone or in combination with standard therapy or PI3K inhibitors. BMP7v treatment promotes CR-CSC differentiation and recapitulates the cell differentiation-related gene expression profile by suppressing Wnt pathway activity and reducing mesenchymal traits and survival of CR-CSCs. Moreover, in CR-CSC-based mouse avatars, BMP7v exerts an antiangiogenic effect and sensitizes tumor cells to standard chemotherapy regardless of the mutational, MSI, and CMS profiles. Of note, tumor harboring PIK3CA mutations were affected to a lower extent by the combination of BMP7v and chemotherapy. However, the addition of a PI3K inhibitor to the BMP7v-based combination potentiates PIK3CA-mutant tumor drug response and reduces the metastatic lesion size. These data suggest that BMP7v treatment may represent a useful antiangiogenic and prodifferentiation agent, which renders CSCs sensitive to both standard and targeted therapies.

Physiological parameters for Prognosis in Abdominal Sepsis (PIPAS) Study: a WSES observational study.

Background: Timing and adequacy of peritoneal source control are the most important pillars in the management of patients with acute peritonitis. Therefore, early prognostic evaluation of acute peritonitis is paramount to assess the severity and establish a prompt and appropriate treatment. The objectives of this study were to identify clinical and laboratory predictors for in-hospital mortality in patients with acute peritonitis and to develop a warning score system, based on easily recognizable and assessable variables, globally accepted. Methods: This worldwide multicentre observational study included 153 surgical departments across 56 countries over a 4-month study period between February 1, 2018, and May 31, 2018. Results: A total of 3137 patients were included, with 1815 (57.9%) men and 1322 (42.1%) women, with a median age of 47 years (interquartile range [IQR] 28-66). The overall in-hospital mortality rate was 8.9%, with a median length of stay of 6 days (IQR 4-10). Using multivariable logistic regression, independent variables associated with in-hospital mortality were identified: age > 80 years, malignancy, severe cardiovascular disease, severe chronic kidney disease, respiratory rate ≥ 22 breaths/min, systolic blood pressure < 100 mmHg, AVPU responsiveness scale (voice and unresponsive), blood oxygen saturation level (SpO2) < 90% in air, platelet count < 50,000 cells/mm3, and lactate > 4 mmol/l. These variables were used to create the PIPAS Severity Score, a bedside early warning score for patients with acute peritonitis. The overall mortality was 2.9% for patients who had scores of 0-1, 22.7% for those who had scores of 2-3, 46.8% for those who had scores of 4-5, and 86.7% for those who have scores of 7-8. Conclusions: The simple PIPAS Severity Score can be used on a global level and can help clinicians to identify patients at high risk for treatment failure and mortality.

Double traumatic diaphragmatic injury: A case report.

INTRODUCTION: Traumatic diaphragmatic injuries are rare complications resulting from a thoracic-abdominal blunt or penetrating trauma. Left-sided diaphragmatic injuries are more commonly reported in literature. Bilateral injuries are extremely rare, occurring in about 3% of the patients and just few cases reported in literature. Traumatic diaphragmatic hernias are definitely a marker of a severe trauma, in fact diaphragmatic injuries are often related to thoracic and abdominal organs injuries. Sometimes the classic clinical signs and symptoms of diaphragmatic injuries may initially not be present so that definitive evaluation is delayed or even missed. CASE REPORT: A 62-years old woman was admitted in Emergency Department after a pedestrian accident. A whole-body CT scan showed multiple fractures (ribs, pelvic and vertebral) but no organ injury. The next CT detected a left-sided posterior diaphragmatic hernia involving transverse colon. Thus we performed an explorative laparoscopy and found a double diaphragmatic injury. A primary repair with non-absorbable sutures and a prosthetic titanized patch was performed.

Skip metastases to lateral cervical lymph nodes in differentiated thyroid cancer: a systematic review.

Papillary thyroid carcinoma is a slow-growing cancer with a generally good prognosis that sometimes have an aggressive behaviour. Metastases to neck lymph nodes is the first step of the diffusion. The central neck compartment is involved most commonly. The ipsilateral lateral neck compartments are usually involved afterwards, and the involvement of the contralateral one is considered a quite rare occurrence. In more rare cases, metastases to lateral neck compartment without central lymph node metastasis (so called "skip metastases") could be observed. Aim of this literature review study is to analyse the average incidence, pattern and risk factors of this occurrence.This study was performed according to PRISMA criteria. A final selection of 13 articles published in English language from 1997 to 2017 was performed. Any research article, review or meta-analysis was taken into consideration. Research was expanded considering the related references of articles.The incidence of skip metastases ranged from 1.6 to 21.8%. Risk factors such as age > 45 years, size < 5 mm and tumor located in the upper pole or isthmus of thyroid gland were found.Due to the frequency of skip metastases in thyroid cancer, a careful preoperative examination of lateral lymph nodes should be necessary.

Minimally Invasive Video-Assisted Thyroidectomy: Analysis of Complications From a Systematic Review.

BACKGROUND: Nowadays, minimally invasive video-assisted thyroidectomy (MIVAT) is considered a safe and effective option. However, its complication rate has not been specifically discussed yet. The aim of this systematic review was enrolling a large number of studies to estimate early and late complications (transient and definitive, uni- and bilateral laryngeal nerve palsy; transient and definitive hypocalcemia; cervical hematoma; hypertrophic or keloid scar) of MIVAT compared with conventional technique. METHODS: The review was performed according to PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) criteria in PubMed and Embase. Search terms were "minimally invasive," "video-assisted," and "thyroidectomy." We enrolled randomized clinical trials, nonrandomized trials, and noncontrolled trials. RESULTS: Thirty-two articles were considered suitable. Complication rate of MIVAT was quite similar to conventional technique: only one randomized trial found a significant difference concerning overall skin complication, and a single trial highlighted hypocalcemia significantly increased in MIVAT, concerning serologic value only. No difference concerning symptomatic nor definitive hypocalcemia was found. CONCLUSIONS: We can confirm that MIVAT is a safe technique. It should be adopted in mean-high-volume surgery centers for thyroidectomy, if a strict compliance with indication was applied.

Laparoscopy is an available alternative to open surgery in the treatment of perforated peptic ulcers: a retrospective multicenter study.

BACKGROUND: Perforated peptic ulcers (PPU) remain one of the most frequent causes of death. Their incidence are largely unchanged accounting for 2-4% of peptic ulcers and remain the second most frequent abdominal cause of perforation and of indication for gastric emergency surgery. The minimally invasive approach has been proposed to treat PPU however some concerns on the offered advantages remain. METHODS: Data on 184 consecutive patients undergoing surgery for PPU were collected. Likewise, perioperative data including shock at admission and interval between admission and surgery to evaluate the Boey's score. It was recorded the laparoscopic or open treatments, the type of surgical procedure, the length of the operation, the intensive care needed, and the length of hospital stay. Post-operative morbidity and mortality relation with patient's age, surgical technique and Boey's score were evaluated. RESULTS: The relationship between laparoscopic or open treatment and the Boey's score was statistically significant (p = 0.000) being the open technique used for the low-mid group in 41.1% and high score group in 100% and laparoscopy in 58.6% and 0%, respectively. Postoperative complications occurred in 9.7% of patients which were related to the patients' Boey's score, 4.7% in the low-mid score group and 21.4% in the high risk score group (p = 0.000). In contrast morbidity was not related to the chosen technique being 12.8% in open technique and 5.3% in laparoscopic one (p = 0.092, p > 0.05). 30-day post-operative mortality was 3.8% and occurred in the 0.8% of low-mid Boey's score group and in the 10.7% of the high Boey's score group (p = 0.001). In respect to the surgical technique it occurred in 6.4% of open procedures and in any case in the Lap one (p = 0.043). Finally, there was a statistically significant difference in morbidity and mortality between patients < 70 and > 70 years old (p = 0.000; p = 0.002). CONCLUSIONS: Laparoscopy tends to be an alternative method to open surgery in the treatment of perforated peptic ulcer. Morbidity and mortality were essentially related to Boey's score. In our series laparoscopy was not used in high risk Boey's score patients and it will be interesting to evaluate its usefulness in high risk patients in large randomized controlled trials.

The abdominal wall hernia in cirrhotic patients: a historical challenge.

Background: The incidence rate of abdominal wall hernia is 20-40% in cirrhotic patients. A surgical approach was originally performed only if complication signs and symptoms occurred. Several recent studies have demonstrated the usefulness of elective surgery. During recent decades, the indications for surgical timing have changed. Methods: Cirrhotic patients with abdominal hernia who underwent surgical operation for abdominal wall hernia repair at the Policlinico "Paolo Giaccone" at Palermo University Hospital between January 2010 and September 2016 were identified in a prospective database, and the data collected were retrospectively reviewed; patients' medical and surgical records were collected from charts and surgical and intensive care unit (ICU) registries. Postoperative morbidity was determined through the Clavien-Dindo classification. Cirrhosis severity was estimated by the Child-Pugh-Turcotte (CPT) score and MELD (model of end-stage liver disease) score. Postoperative mortality was considered up to 30 days after surgery. A follow-up period of at least 1 year was used to evaluate hernia recurrence. Results: The univariate and multivariate analyses demonstrated the unique independent risk factors for the development of postsurgical morbidity (emergency surgery (OR 6.42; p 0.023), CPT class C (OR 3.72; p 0.041), American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) score ≥ 3 (OR 4.72; p 0.012) and MELD ≥ 20 (OR 5.64; p 0.009)) and postsurgical mortality (emergency surgery (OR 10.32; p 0.021), CPT class C (OR 5.52; p 0.014), ASA score ≥ 3 (OR 8.65; p 0.018), MELD ≥ 20 (OR 2.15; p 0.02)). Conclusions: Concerning abdominal wall hernia repair in cirrhotic patients, the worst outcome is associated with emergency surgery and with uncontrolled disease. The correct timing of the surgical operation is elective surgery after ascites drainage and albumin/electrolyte serum level and coagulation alteration correction.