Training and teaching of vagus nerve stimulation surgery: Worldwide survey and future perspectives

ObjectiveVagus nerve stimulation (VNS) therapy has been used for more than two decades to treat drug resistant epilepsy and depression and most recently received FDA approval for stroke rehabilitation. Expanding indications will renew the interest in the technique and increase the number of surgeons to be trained. The aim of this study was to survey surgeons with substantial expertise on optimal teaching and training approaches.MethodsAnonymous forms comprising 16 questions were sent by e-mail to surgeons with substantial expertise. Statistical analyses were used to compare the answers of the most experienced surgeons (>5 years) with the less experienced ones (<5 years).ResultsFully-completed forms were collected from 57 experts from 20 countries. The placement of the helical coils was deemed to be the most difficult step by 36 (63.2%) experts, and the use of optical magnification during this step was deemed necessary by 39 (68.4%) experts. Vocal cord palsy should be largely avoidable with proper surgical technique according to 44 (77.2%) experts. The teaching tool considered the most useful was mentoring (38, 66.7%). The future of VNS surgery teaching was deemed to be in anatomical workshops (29, 50.9%) and surgical simulation (26, 45.6%). Overall, answers did not vary significantly according to experience.ConclusionsVNS surgery should be mastered by actively participating in dedicated practical training courses and by individual mentoring during actual surgery, which is still the best way to learn. This study highlights the need for a formal training course and possible specific accreditation.     

Diagnostic performance of positron emission tomography in the staging of pseudomyxoma peritonei

BackgroundPseudomyxoma peritonei (PMP) is a rare clinical entity, commonly derived from a mucin-producing tumour of the appendix. International consensus is unclear on the role of positron emission tomography (PET) in preoperative staging. This study aimed to assess the ability of preoperative PET in predicting the histological grade of PMP.MethodsAll patients scheduled for cytoreductive surgery (CRS) +/? hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) for PMP who underwent preoperative PET at a single centre between June 2007 and June 2020 were included. A nuclear medicine physician, blinded to patient outcomes, retrospectively reviewed imaging studies to assess for maximum tumour standardised uptake value (SUV) to mean liver SUV ratio (SUV_TLR) and maximum porta hepatis SUV to mean liver SUV ratio (SUV_PLR).ResultsBetween April 2007 and December 2020, a total of 204 patients underwent surgical intervention for PMP. Of these, 124 (60.8%) met the inclusion criteria. Median peritoneal carcinomatosis index for the entire cohort was 9 and complete cytoreduction (CC0/1) was achieved in 109 (88%) patients. Patients with high-grade PMP were more likely to have diffuse peritoneal disease (p < 0.001) and higher SUV_TLR (p<0.001). The area under the ROC curve (AUC) of SUV_TLR in predicting high-grade pathology was 71% (p = 0.003). Patients with a SUV_TLR ≤ 0.78 had improved disease-free survival (p = 0.042).ConclusionPreoperative PET showed positive correlation with high-grade PMP and acceptable sensitivity and specificity as a diagnostic tool. PET should be considered a useful adjunct to standard imaging for predicting histological grade in the staging of patients with PMP.     

超声引导下经皮肺穿刺活检术术后并发症分析

目的分析超声引导下经皮肺穿刺活检术术后并发症的相关影响因素。 方法收集2015年1月至2017年12月于西部战区总医院住院并在超声引导下行经皮肺穿刺活检术的205例患者临床资料，分析205例患者穿刺术后病理结果及并发症发生率，探讨超声引导下经皮肺穿刺活检术术后并发症的相关影响因素。 结果205例患者行超声引导下经皮肺穿刺活检术，术后并发出血8例，占3.9%(8/205)，术后发热3例，占1.46% (3/205)，为低热，且予以对症治疗后均恢复正常，无严重并发症发生。术后出血的发生率在不同性别、年龄、BMI及病灶类型的患者中无显著差异(P>0.05)，且吸烟对患者术后出血率也无显著影响(P>0.05)；但有基础疾病的患者其术后出血率更高(P＝0.005)，且病灶直径越小，术后越容易并发出血(P＝0.006)。不同性别、年龄及病灶类型对术后发热的发生率无显著影响(P>0.05)，且术后发热与吸烟史及基础疾病史无关(P>0.05)，但BMI≥24或3 cm ≤病灶直径(d)<6 cm的患者术后更易发热(P<0.05)。 结论超声引导下经皮肺穿刺活检术术后并发症发生率低(约为5.37%)，主要为出血及低热，其中术后出血主要与基础疾病史和病灶直径有关，术后发热主要与病灶直径及BMI有关。     

p53基因突变与骨髓增殖性肿瘤临床特征及预后关系

探究p53 基因突变与骨髓增殖性肿瘤（MPN）临床特征及预后的关系。方法 选取2017年1月～2020年1月本院收治的MPN患者126例，二代测序法检测患者p53 基因突变情况。对患者进行随访，统计患者总生存（OS）时间和累计生存率；分析p53 基因突变对患者临床特征、预后的影响。结果 126例MPN患者中12例（9.52%）检出p53基因突变，突变主要位于4~8号外显子上，不同类型患者的p53 基因突变检出率比较差异无统计学意义（P＞0.05）。p53突变组患者年龄大于p53 非突变组，WBC水平低于p53 非突变组（P＜0.05），两组患者的染色体核型、IPSS预后分层比较差异无统计学意义（P＞0.05）；p53 非突变组患者的OS时间、累计生存率均明显高于p53突变组患者（P＜0.05）。结论 MPN患者p53 基因突变发生率较高，与患者年龄、WBC水平、异常核型及IPSS预后分层相关，p53 基因突变会影响患者的预后，可作为临床筛查预后不良高风险人群的客观指标。     

术前SCC与CYFRA21-1在肺鳞癌患者表达上调及临床意义

目的 分析术前SCC、CYFRA21-1与肺鳞癌临床病理特征、预后之间的关系。方法 收集2017年3月~2018年4月在云南省肿瘤医院确诊的肺鳞癌患者100例为观察组，确诊为肺良性肿瘤患者90名为肺良性肿瘤组、以及正常人群90名为健康人群组。通过电化学发光法对SCC、CYFRA21-1两种指标进行检测。检测SCC、CYFRA21-1含量，分析在肺鳞癌中表达的临床意义。结果 SCC、CYFRA21-1在肺鳞癌中比在肺良性肿瘤、健康人群中含量要高，差异有统计学意义（P＜0.001），并且敏感性均高于其他两组；男性患者的SCC、CYFRA21-1含量高于女性患者，差异具有统计学意义（P＜0.05）；SCC、CYFRA21-1含量在年龄≥60岁的含量高于＜60岁患者，差异无统计学意义（P＞0.05）；有吸烟史患者的SCC含量高于无吸烟史患者，差异无统计学意义（P＞0.05）。CYFRA21-1在吸烟史患者中高表达，差异有统计学意义（P＜0.05）；SCC、CYFRA21-1在有淋巴结转移、远处转移、肿瘤直径≥5 cm、病理分期为晚期时高表达，差异具有统计学意义（P＜0.05）；SCC、CYFRA21-1阳性患者OS、PFS比阴性患者短；SCC、CYFRA21-1两者之间呈正相关,相关系数（r）为0.630。结论 SCC、CYFRA21-1在肺鳞癌中表达上调；SCC、CYFRA21-1与性别之间存在某种内在联系；SCC、CYFRA21-1与肺鳞癌的TNM分期呈正相关；SCC、CYFRA21-1阳性患者OS、PFS比阴性患者短；SCC、CYFRA21-1两者之间呈正相关,相关系数（r）为0.630。     

The effect of trans arterial chemoembolization in the management of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma. A systematic review and meta-analysis

BackgroundA comprehensive re-evaluation on the role of trans-arterial chemoembolization (TACE) in patients with intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma.MethodsA thorough database searching was performed in PubMed, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library. Eligible studies were restricted to comparative studies between TACE and non-TACE cohorts. RevMan5.3 software and Stata 13.0 software were used for statistical analyses. The primary endpoint of our study was long-term survival.ResultsA total of 11 studies with 2036 patients were finally identified. Pooled results revealed that patients receiving TACE had a significantly better overall survival (OS) versus those without TACE (P < 0.05). Subgroup analyses were performed according to different types of TACE. Prophylactic post-surgical TACE (PPTACE) was associated with a significantly better OS versus those without PPTACE (P < 0.05). Palliative TACE (PTACE) also achieved a significantly better OS compared with those with supportive treatment (ST) only (P < 0.00001). However, TACE had no impact on disease-free survival (P = 0.87) and was less effective than surgical resection (P = 0.003).ConclusionPPTACE has a remarkable impact on OS versus those with surgical resections only and should be regularly performed. Regarding patients with unresectable disease, apart from conventional ST, adjuvant PTACE is also recommended. Upcoming prospective randomized controlled trials are warranted for further validation.     

Treatment of metachronous colorectal cancer metastases in the Netherlands: A population-based study

BackgroundThis study aimed to describe the treatment of metachronous colorectal cancer metastases in a recent population-based cohort.MethodPatients with stage I-III colorectal cancer (CRC), diagnosed between January 1st and June 30th^, 2015 who were surgically treated with curative intent were selected from the Netherlands Cancer Registry. Follow-up was at least 3 years after diagnosis of the primary tumour. Treatment of metachronous metastases was categorized into local treatment, systemic treatment, and best supportive care. Overall survival was estimated using Kaplan-Meier method.ResultsOut of 5412 patients, 782 (14%) developed metachronous metastases, of whom 393 (50%) underwent local treatment (LT) with or without systemic therapy, 30% of patients underwent only systemic therapy (ST) and 19% only best supportive care (BSC). The most common metastatic site was the liver (51%) followed by lungs (33%) and peritoneum (22%). LT rates were 69%, 66%, and 44% for liver-only, lung-only and, peritoneal-only metastases respectively. Patients receiving LT and ST were significantly younger than patients receiving LT alone, while patients receiving BSC were significantly older than the other groups (p < 0.001). Patients with liver-only or lung-only metastases had a 3-year OS of 50.2% (43.3–56.7 95% CI) and 61.5% (50.7–70.6 95% CI) respectively. Patients with peritoneal-only disease had a lower 3-year OS, 18.1% (10.1–28.0 95% CI).ConclusionPatients with metastases confined to the liver and lung have the highest rates of local treatment for metachronous metastatic colorectal cancer. The number of patients who underwent local treatment is higher than reported in previous Dutch and international studies.     

Functional outcomes and complications after treatment of distal radius fracture in patients sixty years and over: A systematic review and network meta-analysis

AimThis network meta-analysis aims to compare functional outcomes and complications between conservative treatment and surgery for distal radius fractures in patients aged 60 years and over.MethodsWe searched the PubMed, EMBASE, and Web of Science databases for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) assessing the effect of conservative treatment and surgery for distal radius fractures in patients aged 60 years and over. Primary outcomes included grip strength and overall complications. Secondary outcomes included Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand (DASH) scores, Patient-Rated Wrist Evaluation (PRWE) scores, wrist range of motion and forearm rotation, and radiographic assessment. All continuous outcomes were assessed using standardized mean differences (SMDs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs), and binary outcomes were assessed using odds ratio (OR) with 95% CIs. The surface under the cumulative ranking curve (SUCRA) was used to determine a hierarchy of treatments. Cluster analysis was performed for grouping treatments based on the SUCRA values of primary outcomes.ResultsFourteen RCTs were included to compare conservative treatment, volar lockedplate (VLP), K-wires fixation, and external-fixation. VLP outperformed conservative treatment for 1-year and minimum 2-year grip strength (SMD; 0.28 [0.07 to 0.48] and 0.27 [0.02 to 0.53], respectively). VLP yielded the optimal grip strength at 1-year and minimum 2-year follow-up (SUCRA; 89.8% and 86.7%, respectively). In a subgroup analysis of patients aged 60 to 80 years old, VLP outperformed conservative treatment in DASH and PRWE scores (SMD, 0.33 [0.10, 0.56] and 0.23 [0.01, 0.45], respectively). In addition, VLP had the fewest complications (SUCRA = 84.3%). Cluster analysis suggested that VLP and K-wire fixation were more effective treatment groups.ConclusionEvidence to date demonstrates that VLP provides measurable benefits in grip strength and fewer complications to those 60 years of age and over, and that benefit is not reflected in current practice guidelines. There is a subgroup of patients where K-wire fixation outcomes are similar to those of VLP; defining this subgroup may yield substantial societal benefits.