Differences in morbidity and mortality between unilateral adrenalectomy for adrenal Cushing's syndrome and bilateral adrenalectomy for therapy refractory extra-adrenal Cushing's syndrome.

PURPOSE: In selected cases of severe Cushing's syndrome due to uncontrolled ACTH secretion, bilateral adrenalectomy appears unavoidable. Compared with unilateral adrenalectomy (for adrenal Cushing's syndrome), bilateral adrenalectomy has a perceived higher perioperative morbidity. The aim of the current study was to compare both interventions in endogenous Cushing's syndrome regarding postoperative outcomes. METHODS: We report a single-center, retrospective cohort study comparing patients with hypercortisolism undergoing bilateral vs. unilateral adrenalectomy during 2008-2021. Patients with adrenal Cushing's syndrome due to adenoma were compared with patients with ACTH-dependent Cushing's syndrome (Cushing's disease and ectopic ACTH production) focusing on postoperative morbidity and mortality as well as long-term survival. RESULTS: Of 83 patients with adrenalectomy for hypercortisolism (65.1% female, median age 53 years), the indication for adrenalectomy was due to adrenal Cushing's syndrome in 60 patients (72.2%; 59 unilateral and one bilateral), and due to hypercortisolism caused by Cushing's disease (n = 16) or non-pituitary uncontrolled ACTH secretion of unknown origin (n = 7) (27.7% of all adrenalectomies). Compared with unilateral adrenalectomy (n = 59), patients with bilateral adrenalectomy (n = 24) had a higher rate of severe complications (0% vs. 33%; p < 0.001) and delayed recovery (median: 10.2% vs. 79.2%; p < 0.001). Using the MTL30 marker, patients with bilateral adrenalectomy fared worse than patients after unilateral surgery (MTL30 positive: 7.2% vs. 25.0% p < 0.001). Postoperative mortality was increased in patients with bilateral adrenalectomy (0% vs. 8.3%; p = 0.081). CONCLUSION: While unilateral adrenalectomy for adrenal Cushing's syndrome represents a safe and definitive therapeutic option, bilateral adrenalectomy to control ACTH-dependent extra-adrenal Cushing's syndrome or Cushing's disease is a more complicated intervention with a mortality of nearly 10%.

Mortality, complications and failure to rescue after surgery for esophageal, gastric, pancreatic and liver cancer patients based on minimum caseloads set by the German Cancer Society.

BACKGROUND: The German Cancer Society (DKG) board certifies hospitals in treating esophageal, gastric, liver and pancreatic cancer among others. There has been no systematic verification of the number of major surgical resections set by DKG certification with regards to in-house mortality and failure to rescue (FtR). METHODS: This is a retrospective analysis of anonymized nationwide hospital billing data (DRG data, 2009-2017). Inclusion criteria were based on the annual surgical minimum caseload (SMC) in accordance with DKG certification. RESULTS: 171,429 datasets were identified, including 31,140 esophageal, 54,155 gastric, 57,343 pancreatic and 28,791 liver resections. In-house mortality ranged from 6.2% for gastric resections to 8.1% for pancreatic resections. Differences in in-house mortality between hospitals which fulfilled SMC on average and those which did not fulfill SMC on average were 40.8% (5.3% vs 8.2%) for esophageal, 32.3% (4.8% vs 6.8%) for gastric and 45.7% (6.1% vs 9.8%) for pancreatic resections, while it was 8.2% higher in SMC-hospitals (7.6% vs 7.0%) for liver resections. Complication occurrence rates for esophageal, gastric and pancreatic resections were similar in SMC- and non-SMC-hospitals while FtR in hospitals fulfilling SMC was significantly lower. Data for liver resections demonstrated the same trends only in a sub-analysis of complex procedures. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates an association between caseload threshold defined by DKG and lower mortality in esophageal, gastric, pancreatic and complex liver surgery. In these resections, FtR was reduced if SMC was fulfilled.

Toward a Medical Gastric Bypass: Chronic Feeding Studies With Liraglutide + PYY3-36 Combination Therapy in Diet-Induced Obese Rats.

Background: Combination therapies of anorectic gut hormones partially mimic the beneficial effects of bariatric surgery. Thus far, the effects of a combined chronic systemic administration of Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) and peptide tyrosine tyrosine 3-36 (PYY3-36) have not been directly compared to Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) in a standardized experimental setting. Methods: High-fat diet (HFD)-induced obese male Wistar rats were randomized into six treatment groups: (1) RYGB, (2) sham-operation (shams), (3) liraglutide, (4) PYY3-36, (5) PYY3-36+liraglutide (6), saline. Animals were kept on a free choice high- and low-fat diet. Food intake, preference, and body weight were measured daily for 4 weeks. Open field (OP) and elevated plus maze (EPM) tests were performed. Results: RYGB reduced food intake and achieved sustained weight loss. Combined PYY3-36+liraglutide treatment led to similar and plateaued weight loss compared to RYGB. Combined PYY3-36+liraglutide treatment was superior to PYY3-36 (p ≤ 0.0001) and liraglutide (p ≤ 0.05 or p ≤ 0.01) mono-therapy. PYY3-36+liraglutide treatment and RYGB also reduced overall food intake and (less pronounced) high-fat preference compared to controls. The animals showed no signs of abnormal behavior in OF or EPM. Conclusions: Liraglutide and PYY3-36 combination therapy vastly mimics reduced food intake, food choice and weight reducing benefits of RYGB.