Long-Term Bowel Function after Transanal Minimally Invasive Surgery (TAMIS).

BACKGROUND: Transanal minimally invasive surgery (TAMIS) is a single port access platform used for full thickness local excision of rectal lesions. It is an appealing alternative to a radical resection of rectum that often can cause a significant bowel dysfunction described as low anterior resection syndrome (LARS). LARS is evaluated using a validated score. Functional outcomes of patients undergoing TAMIS has not yet been evaluated using the LARS score. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate long-term bowel function in patients who underwent TAMIS. METHODS: In this case series, all patients who underwent TAMIS in a single tertiary institute between 2011 and 2017 were retrospectively reviewed. We evaluated bowel function using the LARS score questionnaire through telephone interviews. RESULTS: The study consisted of 23 patients, average age of 67 ± 6.98 year; 72% were male. The median follow-up from the time of surgery was 5 years. Six patients (26.08%) had malignant type lesions. The average height of the lesion from the anal verge was 7.4 cm. The average size of the specimen was 4 cm. The total LARS score revealed that 17 patients (73.91%) had no definitive LAR syndrome following the surgery. Four patients (17.39%) fit the description of minor LARS and only two (8.69%) presented with major LARS. CONCLUSIONS: TAMIS provides relatively good long-term functional outcomes in terms of bowel function. Further randomized studies with larger cohorts are still needed to better evaluate the outcomes.

Increased risk for incisional hernia following cytoreductive surgery with hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy.

INTRODUCTION: The incidence of incisional hernias (IH) after midline laparotomy varies from 11% to 20%. Cytoreductive surgery and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (CRS-HIPEC) is potentially prone to hernias because a Xiphoid to pubis laparotomy incision performed on patients who have undergone previous abdominal surgeries with the addition of chemotherapy and its related adverse effects. METHODS: We performed a retrospective analysis on a prospectively maintained single institution database from March 2015 to July 2020. The inclusion criteria were patients who underwent CRS-HIPEC and had at least 6 months postoperative follow-up with post-operative cross-sectional imaging study. RESULTS: Two hundred and one patients were included in the study. All patients underwent CRS-HIPEC with resection of previous scar and umbilectomy. Fifty-four patients were diagnosed with IH (26.9%). The major risk factors for IH in multivariate analysis were higher American society of Anesthesiologists score (ASA) (OR 3.9, P = 0.012), increasing age (OR 1.06, P = 0.004) and increasing BMI (OR 1.1, P = 0.006). Most of the hernia sites were median (n = 43, 79.6%). Eleven (20.4%) patients had lateral hernias due to stoma incisions or drain sites. Most of the median hernias were at the level of the resected umbilicus 58.9% (n = 23). Five (9.3%) of the patients with IH necessitated an urgent surgical repair. CONCLUSION: We have demonstrated that more than a quarter of the patients after CRS-HIPEC suffer from IH and up to 10% of them may require surgical intervention. More research is needed to find the appropriate intraoperative interventions to minimize this sequela.

Outcomes of diverting loop ileostomy reversal in the elderly: a case-control study.

BACKGROUND: Although diverting loop ileostomy (DLI) reversal is considered to be a relatively simple procedure, it is not immune from major morbidity. We aimed to compare outcomes of DLI reversal between elderly and non-elderly patients. METHODS: Retrospective review of all patients who underwent DLI reversal at a single tertiary medical centre between 2010 and 2020. The elderly group consisted of patients 70 or older compared to a control group of those younger than 70 years. RESULTS: During the study period, 307 patients underwent DLI reversal. Of these, 76 patients were in the elderly group (mean age 75.6) and 231 in the control group (mean age 55.3). The groups were comparable in terms of mean time interval between the creation of the ileostomy and reversal (242 versus 255 days, respectively, P = 0.5), choice between stapled and hand-sewn anastomoses (97.4% stapled anastomosis versus 93.1%, P = 0.086), median post-operative length of stay (5 days in both, P = 0.086), rates of post-operative complications (26.3% versus 26.8%, P = 0.99), severe complications (5.3% versus 6.9%, P = 0.81) and 30-day readmission rates (13.2% versus 10.8%, P = 0.58). Multivariate analysis found the time interval between the creation of the stoma and its reversal to be the only significant risk factor for major post-operative morbidity. Age was not found to be correlated with post-operative morbidity. CONCLUSION: The outcomes of loop ileostomy reversal in elderly patients are similar to non-elderly patients. Efforts should be made to decrease the time interval between the creation of the stoma and its reversal as this is a significant risk factor for major post-operative morbidity.

Robotic surgery for colorectal cancer in the Octogenarians.

BACKGROUND: We evaluated the short-term outcomes of robotic colorectal cancer surgery in octogenarian patients, focussing on postoperative morbidity and survival. METHODS: All patients ≥80 years in a prospective colorectal cancer database undergoing robotic curative colorectal cancer resection were included. Patient demographics, intraoperative findings, postoperative and oncological outcomes were recorded. Patients were further subdivided into two groups named: old (OG 80-85 years) and very old (VOG ≥ 86 years). RESULTS: Fifty-eight consecutive patients were included (median age, 83 years; male, 53.4%; median BMI, 26.5). Median total operative time was 230 min, median blood loss 20 ml, median length of stay 7 days. Major complications were seen in 12% of patients; and the 90-day mortality rate was 1.7%. Complete R0 resection achieved in 93% of cases, average lymph node harvest was 22. Overall and disease-free survival was 81% and 87.3%, respectively (median follow-up 24.5 months). We noticed a trend towards more advanced lesion staging in the VOG, but only N2 stage was significant (p = 0.03). There was a statistically significant difference in overall survival in favour of the OG (p = 0.024). CONCLUSIONS: Robotic surgery is feasible in octogenarian patients undergoing curative colorectal cancer resection and is associated with good post-operative outcomes and overall survival.

Transanal Minimally Invasive Surgery for Benign and Malignant Rectal Lesions: Operative and Oncological Outcomes of a Single Center Experience.

Background: Since introduced in 2010, the transanal minimally invasive surgery (TAMIS) has been gaining popularity worldwide for local excision of benign and early-stage malignant rectal lesions of the proximal and mid-rectum. The aim of this study was to review our experience with the procedure, including mid-term oncological outcomes. Materials and Methods: This is a retrospective descriptive study. The data collected include all patients who underwent TAMIS procedure in a single tertiary institute. Results: Forty TAMIS procedures were performed on 38 patients, 78% men and 22% women, with a median age of 67 years. The indications were 24 benign lesions, 14 adenocarcinoma, and 1 neuroendocrine tumor. The average lesion size was 43.2 mm and the average distance from the anal verge was 8 cm (range 5-12). We had no intraoperative complications and overall the 30-day morbidity rate was 20%, of which only one was major complication. No perioperative mortality was encountered. After a mean follow-up time of 26 months we had 3 cases of local recurrence (21.4%) of which 2 cases had high-risk features on the primary TAMIS pathology and refused our advice for completion proctectomy. Hence, they were both treated eventually with adjuvant radiotherapy. The distant recurrence rate was 14.2%. Conclusions: The TAMIS procedure is an acceptable option for local excision of rectal lesions for carefully selected patients. It has overt benefits of lower morbidity and easier recovery compared with radical surgery. When it is utilized for early-stage rectal cancers, high-risk pathological features should prompt a completion proctectomy.

Postoperative swallow study as a predictor of intermediate weight loss after sleeve gastrectomy.

BACKGROUND: Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) is an accepted bariatric procedure. Swallow studies (SS) after LSG are not uniform and display different patterns with regard to contrast passage through the gastric sleeve. The impact of immediate postoperative contrast transit time on weight loss has not been studied. The influence of immediate fluid tolerance on weight loss after LSG is herein reported. METHODS: Ninety-nine patients after LSG were included. There were 67 females, mean age 41 (range 17-67), mean BMI 44.4 (range 37-75). A routine SS was performed on postoperative day (POD) 1. Pattern of contrast transit was noted. Patients were followed-up in our bariatric clinic. RESULTS: Percent excess weight loss was significantly lower in the patients with rapid contrast passage (Group 1, n = 50) than those with delayed passage (Group 2, n = 49). Group 1 achieved 62, 58, and 53 % at 1, 2, and 3 years, respectively, while Group 2 attained 69, 74, and 75 % at the same time points (p = 0.05, 0.001, and 0.04, respectively). Group 1 patients displayed a negative weight loss trend after 1 year whereas Group 2 patients plateaued after 2 years. CONCLUSIONS: Tolerance of fluid intake after LSG is crucial for patient recovery and discharge. Distinct radiologic appearance on POD 1 helps predict this behavior. Mid-term weight loss after LSG appears to be dependent on immediate postoperative contrast transit time, whereas patients with slow contrast passage tend to lose more weight. Long-term follow-up will reveal whether this finding will hold true.