RESUMEN
A 74-year-old man was diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma of the lower thoracic esophagus following an upper gastrointestinal endoscopy during a health check-up, which revealed a type 0-IIc tumor. Biopsy confirmed squamous cell carcinoma, with suspicion of submucosal invasion. The patient was referred to our department. Contrast-enhanced computed tomography of the chest and abdomen showed no apparent lymph node or distant metastasis. Severe stenosis at the origin of the celiac artery, likely due to the median arcuate ligament, was observed. No abdominal symptoms were noted at rest or after meals, leading to the diagnosis of thoracic esophageal cancer with asymptomatic median arcuate ligament syndrome. Subsequently, laparoscopic median arcuate ligament release was performed during gastric tube reconstruction in subtotal esophagectomy.
RESUMEN
Objectives: The present study reviewed cases of Toxic megacolon (TM) treated in our department, summarized the timing and technique of surgery, and considered key points for surgical management. Methods: This single-center retrospective study included the medical records of patients clinically diagnosed with TM who underwent surgery between 1985 and 2020. The diagnostic criteria and screening scores for sepsis, such as the systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) criteria, quick Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (qSOFA) score, and Modified Early Warning Score (MEWS), were validated. The preoperative clinical features and perioperative findings were also investigated. Results: There were eight male and six female patients. Nine patients (64.3%) satisfied the criteria for toxemia proposed by Narabayashi, and 10 patients (71.4%) fulfilled the SIRS criteria. A positive qSOFA score was confirmed in 1 patient (7.1%). The MEWS was high in 2 patients (14.3%). Intestinal perforation occurred in 2 patients (14.3%), and 1 of them died from disseminated intravascular coagulation. The mortality rate of TM with perforation was 50%. Eleven patients (78.6%) underwent total colectomy with end ileostomy. Conclusions: TM does not have well-defined diagnostic criteria, in addition to developing sometimes as borderline or fulminant cases, and must be recognized at an early stage, taking various findings into consideration. The criteria proposed by Narabayashi and the SIRS criteria, which met in a high percentage of our cases, are recommended as indicators for determining the toxicity of TM. It is also important to consider surgery in the early stages of TM, even if clinical findings do not meet all the criteria.
RESUMEN
BACKGROUND/AIM: Self-expandable metallic stent (SEMS) placement is becoming the standard bridge-to-surgery (BTS) strategy for potentially curable left-sided obstructive colorectal cancer (OCRC). The study objective was to evaluate the effectiveness of SEMS placement as a BTS strategy for both right- and left-sided OCRC. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We retrospectively compared the short- and long-term outcomes of patients with OCRC who underwent placement of a SEMS versus a trans-nasal/anal decompression tube (DCT). The cohort comprised 57 patients with stage II/III right-sided OCRC (DCT, n=20; SEMS, n=8) or left-sided OCRC (DCT, n=9; SEMS, n=20). The short-term outcomes were the incidence of postoperative complications, rate of laparoscopic surgery, rate of stoma construction, and postoperative hospital stay; long-term outcomes were the 3-year overall survival (OS) and relapse-free survival (RFS). RESULTS: The SEMS group had a higher rate of laparoscopic surgery (85.7% vs. 6.9%, p<0.001), lower rate of stoma construction (10.7% vs. 34.5%, p=0.03), and shorter postoperative hospital stay (14 vs. 17 days, p=0.04) than the DCT group. Both groups had a similar incidence of postoperative complications. The 3-year OS and RFS were also similar in the DCT and SEMS groups for both right-sided OCRC (OS, 75.0% vs. 87.5%, HR=1.51, 95% CI=0.22-10.25, p=0.7; RFS, 65.0% vs. 50.0%, HR=0.97, 95% CI=0.28-3.36, p=0.9) and left-sided OCRC (OS, 88.8% vs. 90.0%, HR=1.19, 95% CI=0.10-14.29, p=0.9; RFS, 77.8% vs. 85.0%, HR=1.03, 95% CI=0.16-6.5, p=0.9). CONCLUSION: SEMS placement is a reasonable BTS strategy for left- and right-sided OCRC that achieves comparable short- and long-term outcomes to DCT insertion.