Omission of temporary diversion in restorative proctocolectomy--is it safe?

PURPOSE

The aim of our study was to evaluate the safety and functional outcome of restorative proctocolectomy (RP) without diversion.

METHODS

Fifty patients underwent RP without diversion for ulcerative colitis (82 percent), familial adenomatous polyposis (12 percent), and indeterminate colitis (6 percent). The perioperative course and functional outcome of these patients were compared with another group of 50 patients undergoing RP with diverting ileostomy during the same time period (1989-1991) and closely matched for age, gender, surgeon, diagnosis, extent and duration (median, 10 years) of colitis, prior colectomy (approximately 22 percent), steroid use (40 percent), type of pouch, distance of ileal pouch-anal anastomosis from the dentate line (median, 1.5 cm), and the duration of follow-up (median, 12 months). All patients had a stapled ileal pouch-anal anastomosis without mucosectomy and a smooth conduct of the operation.

RESULTS

There was no operative mortality. Anastomotic leaks and pelvic abscess were more common in patients without ileostomy (7/50 or 14 percent vs. 2/50 or 4 percent); 8 of these 9 patients were taking > or = 20 mg of prednisone/day. Septic complications requiring relaparotomy (6 percent vs. 0 percent), prolonged ileus, and fever of unknown origin (10 percent vs. 4 percent) were also more common in patients without ileostomy. Despite similar functional results at 6 weeks and at 12 months after initial pouch function, patients without ileostomy had a poorer quality of life index (5 vs. 8; 10 being best) in the early period (0-6 weeks) of pouch function.

CONCLUSION

In equally favorable cases, RP without diversion is not as safe as RP with diversion, especially in patients taking > or = 20 mg of prednisone/day.

Conservative treatment for low rectal carcinoma by local excision with or without radiotherapy

Thirty-seven patients with low rectal carcinoma were treated by transanal resection between January 1979 and December 1988. Adjuvant radiotherapy was used in eight patients before operation, in 13 after operation and six patients had both preoperative and postoperative radiotherapy. The selection criteria for transanal resection were low, superficial tumours treated conservatively with curative intent (group 1, 18 patients) or patients medically unfit for (12) or refusing (seven) abdominoperineal resection (APR) (group 2, 19 patients). In group 1, the local recurrence rate was 11 per cent with an overall 5-year survival rate of 100 per cent. In group 2, the local recurrence rate was 53 per cent with an overall 5-year survival rate of 35 per cent. There was no postoperative mortality and minimal morbidity. Salvage of local failure was by APR in six patients. The survival rate after local recurrence was 70 per cent at 1 year and 30 per cent at 5 years. Transanal resection can be proposed as a curative procedure for selected low, small, minimally infiltrating and well differentiated adenocarcinomas. Local control might be improved by postoperative radiotherapy for Astler-Coller stage B1 tumours or those above 3 cm in diameter. Further trials should examine the results of high-dose (60 Gy) preoperative radiotherapy so that transanal resection might be employed for favourable post-irradiation stage (0 or A) lesions. This new strategy will benefit from a better evaluation of tumour response after primary radiotherapy and an improved assessment of histological excision margins.

Metabolism of cyclosporine after orthotopic liver transplantation

The aim of this work was to determine whether the extensive metabolism of cyclosporine, acquired in a donor by treatment with an inducer of cytochrome P450 3A (P450 3A) (cyclosporine oxidase), was transmissible to the recipient by orthotopic liver transplantation. For this purpose, male Wistar rats were divided into five groups including: control animals (group C), animals treated with dexamethasone (an inducer of P450 3A, 50 or 300 mg/kg/day, for 4 days, group D), animals transplanted with the livers of control rats (group G) or with the livers of dexamethasone-induced rats (group GD), and animals treated with beta-naphthoflavone (an inducer of P450 1A, group B). All animals received a single i.v. dose of 10 mg/kg cyclosporine 24 hr after either the last dose of inducer or the transplantation. For each group of animals, the area under the curve (AUC) of cyclosporine was calculated from the curves of blood cyclosporine levels (by radioimmunoassay) against time; liver microsomes were assayed for cyclosporine oxidase activity by HPLC, erythromycin demethylase and P450 3A level by western blot with specific anti-P450 3A antibodies. The decrease in the AUC in groups D and GD with respect to C and G was correlated with increased level of P450 3A (4-5-fold with respect to control) as well as of microsomal cyclosporine oxidase. In addition, cyclosporine oxidase activity of liver microsomes was specifically inhibited by anti-P450 3A antibodies and troleandomycin. The animals in group B did not exhibit increased metabolism of cyclosporine either in vivo or in vitro. We conclude that: (1) cyclosporine is predominantly oxidized in the rat liver by a form of P450 from the 3A subfamily; (2) the extensive metabolism of cyclosporine acquired by donor rats after treatment with dexamethasone is transmissible to the recipients through orthotopic liver transplantation.

Surgical palliation for unresected cancer of the exocrine pancreas

Opinions are still divided regarding the optimal palliative procedures in patients with cancer of the pancreas. This retrospective, multicentric study, involving 2493 patients operated on between January 1982 and December 1988 compares the results of various procedures aimed at palliation for pancreatic cancer. Cholecystoenteric bypasses (n = 237) in comparison to choledochoenteric bypasses (n = 1770) were associated with a higher post-operative mortality (20% vs 14%), a lower long-term morbidity (26% vs 35%), and a lower survival rate (means: 3.2 vs 5.2 months). Choledochoduodenostomy (n = 1159) and choledochojejunostomy (n = 611) had similar rates of post-operative mortality (14% vs 13%), morbidity (26% vs 27%), incidence of recurrent jaundice (8% vs 7%), and median survival (5.4 vs 5.0 months). Surgically placed biliary stents (n = 114) were followed by the highest post-operative mortality (27%), morbidity (46%), rate of recurrent jaundice (14%), and the shortest median survival (2.6 months). Post-operative mortality in patients undergoing a choledochoenteric bypass and a gastrojejunostomy (n = 1134) was similar to that observed in patients who had only a biliary bypass (n = 636) (16% and 12%), but among the patients who had a biliary bypass alone, 16% developed a gastric obstruction. For the relief of pancreatic pain, radiotherapy was more effective than other symptomatic treatments (P = 0.02). In conclusion, these results and other previous reports suggest the need (1) in patients with obstructive jaundice to perform a choledochoduodenostomy rather than other biliary bypasses, (2) a routine prophylactic gastrojejunostomy to prevent gastric outlet obstruction, (3) and for the relief of pancreatic pain to perform radiotherapy or splanchnicectomy.

Colorectal carcinoma in patients aged 75 years and more: factors influencing short and long-term operative mortality

A review of 238 patients aged over 75 years and operated on for colorectal cancer was undertaken to analyse factors influencing short and long-term operative mortality. Operative mortality in the first postoperative month was 13% (n = 31) and 17% (n = 35) in the first year. Four factors influenced significantly postoperative mortality in the first month: postoperative complications (p = 0.0001) related to medical complications (p = 0.0001), emergency surgery (p = 0.007), type of anesthesia (p = 0.01). Mortality during the first year (excluding patients who died in the first month) was higher in females (p = 0.05), in patients subjected to emergency operation (p = 0.004), in patients with preexisting, cerebrovascular accident (p = 0.04) and in patients with Dukes C staging (p = 0.0001). A multivariate analysis with Cox's model revealed 3 prognostic factors: Dukes staging (p = 0.0001), medical complications in the postoperative period (p = 0.0001) and type of anesthesia (p = 0.0009). Age as an isolated factor is not a contraindication to colorectal surgery in elderly patients presenting colonic or rectal carcinoma. Prognosis in elderly patients is first correlated to the control of postoperative mortality undergoing until the first year and then to the cancer itself.

Acute abdomen of unknown origin: impact of CT on diagnosis and management

A prospective study was performed including 40 patients with an acute abdominal syndrome presenting difficulties in defining the etiology. All patients underwent an emergency computed tomographic (CT) scan. The CT scan made the syndrome's diagnosis in 95% of cases and it permitted the detection of a lesion in 57.5% of cases. The diagnostic impact of CT scan was significant (p less than 0.01). The value and the specific contribution of CT in various diseases were analyzed. CT allowed appropriate therapeutic decisions in 95% of cases where clinical examination performance was positive in only 60% of cases. We had two negative CT results leading to an inappropriate therapeutic decision; it consisted of two cases of undiagnosed appendicitis. CT modified the primary therapeutic strategy in 30% of cases and avoided seven laparotomies.

[Cyclosporin A metabolism and induction of cytochrome P-450 in orthoptic hepatic transplantation in rats]

The aim of our study were 1) to establish that cyclosporin (CsA) metabolism was correlated with the rate of cytochrome P4503A (cyt.) in Wistar rats induced with dexamethasone (Dex.), 2) to demonstrate that the induction of cyt. with Dex. in liver "rat donor" was transmissible to "recipient rat" after liver transplantation. Sixty rats were divided in 5 groups. In group T, a single dose of CsA (10 mg/kg) was administered intravenously in 10 rats; in group D, 10 rats were treated with Dex (300 mg/kg daily for 4 days) and then received CsA as above; in group BN 5 rats were treated with beta-naphthoflavone. Thirty five rats underwent a liver transplantation either from "non induced donors" (group G, n = 11) or from "induced donors with Dex." (group GD, n = 24) followed by CsA injection the next day. For each rat, CsA plasma levels were determined by radioimmunoassay in 6 samples. Liver microsomes cyt. from samples of the liver of donor rats (group G and GD) or after sacrifice (group T, D, BN) were quantitated by immunoblot analysis and estimated from densitometric analysis of the blot. Mean maximal plasma concentration (Cmax) were 2,822 +/- 997 ng/ml in group T, 1,447 +/- -458 ng/ml in group D, 2,685 +/- 1,383 ng/ml in group G, 1,337 +/- 713 ng/ml in group GD and 3,094 +/- 685 ng/ml in group BN. Considering the Cmax and the ASC (area under curve), there was a significant difference between all groups and separately between groups T and D, G and GD.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Evaluation of the laparoscopic cholecystectomy on patients with simple and complicated cholecystolithiasis

Laparoscopic cholecystectomy is now a well described method for the treatment of cholelithiasis. The purpose of this paper is to define its implementation, limits, risks and indications. Following a prospective method, the results of this treatment were compared in 187 patients with simple cholelithiasis and 75 patients with complicated cholelithiasis. Cholecystectomy was performed with a straight optic introduced through the paraumbilical region, and coupled with video camera. Two, 3, or 4 other trocars were inserted and placed as required by anatomic conditions. In the group with simple cholelithiasis, laparoscopic cholecystectomy was performed in 99% of the patients while in the group with complicated cholelithiasis the procedure was achieved in 75% of the patients. Immediate laparotomy was done in 1% and 25% of cases respectively in both groups. No interventional mortality occurred. Postoperative complications have been acceptable (1.6% and 2.7%), with no late complications reported. Our study shows that laparoscopic cholecystectomy is feasible in the majority of cases of complicated cholelithiasis and that the main advantages of this method were retained.

[A prospective and comparative study of 262 laparoscopic cholecystectomies]

A prospective, comparative study is made of 262 patients (195 males, 67 females) subjected to laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Two groups were considered: simple cholelithiasis (SC) (187 cases), and complicated cholelithiasis (CC) (75 cases: 63 acute cholecystitis, 8 hydrocholecystitis, 4 pancreatitis). Mean age was 51 among the SC cases, and 57 in the CC patients. Mean operating time was 67 and 96 minutes for the SC and groups, respectively. Preoperative complications were more frequent in the CC group (51.4%) than in the SC patients (24%)--immediate laparotomies being performed in 2 and 25% of the SC and CC patients, respectively. Mortality was zero, with similar morbidity in both groups. Mean hospitalization time was 4.9 and 3.4 days for the CC and SC groups, respectively.

Intrahepatic bile duct cystadenocarcinoma: case report and imaging diagnosis

The authors report the 30th case in the literature of cystadenocarcinoma of the liver and the second case arising in the caudate lobe. This case illustrates the 2 main questions raised by this tumor: the importance of differentiating benign and malignant cystadenoma and bile duct cyst on sonographic and scanographic aspects and the surgical management of these tumors of the liver, especially in this malignant centrohepatic case.