Gastrostomy tubes: Fundamentals,periprocedural considerations,and best practices

Gastrostomy tube placement is a procedure that achieves enteral access for nutrition, decompression, and medication administration. Preprocedural evaluation and selection of patients is necessary to provide optimal benefit and reduce the risk of adverse events (AEs). Appropriate indications, contraindications, ethical considerations, and comorbidities of patients referred for gastrostomy placement should be weighed and balanced. Additionally, endoscopist should consider either a transoral or transabdominal approach is appropriate, and radiologic or surgical gastrostomy tube placement is needed. However, medical history, physical examination, and imaging prior to the procedure should be considered to tailor the appropriate approach and reduce the risk of AEs.     

神经内镜与显微镜下经鼻蝶入路手术切除无功能性垂体腺瘤疗效和安全性的Meta分析

目的 系统评价神经内镜与显微镜下经鼻蝶入路手术切除无功能性垂体腺瘤的疗效和安全性。方法 计算机检索PubMed 、Embase、Cochrane Center、中国生物医学文献数据库、维普中文科技期刊全文数据库、万方数据库、中国知网等中英文数据库有关神经内镜、显微镜下经鼻蝶入路无功能性垂体腺瘤切除术的文献，时限为2018年7月之前。指标包括肿瘤切除率、脑脊液渗漏发生率和视力恢复率。结果 共纳入19篇文献，2 383例。Meta分析结果:神经内镜手术全切除率比显微镜手术要高（75% vs 62%，P<0.001），神经内镜组视力恢复率也高于显微镜组（82% vs 59%，P<0.001）。两组脑脊液漏发生率无统计学差异（4%vs 6%，P=0.078）。结论 与显微镜下手术相比，神经内镜手术切除无功能性垂体腺瘤的疗效更好。     

Liver Transplantation Following Life-threatening Abdominal Trauma: A Case Series of 5 Patients at a Single Institution

Managing traumatic liver injury (TLI) is always challenging and demands precise clinical judgment. Currently, treatment of TLI in most circumstances is non-operative; however, surgical therapy might be required for severe TLI, particularly those that result in extensive blood loss. In the current institutional study carried out from June 1995 to April 2017, we describe our experience with 5 patients who received an orthotopic liver transplant for severe TLI. One patient passed away postoperatively from cerebral edema; 1 patient died of renal failure 4 years after the liver transplantation, and 3 patients are still alive. Based on our experience, we conclude that in patients with TLI, especially those with uncontrollable bleeding or those who develop liver failure, liver transplantation should be taken into consideration.     

Dissected Aorta Repair Through Stent Implantation trial: Canadian results

Objectives

We describe the Canadian results of the Ascyrus Medical Dissection Stent (AMDS), a novel partially uncovered aortic arch hybrid graft implanted antegrade during hypothermic circulatory arrest to promote true lumen expansion and enhance aortic remodeling.

Lateral Lymph Nodes in Rectal Cancer: Do we all Think the Same? A Review of Multidisciplinary Obstacles and Treatment Recommendations

Lateral lymph nodes in low, locally advanced, rectal cancer have proven implications for local recurrence rates, which increase drastically in the presence of persistently enlarged lateral lymph nodes. These clinical implications warrant a thorough understanding of lateral nodal disease with awareness and knowledge from all three specialties involved – radiology, radiation oncology, and surgery – to ensure proper treatment. Relevant literature for each specialty, including all current guidelines and perspectives, were examined. Variations in definitions and treatment paradigms were evaluated. There is still no consensus for the standardized treatment of lateral nodal disease. Each discipline works according to their own available evidence, but relevant data are scarce. Current international guidelines and standard recommendations for the diagnostics and treatment of lateral lymph nodes are lacking. This results in differing perspectives and interpretations between the disciplines which can lead to challenging communication in an area where multidisciplinary collaboration is essential. This review addresses this by presenting the current evidence, perspectives and practices of each specialty and makes suggestions for each phase of the diagnostic and treatment process for patients with lateral nodal disease. By doing this, steps are taken toward achieving international consensus, and multidisciplinary collaboration.     

The role of upper airway endoscopy in craniofacial malformations

ObjectiveTo study the role of upper airway endoscopy (UAE) in craniofacial malformations in all different management approaches described in the literature.MethodsA narrative review was performed, based on a search in pubmed.ResultsUAE use was reviewed over five domains: 1) Diagnosis of glossoptosis and endoscopic classification: drug-induced sleep endoscopy is recommended to graduate tongue base obstruction; there is still no consensus on the graduation system to be used. 2) Airway abnormalities: there is a high incidence of additional lesions in conjunction with glossoptosis. 3) Swallowing evaluation: a formal comparison with fluoroscopy (gold standard) has not yet been performed in this population. 4) Intubation: thin bronchoscopes allow intubation of small babies; moreover, intubation with rigid video-assisted laryngoscopes show a high success rate in this population. 5) Treatment outcome monitoring: there is no consensus on the ideal parameters to be checked.ConclusionSome approaches have already been well established in the management of patients with craniofacial malformations, e.g. the endocopic evaluation of glossoptosis and associated lesions and its role as an intubation assistance tool, while others need to be subject of further research, e.g. its role in swallowing investigation and as a postoperative success control predictor.