Serial transverse enteroplasty (STEP) in case of short bowel syndrome: did we achieve our goal? A systematic review.

Surveys on Serial Transverse Enteroplasty (STEP) published in international literature (1 January 2003- 31 May 2021) were searched. Articles were included from 17 countries: 1/23 comparative and 22/23 cohort studies. STEP was performed on 308 patients: pediatrics, adults, and mixed ages. Pediatric group included 16 studies and the adult 6. Pre-STEP residual small bowell (SB) length for pediatrics and adults ranged from 18 to 26 cm and from 30 to 70 cm, respectively. Post-STEP increased SB length for pediatrics and adults ranged between 42 and 100% and 50% and 176%, respectively. For pediatrics, enteral autonomy was reached in 32.22% of cases, parenteral nutrition (PN) dependence was 36.11%, a repeated STEP procedure (Re-STEP) was needed in 17.22%, and a bowel transplant was performed in 6.11%. In adults, enteral autonomy was achieved in 52.38%, while PN dependence was 37.1%, and no Re-STEP or transplantation were required. For the mixed group, post-STEP bowel length increased from 2 to 50 cm, enteral autonomy was obtained in 43%, PN dependence was 57%, without reported Re-STEP or transplantation. Mortality rates were between 5.55% (pediatric) and 7.14% (adults). Preoperative length with preservation of ileocecal valve represented the main predictive factors to achieve enteral autonomy.

Debris-Filled Duodenal Diverticulum and Lemmel's Syndrome.

We report a case of a 73-year-old woman affected by Lemmel's syndrome, a rare type of obstructive jaundice caused by a periampullary duodenal diverticulum. The patient was admitted to the Emergency Department for pneumonia associated with mild epigastric pain and vomiting. While hospitalized for antibiotic treatment, the appearance of jaundice led us to discover a periampullary duodenal diverticulum by endoscopy and CT scan. The jaundice was successfully managed endoscopically with removal of food debris from the diverticulum.

Duodenal Follicular Lymphoma: Track or Treat?

Duodenal follicular lymphoma (DFL) is a rare variety of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma of the gastrointestinal tract that usually carries a favorable course, recognized as a new entity in 2016. It is usually diagnosed at an early stage located predominantly in the second portion of the duodenum. We report the case of a 74-year-old male patient with epigastric pain in whom gastroscopy revealed white mucosal nodules that were pathologically diagnosed as grade 1-2 DFL. Staging investigations revealed secondary lesions in the spleen and at the base of the tongue together with latero-cervical adenopathy. The tumor was stage IV according to the Lugano staging system. We reviewed the recent (last five years) literature defining the importance of combination therapy in the advanced stage. The patient achieved complete remission of the disease through chemoimmunotherapy following the Rituximab-Bendamustine scheme.

Destiny for Rendezvous: Is Cholecysto/Choledocholithiasis Better Treated with Dual- or Single-Step Procedures?

Biliary lithiasis is common worldwide, affecting almost 20% of the general population, though few experience symptoms. The frequency of choledocholithiasis in patients with symptomatic cholelithiasis is estimated to be 10-33%, depending on patients' age. Unlike gallbladder lithiasis, the medical and surgical treatment of common bile duct stones is uncertain, having changed over the last few years. The prior gold standard treatment for cholelithiasis and choledocholithiasis was open cholecystectomy with bile duct clearance, choledochotomy, and/or surgical sphincterotomy. In the last 10-15 years, new treatment approaches to the complex pathology of choledocholithiasis have emerged with the advent of endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP), laparoscopic surgery, and advanced diagnostic procedures. Although ERCP followed by laparoscopic cholecystectomy is the preferred mode of management, a single-step strategy (laparo-endoscopic rendezvous) has gained acceptance due to lesser morbidity and a lower risk of iatrogenic damage. Given the above, a tailored approach relying on careful evaluation of the disease is necessary in order to minimize complication risks and overall costs. Yet, the debate remains open, with no consensus on the superiority of laparo-endoscopic rendezvous to more conventional approaches.

[Surgery of severe ischemias and infections of the foot in the diabetic. (Role of arterial revascularization)]. / Chirurgie des ischémies sévères et des infections du pied chez le diabetique. (Place de la revascularisation artérielle).

From overall data on 54 diabetic patients, who, over a period of 7 years, underwent operations to save their feet from ischaemia (whether linked or not to infection), the authors study 31 cases of revascularization through arterial bridging in the diabetic's lower limbs. The lesions were identified by doppler examination followed by arteriography. Various types of bridging were undertaken: 24 femoro-popliteal bridges, including 16 super-articular and 8 sub-articular ones; and 7 femoro-distal bridges on the leg artery trunks. For the post operational period, only one amputation, resulting from precocious thrombosis in the graft, had been noted. All the patients had been followed up, and the authors remarked that, after an average lapse of 43 months, actuarial survival without amputation of the lower limb amounted to 94.97% after 7 years, and the level of actuarial permeability of the bridges amounted to 72.61% after the same period. The authors stress that revascularization indications should be the same for atheromatous diabetics as for non diabetics.

[Myocardial risk in patients undergoing carotid intervention. Medium-term follow-up]. / Risque myocardique chez le patient subissant une intervention carotidienne. Follow-up à moyen terme.

We have evaluated the cardiac risk for 212 patients who underwent internal carotid surgery (245 operations). The mean age at the time of operation was of 63 +/- 8 years. A complete pre-operative cardiac assessment was performed splitting the patients in two groups: one considered as having a coronary heart disease (CHD) and the other as "healthy heart" (HH). The peri-operative cardiac morbidity and mortality rate were low (CHD group: 16.88%; HH group: 2.22%). At a 2 years follow-up we notice 31% of cardiac problems in the CHD group (with a mortality rate of 5.7%) for 3.9% in the HH group (with a mortality rate of 3.9%). The 4 years follow-up gives similar results.