Complications of transanal endoscopic microsurgery are rare and minor: a single institution's analysis and comparison to existing data.

BACKGROUND: Transanal endoscopic microsurgery, a minimally invasive procedure for treatment of early-stage rectal cancer, carcinoid tumors, and adenomas, is shown to be a safe procedure with very low perioperative morbidity. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to compare the outcomes of transanal endoscopic microsurgery at a large volume tertiary care center with the existing literature. DESIGN: We retrospectively reviewed a prospectively collected database of 325 transanal endoscopic microsurgery procedures and looked for risk factors associated with complications. Indications for transanal endoscopic microsurgery included rectal adenocarcinomas, adenomas, and carcinoids. SETTING: Procedures were performed by a single surgeon at a large-volume tertiary care center. PATIENTS: Patients were enrolled over a 20-year period, and data were collected on demographics, perioperative details, tumor characteristics, and complications. INTERVENTIONS: Transanal endoscopic microsurgery was performed on all 325 patients. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Main outcome measures were urinary retention, late bleeding requiring intervention, dehiscence, peritoneal cavity entry, conversion to abdominal approach, fecal soiling, and rectovaginal fistula. RESULTS: Intraoperative bleeding was associated with larger tumor size, whereas postoperative bleeding requiring intervention was not associated with any factors studied. Peritoneal cavity entry and urinary retention were more likely if the tumor was in either the anterior or lateral position in the rectum. The peritoneal cavity was entered in 9 patients, and conversion to abdominal approach occurred in 1 patient. Intraoperative bleeding, by surgeon's choice, and urinary retention, by patient's choice, were associated with a greater likelihood of admission to the inpatient ward. Fecal soiling was not reported by patients and not recorded. LIMITATIONS: This study was limited because it was a retrospective analysis CONCLUSIONS: Transanal endoscopic microsurgery is an extremely safe procedure, offering very low perioperative morbidity. The overall morbidity found in our study was 10.5%, on par with published data for large series of 21%, 7.7%, and 14.9%. In contrast, complications from radical resection are reported at 18% to 55%.

Transanal endoscopic microsurgery: safe for midrectal lesions in morbidly obese patients.

BACKGROUND: Transanal endoscopic microsurgery is a safe option for proximal rectal tumors in morbidly obese patients for whom transabdominal pelvic dissection often is fraught with morbidity. METHODS: From a database of 318 patients who underwent transanal endoscopic microsurgery, we report a retrospective case-control study of 9 patients with a body mass index range of 35 to 66 with sessile rectal lesions 6 to 15 cm from the anal verge who underwent transanal endoscopic microsurgery. Case subjects were compared with 15 controls and matched for age, tumor type, and level of tumor. The average body mass index of controls was 30 (P < .001). By using t test analysis, perioperative outcomes (surgical time, blood loss, and hospital length of stay) and postoperative complications were compared. RESULTS: Sessile tumors were located 7 to 11 cm from the anal verge with a diameter of 1 to 4 cm. Patient and tumor factors such as age, distal tumor margin from anal verge, and tumor diameter were not significantly different between case subjects and controls. Surgical blood loss, surgical time, and hospital length of stay were not significantly different between the 2 groups. One complication occurred among the cases. No complications occurred in the control group. All patients had complete surgical resections with negative margins. CONCLUSIONS: Transanal endoscopic microsurgery in morbidly obese patients is a safe, feasible, and a viable alternative to low anterior resection.

Reduction in adhesive small-bowel obstruction by Seprafilm adhesion barrier after intestinal resection.

INTRODUCTION: Although Seprafilm has been demonstrated to reduce adhesion formation, it is not known whether its usage would translate into a reduction in adhesive small-bowel obstruction. METHODS: This was a prospective, randomized, multicenter, multinational, single-blind, controlled study. This report focuses on those patients who underwent intestinal resection (n = 1,701). Before closure of the abdomen, patients were randomized to receive Seprafilm or no treatment. Seprafilm was applied to adhesiogenic tissues throughout the abdomen. The incidence and type of bowel obstruction was compared between the two groups. Time to first adhesive small-bowel obstruction was compared during the course of the study by using survival analysis methods. The mean follow-up time for the occurrence of adhesive small-bowel obstruction was 3.5 years. RESULTS: There was no difference between the treatment and control group in overall rate of bowel obstruction. The incidence of adhesive small-bowel obstruction requiring reoperation was significantly lower for Seprafilm patients compared with no-treatment patients: 1.8 vs. 3.4 percent (P < 0.05). This finding represents an absolute reduction in adhesive small-bowel obstruction requiring reoperation of 1.6 percent and a relative reduction of 47 percent. In addition, a stepwise multivariate analysis indicated that the use of Seprafilm was the only predictive factor for reducing adhesive small-bowel obstruction requiring reoperation. In both groups, 50 percent of first adhesive small-bowel obstruction episodes occurred within 6 months after the initial surgery with nearly 30 percent occurring within the first 30 days. Additionally no first adhesive small-bowel obstruction events were reported in Years 4 and 5 of follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: The overall bowel obstruction rate was unchanged; however, adhesive small-bowel obstruction requiring reoperation was significantly reduced by the use of Seprafilm, which was the only factor that predicted this outcome.

Squamous-cell carcinoma developing after an ileoanal pouch procedure: report of a case.

PURPOSE: This study was designed to report a new variant of a rare but serious complication of restorative proctocolectomy. METHODS: We present a 47-year-old female who underwent restorative proctocolectomy after 16 years of disease. Twenty-five years after her pouch procedure, she underwent pouchoscopy for fever and poor pouch function. A suspicious mass was biopsied and pathology indicated squamous metaplasia. On referral, a mass could be palpated above the anorectal ring. Biopsy of the mass was read as invasive squamous carcinoma in the background of normal intestinal mucosa. This represents the twelfth reported case of carcinoma arising in a pouch, but the first report of a squamous carcinoma, as all previous reports had been of adenocarcinoma. RESULTS: The patient has undergone chemoradiation. Response to therapy, functional status, and biopsy after treatment will determine whether the patient will be able to salvage the pouch. CONCLUSIONS: Diligence and vigilance with regard to active follow-up, and a high index of suspicion, are required to prevent this from becoming a more frequently seen problem.

Vacuum-assisted closure of complex perineal wounds.

The Vacuum-assisted Closure device decreases the time to wound healing, thus increasing the deposition of granulation tissue, and decreasing the use of wound care specialists. Perineal wounds present a special challenge. We present four cases of complex perineal wounds in which the Vacuum-assisted Closure device was used. In each case, wound care was simplified and healing accelerated. The Vacuum-assisted Closure device allows earlier wound closure, early skin grafting (with improved graft adherence), earlier hospital discharge, and earlier return to baseline functional status. Its use in the perineum presents a challenge, but with proper application, even the most complex perineal wounds can be healed.

Perianal mucinous adenocarcinoma: unusual case presentations and review of the literature.

Perianal mucinous adenocarcinoma is a rare cancer constituting 3 to 11 per cent of all anal carcinomas. It may arise de novo or from a fistula or abscess cavity. We present two cases of this disease process. Case One is a 52-year-old man with a chronic history of perianal abscesses who presented to the emergency room with a large bowel obstruction. He required diversion and wide local excision with lateral internal sphincterotomy for relief of the obstruction. Pathology from the excised material revealed the unexpected diagnosis of invasive mucinous adenocarcinoma of the anus. Case Two is a 59-year-old man with a chronic history of complex fistulas and abscesses who presented to our office with a horseshoe fistula and deep postanal space abscess. Because of the nonhealing nature of the wound, biopsies from the abscess crater, fistulous tract, and the perianal skin opening were taken. The pathology department identified the specimens as invasive mucinous adenocarcinoma of the anal canal. This is an aggressive cancer often misdiagnosed clinically as benign pathology. A high index of suspicion and biopsy of fistulous tracts and abscesses are the keys to early diagnosis and treatment. With combination chemotherapy and radiation therapy in conjunction with aggressive surgical resection long-term survival might be obtained.