Colosplenic contained perforation secondary to colonic lymphoma.

We present the case of patient with colosplenic perforation from a colonic lymphoma. He initially was diagnosed with a splenic abscess subsequently developed a contained colonic perforation, underwent surgical treatment and intraoperatively was diagnosed with lymphoma. This is a rare entity in a non-immunocompromised host and has been scarcely reported.

Extrahepatic disease should not preclude transarterial chemoembolization for metastatic neuroendocrine carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) is often utilized for patients with inoperable neuroendocrine carcinoma liver metastases. Often, metastatic disease is not limited to the liver. The impact of extrahepatic disease (EHD) on outcomes and response after TACE has not been described. METHODS: We reviewed 192 patients who underwent TACE for large hepatic tumor burden, progression of liver metastases, or poorly controlled carcinoid syndrome due to neuroendocrine carcinoma. Demographics, clinicopathologic characteristics, response to TACE, complications, and survival were compared between patients with (n = 123) and without (n = 69) EHD. RESULTS: Demographics, histopathologic characteristics, and complications were similar between groups. As well, those with and without EHD had similar biochemical (85 vs. 88 %) and radiographic response (76 vs. 79 %) to TACE (all p = NS); however, symptomatic responses were improved in those with EHD (79 vs. 60 %, p = 0.01). The group without EHD had better overall survival compared to those with EHD disease at the time of TACE (median 62 vs. 28 months, p = 0.001). DISCUSSION: Although patients with EHD from neuroendocrine carcinoma experience shorter overall survival after TACE compared to those without EHD, they had similar symptomatic, biochemical, and radiographic response to TACE. Meaningful response to TACE is still possible in the presence of EHD and should be considered, particularly in those with carcinoid syndrome.

Reconstruction of total pelvic exenteration defects with rectus abdominus myocutaneous flaps versus primary closure.

BACKGROUND: Total pelvic exenteration (TPE) is reserved for patients with locally invasive and recurrent pelvic malignancies. Complications such as wound infections, dehiscence, hernias, abscesses, and fistulas are common after this procedure. The purpose of this study was to determine whether tissue transfer to the pelvis after TPE decreases wound complications. METHODS: Fifty-three patients who underwent TPE between 2004 and 2010 were reviewed. Two groups were identified, those who underwent pelvic reconstruction with a vertical rectus abdominus myocutaneous flap (n = 17) and those who underwent primary closure (n = 36). Demographics, clinicopathologic characteristics, and outcomes were compared. RESULTS: The 2 groups were similar in demographics and histopathologic characteristics. Preoperative and surgical factors including comorbidities, nutrition, radiation, surgical times, blood loss, length of stay, and complications were similar between the groups. Of the 17 patients undergoing vertical rectus abdominus myocutaneous flap placement, complications were seen in 11 patients (65%), with most of them stemming from flap dehiscence (n = 7). CONCLUSIONS: In our study, the transfer of tissue into the pelvis did not increase surgical times, blood loss, length of stay, or wound complications.

Retrospective review of pelvic malignancies undergoing total pelvic exenteration.

BACKGROUND: In patients with locally advanced or recurrent pelvic malignancies, total pelvic exenteration (TPE) may be necessary for curative treatment. Despite improvements in mortality rates since TPE was first described, morbidity rates remain high due to the extensive resection and the aggressiveness of these tumors. We have studied the outcomes of TPE surgery performed at our institution. METHODS: Fifty-three patients with various pelvic pathologies underwent TPE between 2004 and 2010. Patients were divided into two groups based on pathology: colorectal (n = 36) versus non-colorectal (n = 17) malignancies. Demographics, operative reports, pathology reports, periprocedural events, and outcomes were analyzed. Comparison of the two groups was performed using student's t-test and Fisher's exact test. Survival curves were constructed using the Kaplan-Meier method and compared using the log rank test. RESULTS: The colorectal and non-colorectal groups were similar in demographics, operative times, length of stay, estimated blood loss, and rates of preoperative and intraoperative radiation use. Chemotherapy use was increased in the colorectal group compared with the non-colorectal group (55.6% vs. 23.5%, P = 0.04). Complication rates were similar: 86% in the colorectal group and 76% in the non-colorectal group. In the colorectal group, 27.8% of patients developed perineal abscesses, whereas no patients developed these complications in the non-colorectal group (P = 0.02). No survival difference was seen in primary versus recurrent colorectal tumors; however, within the colorectal group there was a survival advantage when comparing R0 resection to R1 and R2 resection combined. Median survival rates were 27.3 months for R0 resection and 10.7 months for R1 and R2 resection combined. The median survival was 21.4 months for the colorectal group and 6.9 months for the non-colorectal group (P = 0.002). CONCLUSIONS: Patients undergoing TPE for colorectal tumors have improved survival when compared with patients undergoing exenteration for pelvic malignancies of other origins. Within the colorectal group, the extent of resection demonstrated a significant survival benefit of an R0 resection compared with R1 and R2 resections. Despite TPE carrying a high morbidity rate, mortality rates have improved and careful patient selection can optimize outcomes.

Single institution experience comparing double-barreled wet colostomy to ileal conduit for urinary and fecal diversion.

OBJECTIVE: To compare outcomes and feasibility of double-barreled wet colostomy and ileal conduit (IC) in patients undergoing total pelvic exenteration (TPE). METHODS: Between 2004 and 2010, 54 patients underwent TPE for pelvic malignancies. Of those patients, 53 had complete records available for analysis. Two groups were identified based on the technique used for urinary diversion, either by way of an IC or a double-barreled wet colostomy (DBWC). Demographics, comorbidities, complications, length of stay, operative times, morbidity, and mortality were compared between the 2 groups. RESULTS: Forty-three patients (81%) underwent a DBWC and ten patients (19%) underwent an IC. The 2 groups were similar in terms of age, gender, and comorbidities. Eighteen patients underwent an R0 resection (39%) and twenty-eight (61%) patients had a non-R0 resection. Seven patients (13%) had a complete response to therapy with no evidence of malignancy. A majority of the patients (68%) undergoing TPE had colorectal histology. Thirty-day morbidity directly related to complications of urinary or fecal diversion was 78% in the DBWC group and 58% in the IC group. There was no perioperative mortality in either group. CONCLUSION: DBWC is a safe and feasible alternative to the traditional IC for urinary diversion. This technique is easy to learn and is associated with similar operative times, length of stay, morbidity, and mortality compared with IC.

Surgery versus intra-arterial therapy for neuroendocrine liver metastasis: a multicenter international analysis.

BACKGROUND: Management of patients with neuroendocrine liver metastasis (NELM) remains controversial. We sought to examine the relative efficacy of surgical management versus intra-arterial therapy (IAT) for NELM and determine factors predictive of survival. METHODS: A total of 753 patients who had surgery (n = 339) or IAT (n = 414) for NELM from 1985 to 2010 were identified from nine hepatobiliary centers. Clinicopathologic data were assessed with regression modeling and propensity score matching. RESULTS: Most patients had a pancreatic (32%) or a small bowel (27%) primary tumor; 47% had a hormonally active tumor. There were statistically significant differences in characteristics between surgery versus IAT groups (hormonally active tumors: 28 vs. 48%; hepatic tumor burden >25%: 52% vs. 76%) (all P < 0.001). Among surgical patients, most underwent hepatic resection alone without ablation (78%). The median number of IAT treatments was 1 (range, 1-4). Median and 5-year survival of patients treated with surgery was 123 months and 74% vs. 34 months and 30% for IAT (P < 0.001). In the propensity-adjusted multivariate Cox model, asymptomatic disease (hazard ratio 2.6) was strongly associated with worse outcome (P = 0.001). Although surgical management provided a survival benefit over IAT among symptomatic patients with >25% hepatic tumor involvement, there was no difference in long-term outcome after surgery versus IAT among asymptomatic patients (P = 0.78). CONCLUSIONS: Asymptomatic patients with a large (>25%) burden of liver disease benefited least from surgical management and IAT may be a more appropriate treatment strategy. Surgical management of NELM should be reserved for patients with low-volume disease or for those patients with symptomatic high-volume disease.

Changing intraoperative parathyroid hormone collection sites from peripheral to central does not affect predictive accuracy during minimally invasive parathyroidectomy.

BACKGROUND: Intraoperative parathyroid hormone (ioPTH) monitoring (IPM) is vital to minimally invasive parathyroidectomy. Techniques vary in assay sampling, potentially affecting predictive accuracy of operative success. Initial guidelines were established using peripheral sites, but central sites may be preferred or necessary when peripheral access is not feasible. We hypothesize that changing collection sites from preexcision peripheral sites to postexcision central sites would not affect IPM accuracy. METHODS: Analysis of 64 consecutive patients who underwent parathyroidectomy for primary hyperparathyroidism was undertaken. PTH assays were collected simultaneously from a peripheral vein (PV) and central vein (CV) preexcision and at a 10-min interval after initial parathyroid excision. IPM success was defined as PTH decrease ≥50% 10 min after initial excision. Predictive accuracy was determined by the need to resect another abnormal gland and biochemical normalization in the postoperative clinic. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) method with area under the curve (AUC) compared diagnostic accuracy of different assay approaches. RESULTS: Centrally, a statistically higher mean pre- and postexcision ioPTH of 391 pg/ml and 58 pg/ml was found compared with peripheral means of 156 pg/ml and 49 pg/ml, respectively (p < 0.001). The AUC when changing from a PV preexcision to a CV postexcision ioPTH was 0.89, comparable to AUC for peripheral or central assay collections alone (AUC = 0.83 and 0.85, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that altering collection sites does not alter assay validity. In cases where peripheral sampling is compromised, changing from a peripheral to central sites will not likely alter the predictive accuracy of IPM significantly.