Comparison of conventional unstained lymph nodal harvesting vs methylene blue-stained lymph nodal harvesting in colorectal specimen in staging left-sided colorectal carcinoma: a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: The management and prognosis of colorectal carcinomas (CRCs) are related to the stage of the disease, which, in turn, relies on the lymph node harvest from the surgical specimen. The guidelines recommend that at least 12 lymph nodes are required, which is not achieved in most resections. In this study, we propose a method to improve the lymph node yield in such cases. This study aimed to determine whether ex vivo injection of methylene blue into the inferior mesenteric artery or its branches improves lymph node retrieval in left-sided CRCs. METHODS: This study was conducted as a single-center, double-blinded, superiority randomized controlled trial. Patients who underwent elective surgery for left-sided CRCs with curative intent were randomized into 2 groups: stained and unstained. The sample size was calculated as 66. In all patients, details of disease stage, history of neoadjuvant therapy, and number of isolated lymph nodes were recorded. RESULTS: The mean number of lymph nodes extracted from the stained group was significantly higher than that from the unstained group (15.9 ± 5.2 vs 9.1 ± 5.7, respectively; P < .001). Among the patients who had received neoadjuvant therapy, the yield was higher in the stained group (P < .001). The yield was found to be greater in patients who had undergone upfront surgery than in those who had undergone neoadjuvant therapy, even in the stained group (100% vs 66.7%, respectively). CONCLUSION: The use of methylene blue injection into resected specimens of left-sided CRCs significantly improved the lymph node yield.

Neuromucormycosis of Posterior Tibial Nerve: A Rare Presentation of Mucormycosis.

Opportunistic fungal infections are known to occur in immunocompromised patients. Mucormycosis is one of the most common opportunistic fungal infections with significant mortality rates. In this article, we present a case of an adult female, a known diabetic who presented with fever and pus discharge from the amputation site of toes in the left foot with blackening of the foot. Examination revealed gangrenous changes of the left foot with no distal pulses palpable. Computed tomography angiogram revealed no flow of blood in distal vessels of the left lower limb. Left below knee guillotine amputation was done. Intraoperative biopsy of the neurovascular bundle revealed invasive neuromucormycosis. She was started on liposomal amphotericin B. The wound started granulating after a few days with serial dressings and the patient was planned for split skin grafting.

Study of fine-needle aspiration microbiology versus wound swab for bacterial isolation in diabetic foot infections.

Background & objectives: Proper identification of the infection causing microbe in diabetic foot infections (DFIs) is essential for starting appropriate treatment. The objectives of this study were to compare fine-needle aspiration microbiology (FNAM) with wound swab as methods of sample collection in isolating microorganisms causing DFIs and also to compare the microbiological profile and sensitivity pattern of the infecting organisms. Methods: This study was conducted targeting all consecutive patients with DFIs with perfusion, extent, depth, infection and sensation (PEDIS) grade 2, 3, and 4 infections admitted in the department of Surgery of a tertiary care hospital in south India during July to August 2017. A superficial wound swab and an FNAM were collected from all the patients. These swabs are analyzed using standard microbiological techniques. Results: Eighty patients with DFI were included. Bacterial culture using FNAM samples yielded growth in 58.75 per cent samples, whereas wound swab samples yielded growth in 93.8 per cent cultures done. Measure of agreement between the two techniques using Kappa statistics was 0.069 (P=0.28). Interpretation & conclusions: In diabetic wound infections, wound swabs were sufficient to identify organisms in all grades of infection. However, in deeper infections (grade 3 and 4), FNAM would be a reliable investigation than wound swab.