Clostridium difficile infection: risk factors, medical and surgical management.

BACKGROUND: Clostridium difficile has become recognized as a cause of nosocomial infection which may progress to a fulminant disease. METHODS: Literature review using electronic literature research back to 1966 utilizing Medline and Current Contents. All publications on antibiotic-associated diarrhea, antibiotic-associated colitis, and pseudomembranous colitis as well as C. difficile infection were included. We addressed established and potential risk factors for C. difficile disease such as an impaired immune system and cost benefits of different diagnostic tests. An algorithm is outlined for diagnosis and both medical and surgical management of mild, moderate and severe C. difficile disease. RESULTS: Diagnosis of C. difficile infection should be suspected in patients with diarrhea, who have received antibiotics within 2 months or whose symptoms started after hospitalization. A stool specimen should be tested for the presence of leukocytes and C. difficile toxins. If this is negative and symptoms persist, stool should be tested with 'rapid' enzyme immunoabsorbent and stool cytotoxin assays, which are the most cost-effective tests. Endoscopy and other imaging studies are reserved for severe and rapidly progressive courses. Oral metronidazole or vancomycin are the antibiotics of choice. Surgery is rarely required for selected patients refractory to medical treatment. The threshold for surgery in severe cases with risk factors including an impaired immune system should be low. CONCLUSION: C. difficile infection has been recognized with increased frequency as a nosocomial infection. Early diagnosis with immunoassays of the stool and prompt medical therapy have a high cure rate. Metronidazole has supplanted oral vancomycin as the drug of first choice for treating C. difficile infections.

Seprafilm-induced peritoneal inflammation: a previously unknown complication. Report of a case.

INTRODUCTION: Various substances and agents have been evaluated to prevent postoperative adhesion formation. Recently a sodium hyaluronate-based bioresorbable membrane was introduced with promising clinical results. Its application was regarded as safe and efficient. METHODS: We present the first reported case of a severe inflammatory reaction to a bioresorbable membrane and give a review of the related literature. CONCLUSION: Bioresorbable membranes are increasingly used by general surgeons and gynecologists to reduce postoperative adhesion formation. Bioresorbable membranes may produce extensive inflammatory reactions.

Small-intestinal enteroliths--unusual cause of small-intestinal obstruction: report of three cases.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to report on a rare cause of small-intestinal obstruction caused by small-intestinal enteroliths. METHODS: We present three different cases of enterolith formation in the small intestine. One occurred after nontropical sprue, one patient had multiple jejunal diverticula, and another patient had enterolith formation in a blind loop after a small-bowel side-to-side anastomosis. RESULTS: After initial conservative therapeutic approach all patients underwent surgery. In two patients the enteroliths were removed by ileotomy or jejunostomy. In the third patient the bowel anastomosis had to be revised after removal of the enterolith. CONCLUSION: Small-intestinal enteroliths may cause small-bowel obstruction. The first therapeutic approach is nonsurgical; however, if obstruction proceeds, surgical removal with or without revision of underlying pathology is necessary. We discuss the causes and therapeutic management of enteroliths and give a review of related literature.

Surgical management of a long efferent loop after J-pouch ileoanal reconstruction.

PURPOSE: To demonstrate a simple and effective repair of a poorly constructed ileal J-pouch with an extensive long efferent limb. METHOD: A retrospective case review was performed. RESULTS: The surgical procedure described preserves additional ileum and enlarges the ileal reservoir. The procedure succeeded in resolving the patient's complaints of partial obstruction, weight loss, and increased stool frequency. At five-month follow-up, the patient was doing well with three to six stools daily. Evaluation of the new ileal J-pouch showed no signs of inflammation, and the pouch size measured more than 20 cm compared with 12 cm preoperatively. CONCLUSIONS: Repair of a long efferent limb by this simple stapling technique is feasible, simple, and effective, with an excellent clinical result. It preserves valuable small intestine and enlarges the capacity of the reservoir, leading to better functional outcome.

Prophylactic oophorectomy in colorectal carcinoma: preliminary results of a randomized, prospective trial.

UNLABELLED: Controversy exists regarding the role of prophylactic oophorectomy during resection for primary colorectal cancer. PURPOSE: A prospective, randomized trial was initiated to evaluate the influence of oophorectomy on recurrence and survival in patients with Dukes Stages B and C colorectal cancer. METHOD: Between November 1986 and March 1997, 155 patients were randomized to oophorectomy or no oophorectomy at laparotomy for resection of colorectal cancer. RESULTS: No incidence of gross or microscopic metastatic disease to the ovary was found among 77 patients randomized to oophorectomy, in contrast to previous reports. Preliminary crude survival curves suggested a survival benefit for oophorectomy between two and three years from surgery, but Kaplan-Meier survival analysis indicated that this was not statistically significant and the benefit does not appear to persist at five years. Kaplan-Meier curves of recurrence-free survival, however, suggest a more substantial separation of the curves, with 80 percent vs. 65 percent five-year disease-free survival for oophorectomy vs. nonoophorectomy, but further patient accrual is necessary to provide sufficient statistical power. CONCLUSIONS: Occult colorectal carcinoma metastatic to the ovaries has not been documented in this series of putative Dukes Stages B and C tumors. The possibility of a recurrence-free survival advantage emphasizes the need to continue this preliminary work.

Bismuth carbomer foam enemas for active chronic pouchitis: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Bismuth carbomer liquid enemas are equivalent to mesalamine enemas for active distal ulcerative colitis. AIMS: In this study, the efficacy and safety of bismuth carbomer foam enemas for active chronic pouchitis was determined in a placebo-controlled trial. PATIENTS: Forty adult patients with active chronic pouchitis were randomly assigned into either concurrent therapy for pouchitis or no concurrent therapy. Topical corticosteroids and mesalamine were withdrawn prior to the study. METHODS: Patients received either bismuth carbomer (270 mg elemental bismuth) (n = 20) or placebo (n = 20) foam enemas for 3 weeks. Clinical assessment was performed at baseline and at 3 weeks using the pouchitis disease activity index score which incorporates symptoms, endoscopy and histology. Serum bismuth concentrations were determined by atomic absorption spectrophotometry. RESULTS: At 3 weeks nine of 20 patients (45%) in both the bismuth and placebo groups had improved. Ten patients discontinued prematurely because of worse diarrhoea (three in each group) or abdominal cramping after enema use (one from the bismuth group and three from the placebo group). No other side-effects were noted. Serum bismuth concentrations were negligible in all patients. CONCLUSIONS: Bismuth carbomer foam enemas (270 mg bismuth) nightly for 3 weeks are safe but not efficacious for active chronic pouchitis.

Effects of perioperative analgesic technique on rate of recovery after colon surgery.

BACKGROUND: Choice of perioperative analgesia may affect the rate of recovery of gastrointestinal function and thus duration and cost of hospitalization after colonic surgery. METHODS: Fifty-four patients undergoing partial colectomy surgery were randomized into four groups. All groups received a standardized general anesthetic. Group MB received a preoperative bolus of epidural bupivacaine and morphine followed by an infusion of morphine and bupivacaine. Group M received a preoperative bolus of epidural morphine followed by an infusion of morphine. Group B received a preoperative bolus of bupivacaine followed by an infusion of bupivacaine. Group P received a preoperative bolus of intravenous morphine followed by intravenous patient-controlled morphine postoperatively. All patients participated in a standardized recovery program to minimize the influence of nonanalgesic factors on recovery of gastrointestinal function. All epidural groups were double-blinded. All patients were deemed ready for discharge according to prospectively defined criteria. RESULTS: Groups B and MB reported superior analgesia with activity (P < 0.01). Group M had a greater incidence of pruritus (P < 0.05). Group B had a greater incidence of orthostatic hypotension (P = 0.04). Groups B and MB recovered gastrointestinal function and fulfilled discharge criteria approximately 1.5 days earlier than groups M and P (P < 0.005). CONCLUSIONS: Epidural analgesia with bupivacaine and morphine provided the best balance of analgesia and side effects while accelerating postoperative recovery of gastrointestinal function and time to fulfillment of discharge criteria after colon surgery in relatively healthy patients within the context of a multimodal recovery program.

Streptokinase therapy for extensive venous thromboses in a patient with severe ulcerative colitis.

Thromboembolic disease is a known complication of patients with inflammatory bowel disease and often is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. In a patient with severe ulcerative colitis, extensive venous thromboses developed in three extremities. Despite active bleeding in the lower gastrointestinal tract, he was successfully managed preoperatively with infusions of streptokinase followed by full-dose heparinization. During the 48 hours he received streptokinase, his venous thromboses resolved dramatically. Within 2 weeks after admission, he underwent an uneventful proctocolectomy in conjunction with an ileoanal anastomosis.

Adenocarcinoma developing in a rectosigmoid conduit used for urinary diversion. Report of a case.

Adenocarcinoma of the colon developing at or about the sites of ureterosigmoid anastomoses for urinary diversion has been documented in the literature. A case report is presented that illustrates that a carcinoma can develop in a large bowel urinary conduit not exposed to the fecal stream. Colonic bladders are being used with increasing frequency, making observation for this delayed complication necessary. How this neoplastic transformation might occur is discussed. Suggestions for the management of this problem and guidelines for follow-up are also presented.

Modified packing technique for control of presacral pelvic bleeding.

A modification of pelvic packing to control presacral bleeding is described. This method makes removal of the packing less uncomfortable and usually does not require anesthesia.

Postoperative screening of patients with carcinoma of the colon.

A prospective evaluation of 149 patients with Dukes' B2 or C colorectal carcinoma, including periodic history, physical examination, chest radiograph, liver function tests, complete blood count, carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) radioimmunoassay, barium enema, and endoscopic studies, has been underway since 1976. Thirty-four patients have had recurrence. This study suggests that the history of CEA are the most sensitive noninvasive methods with which to detect recurrent tumors but are unlikely to indicate recurrence at a therapeutically advantageous stage.

The use of ultrasonography in the diagnosis of calculous gallbladder disease.

During a 12-month period from September 1976 to September 1977, 114 patients in a community hospital had ultrasonography as part of their diagnostic work-up for suspected gallbladder disease. While 65 per cent had an additional study, such as an oral cholecystogram or intravenous cholangiogram, 35 per cent had ultrasonography as the only study to make the diagnosis. All patients in this group had laparotomy and cholecystectomy to confirm or disprove the diagnosis of calculous gallbladder disease. The overall accuracy rate of ultrasonography for calculous gallbladder disease was 90 per cent, which compares favorably with the standard oral cholecystogram. Ultrasonography has some distinct advantages in certain clinical situations such as acute cholecystitis, jaundice, pancreatitis and pregnancy. A review of our clinical experience in the everyday use of ultrasonography for calculous biliary disease has been discussed, and guidelines for the use of ultrasonography as part of the diagnostic armamentarium for gallbladder disease are presented.