Surgical Side Effects Research Articles

Surgical treatment of advanced medication-related osteonecrosis of the jaws: Comparison of soft tissue closure techniques and evaluation of side effects

The aim of the study was to evaluate the surgical outcome of patients with advanced medication-related osteonecrosis of the jaw (MRONJ) treated with different flaps for soft tissue closure. Only MRONJ stage III patients with a minimum follow-up of 6 months were included in our prospective study. The soft tissue closure techniques were: Mylohyoid Muscle Flap, Buccal Fat Flap and mucoperiosteal flap alone. Potential risk factors and surgical side effects were analyzed. Relapses occurred in 12 of 44 included cases and 38 reached mucosal integrity within the follow-up. Cases treated with the muscle or fat flap showed better results regarding the recurrence rate (p < 0.001) and soft tissue healing (p = 0.002): only 3 of 33 developed a relapse, and 31 of 33 reached mucosal integrity. The outcome was worse if MRONJ occurred at the front areas of the jaw (p = 0.025). Postoperative, the pain level was reduced significantly (p < 0.001). Partial hypoesthesia of the lip arose in 18 cases. An impairment of the long-term prosthetic rehabilitation has not been seen.Patients with MRONJ stage III undergoing surgery benefit from extensive soft tissue closure.

Experts Debate What's Next for DBS for Depression

Experts Debate What's Next for DBS for Depression

Effect of Combined Paracetamol and Dexamethasone on Pain and Postoperative Nausea Vomiting

Background : Pain and Postoperative Nausea and Vomiting (PONV) are surgical side effects. Pain management can use opioids and non-opioids. Opioids have side effects such as nausea, vomiting, pruritus, somnolence, and respiratory depression, so other alternatives are needed to reduce pain. Paracetamol is an analgesic while dexamethasone is antiinflammatory and anti-emetic. This study was to determine whether the combination of paracetamol and dexamethasone was more effective in dealing with pain and PONV after cesarean section than paracetamol.Materials and Methods : This was an experimental study employing post-test only control group design, using two study groups. Group PD (combined paracetamol and dexamethasone) was treated using dexamethasone 8 mg and paracetamol 1 gram intravenously, while the group P (paracetamol) was treated using paracetamol 1 gram intravenously. Data of Pain and PONV were collected using the Wong Baker Faces Scale, Numeric Rating Scale, and a frequency table for PONV at the 4th, 6th, 12th, and 24th hours of postoperative administration. The data were analyzed using Mann Whitney test.Results : The results of this study found that the multimodal administration of combined paracetamol and dexamethasone was better in reducing the pain compared to administration of a paracetamol at 4th, 6th, 12th, and 24thhours of post cesarean section(p &lt;0.05). Multimodal administration of combined paracetamol and dexamethasone was better reduced the incidence of PONV compared tothat of paracetamol at the 4thhour of post cesarean section(p &lt;0.05). The multimodal use of combined paracetamol and dexamethasone had resulted fewer use of opioid and anti-emetic frequencies compared to that of paracetamol.Conclusion : The combined paracetamol and dexamethasone was more effective to reduce pain and PONV in samples with post cesarean section.International Journal of Human and Health Sciences Vol. 04 No. 03 July’20 Page : 184-188

Bra preferences of breast cancer survivors treated with mastectomy and prosthetic reconstruction

ABSTRACTOne in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in her lifetime and the number choosing mastectomy in response to invasive breast cancer is rising. A survey of 62 survivors who have undergone double mastectomy with prosthetic reconstruction demonstrated that they have surgical and healing related side effects which create unique undergarment needs. Survey results were used to discern the needs and preferences of this group of survivors and provide functional design guidelines for future bra designers. Bra wing and underband comfort were found to be of critical importance. Adjustable straps and well-fitting cups that hide imperfections while providing insulation and moisture management were additional needs identified by these survivors.

The advances in nerve tissue engineering: From fabrication of nerve conduit to in vivo nerve regeneration assays.

Peripheral nerve damage is a common clinical complication of traumatic injury occurring after accident, tumorous outgrowth, or surgical side effects. Although the new methods and biomaterials have been improved recently, regeneration of peripheral nerve gaps is still a challenge. These injuries affect the quality of life of the patients negatively. In the recent years, many efforts have been made to develop innovative nerve tissue engineering approaches aiming to improve peripheral nerve treatment following nerve injuries. Herein, we will not only outline what we know about the peripheral nerve regeneration but also offer our insight regarding the types of nerve conduits, their fabrication process, and factors associated with conduits as well as types of animal and nerve models for evaluating conduit function. Finally, nerve regeneration in a rat sciatic nerve injury model by nerve conduits has been considered, and the main aspects that may affect the preclinical outcome have been discussed.

Intra-operative assessment of sentinel lymph node status by one-step nucleic acid amplification assay (OSNA) in early endometrial cancer: a prospective study

BackgroundSentinel node mapping has been proposed to reduce surgical side effects, maintaining the accuracy in nodal status assessment for endometrial cancer.ObjectiveTo investigate the role of one-step nucleic acid amplification assay...

Uroflow stop test with electromyography: a novel index of urinary continence recovery after RARP.

Urinary incontinence (UI) is one of the most bothersome surgical side effects after robot-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP). Alteration of both smooth and striate urethral sphincter occurs after RARP. Since the contraction of perineal muscles is involved in the complex mechanism of urinary continence, the uroflow stop test (UST) seems to predict early continence recovery after RARP. The UST was added of perineal surface electromyography (EMG) evaluation to evaluate the latency time (LT) between muscular contraction and the complete stop of urine flow. Our aim was to present UST-EMG as a new tool in the investigation of UI, implying pelvic floor integrity, and to evaluate whether an early return (≤ 3 months) to preoperative LT could be associated with early recovery of UC (≤ 3 months). After prospectively enrolling 137 patients who underwent RARP with a minimum follow-up of 6 months, we identified two groups: Group 1 (93 patients) with early (≤ 3 months) pre-surgical LT recovery and Group 2 (44 patients) with late > 3 months or not able to reach pre-surgical LT recovery. Between the two groups, there were significant differences in terms of different surgical technique (nerve-sparing versus non-nerve-sparing) and pads use at 3 and 6 months after RARP (p < 0.05). No differences were recorded neither in postoperative maximum flow-rate, nor in postoperative symptoms score. UST with EMG can be considered as a noninvasive, reproducible and easily performable tool. LT is applicable in the clinical evaluation to predict urinary continence recovery after RARP.

Routine placement of surgical jejunostomy feeding tubes (JFT) in patients who have undergone oesophagectomy: a patient experience questionnaire

Nutrition-related complications such as reduced oral intake and malnutrition are common following oesophagectomy. Sustained periods of inadequate nutrition can result from surgical side effects and/or dietary modifications linked with anatomical changes.

Interpretation of adverse reactions and complications in Chinese expert consensus of Iodine-125 brachytherapy for pancreatic cancer.

Owing to the location of the pancreas and its complex anatomical relationship, it is difficult to perform radioactive Iodine-125 seed implantation in patients with pancreatic cancer as it can cause surgical side effects and further complications. To standardize the procedure of radioactive Iodine-125 seed implantation in the treatment of pancreatic cancer and reduce the occurrence of adverse reactions and complications during and after operation, the Chinese Medical Doctor Association of Radioactive Seed Implantation Technology Expert Committee, Committee of Minimally Invasive Therapy in Oncology, Chinese Anti-Cancer Association, and the Radioactive Seed Therapy Branch organized and helped establish an expert consensus in China regarding radioactive Iodine-125 seed implantation in the treatment of pancreatic cancer. This article aims at interpreting the adverse reactions and complications after the implantation of radioactive seeds.

Seroma in breast surgery: all the surgeons fault?

Despite a trend for less radical surgical approaches in breast cancer due to better understanding of tumour biology and new treatment options such as neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) and intra-operative radiotherapy (IORT), seroma production remains one of the main surgical side effects that can result in prolonged recovery, delay of radiotherapy and patient discomfort. The aim of this study is to provide an update on risk factors for seroma production after breast cancer surgery considering the latest treatment options. A retrospective analysis of seroma production in primary breast cancer patients treated between 01.01.2010 and 31.12.2014 at the Breast Cancer Centre, University Hospital Ulm, was performed. Patients with previous breast/axillary surgery or more than one intervention were excluded. Seroma formation was measured using wound drains placed in breast and axilla. In total, 581 patients met the inclusion criteria. Median age at diagnosis was 60years, and median BMI 25.6kg/m2. 60 (10.3%) patients had a mastectomy, 175 (30.1%) patients received IORT, and 72 (12.4%) patients received NAC. Median amount of seroma production was 82.5ml (range 0-3012.5ml). Multivariate analysis revealed that most of the observed variation in seroma production was due to type of surgery (mastectomy vs. breast conserving), length of surgery and number of removed lymph nodes. Both NAC and IORT explained a significant but very small amount of the observed variation in seroma production. The most important factors for seroma production are extent and duration of breast surgery.

Electronic medical records as a replacement for prospective research data collection in postoperative pain and opioid response studies

Background and aimMany clinical research studies claim to collect data that are also captured in the electronic medical record (EMR). We evaluate the potential for EMR data to replace prospective research data collection. MethodsUsing a dataset of 358 surgical patients enrolled in a prospective study, we examined the completeness and agreement of EMR and study entries for several variables, including the patient’s stay in the post-operative care unit (PACU), surgical pain relief and pain medication side effects. ResultsFor all variables with a completeness percentage, values were greater than 96%. For the adverse event variables, we found slight to substantial agreement (Cohen’s kappa), ranging from 0.19 (nausea) to 0.48 (respiratory depression) to 0.73 (emesis). ConclusionThe potential to use EMR data as a replacement for prospective research data collection shows promise, but for now, should be evaluated on a variable-by-variable basis.

International validation of the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer QLQ-BRECON23 quality-of-life questionnaire for women undergoing breast reconstruction.

The aim was to carry out phase 4 international field-testing of the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) breast reconstruction (BRECON) module. The primary objective was finalization of its scale structure. Secondary objectives were evaluation of its reliability, validity, responsiveness, acceptability and interpretability in patients with breast cancer undergoing mastectomy and reconstruction. The EORTC module development guidelines were followed. Patients were recruited from 28 centres in seven countries. A prospective cohort completed the QLQ-BRECON15 before mastectomy and the QLQ-BRECON24 at 4-8 months after reconstruction. The cross-sectional cohort completed the QLQ-BRECON24 at 1-5 years after reconstruction, and repeated this 2-8 weeks later (test-retest reliability). All participants completed debriefing questionnaires. A total of 438 patients were recruited, 234 in the prospective cohort and 204 in the cross-sectional cohort. A total of 414 reconstructions were immediate, with a comparable number of implants (176) and donor-site flaps (166). Control groups comprised patients who underwent two-stage implant procedures (72, 75 per cent) or delayed reconstruction (24, 25 per cent). Psychometric scale validity was supported by moderate to high item-own scale and item-total correlations (over 0·5). Questionnaire validity was confirmed by good scale-to-sample targeting, and computable scale scores exceeding 50 per cent, except nipple cosmesis (over 40 per cent). In known-group comparisons, QLQ-BRECON24 scales and items differentiated between patient groups defined by clinical criteria, such as type and timing of reconstruction, postmastectomy radiotherapy and surgical complications, with moderate effect sizes. Prospectively, sexuality and surgical side-effects scales showed significant responsiveness over time (P < 0·001). Scale reliability was supported by high Cronbach's α coefficients (over 0·7) and test-retest (intraclass correlation more than 0·8). One item (finding a well fitting bra) was excluded based on high floor/ceiling effects, poor test-retest and weak correlations in factor analysis (below 0·3), thus generating the QLQ-BRECON23 questionnaire. The QLQ-BRECON23 is an internationally validated tool to be used alongside the EORTC QLQ-C30 (cancer) and QLQ-BR23 (breast cancer) questionnaires for evaluating quality of life and satisfaction after breast reconstruction.

The Dominant-Subthalamic Nucleus Phenomenon in Bilateral Deep Brain Stimulation for Parkinson's Disease: Evidence from a Gait Analysis Study.

It has been suggested that parkinsonian [Parkinson's disease (PD)] patients might have a "dominant" (DOM) subthalamic nucleus (STN), whose unilateral electrical stimulation [deep brain stimulation (DBS)] could lead to an improvement in PD symptoms similar to bilateral STN-DBS. Since disability in PD patients is often related to gait problems, in this study, we wanted to investigate in a group of patients bilaterally implanted for STN-DBS: (1) if it was possible to identify a subgroup of subjects with a dominant STN; (2) in the case, if the unilateral stimulation of the dominant STN was capable to improve gait abnormalities, as assessed by instrumented multifactorial gait analysis, similarly to what observed with bilateral stimulation. We studied 10 PD patients with bilateral STN-DBS. A clinical evaluation and a kinematic, kinetic, and electromyographic (EMG) analysis of overground walking were performed-off medication-in four conditions: without stimulation, with bilateral stimulation, with unilateral right or left STN-DBS. Through a hierarchical agglomerative cluster analysis based on motor Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale scores, it was possible to separate patients into two groups, based on the presence (six patients, DOM group) or absence (four patients, NDOM group) of a dominant STN. In the DOM group, both bilateral and unilateral stimulation of the dominant STN significantly increased gait speed, stride length, range of motion of lower limb joints, and peaks of moment and power at the ankle joint; moreover, the EMG activation pattern of distal leg muscles was improved. The unilateral stimulation of the non-dominant STN did not produce any significant effect. In the NDOM group, only bilateral stimulation determined a significant improvement of gait parameters. In the DOM group, the effect of unilateral stimulation of the dominant STN determined an improvement of gait parameters similar to bilateral stimulation. The pre-surgical identification of these patients, if possible, could allow to reduce the surgical risks and side effects of DBS adopting a unilateral approach.

Thalamic Deep Brain Stimulation for Neuropathic Pain: Efficacy at Three Years’ Follow-Up

Chronic neuropathic pain is estimated to affect 3-4.5% of the worldwide population, posing a serious burden to society. Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) is already established for movement disorders and also used to treat some "off-label" conditions. However, DBS for the treatment of chronic, drug refractory, neuropathic pain, has shown variable outcomes with few studies performed in the last decade. Thus, this procedure has consensus approval in parts of Europe but not the USA. This study prospectively evaluated the efficacy at three years of DBS for neuropathic pain. Sixteen consecutive patients received 36 months post-surgical follow-up in a single-center. Six had phantom limb pain after amputation and ten deafferentation pain after brachial plexus injury, all due to traumas. To evaluate the efficacy of DBS, patient-reported outcome measures were collated before and after surgery, using a visual analog scale (VAS) score, University of Washington Neuropathic Pain Score (UWNPS), Brief Pain Inventory (BPI), and 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36). Contralateral, ventroposterolateral sensory thalamic DBS was performed in sixteen patients with chronic neuropathic pain over 29 months. A postoperative trial of externalized DBS failed in one patient with brachial plexus injury. Fifteen patients proceeded to implantation but one patient with phantom limb pain after amputation was lost for follow-up after 12 months. No surgical complications or stimulation side effects were noted. After 36 months, mean pain relief was sustained, and the median (and interquartile range) of the improvement of VAS score was 52.8% (45.4%) (p = 0.00021), UWNPS was 30.7% (49.2%) (p = 0.0590), BPI was 55.0% (32.0%) (p = 0.00737), and SF-36 was 16.3% (30.3%) (p = 0.4754). DBS demonstrated efficacy at three years for chronic neuropathic pain after traumatic amputation and brachial plexus injury, with benefits sustained across all pain outcomes measures and slightly greater improvement in phantom limb pain.

Safety of intraoperative chemotherapy with 5-FU for colorectal cancer patients receiving curative resection: A randomized, multicenter, prospective, phase III IOCCRC trial (IOCCRC).

e15002 Background: The safety and efficacy of intraoperative chemotherapy in colorectal cancer have not yet been extensively investigated. This randomized control trial was designed to compare the safety and efficacy of intraoperative chemotherapy in combination with surgical resection to those of traditional surgical resection alone. Patients and Methods: From January 2011 to January 2016, 696 colorectal cancer patients were enrolled in this study: 341 patients were randomly assigned to the intraoperative plus surgery group to receive intraoperative chemotherapy (portal vein, intraluminal, and intraperitoneal chemotherapy plus surgical resection), whereas 344 patients were randomized to the control group to undergo surgery alone. Eleven patients withdrew consent. Surgical complications and side effects of intraoperative chemotherapy were compared between the two groups. Results: Intraoperative chemotherapy did not increase the rate of surgical complications, and no severe chemotherapy-associated side effects were observed. There were no significant differences in the length of hospital stay (8.31 vs. 7.98 days, P = 0.138), length of surgery (170.4 vs. 167.0 min, P = 0.526), length of antibiotic use (2.28 vs. 2.15 days, P = 0.322), or length of drain usage (6.37 vs. 6.16 days, P = 0.387) between the intraoperative chemotherapy and control groups. Four patients in each of the intraoperative chemotherapy and the control groups experienced anastomotic leakage and underwent a second operation (1.2% vs. 1.2%, P = 0.99). There were no deaths within 90 days after surgery in the chemotherapy group, whereas one patient died in the control group (0% vs. 0.3%, P = 0.99). Intraoperative chemotherapy did not decrease the rate of patients who received postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy between the intraoperative group and control group (29.3% vs. 30.2%, P = 0.795). Conclusions: Intraoperative chemotherapy can be safely performed during colorectal surgery; however, follow-up is necessary for a better assessment of its efficacy. Register Number: NCT01465451. Clinical trial information: NCT01465451.

Error reporting from the da Vinci surgical system in robotic surgery: A Canadian multispecialty experience at a single academic centre.

The goal of the study is to evaluate and report on the third-generation da Vinci surgical (Si) system malfunctions. A total of 1228 robotic surgeries were performed between January 2012 and December 2015 at our academic centre. All cases were performed by using a single, dual console, four-arm, da Vinci Si robot system. The three specialties included urology, gynecology, and thoracic surgery. Studied outcomes included the robotic surgical error types, immediate consequences, and operative side effects. Error rate trend with time was also examined. Overall robotic malfunctions were documented on the da Vinci Si systems event log in 4.97% (61/1228) of the cases. The most common error was related to pressure sensors in the robotic arms indicating out of limit output. This recoverable fault was noted in 2.04% (25/1228) of cases. Other errors included unrecoverable electronic communication-related in 1.06% (13/1228) of cases, failed encoder error in 0.57% (7/1228), illuminator-related in 0.33% (4/1228), faulty switch in 0.24% (3/1228), battery-related failures in 0.24% (3/1228), and software/hardware error in 0.08% (1/1228) of cases. Surgical delay was reported only in one patient. No conversion to either open or laparoscopic occurred secondary to robotic malfunctions. In 2015, the incidence of robotic error rose to 1.71% (21/1228) from 0.81% (10/1228) in 2014. Robotic malfunction is not infrequent in the current era of robotic surgery in various surgical subspecialties, but rarely consequential. Their seldom occurrence does not seem to affect patient safety or surgical outcome.

Effect of single dose pre-operative antibiotic prophylaxis versus conventional antibiotic therapy in patients undergoing lichtenstein tension free mesh repair

Background: Rational use of antibiotic is important as injudicious use can adversely affect the patient, cause emergence of antibiotic resistance and increase the cost of health care. The efficacy of antibiotic prophylaxis in preventing surgical site infection in patients undergoing Lichtenstein tension free inguinal hernia repair still remains controversial.Methods: A randomized controlled trial was conducted in patients undergoing lichtenstein tension free inguinal hernia repair between January 2015 to June 2016, and the results were compared with the control group in whom, conventional antibiotics were given for 7 days . All patients in study group undergoing surgery were given 400 mg parenteral ciprofloxacin 30 min prior to surgery. In the control group, the patients were given 2 days parenteral ciprofloxacin 400 mg twice a day and the next 5 days the same antibiotics were given in oral route, after surgery. Total 100 patients were randomized to 50 each group. The outcome in terms of duration of surgery, surgical site infection, cost and antibiotic side effects were then compared.Results: The duration of the hospital stay, cost and side effects are significantly higher in the control group patients. Antibiotic side effects (P &lt; 0.05) were high for control group. The infection rate was same in both the groups. There was no significant difference in terms of infection rate among two groups.Conclusions: This study concludes that prophylactic single-dose antibiotic is effective in preventing surgical site infection and is cost-effective in patients undergoing lichtenstein tension free mesh repair.

Pharmacotherapy and Immunotherapy of Conjunctival Tumors.

Conjunctiva and cornea tumors represent a large spectrum of conditions ranging from benign lesions to aggressive and life-threatening malignancies. Topical pharmacotherapies and immunotherapies have recently acquired a relevant role in the management of conjunctival tumors and, in the past 2 decades, there has been a shift from surgery alone toward the use of these agents, both as a sole therapy or as adjunct to surgery (before or after surgery). The 3 main agents that have been used for topical medical treatment of conjunctival tumors are mitomycin-C, 5-fluorouracil, and interferon-α2b. Advantages of topical pharmacotherapies and immunotherapies include the ability to treat the entire ocular surface and prevention of surgical side effects and complications. The aim of this review is to summarize the current use of topical pharmacotherapy and immunotherapy in the management of conjunctival tumors.

Does the Preoperative Administration of Steroids Reduce Intraoperative Bleeding during Endoscopic Surgery of Nasal Polyps?

Corticosteroids are frequently used in a range of otorhinolaryngologic conditions due to their anti-inflammatory and antiedematous properties. In this meta-analysis, we aimed to assess the role of preoperative steroids for attenuating intraoperative bleeding during endoscopic sinus surgery among patients with nasal polyps. PubMed, SCOPUS, EMBASE, the Web of Science, and Cochrane database. Literature was screened from January 1980 to January 2016. Five articles comparing patients who were preoperatively administered steroids (steroid groups) with patients who received a placebo or no treatment (control group) were included for analysis, which encompassed intraoperative bleeding, endoscopic surgical field visibility, operative time, and side effects during endoscopic sinus surgery. Intraoperative bleeding and operative time during endoscopic sinus surgery in the steroid group were significantly reduced as compared with the control group. Additionally, the preoperative administration of steroids had a significant effect on improving endoscopic surgical field visibility during sinus surgery. There were no significant adverse effects reported in the enrolled studies. In subgroup analyses of these results, steroids showed similar effects on intraoperative bleeding regardless of administration type (topical or systemic). This study demonstrated that the preoperative administration of steroids in patients with nasal polyps could effectively reduce intraoperative bleeding. However, the duration of treatment and dosing standard require further investigation, and more trials need to be included.

Patient Decision Making Prior to Radical Prostatectomy: What Is and Is Not Involved.

The current study assessed the decision-making process before surgery in prostate cancer patients. A structured telephone interview was conducted by an independent third party in 162 consecutive patients who underwent surgery for prostate cancer. Responders revealed that details regarding diagnosis and treatment alternatives were withheld from a significant number of patients. Radiation and active surveillance were presented as alternative options to surgery in 57 (39%) and 20 (14%) of responders, respectively. Twenty-six (18%) patients reported not being informed regarding potential surgical side effects. Patients were not active participants in critical aspects of decision making in 61 (42%) of the cases. Being inadequately informed and more frequent visits to the urologist appeared to make decisions more difficult. Treatment regret was reported by 23 (16%) of the patients who underwent surgery and was more common when the patient was not involved in the decision or was inadequately informed. As such, shared decision making should replace paternalism when managing patients with localized prostate cancer in urologic practice.