Clinical outcomes of obstructive colorectal cancer patients during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic.

BACKGROUND: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has affected all aspects of clinical care including diagnosis and treatment of colorectal cancers (CRCs) globally, including in Türkiye. During the initial peak of the pandemic, elective surgeries and outpatient clinics were restricted in addition to the government-imposed lockdown, resulting in a decrease in the number of colonoscopies being performed and patients admitted to inpatient wards for treatment of CRCs. In this study, we aimed to investigate whether the pandemic has affected presentation characteristics and outcomes of obstructive colorectal cancer in this period. METHODS: This is a single-center, retrospective cohort study based on all CRC adenocarcinoma patients that underwent surgical resection in a high-volume tertiary referral center in Istanbul, Türkiye. Patients were divided into two groups before and after 15 months of identification of 'patient-zero' in Türkiye (March 18, 2020). Patient demographics, initial presentation characteristics, clin-ical outcomes, and pathological cancer stages were compared. RESULTS: Overall, 215 patients underwent resection for CRC adenocarcinoma during 30 months (COVID era: 107, pre-COVID era: 108). Patient characteristics, tumor location, and clinical staging were comparable between two groups. During the COVID period, the number of obstructive CRCs (P<0.01) and emergency presentations (P<0.01) increased significantly compared to the respective pre-COVID period. However, there were no differences between 30-day morbidity, mortality, and pathological outcomes (P>0.05). CONCLUSION: Although the results of our study indicate a significant increase in emergency presentation and a decrease in elective admissions of CRCs during the pandemic, patients treated during the COVID period were not at a significant disadvantage in terms of post-operative outcomes. Further efforts should be made to decrease risks related to an emergency presentation of CRCs for future adverse events.

Malignant Colorectal Polyps: Are Pathology Reports Sufficient for Decision Making?

AIM: This study aims to assess the completeness of pathology reports of T1 colorectal cancers from different healthcare centers and the change of treatment decision after reevaluation of the polyps. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this single-center retrospective cohort study, several pathology reports of endoscopically excised malignant colorectal polyps at diverse healthcare centers in Turkey were reassessed at a comprehensive cancer center in Istanbul. Reassessment was mainly focused on core elements such as the size of invasive carcinoma, histologic type and grade, tumor extension, surgical margin (deep and mucosal), and lymphovascular invasion. RESULTS: Sixty-seven endoscopically resected malignant polyps were analyzed. The mean age of patients was 62.2 years and 38 (58%) patients were males. Tumor size, histologic type and grade, surgical margin (deep and mucosal), and lymphovascular invasion were reported in 11%, 100%, 31%, 9%, and 19%, respectively. All 5 prognostic factors were reported only in 1 (1.5%) pathology report. Because of the missing (incomplete) data, the pathologic examination of 59 (88%) patients was determined to be inadequate to make an accurate treatment decision. CONCLUSION: Several variables are not considered and frequently missing for decision-making, suggesting the reassessment of the specimen by a second pathologist at a high-volume comprehensive cancer center.

Intraperitoneal Ultrasound-Guided Safe Laparoscopic Fenestration of Lymphocele After Kidney Transplantation.

Background: Lymphocele is a common complication after kidney transplantation, which does not require treatment unless it is symptomatic. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the incidence, clinical symptoms, treatment choices, and success of different treatment methods of symptomatic lymphocele. Materials and Methods: We evaluated 168 patients who had kidney transplantation between January 2012 and January 2020. Patients with decreased kidney functions due to lymphocele formation during the clinical follow-up were included in the study. External drainage catheter was placed in all patients, except one. In case of treatment failure with external drainage, laparoscopic fenestration guided by intraperitoneal ultrasonography was performed. Clinical symptoms and success rates of treatments were evaluated. Results: Symptomatic lymphocele requiring interventional treatment was detected in 15 (8.9%) of 168 renal transplant patients. All of the symptomatic lymphocele cases had increased serum creatinine levels, whereas 10 had decreased urine volume, 4 had abdominal discomfort, and 2 had ipsilateral lower extremity edema. External drainage catheter was placed as the first-line treatment in 13 patients. In 6 cases, due to treatment failure with external drainage and in 2 patients as a first-choice treatment, laparoscopic fenestration was performed. No lymphocele recurrence was observed during follow-up. Conclusion: Among various methods defined in the treatment of lymphocele, use of laparoscopic fenestration is increasing because of its high success rate and advantages over other methods. Intraperitoneal ultrasound-guided laparoscopic fenestration is a useful and safe method that can be performed as a first-choice treatment since it eliminates the risk of organ injury or bleeding.

Can Direct-Acting Antiviral Treatment Change the Immunologic Risk Profile in Patients Infected with Hepatitis C Virus Who Are on the Cadaveric Waiting List?

BACKGROUND: In patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, the activation of the immune system by the virus or viral proteins leads to the production of numerous autoantibodies and clinical manifestations. The objectives of this study were to investigate the relationship between HCV and anti-HLA antibodies, as well as the effect of viremia on the antibody response and of direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) on anti-HLA antibody persistence in patients on the waiting list for a cadaveric kidney transplant. METHODS: A total of 395 patients from the cadaveric renal transplant waiting list were included in the study. The patients were grouped according to the presence of HCV infection, and patients with HCV positivity were further divided into a spontaneous clearance group and a persistent group. Anti-HLA antibodies were examined before and after treatment of the patients in the persistent group. The One Lambda Luminex method (Thermo Fisher Scientific, Waltham, MA, United States) was used to assess both HLA class I and II alleles and the anti-HLA antibody profile. RESULTS: Anti-HLA class I and II antibodies were detected in 48.2% and 55.1%, respectively, of the patients infected with HCV and in 21.8% and 20.4%, respectively, of the patients who were not infected. The level of anti-HLA A3, A11, B72, B52, Cw6, Cw16, DR3, and DQ4 antibodies was significantly higher in the patients infected with HCV. There was no statistically significant difference in class I and II antibody titration between the HCV-infected spontaneous clearance group and the persistent group (class I mean fluorescence intensity [MFI] ± SD: 13,583 ± 6224, 13,450 ± 9540, P = .808; Class II MFI ± SD: 13,000 ± 8673, 8440 ± 8302, P = .317, respectively). There was no significant difference in the class I and class II anti-HLA antibody profile and titration in the persistent group after treatment with DAAs (P > .05). CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study demonstrated that hepatitis C DAA treatment did not change the anti-HLA antibody profile and titration.

Discussing treatment strategies for acute mechanical intestinal obstruction caused by phytobezoar: A single-center retrospective study.

BACKGROUND: This study aims to discuss management strategies regarding phytobezoar induced ileus based upon clinical results. METHODS: In the present study, between December 2012 and December 2018, a total of 25 patients who were diagnosed with phytobezoar were evaluated retrospectively. Patients who had acute mechanical intestinal obstruction due to phytobezoars at different segments of gastrointestinal (GI) tract were included in this study. The clinical data (such as clinical findings, laboratory results, radiological evaluations, treatment methods) of the patients were examined. RESULTS: Twenty five patients were included in this study. Of the 25 patients, 13 were women (52%). The median age was 60 (31-84) years, and the overall median length of the stay was 7 (2-28) days. Previous abdominal surgery had been recorded for 13 patients (72%). Two patients (8%) were followed up conservatively, whereas 20 (80%) patients had needed surgical intervention. One (4%) patient underwent surgery for distal ileal obstruction due to the pieces of bezoar that crumbled with previous endoscopic intervention. Three of the patients had complications, such as surgical site infection, wound dehiscence and paralytic ileus in the postoperative period. There were no differences between milking and gastrotomy/enterotomy groups according to the length of stay and postoperative complications. One patient died on the 13th postoperative day due to multi-organ failure. The mortality rate was 4%. CONCLUSION: Phytobezoars, which are common with many other different surgical entities, can be located at any segment of the gastrointestinal tract and may cause obstruction, strangulation and/or even perforation. Contrast-enhanced CT scan must be performed in case of suspicion and to rule out any other causes of acute mechanical intestinal obstruction. Conservative and endoscopic procedures may be useful for selected patients, but the surgical treatment may be needed for the vast majority of the patients with phytobezoar. The surgery is safe for phytobezoar if the enterotomy site is chosen wisely.

Infectious Complications of Induction Therapies in Kidney Transplantation.

BACKGROUND Cytomegalovirus (CMV) and BK virus (BKV) are post-transplant opportunistic viral infections that affect patient and graft survival. This study was designed to evaluate the risk of BKV nephropathy and CMV disease in kidney transplant recipients who received induction therapy with ATG or basiliximab. MATERIAL AND METHODS We retrospectively analyzed information on 257 adult patients who underwent kidney transplantation between January 2007 and 2017. Patients were categorized into 3 groups according to the induction therapies. The primary endpoint was the onset of CMV disease or biopsy-confirmed BKV nephropathy. The secondary endpoints were biopsy-proven rejection episodes, graft loss, loss to follow-up, and death. RESULTS We followed 257 patients for a median of 55.5 months. The incidence of CMV disease was significantly higher in the only ATG group compared to the group without induction treatment (p<0.001). There was no significant difference in the incidence of BKV nephropathy among groups (p>0.05). The dosage of ATG (OR, 10.685; 95% CI, 1.343 5 to 85.009; P=0.025) was independent risk factor for death. CONCLUSIONS This study demonstrated that a higher dosage of ATG in high-risk patients is associated with an increased risk of CMV disease and patient death, also, reducing the dosage may be a rational strategy for increasing graft and patient's survival.

Surgical treatment of post-transplant encapsulating peritoneal sclerosis: A single-center experience.

BACKGROUND: Encapsulating peritoneal sclerosis (EPS) related to peritoneal dialysis (PD) has a vague etiology and high mortality. In this study, our aim was to determine treatment options for EPS cases. METHODS: A total of 169 patients underwent kidney transplantation from January 2008 to January 2018 and 119 patients from a cadaveric and 50 patients from a living donor. Twenty-one patients were undergoing PD before the transplantation. The mean PD time was 6.9 (IQR 3-14) years. Four patients received surgical treatment for EPS that occurred after the transplant. After the surgical treatment, 2 patients died because of sepsis. Two patients were discharged without complications, but 1 had late-term EPS recurrence. RESULTS: EPS is a rare but serious complication of long-term PD. It has a high mortality and morbidity rate. Long-term PD is the most significant factor for triggering EPS. Nutritional support and surgical intervention is the next step if medical treatment fails. Resistant cases should be treated surgically without much delay before the condition deteriorates. CONCLUSION: It can be especially devastating for patients with a long-term PD history to have EPS after a successful transplant. Because EPS is a challenging condition, its management should be done in experienced clinics to decrease its mortality and morbidity rates.

Complicated or not complicated: Stoma site marking before emergency abdominal surgery.

BACKGROUND: Marking a stoma site preoperatively decreases the possibility of experiencing later stoma-related problems and improves the quality of life of patients in the postoperative period. Those best equipped to perform this procedure are ostomy nurses and colorectal surgeons, as they receive the stoma therapy education during their training programs. The aim of this study was to compare the rate of stoma problems and quality of life of patients who underwent an operation that included stoma creation (elective or urgent) with and without preoperative stoma siting. The approach and behavior of surgical residents regarding stoma creation was also assessed. METHODS: Patients who had undergone gastrointestinal surgery between January 2012 and December 2013 were assessed. A total of 116 of those patients who had a stoma created during the initial operation were followed by a stoma therapy nurse in the postoperative period and were enrolled in the current study. In addition, a survey of the residents was conducted to evaluate their knowledge about stoma creation and stoma care. RESULTS: A total of 67 (58%) of the 116 patients included were male. The median age was 57±16 years (range: 17-87 years). A body mass index above 30 kg/m2 was detected in 16 patients (14%). The reason for surgery was malignant disease in 93 (80%) patients, and 97 cases (84%) were elective operations. Preoperative stoma marking was performed in 72 patients (62%). The stoma type was an ileostomy in 87 patients (75%). Stoma-related complications were observed in 40 patients (35%). Emergency surgery (p=0.020), preoperative stoma marking (p=0.000), adjuvant therapy (p=0.004), and the stoma caretaker (patient or relatives) (p=0.05) were associated with stoma-related complications. Logistic regression analysis revealed that only the type of surgery (emergency or elective), preoperative stoma marking, and the stoma caretaker increased the rate of stoma-related complications. CONCLUSION: Marking the stoma location before surgery reduces the risk of stoma-related complications and has a positive effect on the patient's quality of life. Multivariable analysis indicated that marking the stoma site before the operation was the only factor that affected the rate of stoma-related complications, regardless of emergency or elective surgical conditions. Since surgeons will encounter the need for a stoma procedure during their professional career and they will not always have the opportunity to work with stoma therapy nurse, stoma care education should be provided during their residency (internship) education, and ascertaining a stoma localization before surgery for all potential stoma cases should be encouraged in emergency shifts.

Laparoscopic versus open appendectomy in pregnancy: A single center experience.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to compare the obstetric and surgical outcomes of laparoscopic appendectomy (LA) and open appendectomy (OA) performed for pregnant women at a single center. It was the hypothesis of this study that there would be no significant difference in the results. METHODS: The medical records of 57 consecutive pregnant women who underwent an appendectomy between January 2009 and September 2018 were reviewed retrospectively. The patients were divided into 2 groups: OA and LA. The collected data included age, gestational age, diagnostic modalities used, duration of surgery, length of hospital stay, morbidity, and mortality. RESULTS: Eighteen (31%) patients underwent LA and 39 (69%) patients underwent OA. There were no significant differences in the demographic data. The duration of surgery was significantly less in the laparoscopic group (37 vs 57 minutes; p=0.005). There were no statistically significant differences in the outcomes of deep or superficial surgical site infection, length of hospital stay, pre-term delivery, or loss of the fetus. There was no mortality in either group. CONCLUSION: The results of this study suggest that LA can be a safe option for both the pregnant patient and the child. Further prospective, randomized studies with a larger group of pregnant patients with appendicitis are needed to fully determine the effects of laparoscopy in these circumstances.

Duodenal intramural hematoma due to early postoperative anticoagulant treatment after a renal transplant: A case report.

A spontaneous intramural duodenal hematoma is a rare complication in patients receiving anticoagulation therapy. Presently described is a case of intramural duodenal hematoma in a patient with a cadaveric renal transplant who was under oral anticoagulant treatment due to paroxysmal atrial fibrillation. The patient was admitted with intense abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, and a total obstruction of duodenum. After a diagnosis of intramural hematoma, a good prognosis was achieved with conservative care.

A rare cause of hemoperitoneum: A case report of ruptured ileocolic artery aneurysm.

Visceral artery aneurysm (VAA) is very rare among vascular pathologies. Incidence reported in autopsy series and angiographic studies varies between 0.1% and 0.2%. Most cases are asymptomatic and are diagnosed as result of complications, or incidentally, when imaging is performed for another reason. Three percent of VAAs are superior mesenteric artery (SMA) terminal branch aneurysms. Intra- and/or extraperitoneal bleeding due to ruptured aneurysm is life-threatening condition and requires emergent intervention. Therefore, surgical or endovascular interventional treatment must be performed rapidly after diagnosis. Presently described is case of ileocolic artery aneurysm in a patient admitted with abdominal pain, nausea, and vomiting. Endovascular intervention had been planned; however, during hospitalization, aneurysm ruptured and emergent surgery was performed. Review of the literature is also presented.

Efficacy of ultrasound-guided core-needle biopsy in the diagnosis of hepatic alveolar echinococcosis: a retrospective analysis.

BACKGROUND: This study retrospectively analyzed the clinical data, laboratory results, imaging findings, and histopathological features of 28 patients who underwent ultrasound-guided core-needle biopsy from a hepatic lesion and were diagnosed with alveolar echinococcosis. RESULTS: Among 28 patients included in the study, 16 were females and 12 were males. The mean age of the studied population was 53 ± 16 years, and the age range was 18-79 years. The most common presenting symptom was abdominal pain, which was observed in 14 patients. A total of 36 lesions were detected in the patients' livers, out of which 7 had a cystic appearance. Hepatic vascular involvement, bile duct involvement, and other organ involvement were depicted in 14, 5, and 7 patients, respectively. The average number of cores taken from the lesions was 2.7, ranging between 2 and 5. In histopathological evaluation, PAS+ parasitic membrane structures were visualized on a necrotic background in all cases. Regarding seven patients, who were operated, the pathological findings of preoperative percutaneous biopsies were in perfect agreement with the pathological examinations after surgical resections. None of the patients developed major complications after biopsy. CONCLUSION: Ultrasound-guided core-needle biopsy is a minimally invasive, reliable, and effective diagnostic tool for the definitive diagnosis of hepatic alveolar echinococcosis.

Sparing Sphincters and Laparoscopic Resection Improve Survival by Optimizing the Circumferential Resection Margin in Rectal Cancer Patients.

The goal of rectal cancer treatment is to minimize the local recurrence rate and extend the disease-free survival period and survival. For this aim, obtainment of negative circumferential radial margin (CRM) plays an important role. This study evaluated predictive factors for positive CRM status and its effect on patient survival in mid- and distal rectal tumors.Patients who underwent curative resection for rectal cancer were included. The main factors were demographic data, tumor location, surgical technique, neoadjuvant therapy, tumor diameter, tumor depth, lymph node metastasis, mesorectal integrity, CRM, the rate of local recurrence, distant metastasis, and overall and disease-free survival. Statistical analyses were performed by using the Chi-squared test, Fisher exact test, Student t test, Mann-Whitney U test and the Mantel-Cox log-rank sum test.A total of 420 patients were included, 232 (55%) of whom were male. We observed no significant differences in patient characteristics or surgical treatment between the patients who had positive CRM and who had negative CRM, but a higher positive CRM rate was observed in patients undergone abdominoperineal resection (APR) (P < 0.001). Advanced T-stage (P < 0.001), lymph node invasion (P = 0.001) and incomplete mesorectum (P = 0.007) were encountered significantly more often in patients with positive CRM status. Logistic regression analysis revealed that APR (P < 0.001) and open resection (P = 0.046) were independent predictors of positive CRM status. Moreover, positive CRM was associated with decreased 5-year overall and disease-free survival (P = 0.002 and P = 0.004, respectively).This large single-institution series demonstrated that APR and open resection were independent predictive factors for positive CRM status in rectal cancer. Positive CRM independently decreased the 5-year overall and disease-free survival rates.

Superior mesenteric artery syndrome: an infrequent complication of scoliosis surgery.

Superior mesenteric artery syndrome is a rare condition that causes a proximal small intestinal obstruction due to contraction of the angle between the superior mesenteric artery and the aorta. Scoliosis surgery is one of the 15 reasons for superior mesenteric artery syndrome, which can present with acute or chronic manifestations. Although conservative treatment is usually possible, surgical treatment is required in certain cases that cannot be treated using conservative methods. In this paper, we describe a patient who developed superior mesenteric artery syndrome after scoliosis surgery and was treated with duodenojejunostomy due to failure and complications of conservative treatment.

Evaluation of recurrent laryngeal nerve monitoring in thyroid surgery.

AIM: Thyroidectomy creates a potential risk for all parathyroid glands and nerves. Nerve identification has decreased the rates of nerve injury during thyroidectomy. Intraoperative nerve monitoring (IONM) has been used as an adjunct to the visual identification of the nerve. The aim of this clinical trial is to evaluate the effect of the identification time of RLN during thyroidectomy using IONM. METHOD: Two hundred and thirty seven patients and 409 nerves at risk were enrolled in this prospective study. The nerves in Group 1 (n=210) were identified with IONM, whereas the nerves in Group 2 (n=199) were identified without IONM. RESULT: The identification time of RLN and the operating time in patients of Group 1 were significantly lower than patients of Group 2. There was not any significant difference between postoperative complications of the groups. According to logistic regression analysis, the use of IONM was found to be the only determinant of the decrease of identification time of RLN. CONCLUSION: Although the operating time was lower with IONM than with visualization alone, the shortened surgical time may not seem to have great clinical relevance. However, the shorter the nerve is identified the lower is the surgeon's level of stress. We think that it is important to use IONM to decrease the identification time of RLN in the course of thyroidectomy.

Radio-guided excision of metastatic lymph nodes in thyroid carcinoma: a safe technique for previously operated neck compartments.

BACKGROUND: Better follow-up of patients with papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) and more sensitive detection leads to detection of recurrences in the neck. Despite excellent outcomes, the major challenge is controlling locoregional recurrence. We aimed to investigate whether the radio-guided excision of metastatic lymph nodes makes it possible to find the affected lymph nodes in patients with previously operated neck compartments. METHOD: This prospective study included 46 patients with recurrent/persistent PTC who had previously undergone operation of the neck compartment. Prior to operation, the pathologic node was localized by ultrasound (US) and radiotracer ((99m)Tc-labeled rhenium colloid) was injected directly into the pathologic node. Careful dissection was carried out following the area of maximum radioactivity until the metastatic lymph node(s) were identified and excised. RESULT: One affected lymph node was removed in 17 patients, and more than one lymph node (affected or additional nodes) was removed in 29 patients. The median count from the lesion was significantly higher than values from the lesion bed (background activity) (16,886 counts/20 s versus 52 counts/20 s; p < 0.001). During follow-up, four patients were lost to follow-up and 27 patients had negative US and basal thyroglobulin (Tg). Five patients had suspicious lymph nodes on the operated side. Although the basal Tg level remained above the normal limit, moderately high in 8 patients, no metastases were detected in the neck. CONCLUSIONS: Radio-guided excision of metastatic lymph nodes can be performed safely for the detection and excision of recurrent thyroid cancer in the central and lateral neck.