The Role of Ileostomy in the Prevention and Treatment of Anastomotic Leakage after Elective Rectal Cancer Surgery - A Retrospective Analysis of Specific Risk Factors, Outcomes, and Complications.

Background: The objective of this paper is to highlight the role and place of ileostomy from the perspective of the risk of anastomotic leakage (AL). Materials and method: This was a retrospective study of 74 (46.54%) low and ultra-low anterior resections from 159 cases of rectal cancer operated on in a seven-year interval (2015 - 2021). The cases were divided into two groups: Group A with protective ileostomy (47 cases = 63.51%) and Group B without protective ileostomy (27 cases = 35.49%). Results: The type of anastomosis was low colorectal for 15 cases and ileorectal for two cases, both in Group A, with either mechanical or manual sutures. Continuous loop ileostomy was the only fecal diversion procedure used for protection. The ileostomy-specific complications recorded in Group A were peristomal skin lesions (8 cases), early peristomal hernia (2 cases), and severe dehydration with acute renal-insufficency (7 cases). The closure of the ileostomy was performed in 42 cases (89.36%), with the time between the primary operation and the closure being 4.28 months on average, with limits between 12 days and 10 months. AL treatment was conservative in 13 (76.47%) cases and surgical in four cases, with the types of operations performed at reintervention being take-down of the anastomosis + left terminal colostomy + ileostomy closure in three cases (2 in Group A and 1 in Group B) and terminal ileostomy in one case in Group A. Conclusions: To reduce its specific complications, ileostomy should be performed in well-selected patients. Those with risk factors for leakage include males, the elderly, and those having important comorbidities, neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy, low tumors below 5 cm from the anal verge, or complete circumferential stenosis and peritumoral inflammatory infiltrate.

Müllerianosis of the urinary bladder: a rare case report and review of the literature.

The aim of this paper is to report a very rare case of müllerianosis (endosalpinx, endometrium, and endocervix) in a post-menopausal woman. Müllerianosis of the bladder is a very rare disease, which affects mainly the women of the reproductive age group, but with a good prognosis if the transitional bladder carcinoma is resolved. We present the case of a 64-year-old woman complaining of left lower abdomen pain, repeated lower and upper tract urinary infections, emergency urinary incontinence and hematuria. The surgical history shows that she underwent a hysterectomy, caesarean section and appendectomy. The clinical examination emphasizes a normal abdomen, with a normal aspect of the post-operative scars and a second-degree cystocele. An abdominal computed tomography (CT) scan with contrast and a cystography were performed and showed a 16 mm lesion-like tumor on the left bladder wall respectively a third-degree vesicoureteral reflux. These investigations were followed by a cystoscopy and transurethral resection of the bladder tumor (TURBT). The histopathology report described three types of tissues: endometriosis, endocervicosis and endosalpingiosis. Sequent to these results, a partial cystectomy with the re-implantation of the left ureter was performed. Once again, the results of the specimen confirm the diagnosis of müllerianosis. The immediate post-operative outcomes were good, the patient having no pains and no more hematuria. Six month later, a tension-free vaginal tape obturator (TVT-O) operation was carried out for urinary incontinence and two years later, a correction for a post-surgical abdominal hernia was performed. Müllerianosis of the bladder is a very rare disease, which affects mainly the women at the procreation age, but with a good prognosis. The differential diagnosis with a malignant tumor is very important to be carefully made. Currently, there is no golden standard to treat this disease. The cystoscopy and the histopathological examination of the specimen are indispensable for the certainty diagnosis.

The morphological profile of small bowel tumors - our experience.

AIM: The authors assessed the morphological profile of tumor masses belonging to the small bowel discovered in their daily practice. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 31 tumor masses located in different segments of small intestine operated between 2002 and 2013 in the 1st Surgical Department, Emergency County Hospital of Craiova, Romania, were analyzed. The investigated parameters were: tumor location and number, tumor dimensions, gross assessment, tumor extension and histological assessment. RESULTS: Tumor masses belonging to small intestine were rare. They usually expressed by their complications. In many cases, they were placed at the extremities of the small intestine. They were usually small but sometimes large and developing outwards intestinal wall. Commonly they had a fungating and ulcerated appearance. They were rather of mesenchymal origin than epithelial. However, some of them were inflammatory pseudotumors. Almost all neoplastic proliferations had a malignant phenotype, most often with regional extension. CONCLUSIONS: Our series of tumors had a morphological profile somehow similar with the profile described in the literature but with some particularities: the polarization to the extremities of the intestinal segment, a significant number of large tumors, clinical expression through different complications, the balance inclined in favor of mesenchymal origin of tumors and the clear predominance of malignant aggressive phenotype.

Prenatal diagnosis and perinatal outcome in congenital diaphragmatic hernia. Single tertiary center report.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the perinatal results for fetuses and neonates with left-sided congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) and the role of the prenatal diagnosis in the pregnancy outcome. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We reviewed data from fetuses and neonates with left-sided CDH, managed from January 2009 and December 2013 in the University Clinic Hospital, Craiova, Romania. The following data were analyzed: the gestational age at the time of diagnosis, fetal karyotyping, presence of associated structural malformations, ultrasound (US) data (circumference and area of right lung, lung-to-head ratio - LHR, observed/expected LHR, hepatic herniation), the type of antenatal care, the pregnancy outcome, the place of birth and the conventional autopsy data, if performed. Perinatal outcomes were obtained by reviewing hospital documents. RESULTS: Twenty-one cases were identified. No fetal surgery was performed in our series. Mean gestational age at time of diagnosis was 29 weeks of amenorrhea (WA) (range, 16-37 WA). Associated structural malformations were noticed in nine (42.8%) cases, in which three fetuses had a normal karyotype and two had chromosomal abnormalities, and four fetuses were not investigated. Isolated congenital diaphragmatic hernia was confirmed in 12 (57.1%) cases. All early second trimester diagnosed cases were terminated. The overall mortality rate was 61.9%. Rates of fetal deaths, early neonatal deaths, late neonatal deaths, and survival were 28.5%, 19%, 14.2%, and 38%, respectively. The perinatal mortality rate was 19% in cases with isolated congenital diaphragmatic hernia. CONCLUSIONS: The overall and perinatal mortality rate in congenital diaphragmatic hernia was still high in our series. Early perinatal deaths are associated with early diagnosis and with the presence of other structural defects. The prevalence of chromosomal abnormalities in perinatal death could not be determined from these data. In isolated congenital diaphragmatic hernia, mortality is related to the presence of herniated liver and severe pulmonary hypoplasia, this being well correlated with antenatal ultrasound parameters used for the estimation of fetal lung volumes. The antenatal diagnosis allowed better counseling of the parents, description of associations and improving the neonatal care.

Analysis of aortic size in subjects died due to cardiovascular and non-cardiovascular events: a necropsy study.

Aortic size is known to be a predictor for cardiovascular deaths. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether aortic diameters measured on tissue samples obtained during autopsy from subjects that died of cardiovascular disease were bigger when compared to those from subjects deceased from other cause than cardiovascular disease. The study included 91 deceased subjects (average age 56 ± 18.1 years), which underwent autopsy to determine cause of death. Morphological measurements were completed on 364 aortic specimens obtained from four different sites, namely ascending aorta, aortic arch, distal thoracic aorta and abdominal aorta. Aorta showed the tendency to decrease in diameter from ascending aorta to abdominal aorta, the latter presenting with the smallest diameter. All studied aortic diameters were found to be larger in the cardiovascular population (p<0.01).

The place of prostate rebiopsy in the diagnosis of prostate cancer.

AIM: To highlight the role of prostate rebiopsy in the diagnosis of prostate cancer (PCa) in cases with an atypical small acinar proliferation (ASAP) diagnosis on the initial biopsy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective study on 1525 patients who underwent prostate needle biopsy (PB) over a period of four years (2009-2012) was performed. For each patient the following were analyzed: age, prostate volume, digital rectal examination (DRE), serum total prostate specific antigen (tPSA), number of the cores taken. All PB were examined in HE staining and in difficult cases, immunohistochemistry (IHC) for basal cell markers was performed in order to establish a correct diagnosis. According to morphological criteria and IHC results, all PB were classified into four category of diagnosis: PCa, ASAP, high-grade prostate intraepithelial neoplasia (HGPIN) and benign (including normal tissue, inflammatory lesions, and prostatic atrophy). In ASAP cases, a rebiopsy was performed. RESULTS: PCa detection on the first biopsy was 69.77%, with a 3% incidence of ASAP and 1% of HGPIN, values similar with those in the literature. After rebiopsy the overall detection rate of PCa was improved to 71.01%, with a detection rate of 41.17% on the second biopsy. CONCLUSIONS: PCa diagnosis is the result of a complex algorithm including DRE, tPSA, transrectal ultrasound (TRUS) examination and TRUS-guided prostate biopsy. TRUS-guided prostate biopsy is the key step of this algorithm; it confirms the diagnosis of PCa and must be repeated in cases with a solid clinical suspicion of PCa, whenever histopathological features are inconclusive even after IHC staining.