Visceral Medicine最新文献

Introduction: Infectious complications, such as anastomotic leakage (AL) and surgical site infections (SSIs), remain a significant challenge in colorectal surgery. Consequently, there is growing interest in oral antibiotic bowel decontamination with nonabsorbable antibiotics (selective digestive decontamination or SDD), which can reduce perioperative complications while also minimizing antibiotic use. This study aimed to determine whether a 3-day SDD regimen is as effective as a 7-day regimen in preventing postoperative complications in laparoscopic diverticular surgery.

Methods: A bicenter data analysis of prospectively and retrospectively collected patient data was performed. A 3-day versus 7-day perioperative use of an SDD-based regimen (polymyxin B, gentamicin, vancomycin, and amphotericin B) in patients undergoing minimally invasive surgery for diverticular disease was compared using noninferiority analysis.

Results: A total of 469 patients were included in the analysis: 101 patients received a 3-day perioperative SDD regimen, while 368 patients received a 7-day regimen. Due to the use of routine clinical data, no control cohort is available. The overall complication rate was 16.5% in both groups. AL and SSI occurred in 2.0% and 6.0% of the 3-day group, and in 1.4% and 6.3% of the 7-day group, respectively, with no significant differences between the groups. However, for wound infections and overall infectious complications, the 3-day regimen can be considered noninferior to the 7-day regimen. Our data did not confirm the noninferiority of the SDD3 regimen compared to the SDD7 regimen for AL.

Discussion: We report low rates of AL and other surgical and nonsurgical complications in minimally invasive diverticular disease surgery. The low complication rates demonstrate noninferiority regarding SSI. Our findings are consistent with recent evidence, highlighting the positive impact of perioperative SDD treatment on SSI and infectious complications.

Background: Gastrointestinal cancers account for approximately one-fourth of all cancer cases and one-third of all tumor-related deaths worldwide. For the most frequent gastrointestinal tumor entities including colorectal, gastric, esophageal, and liver cancer, the incidence is expected to increase by more than 50% until 2040. While most gastrointestinal cancers are diagnosed beyond the age of fertility and predominantly in men, the increasing incidence of gastrointestinal malignancies in patients below the age of fifty suggests a growing importance in women of childbearing age. While localized cancers in pregnant women can either be monitored or treated surgically, more advanced stages might require radio- or chemotherapy to control tumor growth until delivery. Under these circumstances, critical decisions have to be made to preserve maternal health on the one side and minimize harm to the infant on the other side.

Summary: Here we summarize data from case reports, meta-analyses, and registries of women undergoing radio- or chemotherapy during pregnancy and provide guidance for therapeutic decision-making in pregnant women suffering from gastrointestinal cancers.

Key message: After the first trimester, most chemotherapeutic regimens can be safely administered to pregnant patients with gastrointestinal cancers. With appropriate safety measures, both radiotherapy and radiochemotherapy can be applied to pregnant patients with rectal cancers.

Background: Malignant (and benign) tumors of the upper gastrointestinal tract are very rare in pregnancy and can be difficult to diagnose because their symptoms are often misinterpreted as "typical" symptoms of pregnant women like vomiting, nausea, and reflux. Alterations of the female hormones may affect central aspects, such as modulation of immune response and prognosis.

Summary: Prolonged "pregnancy-associated" symptoms need further diagnostics in all cases. Once diagnosed, treatment of upper gastrointestinal tumors during pregnancy is based on multimodal treatment approaches depending on the gestational age of the pregnancy and the stage of the tumor and may include chemotherapy and radical surgical resection.

Key message: Only little data exist analyzing the treatment modalities of upper gastrointestinal tumors during pregnancy. Nevertheless, this data demonstrates that curative therapeutic options and guideline-related oncologic concepts can safely be performed in pregnant women. In particular, radical oncologic surgical resection is practicable in different stages of pregnancy and should not be delayed. In any case, decisions in regard to therapy have to be made by a group of specialists taking into account the specific circumstances of the individual patient especially gestational age and tumor stage.

Introduction: Appendectomy for acute appendicitis is the most common surgical procedure performed during pregnancy. The primary treatment for acute appendicitis is emergency surgery, which can be particularly challenging due to altered anatomical conditions. Preoperative and postoperative care may require certain examinations due to pregnancy that are not standard within surgical practice or may be overlooked by the attending gynecologist.

Case presentation: A patient at 31 weeks of gestation presented to the obstetric clinic with an acute onset of acute appendicitis. After completing all necessary examinations and a thorough multidisciplinary evaluation, a successful laparoscopic appendectomy was performed. The subsequent hospitalization was complicated by the onset of uterine contractions, for which tocolysis was administered in combination with corticosteroid therapy to induce fetal lung maturity.

Conclusion: In the presented case report, we demonstrate an example of the appropriate multidisciplinary approach with an analysis of the specific steps that should be taken to maximize the benefit for both the fetus and the mother, as well as the surgical team. In the discussion, we outline the steps that should be followed for patient benefit and forensic reasons.

Background: Colorectal cancer (CRC) during pregnancy can be a challenging situation due to the spatial confinement of the tumor with the growing uterus carrying the fetus. It is one of the more common tumor entities occurring in pregnant women, and therefore, it has to be taken into account if "patients describe suspicious" symptoms.

Summary: Diagnosis and treatment are complex and require a specialized multidisciplinary team of visceral oncologists with expertise in colorectal surgery, gastrointestinal oncologists, gynecologists, obstetricians, and neonatologists to coordinate the optimal treatment plan with the patient. Multimodal treatment options depend on gestational age and tumor stage. Radical surgical oncologic therapy at the latest possible stage of pregnancy is often the only feasible, potentially curative treatment option. Chemotherapy and radiotherapy should be postponed to the postpartum period, if possible. Neonatological aspects, including the high risk of serious complications for the infant during and after anesthesia for oncologic surgery, such as cerebral hemorrhage, pulmonary hypoplasia, and necrotizing enterocolitis, must always be in the focus when considering the optimal timing of surgery, as well as the prognosis of the mother concerning her tumor.

Key message: Treatment of CRC during pregnancy is based on highly individualized therapeutic decisions rather than on standardized guideline recommendations. Surgical resection via partial colectomy, anterior rectal resections, and abdominoperineal extirpations are feasible. However, it has always to be considered if surgery has to be performed in elective situations or damage control procedures due to emergencies, such as mechanical ileus or perforations with intra-abdominal sepsis.

Introduction: Long-term sequelae following acute SARS-CoV-2 infection appear to be common in patients with inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs).

Methods: We examined the frequency and characteristics of post-COVID-symptoms in patients with IBD (IBD-COVID), comparing them to two control cohorts: infected household members of the IBD-COVID patients without IBD (CONT-COVID) and IBD patients without SARS-COV-2 infection (IBD-no-COVID). A questionnaire for the retrospective documentation of possible post-COVID-19 symptoms was distributed to patients and controls from eight referral centers.

Results: The 319 IBD-COVID, 108 CONT-COVID, and the 221 IBD-no-COVID patients were similar in terms of sex, age, and comorbidities. The occurrence and duration of fatigue in the IBD-COVID cohort correlated with IBD activity. Other complaints such as reduced cognitive performance (p < 0.05) and sleeping disorders (p < 0.05) were even more common in IBD-COVID patients. Persistent hematochezia (p < 0.001), abdominal pain (p < 0.005), diarrhea (p < 0.0001), and anal problems (p < 0.01) were more often in the IBD-COVID patients than in the CONT-COVID cohort. Furthermore, typical IBD-associated symptoms persist for a longer period after an infection. Frequency of post-COVID complaints is higher in IBD patients compared to controls. After infection, the number of outpatient consultations increased in IBD-COVID patients (7.8% vs. 10.9%, p = 0.008).

Conclusion: Fatigue, cognitive impairment, and sleep disturbances are more prevalent among IBD-COVID than CONT-COVID patients. Furthermore, typical IBD-associated symptoms persist for a longer period after an infection. Frequency of post-COVID complaints is higher in IBD patients compared to controls. Tight control of IBD activity could be a suitable tool to avoid post-COVID problems.

Introduction: The development of an intestinal stricture in patients with Crohn's disease represents an important and frequent complication, reflecting the progressive nature of the disease. Depending on the inflammatory and fibrotic composition of the stricture, intensified medical therapy, interventional endoscopy, or surgical intervention is required. However, currently available diagnostic approaches can only assess the level of inflammation, but not the degree of fibrosis, limiting rational therapeutic management of Crohn's disease patients. Recently, prolyl endopeptidase fibroblast activating protein (FAP) has been functionally implicated in fibrotic tissue remodelling, indicating it as a promising target for detection of sites of fibrotic tissue remodelling. Thus, intestinal fibrosis might be visualized using Gallium-68 labelled inhibitors of FAP (FAPI). While F-18-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG)-positron emission tomography (PET)/CT is a standard diagnostic tool for visualizing inflammatory processes, we combined Ga-68-FAPI-46-PET/CT and F-18-FDG-PET/CT to differentiate predominantly fibrotic or inflammatory areas in Crohn's disease patients with ileo-colonic strictures.

Methods: In our study, we analysed three Crohn's disease patients with anastomotic ileo-colonic strictures who underwent both dynamic Ga-68-FAPI-46-PET/CT and static F-18-FDG-PET/CT imaging to assess the level of visualized fibrotic areas within the stricture and differentiate it from inflammatory ones. PET images were analysed both visually and quantitatively. Furthermore, conventional MR enterography and endoscopy were performed in parallel to correlate observed findings. Two of the included patients underwent surgery and the histological specimen were analysed for the level of inflammation and fibrosis, which results were similarly compared to the findings of the PET imaging procedures.

Results: Different uptake patterns of Ga-68-FAPI-46 could be observed in the anastomotic ileo-colonic strictures of the examined Crohn's disease patients, respectively. Immunohistochemical analyses demonstrated that there was a correlation between the level of Ga-68-FAPI-46 uptake and severity of fibrosis, while FDG uptake correlated with the inflammatory activity in the analysed strictures.

Discussion: The combination with F-18-FDG-PET/CT represents a promising imaging modality to distinguish inflammation from fibrosis and guide subsequent therapy in stricturing Crohn's disease patients, warranting further studies.

Introduction: Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), encompassing Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC), exhibits a multifactorial pathogenesis influenced by genetic and environmental factors. Antibiotic usage has been implicated in modifying the gut microbiome, potentially leading to dysbiosis and contributing to IBD risk. Despite existing literature, the relationship remains inconclusive. This meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the association between prior antibiotic use and the onset of IBD.

Methods: A systematic literature search in PubMed was conducted to identify studies exploring the link between antibiotic use and subsequent IBD diagnosis. Studies reporting CD, UC, or both as primary outcomes were included. The meta-analysis, performed according to PRISMA guidelines, summarized risk estimates, represented as odds ratios (ORs), and corresponding confidence intervals (CIs). Subgroup analyses involved the categorization of antibiotics and the determination of the minimum number of antibiotic therapy courses administered.

Results: Out of 722 publications, 31 studies comprising 102,103 individuals met eligibility criteria. The pooled OR for IBD in those with prior antibiotic exposure was 1.40 (95% CI: 1.25-1.56). Antibiotic use was associated with an increased risk of IBD (OR: 1.52, 95% CI: 1.19-1.94). Notably, this association was confined to CD (OR: 1.50, 95% CI: 1.27-1.77), while no significant association was observed with UC (OR: 1.21, 95% CI: 1.00-1.47). Risk augmentation for IBD correlated positively with the number of antibiotic courses (OR: 1.08, 95% CI: 1.05-1.12).

Conclusion: Previous antibiotic use is associated with the later development of CD. A positive dose-response effect was also observed. Against this background, antibiotics should be used rationally.

Introduction: Ambulatory surgeries are on the rise in recent years and can offer benefits to patients as well as healthcare providers. Laparoscopic cholecystectomy is one of the procedures commonly done in an ambulatory setting, in some European countries. This study aims to gather patients' perceptions towards ambulatory cholecystectomy after undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy in an inpatient setting.

Methods: A total of 300 patients from two different hospitals in Germany received a postoperative questionnaire aimed at evaluating their willingness to undergo an ambulatory surgery. Surgeries were performed between January 1, 2017, and July 11, 2018. Operation setting (acute vs. elective), ASA classification, length of hospital stay, age, sex, living situation and location (city vs. rural), as well as status of employment were documented.

Results: Overall, 23% of patients reported considering ambulatory laparoscopic cholecystectomy (ALC), while 77% rejected an ALC. Objections included fear of complications (69%), anticipated pain (65%), concerns about their living situation/home care (21%), other reasons (8%), nausea and vomiting (3.4%). Baseline characteristics of the participants provided no statistical significance on willingness to undergo ALC: acute versus elective (p = 0.22), ASA classification (p = 0.77), age ≥65 years versus <65 years (p = 0.60), gender (p = 0.07), living situation (p = 0.49), location (p = 0.15).

Conclusion: There is a willingness for ALC, albeit still limited. Chosen criteria did not show a significant association for positive perception of ALC.