Could the Tokyo guidelines on the management of acute cholecystitis be adopted in developing countries? Experience of one center.

PURPOSE: The Tokyo guidelines for diagnostic criteria and severity assessment of acute cholecystitis (AC), published in 2007, recommend early laparoscopic cholecystectomy (ELC) be done as soon as possible after the onset of symptoms. We conducted this study to analyze the changes in the therapeutic strategy for AC in a surgical center in Tunisia after the Tokyo guidelines were published. METHODS: Between January, 2005 and January, 2013, 649 patients underwent cholecystectomy for AC at the Department of Surgery, Mohamed Tahar Maamouri Hospital in Nabeul, Tunisia. The study period was subdivided into before (n = 192) and after (n = 457) the publication of the Tokyo guidelines, that is, prior to and including 2007, and from 2008 onward, respectively. We reviewed patient records retrospectively to collect demographic data, biochemical data, radiological findings, and postoperative outcomes. All these factors were compared between the groups. RESULTS: The duration of symptoms before surgery was significantly longer before 2008 (p = 0.018). ELC was significantly more frequent after 2008 (p = 0.001). Laparoscopic surgery was converted to open surgery in 16.1 % of patients before 2008 vs. 7.8 % of patients after 2008 (p = 0.02). There were no significant differences in bile duct injury or postoperative complications between the groups. The length of preoperative, postoperative, and total hospital stay was longer before 2008. CONCLUSIONS: ELC is a safe and effective therapeutic strategy for AC. The Tokyo guidelines resulted in a significant increase in the number of ELCs being performed and significantly reduced preoperative and total hospital stay without increasing intra- and postoperative complications. Importantly, ELC reduced medical costs, which is crucial for a country with limited resources, such as Tunisia.

Surgery for Colorectal Cancer in Elderly Patients: How Could We Improve Early Outcomes ?

BACKGROUND: Age is one of the causes behind the undertreatment of elderly colorectal cancer patients. The increase of mortality among elderly colorectal cancer (CRC) patients is due to competing causes of death occurring in the early post operative period. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the risk factors for post operative mortality and morbidity among elderly CRC patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective descriptive chart review was performed on consecutive patients older than 70 y with CRC. We have collected data of 124 patients who were admitted from January 2001 to January 2010. Demographic characteristics, operative and postoperative informations were retrospectively analysed. RESULTS: Early postoperative morbidity, operation related to morbidity and mortality were observed in 44 (35.5%), 9 (7.3%) and 20 (16.1%) cases, respectively. No other factors but ASA score (p = 0.002 and 0.005 in univariate and multivariate analyses, respectively) and emergency operations (p<0.001 and 10(-3) in univariate and multivariate analyses, respectively), were found to be risk factors of mortality. The results of multivariate analyses indicated that anaemia (p=0.021) and rectal cancer (p=0.015) had significant impact on the risk of anastomotic leakage. On the other hand, diabetes mellitus and rectal cancer were indicators that correlated with the width of hospitalization. CONCLUSION: Elderly CRC patients should no longer be undertreated only because of their age. They should be exposed to more aggressive management than they are currently receiving. Careful preoperative evaluation, followed by medical optimization and planning of perioperative care could improve outcomes of colorectal surgery for elderly patients.

Gastrointestinal bleeding due to an erosion of the superior mesenteric artery: an exceptional fatal complication of pancreatic pseudocyst.

The erosion of a pancreatic pseudocyst into an adjacent artery is a rare and highly lethal complication of pancreatitis with reported death rates of 12% to 40%. The majority of patients had bleeding from the splenic artery, the gastroduodenal artery and the anterior pacreaticoduodenal artery. Exceptionally, some cases with bleeding from the superior mesenteric artery, or hepatic artery were reported. We report the case of a 50 year old patient having a cataclysmic upper gastrointestinal bleeding due to an erosion of the superior mesenteric artery by a pancreatic pseudocyst, and discuss contemporary methods in diagnosis and management of the condition.