Department Of Colorectal Surgery Research Articles

Current status and influencing factors of anxiety and depression in rectal cancer patients with permanent intestinal orifice

Objective To investigate the current status and influencing factors of anxiety and depression in rectal cancer patients with permanent intestinal orifice. Methods By convenience sampling, we selected the rectal cancer patients with permanent intestinal orifice who were admitted to Department of Colorectal and Anal Surgery in the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University from January 2016 to December 2018 as our participants in the study. They were investigated by Anxiety Self-Rating Scale and Depression Self-Rating Scale. Totally 165 questionnaires were distributed with 157 valid ones retrieved. Results In the 157 patients, 74 patients (47.13%) suffered from anxiety: 32 of them had mild anxiety and 42 patients had moderate anxiety. In the 157 patients, 95 (60.51%) of them suffered from depression: 54 patients had mild depression, 36 patients had moderate depression and 5 patients had severe depression. Patients who were females, working staff, have low income, impaired ability of self-care, have not received the preoperative education, or have postoperative complications tend to develop anxiety and depression (P<0.05) . Conclusions There is a higher proportion of rectal cancer patients with permanent intestinal orifice who had anxiety and depression. The influencing factors are various and complex, and targeted intervention has positive significance in improving the patients' negative mood. Key words: Rectal neoplasms; Anxiety; Depression; Colostomy

Risk factors analysis of anastomotic leakage after low anterior resection of rectal cancer

Objective To analyze the risk factors for anastomotic leakage after low anterior resection(LAR) for rectal cancer. Methods The retrospective study of 1 336 patients with rectal cancer who underwent LAR from Jan. 2013 to Dec. 2017 in the Department of Colorectal Surgery, First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University was conducted. There were 838 male and 498 female patients. The median age was 62 (53, 70) years. Observation indicators: ①intraoperative conditions, including the performance of preventive enterostomy, the preservation of left colic artery, the placement of transanal decompression tube; ②postoperative conditions, for example, postoperative clinical symptoms and physical examination, postoperative hospital stay. Anastomotic leakage patients were graded according to the grading system of anastomotic leakage following anterior resection of the rectum proposed by the International Study Group of Rectal Cancer in 2010. Measurement data with non-normal distribution were described as median, and comparison between groups was done using Mann-Whitney U test. Ranked data were compared with rank sum test. Comparison of count data between groups were analyzed using the Chi-square test or Fisher exact test. Potential risk factors for anastomotic leakage were further analyzed with multiple logistic regression. Results Anastomotic leakage was noted in 138(10.4%) of 1 336 patients with 93 patients (7.0%) of Grade B and 46 patients (3.4%) of Grade C respectively.The occurrence of Grade C anastomotic leakage was on the 3th day postoperatively, which was earlier than Grade B anastomotic leakage [5(3, 7) d, Z=2.746, P=0.006]. There were significant differences in sex, BMI, placement of transanal decompression tube and tumor location between anastomotic leakage cases and non-anastomotic leakage cases by Chi-squared test(χ2=10.897, 9.033, 6.343, 6.34, Z=-2.380, P<0.05). On multiple logistic regression analysis, male sex(OR=1.840, 95%CI: 1.210-2.799, P=0.004), BMI≥24 kg/m2(OR=1.573, 95%CI: 1.088-2.274, P=0.016), placement of transanal decompression tube(OR=2.418, 95%CI: 1.196-4.888, P=0.014), middle rectal cancer(OR=1.536, 95%CI: 0.836-2.822, P=0.167), low rectal cancer(OR=1.989, 95%CI: 1.068-2.822, P=0.03), ultralow rectal cancer (OR=2.908, 95%CI: 1.289-6.560, P=0.01) were independent risk factors of anastomotic leakage. Conclusion Male sex, high BMI, placement of transanal decompression tube and low rectal tumor were independent risk factors of anastomotic leakage for patients receiving LAR. Key words: Retrospective studies; Rectal neoplasms; Risk factors; Low anterior resection; Anastomotic leakage

Long-term Oncologic Outcomes After Neoadjuvant Chemoradiation Followed by Intersphincteric Resection With Coloanal Anastomosis for Locally Advanced Low Rectal Cancer.

To date only few data have been available relating to the oncologic safety of intersphincteric resection in such advanced tumors. This study aimed to elucidate the oncologic outcomes and clinical factors affecting the long-term survival of patients who underwent preoperative chemoradiotherapy followed by intersphincteric resection for locally advanced rectal cancers. This was a retrospective analysis of prospectively collected departmental data. The study was conducted at a department of colorectal surgery in a tertiary care teaching hospital between January 2009 and September 2015. A cohort of 147 consecutive patients with low rectal cancer undergoing intersphincteric resection after preoperative chemoradiotherapy was included. Kaplan-Meier analyses were used to evaluate the 3-year disease-free survival and local recurrence rates. Logistic regression analyses were used to analyze the influence of tumor response and other prognostic factors on survival outcomes. Median follow-up was 34 months (range, 8-94 mo). The estimated overall 3-year disease-free survival and local recurrence rates were 64.9% and 11.7%. Circumferential resection margin involvement and pathologic T stage (ypT stage) were significant predictors of cancer relapse. The 3-year disease-free survival was 47.4% for patients with ypT3 tumors compared with 82.0% for those with ypT0-2 tumors (p = 0.001). The 3-year disease-free survival was 36.5% for patients with involved circumferential resection margins compared with 69.7% for those with a noninvolved circumferential resection margin (p = 0.003). On multivariate analysis, ypT stage, ymrT stage, and circumferential resection margin status were associated with worse disease-free survival. Clinical T-stage and pathologic distal margin status were not independent factors affecting oncologic outcomes. This study is limited with respect to its retrospective design. In these patients with locally advanced low rectal cancers, intersphincteric resection after preoperative chemoradiotherapy was associated with acceptable oncologic outcomes. See Video Abstract at http://links.lww.com/DCR/A941.

A single center retrospective study on surgical efficacy of T3NxM0 middle-low rectal cancer without neoadjuvant therapy

To investigate the surgical efficacy and prognostic factors of T3NxM0 middle-low rectal cancer without neoadjuvant therapy. Clinical data of patients with middle-low rectal cancer undergoing TME surgery with T3NxM0 confirmed by postoperative pathology at Colorectal Surgery Department of Changhai Hospital from January 2008 to December 2010 were analyzed retrospectively. (1)no preoperative neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (nCRT); (2) complete preoperative evaluation, including medical history, preoperative colonoscopy or digital examination, blood tumor marker examination, and imaging examination; (3) distance between tumor lower margin and anal verge was ≤ 10 cm; (4) negative circumferential resection margin (CRM-). Finally, a total of 331 patients were included in this study. According to the number of metastatic lymph node confirmed by postoperative pathology, the patients were divided into N0 group without regional lymph node metastasis (190 cases) and N+ group with regional lymph node metastasis (141 cases). The perioperative conditions, local recurrence, distant metastasis and prognostic factors were analyzed. Compared to N0 group in the perioperative data, N+ group had higher ratio of tumor deposit [29.8%(42/141) vs. 0, χ²=64.821, P<0.001] and vascular invasion [7.1%(10/141) vs. 0.5%(1/190),χ²=10.860, P<0.001]. There were no significant differences in tumor diameter, number of lymph nodes detected, positive nerve invasion, degree of tumor differentiation, morbidity of postoperative complication and postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy rate between the two groups (all P>0.05). The median follow-up period was 73.4 months. The merged 5-year local recurrence rate was 2.7%(9/331), 5-year distant metastasis rate was 23.3% (77/331), 5-year disease-free survival (DFS) rate was 73.4%, and 5-year overall survival (OS) rate was 77.2%. Multivariate analysis showed that lymph node metastasis (HR=3.120, 95%CI: 1.918 to 5.075, P<0.001), nerve invasion (HR=0.345, 95%CI: 0.156 to 0.760, P=0.008) and vascular invasion (HR=0.428, 95%CI: 0.189 to 0.972, P=0.043) were independent risk factors for DFS in patients with T3NxM0 rectal cancer after operation. Preoperative carcinoembryonic antigen level (HR=1.858, 95%CI:1.121 to 3.079, P=0.016), lymph node metastasis (HR=3.320, 95%CI: 1.985 to 5.553, P<0.001) and nerve invasion (HR=0.339, 95%CI: 0.156 to 0.738, P=0.006) were independent risk factors for OS in patients with T3NxM0 rectal cancer after operation. Optimal local control rate of middle-low rectal cancer patients with T3NxM0 and CRM- can be achieved by standard TME surgery alone. For patients with preoperative elevated blood carcinoembryonic antigen level, regional lymph node metastasis, or neurovascular invasion confirmed by pathology after surgery, adjuvant chemoradiotherapy should be actively applied after surgery to improve prognosis.

Clinical features and risk factors of surgical complications after intersphincteric resection for low rectal cancer following neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy

Objective: To explore clinical features and prognosis factors of surgical complications after intersphincteric resection (ISR) for low rectal cancer following neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy. Methods: The clinical data of 132 patients with low rectal cancer who underwent ISR following neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy from September 2010 to June 2017 at Department of Colorectal Surgery, Sixth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University were retrospectively reviewed. There were 100 males and 32 females, with the age of (52.9±11.4) years and distance to anal verge of 3.9 cm. Records of perioperative complication (POC) within 30 days after surgery, anastomotic leakage (AL), and anastomotic stenosis (AS) were analyzed. POC was recorded according to the Clavien-Dindo classification. AL was graded by ISREC system and classified into the early AL within 30 days after surgery and delayed AL beyond 30 days. AS was defined as narrowing of the bowel lumen at the anastomosis that prevented passage through a colonoscope with a 12 mm diameter. According to the shape of narrowing, AS was recorded as the stenosis in situ or stenosis with long-segment bowel above. Univariate and multivariate analysis were used to identify risk factors of anastomotic complications. Results: Among the 132 patients, full-dose radiotherapy and diverting stoma were performed in 128 (97.0%) patients, respectively. In entire cohort, AL was found in 41 (31.1%) patients, including 32 patients with clinical leakage (24.2%). The median time for diagnosis of AL was 37 days (2 to 214 days) after surgery. There were 25 patients (18.9%) who were diagnosed with delayed AL beyond 30 days. Chronic presacral sinus formation was detected in 22 of 129 (17.1%) patients at 12 months from surgery. Among the 128 eligible patients, 36 (28.1%) were diagnosed as AS, including 24 (18.8%) patients with stenosis in situ and 12 (9.4%) patients with bowel stenosis above. After a median follow-up of 26 months, 7(5.3%) patients received permanent colostomy and the other 20(15.2%) patients retained a persistent ileostomy, owing to anastomotic complications. Results of multivariate analysis showed that radiation colitis was an independent prognosis factor of AL after ISR (OR=5.04, 95% CI: 2.05 to 12.43, P=0.000); male gender (OR=5.19, 95% CI: 1.24 to 21.75, P=0.024) and AL (OR=8.49, 95% CI: 3.32 to 21.70, P=0.000) were independent prognosis factors of AS after ISR. Conclusions: Surgical complications are common after ISR for low rectal cancer patients with neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy. A high rate of AL is observed after long-term follow-up, which is associated with AS. Increasing awareness of anastomotic complications after ISR should be raised, especially for male patients with radiation colitis.

Role of Indocyanine Green Fluorescence Imaging in Preventing Anastomotic Leak in Colorectal Surgery: What Lies Ahead?

Department of Colorectal Surgery, Cleveland Clinic Florida, Weston, Florida Funding/Support: None reported. Financial Disclosure: Dr Wexner receives consulting fees and royalties from Karl Storz Endoscopy and from Intuitive Surgical. Correspondence: Steven D. Wexner, M.D., Ph.D. (Hon.), 2950 Cleveland Clinic Blvd, Weston, FL 33331. E-mail: [email protected]

A randomized clinical trial comparing the initial vascular approach to the inferior mesenteric vein versus the inferior mesenteric artery in laparoscopic surgery of rectal cancer and sigmoid colon cancer

The inferior mesenteric artery approach with a selective lateral splenic flexure mobilization is the most widely used initial step in laparoscopic rectal and left colon surgery. Surgery started through the inferior mesenteric vein (IMV) with systematic medial mobilization (MM) has some theoretical advantages that have never been analyzed in a clinical trial. The aim of this study was to compare the two techniques with regards to surgical technique variables (conversion, surgical time, bleeding, morbidity, and mortality) and pathological outcomes. A single-blinded, randomized, controlled trial of patients operated electively by laparoscopic with curative intention for rectal or sigmoid cancer was performed at a single, specialized colorectal surgery department from April 2016 to October 2017. 49 patients were included in each group. There were no statistical differences in patient demographics between the two approaches. Pathological outcomes did not differ between the two groups. Intra-operative characteristics showed a higher conversion rate in patients in which the inferior mesenteric artery was dissected first (p = 0.031). The artery approach also increased intra-operative bleeding (p = 0.049), but there were no differences regarding operative time. On multivariate analysis, the artery approach was associated with a higher risk of conversion (OR 8.68; p = 0.050). Post-operatory complications did not differ between artery and vein dissection. In our study, the initial approach by the IMV with a systematic MM of the splenic flexure has allowed us to reduce the conversion rate without increasing complications or the surgical time. No differences were observed in the pathological results. Both approaches seem to be safe and effective and well-trained laparoscopic surgeons should have the two techniques available to them for use as needed.

Colorectal cancer surgery in octogenarians.

The incidence of colorectal cancer becomes higher among octogenarians as the life expectancy increases. Whether advanced age is a risk factor for colorectal surgery is a matter of debate. In the present study, the clinical results of octogenarians who underwent colorectal cancer surgery are discussed to find an answer to this question. Data of 63 octogenarians who were operated in a tertiary colorectal surgery department between January 1, 2010 and December 31, 2013 were reviewed retrospectively. Demographic data and preoperative, peroperative, and postoperative parameters were evaluated. Overall, 57.2% of the patients were men. The median age was 81 (80-89) years. Cancer was located at the right colon in 17.5%, left colon in 50.8%, and rectum in 31.7%. Eleven patients underwent emergency surgery (17.5%). The most common surgical procedure was low anterior resection in elective (22.2%) and Hartmann's procedure in the emergency setting (9.5%). Stoma creation was more frequent among patients undergoing emergency procedures (42% vs. 6.8%; p=0.0018). Histopathological diagnosis was adenocarcinoma in 90.5% of the patients, and 34.9% of the patients had stage IIIB disease. Surgical morbidity was significantly higher among patients who underwent rectal resection (66% vs. 10.2%; p=0.0124). Medical morbidity was observed in 10 (15.9%) patients. Preoperative blood transfusion was a risk factor for morbidity (83.4% vs. 29.8%; p=0.0170). Length of total hospital stay was 14 (3-39) days. Surgical (p=0.0004) and medical (p=0.0288) morbidity prolonged the length of total hospital stay. The overall mortality rate was 1.6%. Colorectal surgery may be safely performed in octogenarians with acceptable morbidity and mortality in specialized centers.

A Comparison between the Results of Open versus Closed Lateral Internal Sphincterotomy in the Surgical Management of Chronic Anal Fissure

Background: Lateral internal sphincterotomy is regarded as the gold standard surgical treatment for chronic anal fissure. Some authors reported that the closed technique had lower complication rates than that by the open technique, but others reported that both of the techniques had no meaningful differences in complications.Methods: This was a comparative and cohort study carried out at Department of Colorectal Surgery, Combined Military Hospital (CMH) Dhaka, Bangladesh, from October 2013 to October 2017. Eighty three patients with chronic anal fissure not responding to medical treatment for at least three months were included in this study to compare the results of the open versus closed techniques of lateral internal sphincterotomy after four months follow up postoperatively.Results: The mean age at presentation was 34.15±11.4 years and the male to female ratio was 1.24:1. The results of open and closed techniques were compared regarding per-operative bleeding (35.71% versus 12.19%), post-operative urinary retention (4.76% versus 0%), symptom relief on first post-operative day (76.19% versus 70.73%), significant 1st post-operative day pain in the operated wound (33.33% versus 7.31%), temporary fecal soiling (2.38% versus 0%), temporary flatus incontinence (7.14% versus 0%), and fissure recurrence (0% versus 14.63%) respectively. Temporary incontinence to fecal and flatus recovered by conservative management within two and four months of surgery respectively.Conclusion: The closed technique of lateral internal sphincterotomy had lower post-operative complications, pain, bleeding, and incontinence compared to open technique, but increased risk of fissure recurrence.Birdem Med J 2018; 8(3): 235-239

Mesenteric fibromatosis misdiagnosed with lymph node metastasis after successful laparoscopic right hemicolectomy: a report of two cases with review of literature.

Fibromatosis is a rare type of tumor derived from the mesenchymal tissue. This is a benign tumor with infiltrating growth but may invade locally and recur following excision. As one type of fibromatosis, mesenteric fibromatosis (MF) accounts for a mere 8% of cases. Although studies have revealed that the etiology of MF is related to trauma, surgery, hormones, and heredity, the specific etiology of fibromatosis remains unclear. With such low incidence, MF has been rarely reported and tends to be misdiagnosed due to insufficient recognition. In this paper, we describe the cases of two patients with MF who were misdiagnosed with lymph node metastasis and who had previously undergone successful laparoscopic right hemicolectomy. We provide this information in order to broaden the clinical understanding of MF.

Relationship between the expression of DDX39 protein and prognosis of colorectal cancer

To investigate the relationship between the expression of DDX39 protein and prognosis in colorectal cancer. Clinical data and paraffin specimens of postoperative tumor tissue from 824 patients with primary colorectal cancer who received first surgical treatment at the Department of Colorectal Surgery of Changhai Hospital of Navy Military Medical University from January 2010 to December 2011 were collected. Paraffin samples of paracancerous tissues of 38 patients were served as controls. At the same time, samples of normal rectal mucous membrane from 37 cases after procedure of prolapse and hemorrhoids, and samples of colorectal adenoma from 33 cases after endoscopic treatment were enrolled in this study. All the specimens were made as the tissue microarray, and the expression of DDX39 protein was detected by immunohistochemistry. The expression of DDX39 in the epithelium and stroma was evaluated with the average staining intensity (H-Score) and the number of positive cells. It was defined as high expression in the epithelium that the H-Score was greater than or equal to 200. It was defined as high expression in the stroma that the number of positive cells was greater than or equal to 50 in 200 times the field of vision. Relationship of different DDX39 expression levels with clinicopathological parameters and prognosis of colorectal cancer was analyzed. The expression of DDX39 in colorectal cancer tissues was lower than that in normal tissues, paracancerous tissues and adenomatous tissues, whether it is in the epithelium or in the stroma [DDX39 expression in the epithelium: normal tissues 253.2±64.1, paracancerous tissues 238.8±79.2, adenomatous tissues 259.4±51.6, colorectal cancer tissues 194.2±76.5 (P=0.000, P=0.005, P=0.000, respectively); DDX39 expression in the stroma: normal tissues 110.1±64.8, paracancerous tissues 106.0±49.2, adenomatous tissues 108.5±79.1, colorectal cancer tissues 54.1±34.7(all P=0.000)]. Among the cases of colorectal cancer, there were 541 cases of high DDX39 expression and 283 cases of low DDX39 expression in the epithelium; there were 424 cases of high DDX39 expression of and 400 cases of low DDX39 expression in the stroma. The high DDX39 expression and low DDX39 expression in epithelial and stromal of colorectal cancer were related respectively with tumor location (P=0.006, P=0.016), degree of tumor differentiation (P=0.002, P=0.064), TNM stage (P=0.021, P=0.000), serum CEA level (P=0.003, P=0.005), serum CA199 level (P=0.040, P=0.005) and tumor recurrence and metastasis (P=0.000, P=0.000). All the colorectal cancer cases were followed up for (41.6±15.7) months after operation. The 5-year overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) rates of the cases with epithelial low DDX39 expression were 84.1% and 61.5%, and both were significantly lower as compared to those with epithelial high DDX39 expression (95.4% and 88.2%, P=0.000, P=0.000). The 5-year OS and DFS rates of the stroma low DDX39 expression were 86.8% and 66.8%, and both were significantly lower as compared to those with stroma high DDX39 expression (96.1% and 90.6%, P=0.000, P=0.000). Cox multivariate analysis showed that tumor differentiation (OS:HR=0.252, 95%CI: 0.128 to 0.497, P=0.000; DFS:HR=0.266, 95%CI: 0.134 to 0.530, P=0.000), DDX39 expression level in epithelium (OS: HR =0.229, 95%CI: 0.138 to 0.382, P=0.000; DFS: HR =0.266, 95%CI: 0.158 to 0.446, P=0.000), and DDX39 expression level in stroma (OS: HR =0.331, 95%CI: 0.188 to 0.582, P=0.000; DFS:HR=0.326, 95%CI: 0.184 to 0.578, P=0.000) were independent influencing factors of overall or disease-free survival in patients with colorectal cancer. The low expression of DDX39 protein suggests poor prognosis and DDX39 is expected to be a new prognostic marker of colorectal cancer.

Curative resection with minilaparotomy approach in the treatment of rectal cancer

To compare the surgical safety and short-term efficacy of minilaparotomy and laparoscopic approach for curative resection of rectal cancer. The retrospective cohort study was adopted. A review of patients scheduled to undergo a curative resection of rectal cancer via minilaparotomy or laparoscopic approach at Department of Colorectal Surgery of Changhai Hospital from June 2016 to May 2017 was carried out. All the patients were confirmed as rectal cancer by postoperative pathology. The following patients were excluded from the study: patients who had acute complete obstruction or perforation; patients underwent Miles or Hartmann procedure; patients who required an elongation of the skin incision in minilaparotomy or a conversion from laparoscopic to open surgery. Finally, 216 patients were enrolled in this study, of whom 143 were performed with minilaparotomy approach (minilaparotomy group) and 73 with laparoscopic approach (laparoscopic group) for curative resection of rectal cancer. For the minilaparotomy technique, a 7 cm longitudinal midline incision was made between the pubic symphysis and umbilicus; a wound retractor was applied to the edge of the wound; lymph node dissection around the inferior mesenteric and artery high ligation of inferior mesenteric artery were performed; by moving the minilaparotomy wound laterally and caudad or cephalad with the S-shaped hook, cautious mobilization of the relevant segment of the bowel loop was performed; bowel anastomosis was achieved by using the double-stapled technique; the gap of the pelvic floor peritoneum and mesentery were routinely closed by the absorbable surgical suture in cases with middle and low position rectal cancer. The surgical safety, the condition of resuming and the morbidity of postoperative complication were compared between the two groups. There were 145 men and 71 women. Age ranged from 26 to 87 years, with of mean age of 61 years. According to the TNM stage grouping, there were 61 patients with stage I(, 62 with stage II(, 85 with stage III(, and 8 with stage IIII( disease, respectively. These two groups did not differ significantly in terms of age, sex, body mass index, site of tumor, TNM stage(all P>0.05). All the patients completed the operation successfully. The median operation time of minilaparotomy group was significantly shorter than that of laparoscopic group [164(80-296) minutes vs. 230(90-665) minutes, Z=4.410, P=0.000]. The intraoperative medical consumable expense [11000(7000-22000) yuan vs. 23000(12000-47000) yuan, Z=11.759, P=0.000] and the total hospitalization expense [44000(22000-146000) yuan vs. 57000(45000-126000) yuan, Z=9.637, P=0.000] were significantly lower in the minilaparotomy group. There were no significant differences between the two groups in terms of operative blood loss, number of harvested lymph nodes, distance of distal resection margin, positive rate of circumferential resection margin (all P>0.05). The rate of postoperative complication in minilaparotomy group was 7.0%(10/143) and in laparoscopic group was 9.6%(7/73) without significant difference (χ2=0.449, P=0.503). There were 2 patients in each group who required readmission to the hospital within postoperative 30 days. The cause of readmission was ileus or acute hyponatremia in minilaparotomy group, and ileus or pevic infection in laparoscopic group. One patient died of brain death caused by acute pulmonary embolism during the perioperative period in minilaparotomy group. The minilaparotomy approach for curative resection of rectal cancer is safe and feasible. As compared with laparoscopic approach, it is advantageous to achieve minimal invasiveness and early recovery, but much cheaper and less time consuming.

Long-term efficacy of stapled transanal rectal resection for obstructed defecation syndrome

To evaluate the long-term efficacy of stapled transanal rectal resection (STARR) in treating obstructed defecation syndrome(ODS). Clinical data of 95 female patients with ODS undergoing STARR at Department of Colorectal Surgery, Rocket Army General Hospital from February 2010 to August 2012 were analyzed retrospectively. The Cleveland constipation scoring system (CSS), Longo ODS scoring system and severe symptoms score(SSS) were used to evaluate the degree and intensity of clinical symptoms. Patient satisfaction was assessed by visual analogue scale (VAS). Clinical symptoms at postoperative 12-month were defined as short-term efficacy, and at the end of follow up (≥48 months) were defined as long-term efficacy. The mean age was 54.5 (29 to 79) years and the median follow-up was 65 (48 to 78) months. Eighty (84.2%) and 44 (46.3%) patients completed the short-term and long-term efficacy evaluation respectively. At the end of follow up, compared with the baseline levels before operation, the CSS score (14.69 vs. 6.02), ODS score (16.51 vs. 5.73) and SSS score (14.64 vs. 5.14) were significantly decreased (all P<0.01), but the VAS score (3.96 vs. 7.20, P<0.01) was significantly increased. A total of 10 patients (22.7%) developed symptomatic recurrence. The self-reported definitive satisfaction was excellent in 10 (22.7%) patients, fairly good in 17(38.6%), good in 9(20.5%), and poor in 8(18.2%). The total effective rate was 81.8%(36/44). Long-term efficacy of STARR in the treatment of ODS is good, but the rate of symptomatic recurrence is relatively high.

What Is the Risk of Anastomotic Leak After Repeat Intestinal Resection in Patients With Crohn's Disease?

Approximately half of Crohn's patients require intestinal resection, and many need repeat resections. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the increased risk of clinical anastomotic leak in patients with a history of previous intestinal resection undergoing repeat resection with anastomosis for Crohn's disease. This was a retrospective analysis of prospectively collected departmental data with 100% capture. The study was conducted at the department of colorectal surgery in a tertiary care teaching hospital between July 2007 and March 2016. A cohort of consecutive patients with Crohn's disease who were treated with intestinal resection and anastomosis, excluding patients with proximal fecal diversion, were included. The cohort was divided into 2 groups, those with no previous resection compared with those with previous resection. Clinical anastomotic leak within 30 days of surgery was measured. Of the 206 patients who met criteria, 83 patients had previous intestinal resection (40%). The 2 groups were similar in terms of patient factors, immune-suppressing medication use, and procedural factors. Overall, 20 clinical anastomotic leaks were identified (10% leak rate). There were 6 leaks (5%) detected in patients with no previous intestinal resection and 14 leaks (17%) detected in patients with a history of previous intestinal resection (p < 0.005). The OR of anastomotic leak in patients with Crohn's disease with previous resection compared with no previous resection was 3.5 (95% CI, 1.3-9.4). Patients with 1 previous resection (n = 53) had a leak rate of 13%, whereas patients with ≥2 previous resections (n = 30) had a leak rate of 23%. The number of previous resections correlated with increasing risk for clinical anastomotic leak (correlation coefficient = 0.998). This was a retrospective study with limited data to perform a multivariate analysis. Repeat intestinal resection in patients with Crohn's disease is associated with an increased rate of anastomotic leakage when compared with initial resection despite similar patient, medication, and procedural factors. See Video Abstract at http://links.lww.com/DCR/A459.

Prognosis factors for the perineal incision complications after abdominoperineal resection for low rectal cancer

Objective: To evaluate the prognosis factors affecting perineal incision complications after abdominoperineal resection (APR) for the low rectal cancer. Methods: This was a retrospective analysis of 151 consecutive patients with low rectal cancer undergoing APR between January and December 2013 at Department of Colorectal Surgery, Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College. The patients were comprised of 95 males and 56 females. The mean age of the patients was (57.3±10.9) years (ranging from 31 to 79 years). χ(2) test and Logistic regression analysis were used to identify the prognosis factors of perineum incision complications. Results: In all 151 patients, perineal incision complications were confirmed in 31 patients (20.5%), including 8 cases of incision infection, 22 cases of poor healing of perineal wound, and 1 case of incision fistula formation. In univariate analysis, the factors associated with perineal incision complications were American Society of Anesthesiologists grade (χ(2)=7.116, P=0.008), intraoperative blood loss (χ(2)=9.157, P=0.002), while the protective factors associate with perineal incision complications were the intraperitoneal chemotherapy with fluorouracil sustained release (χ(2)=5.020, P=0.025), pelvic restoration (χ(2)=10.158, P=0.001), operation experience (χ(2)=7.334, P=0.007). The gender, age, body mass index, diabetes, preoperative radiochemtherapy, hemoglobin level, albumin level, distance from distal tumor to anal verge, the procedure of APR, operating time, intraoperative blood transfusion, total drainage volume 3 days after operation, tumor differentiation and the postoperative TNM staging were not associated with perineal incision complications (P>0.05). Multivariable logistic regression analysis showed that the intraoperative pelvic restoration (OR=0.200, 95% CI: 0.045 to 0.894, P=0.035) and intraoperative blood loss (OR=2.953, 95% CI: 1.155 to 7.551, P=0.024) were independent prognosis factors of perineum incision complications. Conclusions: For patients with low rectal cancer undergoing APR procedure, pelvic restoration wound be needed. The operation should be performed by experienced doctors, intraoperative blood loss should be reduced when possible.

Complete pathological response after neoadjuvant therapy in patients with rectal adenocarcinoma

BackgroundColorectal cancer is the fourth most common cancer and the second leading cause of death from cancer in the United States. Preoperative neoadjuvant therapy (chemotherapy and radiotherapy) is the gold standard in the management of rectal cancer before surgical resection. The literature includes reports of absence of neoplastic cells after neoadjuvant therapy. There are no reports on complete pathological response to this type of therapy in Mexico. ObjectivesDetermine the percentage of patients with rectal adenocarcinoma with complete pathological response after neoadjuvant therapy. All patients were treated in a colorectal surgery department of a tertiary care hospital. Materials and methodsA total of 64 patients with rectal adenocarcinoma diagnosed by biopsy were treated from January 2010 to December 2015. Demographic data, tumour localisation, pathological report, TNM stage, neoadjuvant therapy, surgical procedure and postoperative pathological report were collected from patient records. ResultsMean patient age was 52.8 years (range of 26–73); 31 were women and 33 men. Twenty-seven patients (27) were stage II and 27 stage III. The preoperative biopsy results were classified as: well differentiated (10); moderately differentiated (48); and poorly differentiated/undifferentiated adenocarcinoma (6). Twenty patients received neoadjuvant therapy (31.2%). In these, 2 tumours were localised in the upper third of the rectum, 6 in the middle third, and 12 in the lower third. Six patients underwent abdominoperineal resection, 10 total mesorectal excision, and four posterior pelvic exenteration. Six patients undergoing neoadjuvant therapy had a complete pathological response. ConclusionsThe percentage of patients with a complete pathological response is similar to that in other literature reports. More evidence is needed to define good prognosis factors in patients who might not require surgery after neoadjuvant therapy.

69-Year-Old Man With Abdominal Pain and Obstipation

69-Year-Old Man With Abdominal Pain and Obstipation

Predictive value of serum carcinoembryonic antigen level in efficacy and prognosis for patients with rectal cancer following preoperative radiochemotherapy

To examine the association of preoperative carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) level with the efficacy of neoadjuvant radiochemotherapy and postoperative metastasis and relapse in patients with rectal cancer. Between January 2011 and January 2014, 325 patients with local advanced rectal cancer underwent preoperative radiochemotherapy and radical operation in Department of Colorectal Cancer Surgery, Beijing University Cancer Hospital, including 194 males and 131 females. According to preoperative MRI, all the patients suffered from clinical T3-4 tumors or positive lymph nodes. Their Zubrod-ECOG-WHO score was 0-1. These patients received preoperative intensity modulated radiotherapy which consisted of 50.6 Gy in 22 fractions (IMRT GTV 50.6 Gy/CTV 41.8 Gy/22 f) with capecitabine(825 mg/m2, twice per day) as radiosensitizer. According to the preoperative serum CEA level, patients were divided into high group (125 cases) and normal group (200 cases). In high group, serum CEA level decreased into normal range in 60 patients (high-normal group) after radiochemotherapy, while it was still in high level in other 65 patients (high-high group). The differences in sensitivity to radiochemotherapy and 3-year disease free survival (DFS) of these patients were both evaluated. In high group and normal group, the complete response rates were 18.4% (23/125) and 17.5% (35/200) (χ2=0.319, P=0.660); the percentages of tumor regression grade(TRG) 0-1 patients were 68.0%(85/125) and 67.5%(135/200)(χ2=0.009, P=0.925); the T downstage rates were 63.2%(79/125) and 70.0%(140/200)(χ2=1.266, P=0.274), respectively, whose differences were all not significant. The 3-year DFS rate in high group was 62.4%, which was significantly lower than 93.5% in normal group (χ2=53.147, P=0.000). There were 65 patients in high-high group, accounting for 52% (65/125) of high group. Among these 65 patients, 44(67.7%) presented recurrence and metastasis within 3 years and the 3-year DFS was 32.3%, which was much lower than 95.0% of 60 patients in high-normal group(χ2=182.085, P=0.000). Preoperative serum CEA level may not be used to predict tumor response of rectal cancer patients who receive preoperative radiochemotherapy. However, the prognosis of patients with high CEA level is worse. Recurrence and metastasis are more likely to occur in patients with high CEA level after radiochemotherapy.

Modified stapled transanal rectal resection combined with perioperative pelvic floor biofeedback therapy in the treatment of obstructed defecation syndrome

To investigate the clinical efficacy and safety of modified stapled transanal rectal resection (STARR) combined with perioperative pelvic floor biofeedback therapy (POPFBFT) in treating obstructed defecation syndrome (ODS). Thirty female ODS patients underwent modified STARR (resection and suture was performed in rectocele with one staple) combined with POPFBFT in Department of Colorectal and Anal Surgery, The First Hospital of Jilin university from October 2013 to March 2015. Before the modified STARR, patients received a course of POPFBFT (20 min/time, 2 times/d, 10 times as a course), and another 2 courses were carried out in clinic after discharge. Efficacy evaluation included general conditions of patients, morbidity of postoperative complication, overall subjective satisfaction (excellent: without any symptoms; good: 1 to 2 times of laxatives per month and without the need of any other auxiliary defecation; fairly good: more than 3 times of laxatives per month ; poor: with no improvement; excellent, good, fairly good are defined as effective), Longo ODS score (range 0 to 40 points, the higher the score, the more severe the symptoms), gastrointestinal quality of life index(GIQLI)(range 0 to 144 points, the lower the score, the more severe the symptoms), anorectal manometry and defecography examination. The follow-up lasted 12 months after operation (ended at April 2016). Average age of 30 patients was 57(46 to 72) years and Longo ODS score of every patient was ≥9 before operation. The modified STARR was completed successfully in all the 30 patients with average operation time of 25 (18 to 34) min and average hospital stay of 6(4 to 9) d. Postoperative complications included pain(20%, 6/30), urinary retention (16.7%, 5/30), anorectal heaviness (6.7%, 2/30), and fecal urgency(26.7%, 8/30). Anaorectal heaviness and fecal urgency disappeared within 3 months. No severe complications, such as postoperative bleeding, infection, rectovaginal fistula, anastomotic dehiscence and anal incontinence were observed. The effective rate of overall subjective satisfaction was 93.3%(28/30) during the follow-up of 12 months. There was no significant difference in Longo ODS score between pre- POPFBFT and pre-operation (pre- POPFBFT: 32.95±3.22, pre-operation: 32.85±3.62, t=1.472, P=0.163). Compared with pre-POPFBFT, Longo ODS score at 1 week after operation decreased (t=4.306, P=0.000), moreover, score at 1 month after operation was lower than that at 1 week (13.05±7.49 vs. 15.00±7.17, t=7.322, P=0.000), while no significant differences were found among 1, 3, 6, 12 months after operation (F=2.111, P=0.107). Likewise, there was no significant difference in GIQLI score between pre-POPFBFT and pre-operation (pre-POPFBFT: 79.39±17.14, pre-operation: 76.65±17.56, t=1.735, P=0.096). Compared with the pre-POPFBFT, GIQLI score at 1 week after operation increased (t=4.714, P=0.000), moreover, GIQLI score at 1 month after operation was higher than that at 1 week (102.26±19.24 vs 91.31±21.35, t=5.628, P=0.000), while no significant differences were found among 1, 3, 6, 12 months after operation(F=1.211, P=0.313). In comparison with pre- POPFBFT, parameters of defecography examination at 12 months after operation showed obvious improvement: the rectocele decreased from (34.1±0.4) mm to (3.1±0.3) mm (t=6.847, P=0.000), anorectal angle during defecation increased from (123.8±6.7)degree to (134.7±8.5)degree, enlargement of anorectal angle during defecation increased from (29.1±3.5)degree to (37.1±5.3)degree, while no significant differences in descend of perineum, anorectal angles at rest as well as parameters of anorectal manometry were found (all P>0.05). Modified STARR combined with POPFBFT is safe and effective for ODS patients.

Safe and uncomplicated inguinal hernia surgery in the elderly - message from anesthesiologists to general surgeons.

Introduction Elderly patients are often discouraged from surgery due to the risk of complications that increases with age. Aim We wanted to assess mortality, morbidity, and complications in patients older than 75 years who underwent elective or emergency inguinal hernia repair in a single center. Methods All patients older than 75 years who were operated on because of inguinal hernia in the Department of General and Colorectal Surgery, Medical University of Lodz between 2003 and 2015 were analyzed. Detailed information was collected with regard to patient demographics, mode of admission, comorbidities, type of intervention, applied anesthesia, and 30-day outcomes. Postoperative outcomes included medical and surgical complications, readmissions, and survival status. Results One hundred thirty-two patients older than 75 years were operated on for inguinal hernia, 16 (12.1%) in an emergency setting and 116 (87.9%) in an elective setting. Eighteen patients (13.6%) developed complications, 8 (50%) in the emergency group, and 10 (8.6%) in the elective group. In the emergency group, severe medical complications (Clavien-Dindo 4) were frequent, whereas in the elective group, severity of surgical and medical complications was not significantly different (Clavien-Dindo median score 2, p=0.6084), and these complications were classified as mild (Clavien-Dindo 1-2). One death occurred in the emergency group. Conclusion Inguinal hernia surgery in the elderly may be safe and effective in an elective setting and if regional anesthesia is used. Careful examination of patients before surgery and identification of potential risk factors associated with co-existing diseases are vital for reducing the risk of complications. Key point: Hernia surgery in patients older than 65 years is a low-risk intervention, if carried out in an elective setting.