0000000000000379
AUTHOR
Pedro Esclapez
Low rectal cancer: abdominoperineal resection or low Hartmann resection? A postoperative outcome analysis.
BACKGROUND In distal rectum cancers, when the sphincters are not affected and it is not possible to perform a coloanal anastomosis because of the presence of comorbidities or the advanced age of the patient, a low Hartmann resection with total mesorectal excision can be performed. Low Hartmann resection is usually considered to be a shorter procedure and to have an inferior morbidity compared with abdominoperineal resection of the rectum. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to compare the postoperative outcome of a series of patients with low rectal cancer who have undergone either low Hartmann resection or abdominoperineal resection. DESIGN This study is a retrospective analysis of data collected i…
Preoperative chemoradiation may not always be needed for patients with T3 and T2N+ rectal cancer
BACKGROUND: Preoperative chemoradiation is becoming the standard treatment for patients with locally advanced rectal cancer. However, since the introduction of total mesorectal excision (TME), local recurrence rates have been reduced significantly, and some patients can be spared from potentially toxic over treatment. The current study was designed to assess the factors that predict recurrence in an institutional series of patients with rectal cancer who had clinical T2 lymph node-positive (cT2N+) tumors or cT3N0/N+ tumors and underwent radical surgery without receiving preoperative chemoradiation. METHODS: Between November 1997 and November 2008, the authors' multidisciplinary group preope…
The ideal lateral internal sphincterotomy: clinical and endosonographic evaluation following open and closed internal anal sphincterotomy
To evaluate the relationship between extent of internal sphincter division following open and closed sphincterotomy, as assessed by anal endosonography, with fissure persistence/recurrence and faecal incontinence.A total of 140 consecutive patients undergoing lateral internal sphincterotomy (LIS) for idiopathic chronic anal fissure were prospectively studied. Preoperative clinical assessment was performed together with a postoperative clinical and endosonographic examination. Three zones of the internal sphincter, identifiable by endosonography, were used to describe the uppermost extent of LIS. Primary end-points were fissure persistence/recurrence and faecal incontinence.A total of 140 pa…
Prognostic Heterogeneity of Endosonographic T3 Rectal Cancer
PURPOSE: This study aimed to assess the prognostic implications of uT3 rectal carcinomas according to the tumor thickness and to analyze the correlation between this ultrasound-based parameter and other prognostic factors. METHODS: Seventy-four patients with uT3(pM0) rectal tumors underwent primary surgery from 1996 to 2003. Preoperative endorectal ultrasound was used to assess uN stage, maximum tumor perimeter, and maximum tumor thickness. An ultrasound maximum tumor thickness cutoff point for local recurrence subdividing T3 tumors into uT3a and uT3b was established. RESULTS: Median follow-up was 41 months (range, 24-59). The 5-year actuarial local and overall recurrence rates were 9.82 pe…
Management of intersphincteric abscesses.
Objective Intersphincteric abscesses are relatively rare, and in some cases of upward extensions in the supralevator plane, can be difficult to manage. The aim of this study was to analyse the type of treatment used in these abscesses. Methods Twenty-one intersphincteric abscesses treated by endoanal drainage in our colorectal unit between 1992 and 2004 were reviewed from our database; location and extension of the abscess, type of treatment and recurrence rates and the use of endoanal ultrasound were studied. Results Ninety per cent of patients were male; 10 had a previous history of surgery for perianal abscess and suppuration (48%); 16 (76%) had a posterior location and five were ante…
Impact of surgeon organization and specialization in rectal cancer outcome.
Purpose The present study was designed to assess the differences in the outcome of patients with rectal cancer treated by a group of surgeons before and after being organized as a Coloproctology Unit at the same University Department of Surgery. Methods Comparison of two periods of rectal cancer surgery: I (1986–91) and II (1992–95). Period I: 94 patients were operated on by 14 general surgeons. Period II: 108 patients were operated on by only 4 surgeons of the same group organized as a Colorectal Surgery Unit after visiting referral centres abroad, adopting techniques such as total mesorectal excision (TME) for middle and low rectal cancer and washout of rectal stump. Mean follow-up during…
Anal endosonographic evaluation after closed lateral subcutaneous sphincterotomy
PURPOSE: The present study was undertaken to evaluate anal endosonographic results of the transverse and longitudinal extent of internal anal sphincter division after closed lateral subcutaneous sphincterotomy and its relationship to outcome with respect to anal fissure recurrence and postoperative anal incontinence. METHODS: Ten patients selected for symptomatic anal fissure recurrence (mean follow-up, 10.9 months) and 41 asymptomatic control patients (mean follow-up, 15.5 months) were reviewed by anal endosonography after closed lateral subcutaneous sphincterotomy. Clinical evaluation was focused on anal fissure recurrence and postoperative anal incontinence. The anal endosonographic stud…
Anastomotic leakage after colon cancer resection: does the individual surgeon matter?
Aim Anastomotic leakage is one of the most feared complications after colonic resection. Many risk factors for anastomotic leakage have been reported, but the impact of an individual surgeon as a risk factor has scarcely been reported. The aim of this study was to assess if the individual surgeon is an independent risk factor for anastomotic leakage in colonic cancer surgery. Method This was a retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data from patients who underwent elective resection for colon cancer with anastomosis at a specialized colorectal unit from January 1993 to December 2010. Anastomotic leaks were diagnosed according to standardized criteria. Patient and tumour character…
Modified Wong's Classification Improves the Accuracy of Rectal Cancer Staging by Endorectal Ultrasound and MRI
BACKGROUND: Douglas Wong proposed a new classification of tumor penetration in the rectal wall (T stage) in an attempt to incorporate the prognostic heterogeneity of T3 rectal cancers into the preoperative staging. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to evaluate if the accuracy of endorectal ultrasound and MRI in predicting rectal cancer T staging improves when using a modified Wong's classification. DESIGN: This prospective series compares local standard TN staging and a modified Wong's classification. SETTINGS: This study was conducted by a specialized Colorectal Multidisciplinary Team at a tertiary teaching hospital. PATIENTS: Seventy patients underwent surgery for middle or low rectal cancer be…
Solitary rectal ulcer: ultrasonographic and magnetic resonance imaging patterns mimicking rectal cancer.
The objective of this study was to analyze a series of solitary rectal ulcer syndrome (SRUS) cases initially diagnosed as rectal cancer. We analyzed all the patients (1996-2008) initially referred to our colorectal unit with a diagnosis of rectal cancer but with a final diagnosis of SRUS. Demographic data, the diagnostic work-up, and treatment details were collected in a prospective database and analyzed retrospectively. Out of the 5035 patients registered in the colorectal unit database, 14 (0.28%) had a final diagnosis of SRUS. Nine of them had an initial diagnosis of rectal cancer. Out of these, six were preoperatively staged with endorectal ultrasound and/or magnetic resonance and were …
Evaluation of Mesorectal Fascia in Mid and Low Anterior Rectal Cancer Using Endorectal Ultrasound Is Feasible and Reliable
Accuracy of MRI in assessing mesorectal fascia and predicting circumferential resection margin decreases in low anterior rectal tumors.The purpose of this work was to evaluate the accuracy of endorectal ultrasound in predicting the pathologic circumferential resection margin in low rectal anterior tumors and to compare it with MRI findings.This was a prospective series comparing the preoperative circumferential resection margin assessed by endorectal ultrasound and MRI with pathologic examination.The study was conducted by a specialized colorectal multidisciplinary team at a tertiary teaching hospital.Between 2002 and 2008, 76 patients with mid to low rectal cancer were preoperatively evalu…
Simple technique for the intraoperative detection of Crohn's strictures with a calibration sphere.
Several methods have been used to detect and evaluate small-bowel strictures in Crohn's disease. We describe a simple technique for the calibration of strictures using a 2.5-cm medical plastic sphere. This method provides an aseptic, safe, and effective calibration of the entire small bowel.
Prognostic implications of circumferential location of distal rectal cancer
Aim This study evaluated the prognostic importance of circumferential tumour position of mid and low rectal cancers. Method All uT2, uT3 and uT4 tumours of the middle and lower rectum that underwent total mesorectal excision (TME) with curative intent between 1996 and 2006 were included. The predominant circumferential tumour position (anterior, posterior or circumferential) was defined on preoperative endorectal ultrasound examination (ERUS). The relationships between tumour position and other characteristics and recurrence were explored. Results Two hundred and five patients with distal rectal cancer were operated on for a uT2-T4 tumour. Median follow up was 49 months. The location of …
Integrating Downstaging in the Risk Assessment of Patients With Locally Advanced Rectal Cancer Treated With Neoadjuvant Chemoradiotherapy: Validation of Valentini's Nomograms and the Neoadjuvant Rectal Score
Abstract Background Adjuvant chemotherapy is controversial in patients with locally advanced rectal cancer after preoperative chemoradiation. Valentini et al developed 3 nomograms (VN) to predict outcomes in these patients. The neoadjuvant rectal score (NAR) was developed after VN to predict survival. We aimed to validate these tools in a retrospective cohort at an academic institution. Patients and Methods VN and the NAR were applied to 158 consecutive patients with locally advanced rectal cancer treated with chemoradiation followed by surgery. According to the score, they were divided into low, intermediate, or high risk of relapse or death. For statistical analysis, we performed Kaplan-M…