Effects of Polyurethane Foam Dressings as an Add-on Therapy in the Management of Digital Ulcers in Scleroderma Patients

Digital ulcers (DUs) represent a severe and common complication occurring in patients affected by Systemic Sclerosis (SSc), with a consistent impact on the quality of life and often resulting in longer hospitalization than unaffected patients. Conventional treatment of SSc ulcers consists of both topical and systemic (oral or intravenous) pharmacological therapies. Several surgical options are also available, but there is overall a lack of official guidelines or recommendations. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of a novel local therapy based on polyurethane foam dressings, namely the Highly Hydrophilic Polyurethane Foam (HPF), in addition to the conventional pharmacological treatment, in a cohort of 41 SSc patients with at least one active ulcer. Our results showed that the addition of HPF to the conventional treatment based on systemic drugs induced i) a significant reduction in the number of active DUs (p=0.0034); ii) a significant reduction of the mean duration of ulcer-related hospitalization as compared with standard therapy (p=0.0001); iii) a significant improvement of patients' Quality of Life, as evaluated through the Scleroderma Health Assessment Questionnaire (SHAQ) (p=0.00011). Therefore, in our experience, the combined management of DUs can improve both the onset of new DUs and DU's healing thus leading to a better outcome.

Surgical treatment for IV-degree hemorrhoids: LigaSure™ hemorroidectomy vs. conventional diathermy. A prospective, randomized trial

AIM

Milligan-Morgan operation is still considered the treatment of choice for IV-degree haemorrhoids: it is frequently associated with significant postoperative pain and prolonged hospital stay. Many instruments were conceived to reduce these complications, such as the LigaSure™ (LS) system, a combination of radiofrequency and pressure that seems mainly effective where a large tissue demolition is required. This randomized study is

METHODS

Fifty-two patients with IV-degree hemorrhoids were randomly assigned to two different surgical treatments (conventional diathermy vs. LigaSure™ hemorrhoidectomy). They were evaluated on the basis of the following main outcomes: mean operative time, postoperative pain, day of discharge early and late complications. The time of recovery of work was also assessed. All patients had a minimum follow-up of twelve months (range 12-24). All data were statistically evaluated.

RESULTS

Twenty-seven patients were treated by conventional diathermy, 25 by LigaSure™. The mean operative time was significantly shorter in LS, such as postoperative pain, mainly lower on the third and fourth postoperative day: moreover pain disappeared earlier in LS than CD. The time off-work was shorter in LS, while there was no difference in hospital stay and overall complications rate .

CONCLUSION

This randomized prospective controlled trial confirms, according to other large trials in literature , the benefits of the LigaSure™ hemorrhoidectomy over conventional diathermy when a large tissue demolition is required, supporting the use of this device as treatment of choice in IV degree hemorrhoids, even if the procedure is more expensive than conventional operation.

A case of infectious esophagitis caused by human papilloma virus

Esophageal infections may be caused by diverse pathogens that alter the mucosal lining and produce mild symptoms or sometimes critical clinical diseases with a high risk of mortality, particularly among the immunocompromised. The most common causes of infectious esophagitis are: herpes virus, candida, cytomegalovirus (CMV), and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV); human papilloma virus (HPV) infections are rare in Western countries. Endoscopic features of infectious esophagitis are specific for different agents; nonetheless, differential diagnosis is difficult and requires biopsy, cultures and brushing. We present the clinical case of a young woman admitted to the Department of General Surgery of A.O.U. Federico II, Naples, for a large, deep ulcerative lesion of the esophagus caused by HPV infection.

Significance of lymph node metastases in the surgical management of pancreatic head carcinoma

Recent reports have demonstrated a reduction in the morbidity and mortality of pancreatic resections and improvement in the 5-actuarial survival for patients with resected ductal adenocarcinoma. However, the prognosis for patients with lymph node metastases remains uncertain. The purpose of this study is to determine if the presence of lymph node metastases influences the survival in patients with otherwise potentially curable pancreatic head carcinoma. Between January 1974 and December 1995, 340 patients with pancreatic carcinoma, including 238 patients with pancreatic head tumours, were evaluated and treated in our Department. Seventy-seven (32.3%) patients with pancreatic head carcinoma underwent pancreaticoduodenectomy. Ages ranged from 40 to 76 years, with a mean age of 61 years. Fifty patients were male, twenty-seven were female. The overall postoperative mortality rate was 5.2% (4 patients) and morbidity was 23.4%. Median survival following resection was 17 months (range 0 to 79). The estimated 1-, 2-, 3- and 5-year survival were 68.8%, 48.1%, 23.4% and 18.2%, respectively. There were 14 five-year survivors. Of the 77 patients, 25 (32.5%) had negative lymph nodes. The median and 5-year survival in these node-negative patients were 33 months (range 5 to 79) and 40%, respectively. Whereas the median survival and 5-year survival in 52 patients with lymph nodes metastases were 14 months (range 0 to 61) and 7.7%, respectively (P<0.0001). There were 4 five-year survivors in the group of patients with lymph node metastases; in 2 patients was performed extensive lymph node dissection (R2) and in other 2 patients R1 procedure. In the patients with lymph node metastases undergoing R1 resection (n = 39), the 1-, 2- and 5-year survival rates were 48.7%, 23.1% and 5.1%, respectively. Whereas in the patients with positive lymph nodes undergoing R2 resection (n = 14), the 1-, 2- and 5-year survival rates were 92.9%, 64.3% and 14.3%, respectively (P<0.02). As expected, tumour size and margin status in specimen proved to be two significant factors predicting survival. Pancreatoduodenectomy can be performed with low operative mortality. Lymph nodes metastases are found in 67.5% of patient undergoing resection. Pancreaticoduodenectomy offers good palliation for patients with lymph nodes metastases and encouraging long-term survival rates as well as a chance for cure in patients with negative lymph nodes and negative margins of resection.