Colon Trauma: Evidence-Based Practices.

Colon injury is not uncommon and occurs in about a half of patients with penetrating hollow viscus injuries. Despite major advances in the operative management of penetrating colon wounds, there remains discussion regarding the appropriate treatment of destructive colon injuries, with a significant amount of scientific evidence supporting segmental resection with primary anastomosis in most patients without comorbidities or large transfusion requirement. Although literature is sparse concerning the management of blunt colon injuries, some studies have shown operative decision based on an algorithm originally defined for penetrating wounds should be considered in blunt colon injuries. The optimal management of colonic injuries in patients requiring damage control surgery (DCS) also remains controversial. Studies have recently reported that there is no increased risk compared with patients treated without DCS if fascial closure is completed on the first reoperation, or that a management algorithm for penetrating colon wounds is probably efficacious for colon injuries in the setting of DCS as well.

Psychosocial Support of the Inflammatory Bowel Disease Patient.

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic, debilitating disease whose effects spread far beyond the gut. IBD does not generally result in excess mortality; health care providers should thus focus their efforts on improving health-related quality of life and minimizing associated morbidity. A bidirectional relationship exists between IBD and psychiatric conditions; chronic inflammation can produce neuromodulatory effects with resultant mood disorders, and the course of IBD is worse in patients with anxiety and depression. Screening for the early signs of depression or anxiety and initiating appropriate treatment can lead to improved functioning and positively impact disease course.

Recurrent metachronous metastatic multifocal renal cell carcinoma to the pancreas.

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) metastatic to the pancreas may present synchronously or years after the initial diagnosis. In the absence of more widespread disease, surgical extirpation is recommended and is often associated with long-term survival. Most patients present with isolated metastases, with the vast majority of the literature pertaining to this select group. Multifocal metastases and recurrent metastatic disease after previous surgical resection of the pancreas for RCC have been less well described. Most often, surgery has been performed in these latter populations, although data with respect to long-term survival remains incomplete. Despite the use of routine CT, multifocal disease is often discovered unexpectedly at the time of surgical exploration or on final pathologic analysis, and diagnostic strategies to improve recognition of this entity have been incompletely assessed. Management of recurrent metastatic and multifocal RCC to the pancreas within the context of the existing literature is suggested.