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Pelvic organ prolapse (POP) is a very common condition in elderly women. In women with POP, a sacrocolpopexy or a vaginal hysterectomy with anterior and posterior colporrhaphy has long been considered as the gold standard of treatment. However, in recent decades, the tendency to use a vaginal approach with mesh for POP surgery has been increasing. A vaginal approach using mesh has many advantages, such as its being less invasive than an abdominal approach and easier to do than a laparoscopic approach and its having a lower recurrence rate than a traditional approach. However, the advantages of a vaginal approach with mesh for POP surgery must be weighed against the disadvantages. Specific complications that have been reported when using mesh in POP procedures are mesh erosion, dyspareunia, hematomas, urinary incontinence and so on, and evidence supporting the use of transvaginal surgery with mesh is still lacking. Hence, surgeons should understand the details of the surgical pelvic anatomy, the various surgical techniques for POP surgery, including using mesh, and the possible side effects of using mesh.
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This study compared the perioperative and pathologic outcomes between an extralevator abdominoperineal resection (APR) in the prone position and a conventional APR.
Between September 2011 and March 2014, an extralevator APR in the prone position was performed on 13 patients with rectal cancer and a conventional APR on 26 such patients. Patients' demographics and perioperative and pathologic outcomes were obtained from the colorectal cancer database and electronic medical charts.
Age and preoperative carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) level were significantly different between the conventional and the extralevator APR in the prone position (median age, 65 years vs. 55 years [P = 0.001]; median preoperative CEA level, 4.94 ng/mL vs. 1.81 ng/mL [P = 0.011]). For perioperative outcomes, 1 (3.8%) intraoperative bowel perforation occurred in the conventional APR group and 2 (15.3%) in the extralevator APR group. In the conventional and extralevator APR groups, 12 (46.2%) and 6 patients (46.2%) had postoperative complications, and 8 (66.7%) and 2 patients (33.4%) had major complications (Clavien-Dindo III/IV), respectively. The circumferential resection margin involvement rate was higher in the extralevator APR group compared with the conventional APR group (3 of 13 [23.1%] vs. 3 of 26 [11.5%]).
The extralevator APR in the prone position for patients with advanced low rectal cancer has no advantages in perioperative and pathologic outcomes over a conventional APR for such patients. However, through early experience with a new surgical technique, we identified various reasons for the lack of favorable outcomes and expect sufficient experience to produce better peri- or postoperative outcomes.
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The purposes of this study were to investigate the distribution of the visceral fat area (VFA) and general obesity and to compare visceral and general obesity as predictors of surgical outcomes of a colorectal cancer resection.
The prospectively collected data of 102 patients with preoperatively-diagnosed sigmoid colon or rectal cancer who had undergone a curative resection at Pusan National University Yangsan Hospital between April 2011 and September 2012 were reviewed retrospectively. Men with a VFA of >130 cm2 and women with a VFA of >90 cm2 were classified as obese (VFA-O, n = 22), and the remaining patients were classified as nonobese (VFA-NO, n = 80).
No differences in morbidity, mortality, postoperative bowel recovery, and readmission rate after surgery were observed between the 2 groups. However, a significantly higher number of harvested lymph nodes was observed in the VFA-NO group compared with the VFA-O group (19.0 ± 1.0 vs. 13.5 ± 1.2, respectively, P = 0.001).
Visceral obesity has no influence on intraoperative difficulties, postoperative complications, and postoperative recovery in patients with sigmoid colon or rectal cancer.
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BMI May Be a Prognostic Factor for Local Advanced Rectal Cancer Patients Treated with Long-Term Neoadjuvant Chemoradiotherapy
Fecal incontinence is a major concern, and its incidence increases with age. Quality of life may decrease due to fecal incontinence after both sphincter-saving surgery and a rectal resection with a permanent stoma. This study investigated quality of life, with regard to fecal incontinency, in elderly patients after rectal-cancer surgery.
All patients who underwent elective rectal surgery with anastomosis for rectal cancer between December 2008 and June 2012 at two Dutch hospitals were eligible for inclusion. The Wexner and the fecal incontinence quality of life (FIQoL) scores were collected. Young (<70 years of age) and elderly (≥70 years of age) patients were compared.
Seventy-nine patients were included, of whom 19 were elderly patients (24.1%). All diverting stomas that had been placed (n = 60, 75.9%) had been closed at the time of the study. There were no differences in Wexner or FIQoL scores between the young and the elderly patients. Also, there were no differences between patients without a diverting stoma and patients in whom bowel continuity had been restored. Elderly females had significantly worse scores on the FIQoL subscales of coping/behavior (P = 0.043) and depression/self-perception (P = 0.004) than young females. Elderly females scored worse on coping/behavior (P = 0.010) and depression/self-perception (P = 0.036) than elderly males. Young and elderly males had comparable scores.
Quality of life with regard to fecal incontinency is worse in elderly females after sphincter-preserving surgery for rectal cancer. Patients should be informed of this impact, and a definite stoma may be considered in this patient group.
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Mucinous cystadenomas and cystadenocarcinomas of the ovary are clinically and histopathologically well-established common tumors. However, primary retroperitoneal mucinous cystic tumors are extremely rare, and although their histopathogenesis is still uncertain, several theories have been proposed. Most authors suggest that they develop through mucinous metaplasia in a preexisting mesothelium-lined cyst. An accurate preoperative diagnosis of these tumors is difficult because no effective diagnostic measures have been established. Delay in diagnosis and treatment of this tumor may be fatal for the patient because of complications such as rupture, infection, and malignant transformation. We describe the case of a 31-year-old woman with abdominal pain and a palpable mass. Computed tomography of the abdomen revealed a retroperitoneal cystic mass, which was resected successfully through laparoscopy. Histopathological examination of the resected mass confirmed the diagnosis of a primary retroperitoneal mucinous cystadenoma. The patient was discharged on postoperative day 5 without any complications.
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Laparoscopic Resection and Pre-Operative Imaging of Primary Retroperitoneal Mucinous Neoplasms: A Retrospective Case Series
A transomental hernia through the greater or lesser omentum is rare, accounting for approximately 4% of internal hernias. Transomental hernias are generally reported in patients aged over fifty. In such instances, acquired transomental hernias are usual, are commonly iatrogenic, and result from surgical interventions or from trauma or peritoneal inflammation. In rare cases, such as the one described in this study, internal hernias through the greater or lesser omentum occur spontaneously as the result of senile atrophy without history of surgery, trauma, or inflammation. A transomental hernia has a high postoperative mortality rate of 30%, and emergency diagnosis and treatment are critical. We report a case of a spontaneous transomental hernia of the small intestine causing intestinal obstruction. An internal hernia with strangulation of the small bowel in the lesser sac was suspected from the image study. After an emergency laparotomy, a transomental hernia was diagnosed.
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