A Case Report and Literature Review on Incidental Morgagni Hernia in Bariatric Patients: To Repair or Not to Repair?

Morgagni hernia (MH) is a congenital diaphragmatic hernia that is often asymptomatic in adult patients. These defects may be discovered incidentally during the intraoperative period and repaired laparoscopically with tension-free synthetic mesh when surgery is warranted. Presently, there is a dearth of studies addressing incidental MH repair in the setting of concomitant bariatric surgery. As such, there are no clear guidelines as to whether or not asymptomatic hernias found incidentally during bariatric surgery require operative repair. Herein, we present the case of a morbidly obese female patient with an incidental Morgagni defect that was identified during an elective sleeve gastrectomy. We also reviewed the literature to assess the efficacy of concurrent bariatric surgery and hernia repair.

Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Tonsil Causing Small Bowel Perforation in the Setting of Metastasis and Treatment With Programmed Death-1 Inhibitors: A Case Report.

Metastasis of extra-intestinal carcinoma to the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) is a rare event, most commonly occurring with malignant melanoma. Anti-PD-1 (programmed death-1) immunotherapeutic agents are immune checkpoint inhibitors with proven benefit across multiple cancer types, including squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN). Here we describe a case of small bowel perforation attributed to a primary SCCHN metastasizing to the GIT in the setting of treatment with PD-1 inhibitors.

Greater than expected prevalence of pseudotumor cerebri: a prospective study.

BACKGROUND: The overall incidence of pseudotumor cerebri (PTC) has been estimated at 1 per 100,000 in the general population, with an increase to 19 per 100,000 among overweight patients. About 25% of affected patients are asymptomatic until they present with vision loss. We hypothesized that PTC would be highly prevalent among obese patients seeking bariatric surgery. The setting of our study was a university hospital. METHODS: During a 2-year period, clinical data were collected from candidates for bariatric surgery. A group of the study population was concurrently screened for papilledema using fundus imaging. All images were reviewed by a single neuro-ophthalmologist. All patients with abnormal images were referred for neuro-ophthalmic evaluation. RESULTS: The imaging group (78% women) had a mean age of 45.4 ± 10.7 years, and the mean body mass index of 47.8 ± 8.7 kg/m(2). High definition nonmydriatic fundus imaging was normal in 489 patients (91.9%) and abnormal in 43 patients (8.9%). The subsequent evaluation by the neuro-ophthalmologist revealed ocular abnormalities other than optic disc edema in 27 patients (5.1%) and normal findings in 7 patients (1.3%). Five patients (.9%) declined additional evaluation. Four patients (.8%) had confirmed optic disc edema and normal brain magnetic resonance imaging findings. Of these patients, 3 underwent lumbar puncture, which confirmed the diagnosis of PTC. CONCLUSION: We identified a greater prevalence of PTC overall (.65%) and in the imaging group (.9%) than previously reported or would have been predicted from the current data. Although routine funduscopic examination is of limited utility, these findings warrant additional investigation into the utility of, and optimal method for, screening morbidly obese patients for this co-morbidity.

Changes in renal function following Roux-en-Y gastric bypass: a prospective study.

BACKGROUND: Studies of the impact of Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) on renal function have shown mixed results. We constructed this prospective repeated-measures controlled study to characterize this response and identify the best method of gauging renal function in this setting. METHODS: Clinical data, serum creatinine (SC), and 24-h urine were collected 1 week before and 6 months following RYGB. Glomerular filtration rate (GFR) was calculated utilizing the Modification of Diet in Renal Disease formula. Creatinine clearance (CCL) was measured as a 24-h collection (24 CCL) and calculated by the Cockcroft-Gault (CG) formula. RESULTS: The study population of 37 patients (81% women) had a mean age of 47 ± 11 years, had mean BMI of 47.6 ± 6.3 kg/m(2), and achieved a mean % excess weight loss (EWL) of 60.9 ± 17.1%. SC decreased from 0.83 ± 0.21 mg/dl to 0.72 ± 0.16 mg/dl (p < 0.001) and mean GFR improved from 91.6 ± 29.7 ml/min/1.73 m(2) to 104.9 ± 23.5 ml/min/1.73 m(2) (p < 0.01). Preoperatively, CG significantly overestimated CCL when compared with 24 CCL (197.1 ± 88.2 ml/min vs. 136.5 ± 53.0 ml/min, p < 0.001). In all patients, improvement in 24 CCL correlated with EWL (r = 0.32) and %EWL (r = 0.16), and significantly correlated with decrease in BMI (r = 0.51, p < 0.005). In hypertensive patients, improvement in 24 CCL significantly correlated with EWL (r = 0.43, p < 0.05), %EWL (r = 0.40, p < 0.05), and decrease in BMI (r = 0.60, p < 0.001) and was negatively correlated with age (r = -0.45, p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates that renal function improves following RYGB and is best identified by change in GFR. Improvement in 24 CCL is correlated with the EWL success of the patient, especially hypertensive patients.

Epidemiology and economic impact of obesity and type 2 diabetes.

Obesity has become a major public health concern in the United States and the rest of the world. This disease carries significant health risks that encompass several organ systems. Type 2 diabetes mellitus is a major comorbidity of obesity that predisposes patients to significant end-organ damage. The prevalence of obesity and diabetes is increasing worldwide, and the economic impact of these diseases currently assumes a significant portion of health care expenditure. These factors mandate implementation of therapeutic medical and surgical strategies that target prevention and treatment of obesity and its related medical conditions.

Absence of the retrohepatic inferior vena cava: what the surgeon should know.

Anomalies of the inferior vena cava are rare and can easily be misdiagnosed if one is not aware of such variants. We report a case of a 57-year-old patient that had a percutaneous CT-guided biopsy of what was considered to be enlarged pericaval lymph nodes. This occurred because of the poor technique of the CT scan and the unawareness of such a condition. These changes were related to a proximal varicele of an absent, retrohepatic inferior vena cava. There was an extensive collateral network with filling of large azygos and hemiazygos veins draining through the posterior mediastinum into the superior vena cava. This case emphasizes the importance of correctly identifying vascular anomalies before the initiation of biopsy attempts in order to prevent the risk of major complications that could arise during such biopsy.