Impact of COVID-19 infection during the postoperative period in patients who underwent gastrointestinal surgery: a retrospective study.

Purpose: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has led to significant global casualties. This study examines the postoperative impact of COVID-19 on patients who underwent gastrointestinal surgery, considering their heightened vulnerability to infections and increased morbidity and mortality risk. Methods: This retrospective observational study was conducted at a tertiary center and patients who underwent gastrointestinal surgery between January 2022 and February 2023 were included. Postoperative COVID-19 infection was defined as the detection of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 RNA by RT-PCR within 14 days after surgery. Propensity score matching was performed including age, sex, American Society of Anesthesiology physical status classification, and emergency operation between the COVID-19-negative (-) and -positive (+) groups. Results: Following 1:2 propensity score matching, 21 COVID-19(+) and 42 COVID-19(-) patients were included in the study. In the COVID-19(+) group, the postoperative complication rate was significantly higher (52.4% vs. 23.8%, P = 0.023). Mechanical ventilator requirement, intensive care unit (ICU) admission, and readmission rate did not significantly differ between the 2 groups. The median length of ICU (19 days vs. 4 days, P < 0.001) and hospital stay (18 vs. 8 days, P = 0.015) were significantly longer in the COVID-19(+) group. Patients with COVID-19 had a 2.4 times higher relative risk (RR) of major complications than patients without COVID-19 (RR, 2.37; 95% confidence interval, 1.254-4.467; P = 0.015). Conclusion: COVID-19 infection during the postoperative period in gastrointestinal surgery may have adverse outcomes which may increase the risk of major complications. Preoperative COVID-19 screening and protocols for COVID-19 prevention in surgical patients should be maintained.

Recurrence Patterns and Risk Factors after Curative Resection for Colorectal Cancer: Insights for Postoperative Surveillance Strategies.

This study aimed to assess recurrence patterns and related risk factors following curative resection of colorectal cancer (CRC). This retrospective observational study was conducted at a tertiary care center, including 2622 patients with stage I-III CRC who underwent curative resection between 2008 and 2018. Hazard rates of recurrence were calculated using a hazard function. The primary outcome was the peak recurrence time after curative resection and secondary outcomes were prognostic factors associated with recurrence. Over a median follow-up period of 53 months, the overall, locoregional and systemic recurrence rates were 8.9%, 0.7%, and 8.5%, respectively. Recurrence rates were significantly higher for rectal cancer (14.9% overall, 4.4% locoregionally, and 12.3% systemically) than for colon cancer (all p < 0.001). The peak recurrence time was 11 months, with variations in hazard rates and curves depending on the tumor location, stage, and risk factors. Patients with AL or CRM involvement exhibited a distinct pattern, with a high hazard rate in the early postoperative period. Understanding these recurrence patterns and risk factors is crucial for establishing effective postoperative surveillance strategies. Our findings suggested that short-interval surveillance should be considered during the first 2 years post-surgery, particularly for high-risk patients who should receive early attention.

Conversational artificial intelligence (chatGPT™) in the management of complex colorectal cancer patients: early experience.

INTRODUCTION: In 2022 chatGPT™ (OpenAI, San Francisco) was introduced to the public. The complex reasoning and the natural language processing (NLP) ability of the AI platform has generated much excitement about the potential applications. This study conducted a preliminary analysis of the chatGPT™'s ability to formulate a management plan in accordance with oncological principles for patients with colorectal cancer. METHODOLOGY: Colorectal cancer cases discussed in the multidisciplinary tumor (MDT) board at a single tertiary institution between September 2022 and January 2023 were prospectively collected. The treatment recommendations made by the chatGPT™ for Stage IV, recurrent, synchronous colorectal cancer were analysed for adherence to oncological principles. The recommendations by chatGPT™ were compared with the decision plans made by the MDT. RESULTS: In all cases, the chatGPT™ was able to adhere to oncological principles. The recommendations in all 30 cases factored in the patient's overall health and functional status. The oncological management recommendation concordance rate between chatGPT™ and the MDT was 86.7%. CONCLUSIONS: This study shows a high concordance rate of the chatGPT™'s recommendations with that given by the MDT in the management of complex colorectal patients. This will need to be verified in a larger prospective study.

Treatment of side limb full-thickness prolapse of the side-to-end coloanal anastomosis follow-ing intersphincteric resection: a case report and review of literature.

Intersphincteric resection (ISR) with coloanal anastomosis is an oncologically safe anus-preserving technique for very low-lying rectal cancers. Most studies focused on oncological and functional outcomes of ISR with very few evaluating long-term postoperative anorectal complications. Full-thickness prolapse of the neorectum is a relatively rare complication. This report presents the case of a 70-year-old woman presenting with full-thickness prolapse of the side limb of the side-to-end coloanal anastomosis occurring 2 weeks after the stoma closure and 2 months after a robotic partial ISR performed with the Da Vinci single-port platform (Intuitive Surgical System Inc.). The anastomosis was revised through resection of the side limb and conversion of the side-to-end anastomosis into an end-to-end handsewn anastomosis with interrupted stitches. This study describes the first case of full-thickness prolapse of the side limb of the side-to-end handsewn coloanal anastomosis following ISR. Moreover, a revision of all reported cases of post-ISR full-thickness and mucosal prolapse was performed.

Laparoscopic D3 oncological resection in splenic flexure cancer: Technical details and its impact on long-term survival.

AIM: The applicability of laparoscopic D3 oncological resection for splenic flexure cancer (SFC) surgery has not been fully explored due to technical difficulties and variations in surgical procedure. The aim of this work is to describe the feasibility of performing laparoscopic D3 resection in SFC and its impact on long-term survival. METHOD: A retrospective study on 47 out of 52 consecutive patients who underwent elective laparoscopic colectomy for SFC from December 2006 until December 2019 at Korea University Anam Hospital was performed. Data on patients' demographic and clinical features, surgical procedures, intraoperative and postoperative complications, pathological features and follow-up were collected. Categorical data are expressed as frequencies (n) and percentages (%). Continuous data are expressed as mean ± standard deviation and median (range). The Kaplan-Meier test was used to determine the overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS) and disease-free survival (DFS). RESULTS: The median age of patients was 67.0 years (range 27-87 years) and 72.3% were men. Ten (21.3%) patients presented with an obstructing tumour and underwent an elective laparoscopic colectomy, while 68.1% of patients presented with Stage II and III disease. The conversion rate was 4.3% and the morbidity rate was 31.9%. There was one postoperative death secondary to splenic infarction and anastomotic leak leading to multi-organ failure. Four deaths occurred due to disease progression during a median follow-up of 63.8 months. The rate of recurrence was 20%, the 5-year OS was 89.6% and the 5-year PFS was 72.9%. After R0 resection, the 5-year OS was 91.5% and the 5-year DFS was 74.5%. CONCLUSION: Laparoscopic D3 colectomy for SFC is feasible, with an acceptable morbidity and long-term oncological outcome when performed by highly skilled laparoscopic colorectal surgeons with knowledge of the complex anatomy around the splenic flexure. Further randomized trials should be performed to determine the advantage of laparoscopic D3 colectomy over conventional colectomy for SFC.

How to do: superior rectal artery sparing anterior resection for sigmoid colon cancer - surgical option for vasculopathic patients.

Superior rectal artery sparing oncological anterior resection in vasculopathic patients.

Characteristics and outcomes of colorectal cancer surgery by age in a tertiary center in Korea: a retrospective review.

PURPOSE: Colorectal cancer (CRC) occurs in all age groups, and the application of treatment may vary according to age. The study was designed to identify the characteristics of CRC by age. METHODS: A total of 4,326 patients undergoing primary resection for CRC from September 2006 to July 2019 were reviewed. Patient and tumor characteristics, operative and postoperative data, and oncologic outcome were compared. RESULTS: Patients aged 60 to 69 years comprised the largest age group (29.7%), followed by those aged 50 to 59 and 70 to 79 (24.5% and 23.9%, respectively). Rectal cancer was common in all age groups, but right-sided colon cancer tended to be more frequent in older patients. In very elderly patients, there were significant numbers of emergency surgeries, and the frequencies of open surgery and permanent stoma were greater. In contrast, total abdominal colectomy or total proctocolectomy was performed frequently in patients in their teens and twenties. The elderly patients showed more advanced tumor stages and postoperative ileus. The incidence of adjuvant treatment was low in elderly patients, who also had shorter follow-up periods. Overall survival was reduced in older patients with stages 0 to 3 CRC (P<0.001), but disease-free survival did not differ by age (P=0.391). CONCLUSION: CRC screening at an earlier age than is currently undertaken may be necessary in Korea. In addition, improved surgical and oncological outcomes can be achieved through active treatment of the growing number of elderly CRC patients.

Laparoscopic and robotic-assisted mesh pelvic closure for locally advanced and recurrent colorectal cancer.

Extensive resection that may be required in locally advanced and recurrent colorectal cancer result in formation of empty pelvic cavity that has the potential to cause small bowel descent into the pelvis. In patients with prior history of radiotherapy and multiple abdominal surgery, the risk of adhesion and subsequent small bowel obstruction can lead to increasing need for surgery and its resulting morbidity and mortality. We present five cases of locally advanced and recurrent colorectal cancer requiring laparoscopic and robotic-assisted pelvic closure with Gore-Tex Dual Mesh as prevention of small bowel descent into the pelvis. One out of the five cases had a history of small bowel obstruction after the surgery and wound-related infection occurred in one patient. There was no mesh-related complication or mortality. Pelvic closure using Gore-Tex Dual Mesh is feasible to prevent small bowel descent after surgery for locally advanced and recurrent colorectal cancer.

Association between the IL10 rs1800896 Polymorphism and Tardive Dyskinesia in Schizophrenia.

OBJECTIVE: Interleukin-10 (IL-10) is a major immunoregulatory cytokine and its gene plays a fundamental role in anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive activity. This study aimed to examine the association between the IL10 gene promoter -1082G/A polymorphism (rs1800896) and tardive dyskinesia (TD) in schizophrenia. METHODS: Two hundred and eighty unrelated Korean schizophrenic patients participated in this study (105 TD and 175 non-TD patients). TD was diagnosed using the Research Diagnostic Criteria for TD and Abnormal Involuntary Movement Scale (AIMS). Genotyping was performed by RT-PCR and high-resolution melting curve analysis. RESULTS: The distributions of genotypic frequencies did not differ between patients with and without TD (χ2=4.33, p=0.115). However, allelic frequencies of the two groups were different (χ2=4.45, p=0.035); the A allele frequency was higher in TD. The total AIMS scores of the three genotypes were not different (F=1.33, p=0.266). However, the total AIMS scores of the A allele carrier and the A allele non-carrier were significantly different (t=5.79, p<0.001). Logistic regression analaysis showed that IL10 -1082G/A genotype significantly predicts presence of TD (p=0.045) after adjusting for covariates such as age and treatment duration. CONCLUSION: This finding suggests that the A allele of rs1800896 may be associated with TD development following a low IL-10 function.

Clinical characteristics and oncologic outcomes in patients with preoperative clinical T3 and T4 colon cancer who were staged as pathologic T3.

PURPOSE: Clinically suspected T4 stage colon cancer from a preoperative exam is often diagnosed as T3 stage colon cancer pathologically after surgery, raising concerns about understaging. The aims of this study were to compare the survival of clinical T3 and T4 colon cancer patients who had received a pathologic T3 stage diagnosis postoperatively. METHODS: Patients who were diagnosed with pathologic T3 stage colon cancer postoperatively were reviewed. Patients with clinically suspected T3 or T4 stage cancer on preoperative exam were enrolled in the study. We compared patient demographics and survival of the cT3 and cT4 groups. RESULTS: Out of the 536 patients with pT3 colon cancer, 503 patients were cT3 (93.8%) and 33 patients were cT4 (6.2%) preoperatively. The most common reason for suspected clinical T4 stage cancer was free perforation (78.8%). There were no statistically significant differences between the 5-year overall survival and the total 5-year disease-free survival (DFS) between the cT3 and cT4 groups; however, local recurrence was significantly higher in the cT4 group (local 5-year DFS: 98.6% vs. 84.0%, P < 0.001). Multivariate analysis showed cT stage was associated with local recurrence, but the association was not statistically significant (P = 0.056). CONCLUSION: Preoperative clinically suspected T4 stage colon cancer showed inferior local recurrence despite a postoperative pathologic diagnosis of T3 stage cancer. It is necessary to address the shortcomings of pathologic exams in the matter of the understaging of T4 colon cancer, and to reinforce the treatment for local control in patients with cT4 colon cancer.

Transoral Robotic Thyroidectomy: The Overview and Suggestions for Future Research in New Minimally Invasive Thyroid Surgery.

Purpose of review: This journal introduces a overview in depth about the evolution of transoral robotic thyroidectomy, which has been encountering major confrontations in expanding its indications. Recent findings: Transoral robotic thyroidectomy (TORT) is one of the newest approaches and draws attention because of its cosmetic excellence. The major advantage of TORT is comparatively smaller flap dissection area than other remote-access methods. The other advantage of TORT is that the wounds of lips fades out over time, and leaves concealed scar near axilla. Summary: TORT can be done safely to the appropriately selected patients by surgeon expertise in robotic thyroidectomy. It might be a potential alternative surgical approach for thyroidectomy to surgeons who are experienced in remote-access robotic surgery.