Pelvic floor dysfunction in inflammatory bowel disease

Advances in tailored medical therapy and introduction of biologic agents for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) treatment have ensured long-term disease remission. Some patients, however, still report defecatory symptoms. Patients present with a wide spectrum of conditions - anal incontinence, obstructed defecation and pelvic pain among the most frequent - that have a great impact on their quality of life. Due to IBD diagnosis, little relevance is attributed to this type of symptoms and their epidemiologic distribution is unknown. Pathogenetic hypotheses are currently under investigation. Routine diagnostic workflow and therapeutic options in pelvic floor service are often underused. The evaluation of these disorders starts with an endoscopy to rule out ongoing disease; the following diagnostic workflow is the same as in patients without IBD. For fecal incontinence and obstructed defecation, simple conservative therapy with dietary modifications and appropriate fluid intake is effective in most cases. In non-responding patients, anorectal physiology tests and imaging are required to select patients for pelvic floor muscle training and biofeedback. These treatments have been proven effective in IBD patients. Some new minimally invasive alternative strategies are available for IBD patients, as sacral nerve and posterior tibial nerve stimulation; for other ones (e.g., bulking agent implantation) IBD still remains an exclusion criterion. In order to preserve anatomical areas that could be useful for future reconstructive techniques, surgical options to cure pelvic floor dysfunction are indicated only in a small group of IBD patients, due to the high risk of failure in wound healing and to the possible side effects of surgery, which can lead to anal incontinence or to a possible proctectomy. A particular issue among defecatory symptoms in patients with IBD is paradoxical puborectalis contraction after restorative proctocolectomy: if this disorder is properly diagnosed, a conservative treatment is indicated, thus avoiding unnecessary laparotomy for small bowel occlusion. Pelvic pain management, coordinated by a specialist with expertise in pelvic floor disorders, includes many options, which vary from oral or local therapies to pelvic floor rehabilitation and sacral nerve stimulation. Surgical procedures often have unsatisfactory outcomes. Diagnosis and investigation of anorectal functional disorders in patients with IBD is important in order to implement better-suited diagnostic and therapeutic strategies, so as to avoid unnecessary and potentially detrimental medical and surgical therapies, with the final aim of improving patients' quality of life.

[Surgical options in the treatment of perianal Crohn's disease]

INTRODUCTION

About 40% of patients with Crohns disease (CD) have a perianal involvement. Despite the recent introduction of anti-TNF antibody, this therapy has uncertain long-term results and surgery still remains a major treatment option.

AIMS & METHODS

This study relates our experience in surgical management of perianal CD without anti-TNF treatment. From July 92 to February 02, 37 patients with perianal Crohns disease were treated, 43 underwent local operations or faecal diversion for fistulas and/or abscesses. Patients not requiring surgery or in therapy with anti-TNF. were excluded from the study. We analysed the outcome of surgical treatment for perianal CD.

RESULTS

Male to female ratio was 1:0.6, median age was 36,9 years (range 17-62). Perianal disease included 32 fistulas (16 trans-sphincteric, 2 superficial, 2 ano-vaginal, 10 multiple and complex, 2 horseshoe) and 7 abscesses (5 perianal, 2 ischio-rectal). Local surgery included 1 abscess drainage, 5 abscess drainage and fistula incision with seton insertion, 2 fistulotomy, 9 partial fistulectomy and seton insertion. At surgery, 40% of patients were ongoing a medical treatment with 5-ASA and/or antibiotics, 40% with steroids and/or immunosoppressors, 15% only with 5-ASA and 5% no ongoing treatment. The horseshoe fistulas were managed with a fistulotomy and seton insertion. One patient with ano-vaginal fistula required proctectomy and the other one total proctocolectomy. Patients treated by diverting colonostomy (3) had fistula recurrence after its closure in 100%. 20% of patients required total proctocolectomy and ileostomy for extensive intestinal disease. Of the 27 patients undergoing seton insertion or fistulotomy none had faecal incontinence due to the operation and 38% had a 1 year recurrence.

CONCLUSIONS

Perianal CD is a heterogeneous entity, therefore its management is still controversial. Moreover, a high percentage of patients (18% in our series) requires a major surgery due to the extension and seriousness of rectal involvement. In our survey only 12 patients (39%), with trans-sphincteric fistula, could have been theoretically treated with anti-TNF. We wonder if the cost-and-benefit of this medical treatment justifies its application on patients that could undergo a surgical treatment with good long-term results.

[Bowel ultrasound in Crohn's disease. Surgical importance]

The use of ultrasound in Crohns disease has a recent history. This method is useful in various situations like: the diagnosis of the disease, the diagnosis of intra-abdominal complications and the follow-up of the operated patient. Moreover, thanks to its practicality of use, ripetibility and accuracy, ultrasounds can represent a first line diagnostic instrument for Crohns disease both in elective and emergency conditions. The authors, in this paper, consider its usefulness and various aspects in these conditions.

[Strictureplasty in the surgical treatment of complicated Crohn's disease]

INTRODUCTION

Crohns disease is a panintestinal chronic inflammatory condition. Its remitting-relapsing behaviour may require in the single patient repeated surgeries, with the aim of resolving the complications of the disease. The awereness that surgery cannot resolve the disease has led, in the last years, to the development of new "conservative surgical techniques", which preserve as much of the intestinal tissue as possible. These techniques are minimal resection and strictureplasty (SP). Aim of the study was to perform a prospective analysis of the long-term outcome of SP in a consecutive series of patients undergoing surgery for complicated Crohns Disease at the Division of general surgery, L. Sacco University Hospital, Milano, Italia.

METHODS AND RESULTS

During the period of October 1992 to June 2002, 286 patients underwent surgical procedures for jejunoileal Crohns disease. 116 of them underwent SP resulting in a total of 217 procedures, of which: 111 Heineke-Mikulicz SP (51.2%), 36 ileoileal side-to-side SP (16.6%), 40 ileoceacal SP (18.4%) and the remaining 30 ileocolic SP (13.8%), as previously described by A.M. Taschieri. Fiftyone of the patients (23.5%) had concomitantly a minimal bowel resection. Postoperative mortality was nil, while in 3 cases (2.59%) repeated surgery was necessary due to postsurgical complications. Time-to-event estimates were performed using the Kaplan-Meier function.

CONCLUSIONS

mortality, morbidity, and long-term results in this population of patients who underwent SP are encouraging and in line with reports in the international literature. It is suggested that SP together with minimal bowel resections, may be considered as first line surgical therapy in patients with Crohns Disease.

Surgical treatment of inflammatory bowel diseases in northwestern Italy: a multicentric study by the G.S.M.I.I. (Inflammatory Bowel Disease Study Group)

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Improved medical therapy and bowel sparing and sphincter saving techniques have changed surgery for UC and CD. Collaboration between gastroenterologists and surgeons is necessary to uniform the indications for surgical treatment reducing emergency operations. GISMII multicentric study aimed to show indications, timing and impact of surgery, through retrospective analysis of cases observed between 1992 to 1996.

METHODS

Data were obtained by 16 departments of General Surgery.

RESULTS

102 UC and 376 CD patients were analyzed. In UC patients surgery was performed for failure of medical therapy in 54%, complications in 28.4%, cancer or dysplasia in 10% of cases, 83.3% elective procedures. 30.4% ileo-anal pouch, 30.4% total procto-colectomies with definitive ileostomies, 32.4% total colectomies with ileo-rectal anastomosis, 6.8% segmental resections, were performed. In CD patients surgery was performed in 21% for medical therapy failure, in 79% for complications. 53.4% of patients were submitted to 1 operation, 84% elective procedures. Reoperations were performed in 46.6% of patients, 70.3% elective procedures. In the first operation bowel resection was performed in 79.1%, stricturoplasty in 14.3%; in the subsequent operations bowel resection 62.8%, stricturoplasty 21.7%, increasing number of temporary or definitive ileo-stomies.

CONCLUSIONS

Collaboration between gastroenterologists and surgeons is necessary to obtain optimal results, reducing the incidence of emergency surgery, and complications. The short period observed between diagnosis and operation (21.4 months) is due to the increasing tendency of gastroenterologists to anticipate a surgical procedure when young patients with a chronic disease need a prolonged medical therapy.

Oxidative stress, vitamin A and vitamin E behaviour in patients submitted to conservative surgery for complicated Crohn's disease

AIMS

To assess whether plasma peroxidation and plasma levels of antioxidant compounds are correlated with clinical and biochemical activity in complicated Crohn's disease patients, and to evaluate whether the relief of obstructive complication by conservative surgery has any effect on the oxidative stress.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

From May 1998 to May 2000, 20 Crohn's disease patients were studied. Basal peroxidative state (basal thiobarbituric acid reactive substances), peroxidative state after stimulation with copper sulfate (stimulated thiobarbituric acid reactive substances], lag time of plasma peroxidation susceptibility, plasma levels of vitamin E and A, C reactive protein, erythrocyte sedimentation rate and Crohn's disease activity index, were determined, before surgery, then 2 months and 1 year after surgery. A group of 134 healthy volunteers were used as controls. All patients were treated by conservative surgical procedures (i.e., strictureplasty and/or minimal resections). Student t test for paired and unpaired data and Spearman R correlation coefficient were calculated.

RESULTS

Peroxidative plasma levels, as well as inflammatory indices, are significantly reduced 2 months and 1 year after surgery (p < 0.005), but basal levels of peroxidation and antioxidant scavengers seem to be disregulated in Crohn's disease patients compared to those in controls (p < 0.005). A correlation was found between basal thiobarbituric acid reactive substances, lag-time and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (R:0.51; p < 0.05. R:0.56; p < 0.05) and C reactive protein (R:0. 6; p < 0.005. R:0. 65; p < 0.005).

CONCLUSIONS

An imbalance between pro- and antioxidant mechanisms, due to chronic gut inflammation, is present in complicated Crohn's disease, and an excess of lipid peroxidation is probably an important pathogenetic factor Conservative surgery can reduce the oxidative stress avoiding repeated or extended resections that could lead to intestinal malabsorption and short bowel syndrome.

Early perioperative results and surgical recurrence after strictureplasty and miniresection for complicated Crohn's disease

BACKGROUND/AIMS

Strictureplasty (SP) or miniresective 'bowel-sparing' techniques (MR) can prevent the risk of intestinal stomia and short bowel syndrome in patients affected by Crohn's disease (CD). The aim of this study was to analyze the perioperative morbidity and mortality in 104 of 138 consecutive patients treated for CD complications using bowel-sparing techniques. We also considered the factors that may be related to the risk of perioperative complications and the long-term outcome.

METHODS

One hundred and four patients were treated with SP and/or MR and then included in a prospectively maintained database. The factors claimed to influence perioperative complications were analyzed using Fisher's exact test for categorical observations and the Mann-Whitney U test for continuous variables. A multivariate analysis, using logistic regression, and a long-term time-to-event analysis using the Kaplan-Meier function, were also performed.

RESULTS

Perioperative mortality was nil. In relation to the 6 postoperative complications (5.8%), 4 patients underwent minimal bowel resection (MR), 1 a MR with SP, and 1 SP alone. Three of these patients (2.9%) needed reoperation for septic complications, and 3 (2.9%) were treated as outpatients for enterocutaneous fistulas. A correlation (p < 0.05) was found between low serum hemoglobin levels and postoperative complications at univariate and multivariate analyses. The 5-year surgical recurrence-free rate was 75% overall, 73% for patients treated with SP, 78% with MR, and 77% with MR + SP.

CONCLUSIONS

Postoperative complications are not related to conservative or miniresective surgery even when active disease is present at the resection margins or the site of SP. The higher risk reported for patients with low serum hemoglobin and hematocrit levels suggests that surgeons should consider using preoperative iron and vitamin support, parenteral nutrition and erythropoietin therapy, when necessary, in those cases. Our postoperative morbidity, mortality and long-term surgical recurrence rate results support the efficacy and safety of SP and MR surgery in the treatment of complicated CD.

[The conservative surgery of Crohn's disease: the long-term results]

INTRODUCTION

Patients with Crohn's disease (CD) receive one or more surgical interventions throughout their clinical history. Conservative surgery has recently been proposed as a safe and effective option for the treatment of complicated CD and for the prevention of short bowel syndrome and stoma.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

One hundred nineteen patients affected by CD were treated with stricture plasty and mini-resection in our Department between January 1993 and January 1998. At admission, the prior complete clinical and surgical history of each patient was collected and then inserted in a prospectively maintained data base. Analysis of recurrence was made using the Kaplan-Meier function and the influence of certain variables on the risk of recurrence was analyzed using a Cox proportional hazard model.

RESULTS

Perioperative mortality was nil, postoperative complications occurred in 8 patients (6.7%). Overall long term surgical recurrence at 5 years was 28%, 35% in patients operated on within one year and 15% in those treated after one year from the diagnosis (p < .05).

CONCLUSIONS

Stricture plasty and minimal resections show lower perioperative mortality and postoperative complications similar to resective surgery. From risk factor analysis, a group of patients with high risk of surgical recurrence emerged. In this group and whenever technically possible, we consider stricture plasty and minimal resection the gold standard in the treatment of complicated CD.

[2 cases of choledochal calculosis associated with juxtapapillary diverticulum in patients with gastric resection: submesocolon approach]

Although laparoscopy and endoscopy have reduced the need for laparotomies in biliary tract surgery, open surgery is sometimes still needed. One case in particular is when previous operations have significantly distorted normal upper abdomen anatomy. We chose an inframesocolic entrance to the posterior peritoneum in two patients with bile duct stones, juxtapapillary duodenal diverticulum and a history of cholecystectomy and partial gastric resectioning. The duodenum was reached at the junction between the second and third section by entering the posterior peritoneum through the inferior sheet of the mesocolon, a relatively avascular area. The diverticulum was incised, the sphincter and papilla operation was performed and the bile duct stones removed. The diverticulum was then resected. Our conclusion is that in certain cases, an inframesocolic entrance can significantly reduce technical difficulties involved in re-operating through dense adhesions, minimize surgical time and blood loss and, when operating through the open diverticulum, spare an unnecessary duodenotomy.

Surgical treatment of pancreatic tumors invading the spleno-mesenteric-portal vessels. An Italian Multicenter Survey

BACKGROUND/AIMS

The authors are interested in determining the diagnostic and surgical approach followed in different Italian institutions in the treatment of adenocarcinoma of the head of the pancreas, whenever the spleno-mesenteric-portal confluence is invaded.

METHODOLOGY

A 10-item questionnaire was sent to 21 Italian Centers of Surgical Oncology and a total of 1185 patients treated with pancreaticoduodenectomy were collected from 15 centers. Among them, 164 spleno-mesenteric-portal vein (SMPV) resections were performed.

RESULTS

In all collaborative centers, the diagnostic work-up is comparable with what is reported in the literature. An accurate pre- and intra-operative staging and a differential diagnosis between inflammatory and neoplastic involvement of the vessel walls is universally considered essential for its surgical and oncological implications. If vessel involvement is ruled out, 7 centers proceed to pancreasectomy anyway. Direct end-to-end vein reconstruction is used as the primary procedure, but interposition of PTFE and autologous vein grafting may be used. An overall 4.8% post-operative complications only have been reported. Mean perioperative mortality reported is 3.8% (0-11.5%) and morbidity is 22.8% (4.7-57%). Survival rate is 10 months overall. The mean actuarial 5-year survival is 12%.

CONCLUSIONS

The attitude of the collaborative centers in cases of SMPV involvement varies, with a slight majority favoring a conservative behavior. Surgical resection extended to the vessels is still uncommon, even in centers mostly experienced in surgery of the pancreas. We believe that vascular resections can be safely performed in both of the different conditions: localized tumors locally invading the vessels and neoplasms with massive invasion of the peripancreatic structures. We share with others the opinion that, in experienced centers, extensive resections should have a role for palliation of carcinoma of the pancreas whenever they offer a better quality of life, although life expectancy may not be positively influenced.

Improvement of colo-rectal cancer surgery following introduction of endoscopical approach

In the period 1968-1993, we treated 399 patients for colo-rectal cancer. Up to 1980, preceding large scale use of endoscopy, 217 patients, out of the group of 399, were submitted to surgery; at time of diagnosis all patients had symptoms of advanced colonic tumor (intestinal obstruction; palpable mass; significant rectal bleeding); none of the lesions detected was in Dukes A or B1 groups; 56 patients were in Dukes B2 and stages C1 + C2 + D were detected in 161 cases. In period 1981-1993 we treated 182 patients; in all cases the diagnosis consisted of endoscopical examinations. Out of this group 69 patients underwent endoscopic resection of polyps with focal neoplastic degeneration: 44 did not require surgery according to Haggitt criteria. In the group of 138 patients who underwent surgery, 89 were in Dukes A + B1 + B2 groups and 49 were in Dukes C1 + C2 + D groups. In our experience endoscopy is not essential in the clear cut colonic neoplasms, however it is an invaluable screening test in early stages, in poor symptomatic population, in elderly patients (> 50 y.o.) and in patients with non specific symptoms. We wish to emphasize how endoscopy has improved the results of colonic cancer surgery.