Effect of Telemedicine Use on Medical Spending and Health Care Utilization among Patients with Gastrointestinal Cancer.

INTRODUCTION: We sought to assess the impact of telemedicine on healthcare utilization and medical expenditures among patients with a diagnosis of gastrointestinal (GI) cancer. METHODS: Patients with a newly diagnosed GI cancer from 2013 to 2020 were identified from the IBM MarketScan database. Healthcare utilization, total medical outpatient insurance payments within one-year post-diagnosis, and out-of-pocket (OOP) expenses between telemedicine users and non-users were assessed after propensity score matching (PSM). RESULTS: Among 32,677 patients with a GI cancer (esophageal, n=1,862, 5.7%; gastric, n=2,009, 6.1%; liver, n=2,929, 9.0%; bile duct, n=597, 1.8%; pancreas, n=3,083, 9.4%; colorectal, n=22,197, 67.9%), a total of 3,063 (9.7%) utilized telemedicine. After PSM (telemedicine users, n=3,064; non-users, n=3,064), telemedicine users demonstrated a higher frequency of clinic visits (median: 5.0 days, IQR 4.0-7.0 vs. non-users: 2.0 days, IQR 2.0-3.0, p<0.001) and fewer potential days missed from daily activities (median: 7.5 days, IQR 4.5-12.5 vs. non-users: 8.5 days, IQR 5.5-13.5, p<0.001). Total medical spending per month and utilization of emergency room visits for telemedicine users was higher versus non-users (median: $10,658, IQR $5,112-$18,528 vs. non-users: $10,103, IQR $4,628-$16,750; 46.8% vs. 42.6%, both p<0.01), while monthly OOP costs were comparable (median: $273, IQR $137-$449 for telemedicine users vs. non-users: $268, IQR $142-$434, p=0.625). CONCLUSION: Telemedicine utilization was associated with increased outpatient clinic visits yet reduced potential days missed from daily activities among patients with GI cancer. Telemedicine users tended to have higher ER visits rate and total medical spending per month, although monthly OOP costs were comparable with non-users.

Impact of patient, hospital, and operative characteristics relative to social determinants of health: Compliance with National Comprehensive Cancer Network guidelines for colon cancer.

BACKGROUND: Despite an established association with improved patient outcomes, compliance with National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) guidelines remains suboptimal. We sought to assess the effect of patient characteristics (PCs), operative characteristics (OCs), hospital characteristics (HCs), and social determinants of health (SDoH) on noncompliance with NCCN guidelines for colon cancer. METHODS: Patients treated for stage I to III colon cancer from 2004 to 2017 were identified from the National Cancer Database. Multilevel multivariate regression analysis was performed to identify factors associated with receipt of NCCN-compliant care and quantify the proportion of variance explained by PCs, OCs, HCs, and SDoH. RESULTS: Among 468,097 patients with colon cancer treated across 1319 hospitals, 1 in 4 patients did not receive NCCN-compliant care (122,170 [26.1%]). On regression analysis, older age (odds ratio [OR], 0.96; 95% CI, 0.96-0.96), female sex (OR, 0.97; 95% CI, 0.96-0.99), Black race (OR, 0.96; 95% CI, 0.94-0.98), higher Charlson-Deyo score (OR, 0.84; 95% CI, 0.82-0.86), tumor stage ≥II (OR, 0.42; 95% CI, 0.40-0.44), and tumor grade ≥ 3 (OR, 0.33; 95% CI, 0.32-0.34) were associated with lower odds of receiving NCCN-compliant care (all P values <.05). Higher hospital volume (OR, 1.02; 95% CI, 1.02-1.03), minimally invasive or robotic surgical approach (OR, 1.26; 95% CI, 1.23-1.29), adequate (≥12) lymph node assessment (OR, 3.46; 95% CI, 3.38-3.53), private insurance status (OR, 1.33; 95% CI, 1.26-1.40), Medicare insurance status (OR, 1.42; 95% CI, 1.35-1.49), and higher educational status (OR, 1.06; 95% CI, 1.02-1.09) were associated with higher odds of receiving NCCN-compliant care (all P values <.05). Overall, PCs contributed 36.5%, HCs contributed 1.3%, and OCs contributed 12.9% to the variation in guideline-compliant care, while SDoH contributed only 3.6% of the variation in receipt of NCCN-compliant care. CONCLUSION: The variation in NCCN-compliant care among patients with colon cancer was largely attributable to patient- and surgeon-level factors, whereas SDoH were associated with a smaller proportion of the variation.

Benchmarks in Liver Resection for Intrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma.

INTRODUCTION: Benchmarking in surgery has been proposed as a means to compare results across institutions to establish best practices. We sought to define benchmark values for hepatectomy for intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) across an international population. METHODS: Patients who underwent liver resection for ICC between 1990 and 2020 were identified from an international database, including 14 Eastern and Western institutions. Patients operated on at high-volume centers who had no preoperative jaundice, ASA class <3, body mass index <35 km/m2, without need for bile duct or vascular resection were chosen as the benchmark group. RESULTS: Among 1193 patients who underwent curative-intent hepatectomy for ICC, 600 (50.3%) were included in the benchmark group. Among benchmark patients, median age was 58.0 years (interquartile range [IQR] 49.0-67.0), only 28 (4.7%) patients received neoadjuvant therapy, and most patients had a minor resection (n = 499, 83.2%). Benchmark values included ≥3 lymph nodes retrieved when lymphadenectomy was performed, blood loss ≤600 mL, perioperative blood transfusion rate ≤42.9%, and operative time ≤339 min. The postoperative benchmark values included TOO achievement ≥59.3%, positive resection margin ≤27.5%, 30-day readmission ≤3.6%, Clavien-Dindo III or more complications ≤14.3%, and 90-day mortality ≤4.8%, as well as hospital stay ≤14 days. CONCLUSIONS: Benchmark cutoffs targeting short-term perioperative outcomes can help to facilitate comparisons across hospitals performing liver resection for ICC, assess inter-institutional variation, and identify the highest-performing centers to improve surgical and oncologic outcomes.

Pre-Implantation Kidney Biopsies in Extended Criteria Donors: From On Call to Expert Pathologist, from Conventional Microscope to Digital Pathology.

The number of patients awaiting a kidney transplant is constantly rising but lack of organs leads kidneys from extended criteria donors (ECD) to be used to increase the donor pool. Pre-transplant biopsies are routinely evaluated through the Karpinski-Remuzzi score but consensus on its correlation with graft survival is controversial. This study aims to test a new diagnostic model relying on digital pathology to evaluate pre-transplant biopsies and to correlate it with graft outcomes. Pre-transplant biopsies from 78 ECD utilized as single kidney transplantation were scanned, converted to whole-slide images (WSIs), and reassessed by two expert nephropathologists using the Remuzzi-Karpinski score. The correlation between graft survival at 36 months median follow-up and parameters assigned by either WSI or glass slide score (GSL) by on-call pathologists was evaluated, as well as the agreement between the GSL and the WSIs score. No relation was found between the GSL assessed by on-call pathologists and graft survival (P = 0.413). Conversely, the WSI score assigned by the two nephropathologists strongly correlated with graft loss probability, as confirmed by the ROC curves analysis (DeLong test P = 0.046). Digital pathology allows to share expertise in the transplant urgent setting, ensuring higher accuracy and favoring standardization of the process. Its employment may significantly increase the predictive capability of the pre-transplant biopsy evaluation for ECD, improving the quality of allocation and patient safety.

Current Role and Future Perspectives of Immunotherapy and Circulating Factors in Treatment of Biliary Tract Cancers.

Biliary tract cancers (BTCs) are a heterogenous group of malignancies arising from the epithelial cells of the biliary tree and the gallbladder. They are often locally advanced or already metastatic at the time of the diagnosis and therefore prognosis remains dismal. Unfortunately, the management of BTCs has been limited by resistance and consequent low response rate to cytotoxic systemic therapy. New therapeutic approaches are needed to improve the survival outcomes for these patients. Immunotherapy, one of the newest therapeutic options, is changing the approach to the oncological treatment. Immune checkpoint inhibitors are by far the most promising group of immunotherapeutic agents: they work by blocking the tumor-induced inhibition of the immune cellular response. Immunotherapy in BTCs is currently approved as second-line treatment for patients whose tumors have a peculiar molecular profile, such as high levels of microsatellites instability, PD-L1 overexpression, or high levels of tumor mutational burden. However, emerging data from ongoing clinical trials seem to suggest that durable responses can be achieved in other subsets of patients. The BTCs are characterized by a highly desmoplastic microenvironment that fuels the growth of cancer tissue, but tissue biopsies are often difficult to obtain or not feasible in BTCs. Recent studies have hence proposed to use liquid biopsy approaches to search the blood circulating tumor cells (CTCs) or circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) to use as biomarkers in BTCs. So far studies are insufficient to promote their use in clinical management, however trials are still in progress with promising preliminary results. Analysis of blood samples for ctDNA to research possible tumor-specific genetic or epigenetic alterations that could be linked to treatment response or prognosis was already feasible. Although there are still few data available, ctDNA analysis in BTC is fast, non-invasive, and could also represent a way to diagnose BTC earlier and monitor tumor response to chemotherapy. The prognostic capabilities of soluble factors in BTC are not yet precisely determined and more studies are needed. In this review, we will discuss the different approaches to immunotherapy and tumor circulating factors, the progress that has been made so far, and the possible future developments.

Medium-term results of arthroscopic treatment for femoroacetabular impingement.

INTRODUCTION: Femoroacetabular impingement (FAI) is a dynamic pathomechanical process of the femoral head-neck junction. Arthroscopic surgery for FAI has increased exponentially in the last decade, and this trend is expected to increase. SOURCE OF DATA: Recent published literatures. AREAS OF AGREEMENT: FAI promotes quick rehabilitation and low complication rates in the short-term follow-up. AREAS OF CONTROVERSY: Despite the growing interest on arthroscopic surgery for FAI, current evidence regarding the medium- and long-term role of arthroscopy are unsatisfactory. GROWING POINTS: Systematically summarize current evidences, analyse the quantitative available data and investigate the medium- and long-term outcomes of arthroscopic surgery for FAI. AREAS TIMELY FOR DEVELOPING RESEARCH: Arthroscopic surgery achieves very satisfactory outcomes for patients with FAI at a mean follow-up of 4 years.

The pharmacological management of chronic lower back pain.

INTRODUCTION: Treating chronic low back pain (LBP) can be challenging, and the most effective pharmacological therapy is controversial. The present systematic review investigated the efficacy of various pharmacological compounds to achieve pain relief and improve disability in chronic LBP patients. The present study focused on acetaminophen, amoxicillin, flupirtine, baclofen, tryciclic antidepressants (TCAs), duloxetine, topiramate, gabapentinoids, non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and opioids. AREAS COVERED: All randomized clinical trials comparing two or more drug treatments for chronic low back pain were accessed. Studies reporting outcomes concerning patients with neurologic or mechanic, specific or aspecific low back pain with or without radiculopathy were included. LBP was considered chronic if pain had lasted more than 6 weeks. Data from 47 articles (9007 patients: mean age: 52.62 ± 7.0 years; mean BMI: 28.26 ± 2.8; mean follow-up: 3.23 ± 3.2 months) were obtained. EXPERT OPINION: According to published level I evidence, only baclofen, duloxetine, NSAIDs, and opiates showed to improve pain and disability levels in patients with LBP. However, the patients' demographics are heterogeneous, and the results must be interpreted with caution and in the light of possible adverse events connected to the use of these drugs.

A Combined Open and Laparoscopic Technique for the Treatment of Umbilical Hernia: Retrospective Review of a Consecutive Series of Patients.

PURPOSE: To investigate the safety and outcomes of laparoscopic control of intraperitoneal mesh positioning in open umbilical hernia repair. METHODS: This study is a retrospective review of a series of adult patients with uncomplicated umbilical hernia who underwent elective open repair with a self-expanding patch with laparoscopic control from March 2011 to December 2018. The adequacy of mesh positioning was inspected with a 5-mm 30° scope in the left flank. The primary endpoint was recurrence. Secondary endpoints were rate of mesh repositioning, intraoperative complications and time, length of stay and postoperative pain. RESULTS: Thirty-five patients underwent open inlay repair of primary umbilical hernia with laparoscopic control. Six patients (17.1%) were obese. The mean operating time was 63.3 min. The mean defect size was 2.6 cm (0.6-5) and the mean mesh overlap was 3.2cm (2.2-4.5). There were no intraoperative complications. Laparoscopic control required mesh repositioning in 5 cases (14.3%). The median length of stay was 2 days. Perioperative complications were recorded in three cases (8.6%): one seroma and two serous wound discharge (Clavien-Dindo I). The recurrence rate was 2.9% (1 case) at a median follow-up of 60 months. BMI>30 was associated with a higher rate of intraoperative mesh repositioning (p=0.001). Non-reabsorbable mesh and COPD were associated with a higher incidence of postoperative complications (p=0.043). Postoperative pain scores were consistently at mild levels, with no statistically significant differences between patients who had their mesh repositioned and those who had not. CONCLUSIONS: Laparoscopic control of mesh positioning is a safe addition to open inlay umbilical hernia repair and enables the accurate verification of correct mesh deployment with low complication and recurrence rates.

Correction to: Emergency surgery due to diaphragmatic hernia: case series and review.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1186/s13017-017-0134-5.].

Emergency surgery due to diaphragmatic hernia: case series and review.

BACKGROUND: Congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) is a congenital abnormality, rare in adults with a frequency of 0.17-6%. Diaphragmatic rupture is an infrequent consequence of trauma, occurring in about 5% of severe closed thoraco-abdominal injuries. Clinical presentation ranges from asymptomatic cases to serious respiratory or gastrointestinal symptoms. Diagnosis depends on anamnesis, clinical signs and radiological investigations. METHODS: From May 2013 to June 2016, six cases (four females, two males; mean age 58 years) of diaphragmatic hernia were admitted to our Academic Department of General Surgery with respiratory and abdominal symptoms. Chest X-ray, barium studies and CT scan were performed. RESULTS: Case 1 presented left diaphragmatic hernia containing transverse and descending colon. Case 2 showed left CDH which allowed passage of stomach, spleen and colon. Case 3 and 6 showed stomach in left hemithorax. Case 4 presented left diaphragmatic hernia which allowed passage of the spleen, left lobe of liver and transverse colon. Case 5 had stomach and spleen herniated into the chest. Emergency surgery was always performed. The hernia contents were reduced and defect was closed with primary repair or mesh. In all cases, post-operative courses were uneventful. CONCLUSION: Overlapping abdominal and respiratory symptoms lead to diagnosis of diaphragmatic hernia, in patients with or without an history of trauma. Chest X-ray, CT scan and barium studies should be done to evaluate diaphragmatic defect, size, location and contents. Emergency surgical approach is mandatory reducing morbidity and mortality.

The role of endorectal ultrasonography in preoperative staging of rectal cancer.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this paper is to enlight the role of endorectal ultrasonography in the preoperative staging of rectal cancer. METHODS: 83 patients having rectal cancer and candidates to surgery were studied with endorectal ultrasonography with a probe at a frequency up to 7.5 MHz probe. Eighteen patients were diagnosed with a cancer at A stage, 38 with a neoplasia at B stage and 37 at C stage. RESULTS: In all patients the examination revealed an involvement of the rectal muscular tunica. Sixtyseven patients presented mesorectal invasion, 17 patients showed the involvement of adjoining structures, and 27 patients presented pathological lymph nodes. CONCLUSIONS: Endorectal ultrasonography allows to distinguish patients having rectal cancer limited to the mucosa or invading sub-mucosa regions from those having a more indepth invasion. Apart from this, endorectal ultrasonography is not able of discriminate reactive lymph nodes from metastatic ones.

[Congenital cystic bile duct dilatation: an incidental intraoperative finding]. / Sindrome di Todani: un riscontro accidentale intraoperatorio.

In adulthood, choledochal cysts are often surprisingly discovered during cholecystectomy. We report here on a case of an unsuspected congenital type-IA biliary cyst, according to Todani's classification encountered during laparoscopic cholecystectomy in a 30-year-old woman complaining of acute abdominal pain with an unremarkable preoperative workup. The well-known risk of developing cystic cancer, mainly in the adult, means that an excisional operation is indicated to prevent such complications. Cyst excision and Roux-en-Y hepaticojejunostomy is the definitive treatment of choice, performed at a later stage after radiological and endoscopic confirmation, and after obtaining the patient's consent. Cholangio-MR, and ERCP have proved to be extremely useful for adequate identification of this kind of lesion.