Surgical management of soft tissue tumors of the abdominal wall: A retrospective study in a high-volume sarcoma center.

BACKGROUND: The aim of the study is to evaluate functional and oncological outcomes of patients undergoing abdominal wall soft tissue tumors (AWSTT) surgery. METHODS: All consecutive patients that underwent surgery for malignant and intermediate AWSTT from 1999 to 2019 were retrospectively analyzed. RESULTS: Ninety-two patients were identified, 20 (22%) operated on for a desmoid tumor and 72 (78%) for a soft tissue sarcoma (STS). Fifty-two patients (57%) had in toto resection of the abdominal wall (from the skin to the peritoneum) and 9 (10%) required simultaneous visceral resection. The closure was direct in 28 patients (30%) and requiring a mesh, a flap or a combination of the two in respectively 42, 16, and 6 patients (47%, 17%, 6%). The postoperative complications rate was 26%. Thirteen patients (14%) developed an incisional hernia after a median delay of 27 months. After a median follow-up of 40 months, out of the 72 patients operated on for STS, 7 (10%) developed local recurrence and 11 (15%) distant recurrence. The median recurrence-free and overall survivals were 61 and 116, months respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Management of AWSTT requires extensive surgery but allows good local control with an acceptable rate of incisional hernia.

Does Chemotherapy-Induced Liver Injury Impair Postoperative Outcomes After Laparoscopic Liver Resection for Colorectal Metastases?

BACKGROUND: Chemotherapy-associated liver injuries (CALI) have been associated with poor postoperative outcome after open liver resection. To date, no data concerning any correlation of CALI and laparoscopic liver resection (LLR) are available. In the present study, we evaluated the impact of CALI on short-term outcomes in patients undergoing LLR. MATERIALS AND METHODS: All patients who underwent in our department LLR for colorectal liver metastases (CRLM) from 2000 to 2016 were retrospectively reviewed. Patients were divided in 4 groups according to their pathological histology. In group 1 patients had normal liver parenchyma. Group 2 included patients with steatosis and steatohepatitis. Patients with sinusoidal obstruction syndrome (SOS) and nodular regenerative hyperplasia (NRH) were allocated to group 3, whereas the remaining with fibrosis and cirrhosis, were assigned to group 4. RESULTS: A total of 490 LLR for CRLM were included in the study. Perioperative details and morbidity did not differ significantly between the four groups. Subgroup analysis showed that NRH was associated with higher amount of blood loss (p = 0.043), overall (p = 0.021) and liver-specific morbidity (p = 0.039). CONCLUSION: NRH is a severe form of CALI that may worsen the short-term outcomes of patients undergoing LLR for CRLM. However, the remaining forms of CALI do not have a significant impact on perioperative outcomes after LLR.

Connected Surveillance for Detection of Complications After Early Discharge from Bariatric Surgery.

As part of a bariatric enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) program, at-home follow-up using a novel Internet application was used to detect early complications. The study aimed to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of this "connected surveillance" protocol over a 10-day follow-up. Patients were monitored 24/7 by a trained nursing team with daily surgeon review of patient self-reports. Morbidly obese patients (n = 281) underwent OAGB (126, 47.70%) or sleeve gastrectomy (138, 52.3%). Of 264 who completed the study (mean age 40 years [20-66]), 3 (1.1%) underwent revision for early complications; there were 6 (2.1%) readmissions and 22 (8.3%) consultations. In a bariatric surgery ERAS program, "Internet-connected surveillance" proved safe and effective in detecting 100% of early complications, and most patients were satisfied with their care.

Long-Term Outcomes After One-Anastomosis Gastric Bypass (OAGB) in Morbidly Obese Patients.

BACKGROUND: One-anastomosis gastric bypass (OAGB) has gradually gained in popularity. Evidence of the validity of the technique and the quality of life in the longer term is scarce. The aim of this study was to retrospectively evaluate the longitudinal (≥ 5 years) safety, weight-loss efficacy, comorbid disease improvement, and quality of life of patients following OAGB. METHODS: Data from patients who underwent OAGB from January 2009 to December 2011 were retrospectively reviewed. Preoperative clinical characteristics and data through 8 years were analyzed. RESULTS: A total of 163 patients completed 5 to 8 years of follow-up with a mean age of 41 ± 11.4 years (22-65). Ninety-four patients (57.6%) had undergone prior bariatric surgery (gastric band). Mean body mass index (BMI, kg/m2) at the time of OAGB was 41.2 ± 6.5 (range 30.1-50.6). Twenty-one patients (13.0%) suffered from type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), 59 (36.2%) hypertension, 31 osteoarthritis (19.0%), and 24 had obstructive sleep apnea (14.7%). At 5, 6, 7, and 8 years of follow-up, respective mean BMI reduction was 12.6 (n = 163), 11.8 (n = 100), 10.7 (n = 82), and 8.8 (n = 40). Respective mean excess weight loss was 81.8 ± 23.6%, 75.9 ± 20.8%, 69.1 ± 20.4%, and 62.3 ± 23.4%. All obesity-related comorbidities decreased significantly at follow-up time points. Five patients (3%) underwent laparoscopic reoperation within 90 days after surgery. Incidence of recurrent reflux was 14.0%. At a mean follow-up of 92 months (76-111), improved or greatly improved quality of life was reported by 86.0% of patients. CONCLUSION: OAGB provided very good weight loss, comorbidity improvement, and quality of life at follow-up of ≥ 5 years.

Does the difficulty grade of laparoscopic liver resection for colorectal liver metastases correlate with long-term outcomes?

INTRODUCTION: Prognosis of patients with colorectal liver metastases (CRLM) is strongly correlated with the oncological outcome after liver resection. The aim of this study was to analyze the impact of laparoscopic liver resection (LLR) difficulty score (IMM difficulty score) on the oncological results in patients treated for CRLM. METHODS: All patients who underwent LLRs for CRLM from 2000 to 2016 in our department, were retrospectively reviewed. Data regarding difficulty classification, -according to the Institute Mutualiste Montsouris score (IMM)-, recurrence rate, recurrence-free survival (RFS), overall survival (OS) and data regarding margin status were analyzed. RESULTS: A total of 520 patients were included. Patients were allocated into 3 groups based on IMM difficulty score of the LLR they underwent: there were 227 (43,6%), 84 (16,2%) and 209 (40,2%) patients in groups I, II and III, respectively. The R1 resection rate in group I, II and III were 8,8% (20/227), 11,9% (10/84) and 12,4% (26/209) respectively (p = 0.841). Three- and 5-year RFS rates were 77% and 73% in group I, 58% and 51% in group II, 61% and 53% in group III, respectively (p = 0.038). Three and 5-year OS rates were 87% and 80% for group I, 77% and 66% for group II, 80% and 69% for group III respectively (p = 0.022). CONCLUSION: The higher LLR difficulty score correlates with significant morbidity and worse RFS and OS, although the more technically demanding and difficult cases are not associated with increased rates of positive resection margins and recurrence.

Laparoscopic Magenstrasse and Mill Gastroplasty (M&M): Midterm Results.

BACKGROUND: The Magenstrasse and Mill gastroplasty (M&M) is a gastric restrictive procedure without band or stomach resection. Short-term evaluation of the laparoscopic procedure showed low morbidity and satisfactory results on weight loss. Evidence of the validity of the technique in the longer term is scarce. METHODS: Data from patients who underwent M&M procedure from May 2012 to September 2015 were retrospectively reviewed. Preoperative clinical characteristics and data up to 4 years after operation were analyzed. RESULTS: A total of 132 patients were included in this study with a mean age of 46 ± 13.4 years. The mean body mass index (BMI) at the time of procedure was 43 ± 4.5 kg/m2. Mean percentage of excess weight loss (%EWL) was 67, 67, 58, and 57% at 1, 2, 3, and 4 years, respectively. The remission rate for diabetes was 36%. About half of the insulin-dependent patients could stop their insulin treatment. Hypertension was resolved in 33.8% of the patients after 4 years. Incidence of vitamin and mineral deficiency was low throughout the study period, less than or equal to 3% for vitamin B12 and 1% for ferritin. Incidence of gastroesophageal reflux did not exceed 15% during the study. Over 75% of the patients reported a good or very good quality of life following the surgery. CONCLUSION: These results confirm the validity of M&M as a bariatric procedure. The low incidence of vitamin deficiencies and gastroesophageal reflux might be the important asset of M&M over other existing techniques.