Two-meshes approach in posterior component separation with transversus abdominis release: the IMPACT study (Italian Multicentric Posterior-separation Abdominal Complex hernia Transversus-release).

BACKGROUND: Surgical management of large ventral hernias (VH) has remained a challenge. Various techniques like anterior component separation and posterior component separation (PCS) with transversus abdominis release (TAR) have been employed. Despite the initial success, the long-term efficacy of TAR is not yet comprehensively studied. Authors aimed to investigate the early-, medium-, and long-term outcomes and health-related quality of life (QoL) in patients treated with PCS and TAR. METHODS: This multicenter retrospective study analyzed data of 308 patients who underwent open PCS with TAR for primary or recurrent complex abdominal hernias between 2015 and 2020. The primary endpoint was the rate of hernia recurrence (HR) and mesh bulging (MB) at 3, 6, 12, 24, and 36 months. Secondary outcomes included surgical site events and QoL, assessed using EuraHS-QoL score. RESULTS: The average follow-up was 38.3 ± 12.7 months. The overall HR rate was 3.5% and the MB rate was 4.7%. Most of the recurrences were detected by clinical and ultrasound examination. QoL metrics showed improvement post-surgery. CONCLUSIONS: This study supports the long-term efficacy of PCS with TAR in the treatment of large and complex VH, with a low recurrence rate and an improvement in QoL. Further research is needed for a more in-depth understanding of these outcomes and the factors affecting them.

Right atrial appendage aneurysms in veal calves and beef cattle: anatomopathological investigations and aetiopathogenetic hypotheses.

OBJECTIVES: Right atrial aneurysms have been reported in bovine species, but a clear aetiopathogenesis has never been elucidated. ANIMALS: One thousand and seventy-nine veal calves (6-9 months old) and 313 beef cattle (10-24 months old) housed in intensive livestock farming systems and regularly slaughtered were included in the present study. METHODS: Hearts were externally examined and the identified right atrial aneurysms were submitted for gross and histopathological investigations. RESULTS: Right atrial aneurysms, which involved the right auricle, were detected in both veal calves (4.63%) and beef cattle (8.63%). Two types of aneurysms were observed: one type showing communications with the atrial lumen, the other one having no connections with it. Aneurysms communicating with the atrial lumen were characterized by endocardial fibrosis, whereas the other ones showed arterial characteristics (intimal fibromuscular hyperplasia and medial elastic fibre and fibrous tissue deposition). CONCLUSIONS: Considering the similarities with the right atrial aneurysms reported in people, the aneurysms communicating with the atrial lumen were considered to be caused by an inherent atrial weakness (so called 'loci minoris resistentiae' areas). On the contrary, the aneurysms with no communications with the atrial lumen, whose localization suggested an origin from the intramural coronary arteries of the pectinate muscles, may be subsequent to systemic hypertension due to intensive livestock farming conditions.

Role of pre and post-operative oral calcium and vitamin D supplements in prevention of hypocalcemia after total thyroidectomy.

AIM: to evaluate the role of pre and post-operative oral calcium and vitamin D supplements in prevention of hypocalcemia after total thyroidectomy. PATIENTS AND METHODS: 50 consecutive patients, undergoing total thyroidectomy, were enrolled. Oral calcium and vitamin D were administered in the pre and post-operative time. The data concerning symptomatic and laboratoristic hypocalcemia were collected. RESULTS: Incidence of symptomatic hypocalcemia was very low (6%); incidence of laboratoristic hypocalcemia was 10%. No permanent hypocalcemia developed. CONCLUSIONS: Implementing oral calcium and vitamin D both before and after total thyroidectomy can reduce the incidence of hypocalcemia related to surgery.

[Bilio-intestinal bypass in the treatment of metabolic syndrome in obese patient]. / Il by-pass bilio-intestinale nel trattamento della sindrome metabolica nel paziente obeso.

INTRODUCTION: obesity (O) is a chronic patologic condition, evolutive and relapsing, with multifactorial etiopathogenesis, consisting in an alteration of the body's composition characterized by a relative and absolute excess of fat, that gets worse the life quality and causes complications that can lead to death. PATIENTS AND METHODS: experience concerns twenty-five diabetic obese patients underwent bilio-intestinal by-pass between January 2006-December 2007. All these patients, before the surgical operation, underwent a rigorous clinical and laboratory examination. Besides, a precise rate control of laboratory, overlap with those performed in the pre-operative period of operation, was required for each patient: the first after one month, the second after six months and the third after twelve months. RESULTS: the average weight loss was about 40 kg and, more important, these data show that the BMI is reduced, until to become stable, after 12 months from surgical operation, about values 34-31 Kg/m², obtaining, in this way, an improvement of values in the development metabolic syndrome and, above all, heart rate and ventricular repolarization. CONCLUSIONS: the data obtained by our study support the hypothesis to suggest the operations of bariatric malassorbing surgery, in particular bilio-intestinal by-pass, as prophylactic methods for dismetabolics diseases, with reduction of cardiovascular risk in obese patient.

[Non recurrent inferior laryngeal nerve: our surgical experience]. / Il Nervo Laringeo Inferiore Non Ricorrente. Nostra esperienza chirurgica.

AIM: Iatrogenic damage to the recurrent laringeal nerve is the most feared complication in thyroid surgery and the main cause for vocal cord palsy. Prevention of such a lesion is based upon the thorough search for the nerve along its anatomic pathway. In the present study the Authors discuss an important anatomic variation: non-recurrent inferior laryngeal nerve, emphasizing the aspects of surgical anatomy, on the basis of their own experience in neck surgery. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study takes into conideration 301 surgical interventions on the thyroid gland, in 268 women and 33 men; consisting in 256 total thyroidectomies and 45 loboisthmectomies, as follows: 186 for nodular goiter, 48 for follicular nodule, 34 for papillifer carcinoma, 33 for toxic goiter. The identification and exposure of inferior laryngeal nerve was performed according to the principles and technique by Lahey. RESULTS: The overall prevalence of non recurrent inferior laryngeal nerve was equal to 0.33% (1/301 operations). The anomaly is prevailing on the right side, being due by an anomalous reabsorption of the IV ventral arch. This is the cause of the formation of a subclavian artery that is responsible for dysphagia lusoria. CONCLUSIONS: The rationale for the preservation of recurrent nerve is its systematic identification and exposure along all its course from its laryngeal entry. Diagnosis of non recurrent inferior laryngeal nerve is exclusively intra-operative. The anomaly is clinically asymptomatic and its suspicion can be posed in case of vascular anomalies or dysphagia. In such a circumstance the golden diagnostic tool is the angio Tc-RMN, while both the EGDS and baritate esophagous can be of some diagnostic help.

New trends on fibrin glue in seroma after axillary lymphadenectomy for breast cancer.

BACKGROUND: Axillary lymphadenectomy remains an integral part of breast cancer treatment, yet seroma formation occurs in 15-85% of cases. Among methods to reduce seroma magnitude and duration, fibrin glue has been proposed in several studies with controversial results. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Ninety patients underwent quadrantectomy or mastectomy with level I/II axillary lymphadenectomy; a suction drain was fitted in all patients. Fibrin glue spray were applied to the axillary fossa in 45 patients; the other 45 patients were treated conventionally. RESULTS: Suction drainage was removed between post-operative (p.o.) days 3 and 4. Seroma magnitude and duration were significantly reduced (p 0.004 and 0.02, respectively), and there were fewer evacuative punctures, in patients receiving fibrin glue compared with the conventional treatment group. CONCLUSIONS: Use of fibrin glue does not always prevent seroma formation, but does reduce seroma magnitude, duration and evacuative punctures.

Myocardial adenomatoid tumor in eight cattle: evidence for mesothelial origin of bovine myocardial epithelial inclusions.

The adenomatoid tumor is an uncommon benign lesion, thus far described only in humans. Adenomatoid tumors typically arise in the genital tract, exceptionally in the heart, and usually represent an incidental finding. Microscopically, they are constituted by epithelioid cells that form tubular structures and anastomosing channels within a fibrous stroma. Mesothelial origin of these lesions is suggested by their immunohistochemical characteristics. In cattle, previously reported myocardial epithelial inclusions are morphologically similar in that the cells are immunoreactive for both cytokeratins and vimentin, and bear surface microvilli. Myocardial lesions found incidentally at slaughter in 8 cattle histologically resembled the so-called bovine myocardial epithelial inclusions and had morphologic and immunohistochemical features consistent with human adenomatoid tumor. All lesions were in the left ventricular myocardium, adjacent to the epicardium, and composed of epithelioid cells that formed cords and tubules, and were immunoreactive for pan-cytokeratins, cytokeratin 5/6, vimentin, calretinin, Wilms' tumor 1 suppressor gene, and CD30 antigen. By electron microscopy, numerous long slender microvilli were associated with desmosomes and tonofibrils. The immunohistochemical and ultrastructural features were considered consistent with mesothelial origin. These lesions, corresponding to the previously described myocardial epithelial inclusions in cattle, might be considered embryologic rests and could represent the bovine counterpart of the human adenomatoid tumor.

Ductal carcinoma in situ of the breast: our experience.

AIM: The ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) is a more and more frequent neoplasia, representing over 25% of diagnosed breast cancer in recent surveys.It is particularly interesting as concerns several aspects of which the most important are issues linked to clinical diagnosis and the difficulties of histopathological classification, with evident and important therapeutic implications. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The authors report their experience about 161 ductal carcinoma in situ of the breast. Guidelines for surgical treatment are: radiological or clinical diagnosis, tumor's extension, histological classification, grading and margin status. At the present the authors prefer breast conserving surgery with tumor margin's study. They report their experience in the last seven years about sentinel lymph node biopsy. RESULTS: The most frequent histotype resulted comedocarcinoma (61,8%) followed by non comedo (38,2%). Local recurrence after DCIS therapy is 6,1%. CONCLUSIONS: 80-90% of the patients currently treated for DCIS present non-palpable breast lesions at diagnosis. Breast conserving surgery is the first choice and radiotherapy and endocrine therapy are indicated for selected patients.

Plurifocal breast cancer and double lymphatic spread.

BACKGROUND: Sentinel node (SN) has been proved to be a reliable technique in predicting the lymph nodes state of the axilla in breast cancer. For the majority of the authors the intradermal and peritumoral injection is the best way. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Our experience, from 1997, includes 587 cases of SN in women with resectable breast cancer less than 3 cm of diameter. We performed the lymphoscintigraphy after a peritumoral injection of radioactive tracer and, if the lesion was superficial, we associated an intradermal injection on the skin above the lesion itself. Two patients had multifocal right breast cancer. We did two separate injections around each tumor. RESULTS: The radioactive tracer spread towards the internal mammary chain and homolateral axillary nodes. CONCLUSIONS: We consider the peritumoral injection as essential in tumors located deeply in the breast (under ultrasound guide if not palpable) together with intradermal injection in superficial ones. Using this technique the possibility of a mis-identification of the SN is reduced.

Fibrin glue to reduce seroma after axillary lymphadenectomy for breast cancer.

UNLABELLED: Axillary lymphadenectomy remains an integral part of breast cancer treatment, yet seroma formation occurs in 15-85% of cases. Among the methods employed to reduce seroma magnitude and duration, fibrin glue has been proposed in numerous studies with controversial RESULTS: Sixty patients underwent quadrantectomy or mastectomy with level I/II axillary lymphadenectomy; a suction drain was fitted in all patients. Fibrin glue spray was applied to the axillary fossa in 30 patients; the other 30 patients were treated conventionally. Suction drainage was removed between postoperative days III and IV. Seroma magnitude and duration were significantly reduced (P=0.004 and 0.02, respectively), and there were fewer evacuative punctures, in patients receiving fibrin glue compared with the conventional treatment group. The authors conclude that the use of fibrin glue does not always prevent seroma formation, but does reduce seroma magnitude, duration and necessary evacuative punctures.

Análisis de la actividad del Servicio de Urgencias Tocoginecológicas en un hospital materno infantil de alta complejidad / Analysis of the activity of the Gynecology and Obstetrics Emergency Service in a highly complex maternal and child hospital

El objetivo de este artículo es el de determinar la actividad del Servicio de Urgencias como paso previo para elaborar un plan estratégico de mejora que refuerce los puntos débiles y premie los puntos fuertes. Se analizaron las altas de este servicio durante una semana, y se registraron múltiples variables. La mayor actividad del servicio se desarrolla con pacientes obstétricas de tercer trimestre, los días laborables y en turno diurno, el 60,7% son visitas adecuadas, y urgentes el 51,6%. Se ingresan al 28% de las pacientes. Se concluye que existe una gran actividad con pacientes parturientas, de que es inútil el crear un sistema de triage, se constata que existe una buena dotación de medios pero que escasea el personal (AU)

The aim of this work is to determine the activity of the emergency service as a prior step to designing a strategic improvement plan which will strengthen the weak points and reward the strong points. It has been observed that the department’s greatest activity is with third-term obstetric patients, on work days and during the daytime. It also concludes that there is intense activity with patients in labour for whom it is useless to create a selection system and, furthermore, the resources are good in spite of staff shortages (AU)

Sentinel lymph node biopsy in the treatment of breast cancer. Experience in 527 cases.

AIM: Knowledge of axillary lymph node status is a key aid to staging and prognosis and it represents a guideline for adjuvant therapy in breast cancer. Despite the morbidity it causes, complete axillary dissection was long the mainstay of treatment. Sentinel lymph node biopsy has proved so reliable in the evaluation of node involvement that axillary node dissection is now generally performed when sentinel node biopsy tests negative. METHODS: In this 3-phase study, 50 patients were enrolled to evaluate the learning curve of sentinel node biopsy (phase 1, September 1997-January 1998); 256 patients (age range 27-81 years) with infiltrative breast cancer (T <3 cm, clinical N0) underwent level 1 lymph node dissection when the sentinel node tested negative at histopathology (phase 2, February 1998-March 2001); 221 patients with T <3 cm underwent dissection of the sentinel node when it tested negative for metastasis (phase 3, April 2001-March 2005). RESULTS: The sentinel node was preoperatively detected in 98.6% of cases after peritumoral and intradermic injection of the radionuclide tracer and intraoperatively in 99% (90% with radio-guided surgery, 10% with vital staining). The sentinel node was positive in 15% of patients with T1 and metastatic in 65%. CONCLUSIONS: Our results are in line with the published data; therefore, the study will go forward to examine the role of the micrometastasis in the sentinel node and of in-transit tumoral cells.

[Ductal carcinoma in situ of the breast]. / Il carcinoma duttale in situ della mammella.

The Authors report their experience about 127 ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) of the breast. Guidelines for surgical treatment are: radiological or clinical diagnosis, tumor's extension, histological classification, grading and margin status. At the present the Authors prefer breast conserving surgery with tumor margin's study. They report their experience in the last seven years about sentinel node biopsy. Radiotherapy and endocrine therapy are indicated for selected patients; local recurrence after DCIS therapy is 8,1% on a 6,1 years follow-up.

Valor de la medición ecográfica de longitud cervical en gestantes con amenaza de parto prematuro para predecir un parto pretérmino / Value of ultrasonographic measurement of cervical length in predicting preterm birth after threatened preterm labor

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[Breast-conserving surgery in breast cancer]. / La chirurgia conservativa nel cancro della mammella.

Breast-conserving surgery is the treatment of choice for the breast cancer T < 3 cm. The local recurrence is a problem of diagnosis and consequent treatment. We enrolled, from 1987 to 2004, 1504 breast cancer. In 803 (53.4%) tumor with T < 3 cm we performed conserving surgery. The sentinel lymph node (SN) technique induce to limit the axillary dissection in patients T1a-b to the SN only if non metastatic and located to the first level, the dissection of the 1st level of the axilla in patients T1c-T2 < 3 cm and SN negative, complete axillary dissection in patients with metastatic SN or located to the 2nd level. Our percentage of local recurrence in the follow-up was 3.5% at 5 years and 6% at 10 years.