Clinical application of the LARS score: results from a pilot study.

PURPOSE: The impact of the low anterior resection syndrome (LARS) on quality of life has underscored the importance of measuring functional outcomes after treatment for rectal cancer. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether the LARS score as a single questionnaire was useful enough in the clinical setting. METHODS: Patients treated by curative anterior resection for rectal cancer were sent the LARS score and the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire-Core 30 questionnaires by post. Patients classified as "minor" and "major" LARS according to the LARS score were visited. Assessment included several scores (Vaizey score, Altomare Obstructed Defecation Syndrome score, Bristol scale). Patients with urgency/faecal incontinence also filled in a bowel diary and the FIQL score. RESULTS: Seventy patients returned the questionnaires, 49 of whom ("major LARS" and "minor LARS") were visited and 19 ("no LARS") were assessed by phone. Four different clinical patterns were identified. The group with urgency/faecal incontinence was the largest (33.8 %), whereas 17.7 % referred evacuatory dysfunction. The LARS score did not correctly evaluate 18 patients: 5 who were classified as no LARS but had severe evacuatory dysfunction and 13 patients categorized as LARS but without significant bowel dysfunction, 9 of whom were classified as major LARS. CONCLUSION: The LARS score may overestimate the impact on quality of life in some patients and may underestimate the impact of severe evacuatory dysfunction. Due to the complexity of the LARS, the LARS score as a single questionnaire might not be enough to assess bowel function. A complete clinical evaluation and additional questionnaires might be required.

Prospective randomized clinical trial assessing the efficacy of a short course of intravenously administered amoxicillin plus clavulanic acid followed by oral antibiotic in patients with uncomplicated acute diverticulitis.

INTRODUCTION: Medical treatment of uncomplicated acute diverticulitis is not standardized, and there is an enormous diversity in clinical practice. Our aim was to demonstrate that uncomplicated diverticulitis can be managed with orally administered amoxicillin plus clavulanic acid and a short hospital admission. METHODS: A prospective randomized trial was established to compare patients with uncomplicated diverticulitis who received oral antibiotic after a short course of intravenous antibiotic with those who received intravenous antibiotic for a longer period. The antibiotic treatment consisted of amoxicillin plus clavulanic acid 1 g every 8 h. We included 50 patients, 25 in each group. Patients in group 1 began oral antibiotic as soon as they improved and were discharged the day after. Patients in group 2 received intravenous antibiotic for 7 days. Both groups received oral antibiotic at discharge. The endpoint of the study was "failure of treatment," which was defined as the impossibility of discharging on the expected day, emergency admission, or hospital readmission. RESULTS: Both groups were comparable in patient demographics and clinical characteristics. Most patients clearly improved between 24 and 48 h after admission. There were no significant differences between the groups when comparing failure of treatment. Treatment of patients in group 1 represented a savings in hospitalization costs of 1,244 per patient. CONCLUSIONS: Most patients with uncomplicated diverticulitis can be managed safely with oral antibiotic; thus, a very short hospital stay is a safe option.

Risk factors and outcomes of organ-space surgical site infections after elective colon and rectal surgery.

BACKGROUND: Organ-space surgical site infections (SSI) are the most serious and costly infections after colorectal surgery. Most previous studies of risk factors for SSI have analysed colon and rectal procedures together. The aim of the study was to determine whether colon and rectal procedures have different risk factors and outcomes for organ-space SSI. METHODS: A multicentre observational prospective cohort study of adults undergoing elective colon and rectal procedures at 10 Spanish hospitals from 2011 to 2014. Patients were followed up until 30 days post-surgery. Surgical site infection was defined according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention criteria. Oral antibiotic prophylaxis (OAP) was considered as the administration of oral antibiotics the day before surgery combined with systemic intravenous antibiotic prophylaxis. RESULTS: Of 3,701 patients, 2,518 (68%) underwent colon surgery and 1,183 (32%) rectal surgery. In colon surgery, the overall SSI rate was 16.4% and the organ-space SSI rate was 7.9%, while in rectal surgery the rates were 21.6% and 11.5% respectively (p < 0.001). Independent risk factors for organ-space SSI in colon surgery were male sex (Odds ratio -OR-: 1.57, 95% CI: 1.14-2.15) and ostomy creation (OR: 2.65, 95% CI: 1.8-3.92) while laparoscopy (OR: 0.5, 95% CI: 0.38-0.69) and OAP combined with intravenous antibiotic prophylaxis (OR: 0.7, 95% CI: 0.51-0.97) were protective factors. In rectal surgery, independent risk factors for organ-space SSI were male sex (OR: 2.11, 95% CI: 1.34-3.31) and longer surgery (OR: 1.49, 95% CI: 1.03-2.15), whereas OAP with intravenous antibiotic prophylaxis (OR: 0.49, 95% CI: 0.32-0.73) was a protective factor. Among patients with organ-space SSI, we found a significant difference in the overall 30-day mortality, being higher in colon surgery than in rectal surgery (11.5% vs 5.1%, p = 0.04). CONCLUSIONS: Organ-space SSI in colon and rectal surgery has some differences in terms of incidence, risk factors and outcomes. These differences could be considered for surveillance purposes and for the implementation of preventive strategies. Administration of OAP would be an important measure to reduce the OS-SSI rate in both colon and rectal surgeries.

Novel c-KIT germline mutation in a family with gastrointestinal stromal tumors and cutaneous hyperpigmentation.

Mutations in the c-KIT gene have been identified in many sporadic and familial cases of gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST). We report a familial case of GIST with cutaneous hyperpigmentation associated with a novel germline mutation in the c-KIT gene. Screening for mutations in exon 11 of the c-KIT gene in genomic DNA from tumors and peripheral blood of the members of a family with GISTs was undertaken by direct genomic sequencing. Tumors from GIST patients were analyzed histologically and immunohistochemically. Clinical examination of GIST patients was also performed to detect other systemic diseases associated with c-KIT mutations. Histological study showed that the tumors were GISTs expressing CD34 and c-KIT protein. This GIST-hyperpigmentation disease was associated in the family with a germline mutation in the c-KIT gene. The mutation is a duplication of the sequence CAACTT located in exon 11 of the c-KIT gene, which introduces two extra glutamine and leucine residues in the encoding protein between positions 576 and 577. This Spanish family was affected with GISTs and cutaneous hyperpigmentation associated with a novel germline mutation Leu576_Pro577insGlnLeu in the juxtamembrane domain of the c-KIT receptor. These types of mutation in the c-KIT gene activate the tyrosine kinase activity of the c-KIT receptor and induce constitutive signaling leading to GISTs, in some cases associated with cutaneous hyperpigmentation.