Damage to anal sphincter/levator ani muscles caused by operative procedure in anal sphincter-preserving operation for rectal cancer

Background

Details of postoperative damage to anal sphincter tonus following sphincter-preserving operation for rectal cancer remain unclear.

Methods

Postoperative anal tonus was measured using 3-dimensional (3D) vector manometry in 56 patients. Anal length with pressure from any direction was defined as total length (TL). Length with circular pressure (LCP), which is only measurable using 3D manometry, was also evaluated.

Results

In operations associated with low anastomosis, both TL and LCP at rest were significantly shortened when compared with control (high interior resection [HAR]). In particular, degraded LCP at rest was obvious. Anal lengths in squeezing state were preserved except in cases with intersphincteric resection (ISR). Postoperative incontinence score inversely correlated with functional anal length at rest.

Conclusions

Although the sphincter muscles are mechanically preserved, function of the internal sphincter and subsequent defecatory function can be degraded in cases with operative procedures including surgical maneuvers at the pelvic floor.     

Surgical repair of bilateral levator ani muscles with ultrasound guidance

Separation of the levator ani muscles from pubic bone is a common major levator trauma that may occur in vaginal delivery and is associated with pelvic floor dysfunctions. We describe a novel ultrasound-guided technique to repair these muscles. A 33-year-old woman presented with a history of difficult vaginal delivery and complaint of numbness and weakness of the vagina. In evaluation, bilateral levator defects were diagnosed by physical examination, three-dimensional endovaginal ultrasound, and magnetic resonance imaging. With ultrasound guidance the detached ends of muscles were tagged and sutured to their insertion points at the pubic bone. The patient’s normal anatomy was restored with the return to normal pelvic floor tone. A follow-up ultrasound showed restored levator anatomy at 3 months.     

Splenic hydatidosis complicated by a splenothoracic fistula: report of a case

The intrathoracic rupture of a splenic hydatid cyst is very unusual. We report herein the case of a 29-year-old man who presented with a left-sided pleural effusion associated with fever and chest pain. The patient underwent laparotomy and splenectomy en bloc with a portion of gastric wall and diaphragm, followed by irrigation of the pleural cavity with a hypertonic solution through a phrenotomy. His outcome was favorable and there was no recurrence at 2-year follow-up. Received: September 14, 2001 / Accepted: May 7, 2002 Reprint requests to: M. Alifano     

Rhabdomyolysis complicated with a fistula between ileal neobladder and intestine: a case report

A 79-year-old male with an ileal neobladder was hospitalized with the chief complaints of fever, dark colored urine and systemic muscle pain. The clinical diagnosis was rhabdomyolysis complicated with hypokalemia, which was caused by chronic diarrhea due to a fistula between ileal neobladder and intestine. The patient was treated successfully with efficient drip infusion.     

Aorto-caval fistula complicated by a DeBakey IIIb-type dissecting aortic aneurysm: report of a case

The patient, male and 70 years of age, was suspected of having a ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm during the laparotomy, and referred to our department. After admission it was found that a ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm complicated with dissecting aneurysm. Urgent surgical intervention should have been scheduled but an initial conservative control was necessary because of impaired hepato-renal function and hemorrhagic gastroduodenal ulcer. Meanwhile, pleural effusion, edema in lower extremities and abdominal continuous vascular murmur appeared, and cardiac failure symptoms gradually aggravated. The formation of arteriovenous fistula was suspected. Aortography revealed the DeBakey IIIb type dissecting aortic aneurysm complicating an abdominal aneurysmal rupture with the fistula formation to inferior caval vein. Neither enlargement nor progress of a thoracic aortic aneurysm were observed by CT scanning examination and the closure of fistula and Y grafting were performed successfully. So far, only one case of a ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm forming the aorto-caval fistula and complicating dissecting aortic aneurysm was reported in Japan, and, to the best of our knowledge, this is the first case treated successfully.     

Traumatic carotid cavernous fistula complicated with intracerebral hemorrhage: case report

A 45-year-old woman presented with a rare case of traumatic carotid cavernous fistula (CCF) complicated with intracerebral hemorrhage after injury in a car accident. She had multiple injuries including facial bone fracture and slight subarachnoid hemorrhage around the left sylvian fissure. Emergent plastic surgery for the facial deformity was performed. Next day, she suffered intracerebral hemorrhage in the left frontal lobe. Angiography revealed CCF, predominantly draining to the left superficial sylvian vein. The left internal carotid artery was occluded by endovascular treatment. The clinical triad of traumatic CCF is orbital bruit, exophthalmos, and chemosis. Hemorrhagic complication such as subarachnoid hemorrhage, epistaxis, and otorrhagia may occur according to the venous drainage pattern. Traumatic CCF may be accompanied by intracerebral hemorrhage.     

A comparative study of the human external sphincter and periurethral levator ani muscles

Specimens from the human male and female external urethral sphincter and the periurethral levator ani muscle have been examined using histochemical and electron microscopic techniques. In both sexes the external sphincter consists of a single population of type I (slow twitch) fibres with a mean diameter of 17.47 +/- 0.7 micrometers in the absence of muscle spindles. In contrast, the periurethral levator ani possesses muscle spindles and the constituent fibres form a heterogeneous population of type I and type II (fast twitch) fibres, with mean diameters of 45.5 +/- 0.8 micrometer and 59.5 +/- 3.4 micrometers respectively. These findings indicate that the external urethral sphincter is functionally adapted to maintain tone over prolonged periods and may be of considerable importance in producing active urethral closure during continence. The anatomical location and fibre characteristics of the levator ani muscle suggest that these fibres actively assist in urethral closure, particularly during events which cause elevation of intra-abdominal pressure. In view of the differences in fibre characteristics between the external urethral sphincter and the levator ani, EMG activity recorded from a single site in the levator ani may not be representative of the functional status either of other levator ani muscle fibres or of the external urethral sphincter.     

Innervation of the levator ani muscles: description of the nerve branches to the pubococcygeus,iliococcygeus, and puborectalis muscles

We described the innervation of the levator ani muscles (LAM) in human female cadavers. Detailed pelvic dissections of the pubococcygeus (PCM), iliococcygeus (ICM), and puborectalis muscles (PRM) were performed on 17 formaldehyde-fixed cadavers. The pudendal nerve and the sacral nerves entering the pelvis were traced thoroughly, and nerve branches innervating the LAM were documented. Histological analysis of nerve branches entering the LAM confirmed myelinated nerve tissue. LAM were innervated by the pudendal nerve branches, perineal nerve, and inferior rectal nerve (IRN) in 15 (88.2%) and 6 (35.3%) cadavers, respectively, and by the direct sacral nerves S3 and/or S4 in 12 cadavers (70.6%). A variant IRN, independent of the pudendal nerve, was found to innervate the LAM in seven (41.2%) cadavers. The PCM and the PRM were both primarily innervated by the pudendal nerve branches in 13 cadavers (76.5%) each. The ICM was primarily innervated by the direct sacral nerves S3 and/or S4 in 11 cadavers (64.7%).     

克罗恩病合并肛瘘的综合治疗

目的 探讨克罗恩病合并肛瘘的合理治疗方法.方法 回顾性分析2007年6月至2011年4月中山大学附属第六医院收治的33例克罗恩病合并肛瘘或肛周脓肿患者的临床资料.根据克罗恩病合并肛瘘的活动程度及病变范围,本研究采用外科治疗、内科治疗以及外科联合内科治疗.外科治疗方式包括肛瘘挂线术、肛瘘切除术、肛周脓肿切开引流术以及肠造口术.针对克罗恩病患者肠道病变选用5-氨基水杨酸类药物、免疫抑制剂、糖皮质激素治疗、TNF单克隆抗体等药物进行内科治疗.治疗后采用门诊治疗和电话方式随访至2012年8月.术前及术后克罗恩病活动指数(CDAI)、肛周克罗恩病活动指数(PDAI)采用独立样本t检验比较.结果 33例患者中,22例行外科联合内科治疗,7例行单纯外科治疗,4例行单纯内科治疗.首次治疗后18例患者肛瘘瘘口愈合(其中3例行单纯内科治疗),愈合时间为(3.2±2.6)个月(1 ～12个月),其中8例瘘管减少、症状改善;4例瘘口持续未闭;6例出现肛瘘复发或再发,复发或再发时间为首次治疗后(35±56)个月(5～ 148个月).33例患者术前CDAI和PDAI评分分别为(166±100)分(7～ 361分)和(9.2±2.6)分(5～16)分,经治疗后(包括手术及药物治疗)CDAI和PDAI评分分别为(83±53)分(0 ～212分)和(2.7±3.1)分(0～11分),患者治疗前后CDAI和PDAI评分比较,差异有统计学意义(t=4.20,8.92,P＜0.05).12例首次治疗肛瘘未愈合患者再次治疗后,3例愈合,9例未愈合.6例患者出现复发或再发,其中5例接受再次手术治疗(4例愈合、1例症状改善),1例仅接受内科治疗瘘口未愈合.直至随访结束,30例患者中20例肛瘘愈合,10例肛瘘未愈合.结论 目前尚无统一的克罗恩病合并肛瘘治疗标准,外科联合内科治疗克罗恩病合并肛瘘疗效较好,手术方式需根据患者具体情况慎重选择.     

Colloid carcinoma arising in an anal fistula: case report with a brief review of the literature.

Malignant change in an anal fistula is an extremely rare but an important and dangerous complication. Less than 75 cases have been described in the English and Scandinavian literature. We now report a case of colloid carcinoma arising in an anal fistula because of its rarity and other interesting features.     

Adenocarcinoma in the anal canal associated with a fistula: Report of a case

Adenocarcinoma in the anal canal associated with an anal fistula is extremely rare, and in most cases its origin is difficult to ascertain because the primary sites have already been destroyed before any diagnosis of malignancy is able to be made. We report herein the case of a 62-year-old man found to have papillary adenocarcinoma with partial mucinous carcinoma associated with an anal fistula. The tumor was not exposed to the mucosal surface of the anal canal or rectum and an abdominoperineal resection was carried out. Macroscopic findings suggested that the tumor had developed from the anal fistula; however, the tumor showed a positive result when tested for O-acetylated sialic acids. This test also proved positive in the mucus of normal rectal mucosa, but not in the mucus of the anal glands. We speculated that the results of these tests may indicate that this tumor could have originated from the rectal mucosa, from where it migrated into the anal fistula.     

Esophageal rupture complicated by a gastrocardiac fistula: review of the literature and report of a successfully treated case

A 62-year-old man developed a fistula between the right ventricle and the stomach after Thal fundic patching of an emetogenic rupture of the esophagus. He underwent emergency surgical correction of the fistula and survived.