Oral Budesonide and low serum albumin levels at surgery are associated with a higher risk of postoperative intra-abdominal septic complications after primary ileocaecal resection for Crohn's disease: A retrospective analysis of 853 consecutive patients.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The terminal ileum is the most frequent site of Crohn's Disease (CD) that necessitates surgery. Of the postoperative complications (POCs) associated with ileocaecal resection for CD, intra-abdominal septic complications (IASCs) include anastomotic leak, abscesses, and entero-cutaneous fistula. We aimed to identify predictors of IASCs and severe POCs (Clavien-Dindo ≥3) after primary ileocaecal resection for CD. METHODS: This is a retrospective single-centre cohort study including all consecutive primary ileocaecal resection for CD in a tertiary IBD centre between 2004 and 2021. RESULTS: A total of 853 patients underwent primary ileocaecal resection for CD. 307 (36.6 %) patients were receiving antibiotics, 253 (29.8 %), systemic steroids, and 178 (21.0 %) oral budesonide at surgery. At 90 days, 260 (30.8 %) patients developed POCs, 62 (7.3 %) severe POCs, and 56 (6.6 %) IASCs. At multivariate analysis, severe POCs were associated with lower preoperative albumin levels (OR1.58, 95 %CI 1.02-2.50, p = 0.040) and a history of cardiovascular diseases (OR2.36, 95 %CI 1.08-7.84, p = 0.030). IASCs were associated with lower preoperative albumin levels (OR1.81, 95 %CI 1.15-2.94, p = 0.011) and oral budesonide (OR2.07, 95 %CI 1.12-3.83, p = 0.021) with a dose-dependent effect. CONCLUSIONS: The independent association, dose-dependent effect, and biological plausibility of budesonide and IASCs suggest a robust causal effect. Oral budesonide should be carefully assessed before primary ileocaecal resection for CD.

The role of cold ischemia time and hypothermic perfusion in predicting early hepatocellular carcinoma recurrences after liver transplantation.

AIM: The aim of the study was to identify predictors of early tumor recurrence in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) after liver transplantation (LT). METHODS: Retrospective cohort study in 237 consecutive liver recipients with HCC between 2016 and 2021. Multivariate logistic analysis was performed to identify predictors of early HCC recurrences. The impact of hypothermic-oxygenated perfusion (HOPE) on outcome was analyzed after propensity score weighting. RESULTS: Early recurrences were observed in 15 cases. Microvascular invasion (OR 3.737, 95% CI 1.246-11.206, p = 0.019) and cold ischemia time (OR 1.155, 95% CI 1.001-1.333, p = 0.049) were independently associated with a lower risk of HCC recurrences. After balancing for relevant variables, patients in the HOPE group had lower rates of tumor recurrence (weighted OR 0.126, 95% CI 0.016-0.989, p = 0.049) and higher recurrence free survival (weighted HR 0.132, 95% CI 0.017-0.999, p = 0.050). CONCLUSION: Reducing cold ischemia time and graft perfusion with HOPE can lead to lower rates of early HCC recurrences and higher recurrence-free survival.

Prognostic Role of p53 Immunohistochemical Status in invasive Breast Cancer. A Retrospective Review of 1387 Cases With Luminal-Like/Her2 Negative Breast Tumors.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the prognostic role of p53 immunohistochemical (IHC) expression in a large cohort of patients with hormone receptors (HR)-positive/Her2-negative primary invasive breast cancer. METHODS: Retrospective review of consecutive cases treated at our Breast Unit between 2003 and 2013. Patients were divided into 3 subgroups based on p53 IHC expression: null (0%), low (0.1%-49%), and high (≥50%) p53 expression. RESULTS: A total of 1387 patients were included in the study with a median follow-up of 86 months. After adjusting for age, size, node status, lymphovascular invasion, progesterone, and Ki67 expression, only null p53 immunophenotype was associated with worse disease-free survival (DFS) (OR 1.74, 95% IC, 1.11-2.71, P = .015) and distant recurrence-free survival (DRFS) (OR 1.73, 95% IC, 1.04-2.90, P = .036). Null p53 impacted significantly DFS and DRFS also in patients with early breast cancer. CONCLUSIONS: p53 IHC expression affects survival and, thus can be a valuable tool in the management of patients with HR-positive/Her2-negative breast cancer.

Radiomic Features from Post-Operative 18F-FDG PET/CT and CT Imaging Associated with Locally Recurrent Rectal Cancer: Preliminary Findings.

Locally Recurrent Rectal Cancer (LRRC) remains a major clinical concern; it rapidly invades pelvic organs and nerve roots, causing severe symptoms. Curative-intent salvage therapy offers the only potential for cure but it has a higher chance of success when LRRC is diagnosed at an early stage. Imaging diagnosis of LRRC is very challenging due to fibrosis and inflammatory pelvic tissue, which can mislead even the most expert reader. This study exploited a radiomic analysis to enrich, through quantitative features, the characterization of tissue properties, thus favoring an accurate detection of LRRC by Computed Tomography (CT) and 18F-FDG-Positron Emission Tomography/CT (PET/CT). Of 563 eligible patients undergoing radical resection (R0) of primary RC, 57 patients with suspected LRRC were included, 33 of which were histologically confirmed. After manually segmenting suspected LRRC in CT and PET/CT, 144 Radiomic Features (RFs) were generated, and RFs were investigated for univariate significant discriminations (Wilcoxon rank-sum test, p < 0.050) of LRRC from NO LRRC. Five RFs in PET/CT (p < 0.017) and two in CT (p < 0.022) enabled, individually, a clear distinction of the groups, and one RF was shared by PET/CT and CT. As well as confirming the potential role of radiomics to advance LRRC diagnosis, the aforementioned shared RF describes LRRC as tissues having high local inhomogeneity due to the evolving tissue's properties.

Percutaneous Drainage vs. Surgery as Definitive Treatment for Anastomotic Leak after Intestinal Resection in Patients with Crohn's Disease.

BACKGROUND: Anastomotic leak (AL) remains one of the most relevant complications after intestinal resection for Crohn's disease (CD). While surgery has always been considered the standard treatment for perianastomotic collection, percutaneous drainage (PD) has been proposed as a potential alternative. METHODS: Retrospective study in consecutive patients treated with either PD or surgery for AL after intestinal resection for CD between 2004 and 2022. AL was defined as a perianastomotic fluid collection confirmed by radiological findings. Patients with generalized peritonitis or clinical instability were excluded. PRIMARY AIM: To compare the success rate of PD vs. surgery. Secondary aims: To compare the outcomes at 90 days after the procedures; to identify the variables associated with the indication for PD. RESULTS: A total of 47 patients were included, of which 25 (53%) underwent PD and 22 (47%) surgery. The success rate was 84% in the PD and 95% in the surgery group (p = 0.20). There were no significant differences between the PD and surgery group in postoperative medical and surgical complications, discharge, readmission or reoperation rates at 90 days. PD was more likely to be performed in patients with later diagnosis of AL (OR 1.25, 95% CI 1.03-1.53, p = 0.027), undergoing ileo-colic anastomosis alone (OR 3.72, 95% CI 2.29-12.45, p = 0.034) and treated after 2016 (OR 6.36, 95% CI 1.04-39.03, p = 0.046). CONCLUSION: The present study suggests that PD is a safe and effective procedure to treat anastomotic leak and perianastomotic collection in CD patients. PD should be indicated in all eligible patients as an effective alternative to surgery.

Hypothermic oxygenated perfusion in extended criteria donor liver transplantation-A randomized clinical trial.

Hypothermic Oxygenated Perfusion (HOPE) of the liver can reduce the incidence of early allograft dysfunction (EAD) and failure in extended criteria donors (ECD) grafts, although data from prospective studies are very limited. In this monocentric, open-label study, from December 2018 to January 2021, 110 patients undergoing transplantation of an ECD liver graft were randomized to receive a liver after HOPE or after static cold storage (SCS) alone. The primary endpoint was the incidence of EAD. The secondary endpoints included graft and patient survival, the EASE risk score, and the rate of graft or other graft-related complications. Patients in the HOPE group had a significantly lower rate of EAD (13% vs. 35%, p = .007) and were more frequently allocated to the intermediate or higher risk group according to the EASE score (2% vs. 11%, p = .05). The survival analysis confirmed that patients in the HOPE group were associated with higher graft survival one year after LT (p = .03, log-rank test). In addition, patients in the SCS group had a higher re-admission and overall complication rate at six months, in particular cardio-vascular adverse events (p = .04 and p = .03, respectively). HOPE of ECD grafts compared to the traditional SCS preservation method is associated with lower dysfunction rates and better graft survival.

An unusual clinical presentation of colonic lipomatosis: A case report.

INTRODUCTION: Colonic lipomatosis is defined as a poorly circumscribed, non-capsulated fat accumulation in the submucosal layer of the colonic wall. Clinical presentation varies from asymptomatic to acute surgical complications. PRESENTATION OF CASE: We report the case of a 79-year old male who arrived at the Emergency Department complaining of worsening abdominal pain, fever and nausea. A CT scan revealed a periappendicular abscess extended to the ileocecal valve and also the presence of diffuse intramural fatty tissue of the ascending colon. The patient underwent surgery and a right hemicolectomy was performed. The final histological exam confirmed the diagnosis of gangrenous appendicitis with diffuse abscessualization of the ileocecal valve and the presence of submucosal lipomatosis of the ICV extending to the ascending colon. Patient was discharged at 11th-POD. DISCUSSION: Acute appendicitis can represent a complication, although rare, of colonic lipomatosis. The underlying mechanism can be explained by the obstruction of the stool discharge from the appendix caused by the thickened colonic wall due to lipomatosis. Despite the lack of established guidelines on the management of colonic lipomatosis, surgery remains the preferred treatment in case of acute complications. CONCLUSION: Acute appendicitis is a rare clinical manifestation of colonic lipomatosis. As in the case of other acute complications, such as intussesception, surgery remains the preferred therapeutic approach.