Development of minimally invasive techniques for management of medically-complicated obesity

The field of bariatric surgery has been rapidly growing and evolving over the past several decades. During the period that obesity has become a worldwide epidemic, new interventions have been developed to combat this complex disorder. The development of new laparoscopic and minimally invasive treatments for medically-complicated obesity has made it essential that gastrointestinal physicians obtain a thorough understanding of past developments and possible future directions in bariatrics. New laparoscopic advancements provide patients and practitioners with a variety of options that have an improved safety profile and better efficacy without open, invasive surgery. The mechanisms of weight loss after bariatric surgery are complex and may in part be related to altered release of regulatory peptide hormones from the gut. Endoscopic techniques designed to mimic the effects of bariatric surgery and endolumenal inter-ventions performed entirely through the gastrointestinal tract offer potential advantages. Several of these new techniques have demonstrated promising, preliminary results. We outline herein historical and current trends in the development of bariatric surgery and its transition to safer and more minimally invasive procedures designed to induce weight loss.     

Gastroesophageal reflux disease and severe obesity: Fundoplication or bariatric surgery?

Increases in the prevalence of obesity and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) have paralleled one another over the past decade, which suggests the possibility of a linkage between these two processes. In both instances, surgical therapy is recognized as the most effective treatment for severe, refractory disease. Current surgical therapies for severe obesity include (in descending frequency) Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, adjustable gastric banding, sleeve gastrectomy, and biliopancreatic diversion with duodenal switch, while fundoplication remains the mainstay for the treatment of severe GERD. In several large series, however, the outcomes and durability of fundoplication in the setting of severe obesity are not as good as those in patients who are not severely obese. As such, bariatric surgery has been suggested as a potential alternative treatment for these patients. This article reviews current concepts in the putative pathophysiological mechanisms by which obesity contributes to gastroesophageal reflux and their implications with regards to surgical therapy for GERD in the setting of severe obesity.     

Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy for morbid obesity

The incidence of obesity is steadily rising, and it has been estimated that 40% of the US population will be obese by the year 2025 if the current trend continues. In recent years there has been renewed interest in the surgical treatment of morbid obesity in concomitance with the epidemic of obesity. Bariatric surgery proved effective in providing weight loss of large magnitude, correction of comorbidities and excellent short-term and long-term outcomes, decreasing overall mortality and providing a marked survival advantage. The Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy （LSG） has increased in popularity and is currently very ＂trendy＂ among laparoscopic surgeons involved in bariatric surgery. As LSG proved to be effective in achieving considerable weight loss in the short-term, it has been proposed by some as a sole bariatric procedure. This editorial focuses on the particular advantages of LSG in the treatment of morbid obesity.     

Impact of obesity treatment on gastroesophageal reflux disease

Gastroesophageal reflux disease(GERD) is a frequently encountered disorder. Obesity is an important risk factor for GERD, and there are several pathophysiologic mechanisms linking the two conditions. For obese patients with GERD, much of the treatment effort is focused on weight loss and its consistent benefit to symptoms, while there is a relative lack of evidence regarding outcomes after novel or even standard medical therapy is offered to this population. Physicians are hesitant to recommend operative anti-reflux therapy to obese patients due to the potentially higher risks and decreased efficacy, and these patients instead are often considered for bariatric surgery. Bariatric surgical approaches are broadening, and each technique has emerging evidence regarding its effect on both the risk and outcome of GERD. Furthermore, combined antireflux and bariatric options are now being offered to obese patients with GERD. However, currently Rouxen-Y gastric bypass remains the most effective surgical treatment option in this population, due to its consistent benefits in both weight loss and GERD itself. This article aims to review the impact of both conservative and aggressive approaches of obesity treatment on GERD.     

Gastroesophageal reflux disease,obesity and laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy: The burning questions

Obesity is a global health epidemic with considerable economic burden.Surgical solutions have become increasingly popular following technical advances leading to sustained efficacy and reduced risk.Sleeve gastrectomy accounts for almost half of all bariatric surgeries worldwide but concerns regarding its relationship with gastroesophageal reflux disease(GERD)has been a topic of debate.GERD,including erosive esophagitis,is highly prevalent in the obese population.The role of pre-operative endoscopy in bariatric surgery has been controversial.Two schools of thought exist on the matter,one that believes routine upper endoscopy before bariatric surgery is not warranted in the absence of symptoms and another that believes that symptoms are poor predictors of underlying esophageal pathology.This debate is particularly important considering the evidence for the association of laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy(LSG)with de novo and/or worsening GERD compared to the less popular Roux-en-Y gastric bypass procedure.In this paper,we try to address 3 burning questions regarding the inter-relationship of obesity,GERD,and LSG:(1)What is the prevalence of GERD and erosive esophagitis in obese patients considered for bariatric surgery?(2)Is it necessary to perform an upper endoscopy in obese patients considered for bariatric surgery?And(3)What are the long-term effects of sleeve gastrectomy on GERD and should LSG be done in patients with pre-existing GERD?     

Minimally invasive surgery for inflammatory bowel disease: Review of current developments and future perspectives

Patients with inflammatory bowel disease(IBD)com-prise a population of patients that have a high likelihood of both surgical treatment at a young age and repetitive operative interventions.Therefore surgical procedures need to aim at minimizing operative trauma with bestpostoperative recovery.Minimally invasive techniques have been one of the major advancements in surgery in the last decades and are nowadays almost routinely performed in colorectal resections irrespective of underlying disease.However due to special disease related characteristics such as bowel stenosis,interen-teric fistula,abscesses,malnutrition,repetitive sur-geries,or immunosuppressive medications,patients with IBD represent a special cohort with specific needs for surgery.This review summarizes current evidence of minimally invasive surgery for patients with Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis and gives an outlook on the future perspective of technical advances in this highly moving field with its latest developments in single port surgery,robotics and trans-anal techniques.     

Minimally invasive surgery for submucosal(subepithelial) tumors of the stomach

Minimally invasive surgery has become common in the surgical resection of gastrointestinal submucosal tumors(SMTs). The purpose of this article is to review recent trends in minimally invasive surgery for gastric SMTs. Although laparoscopic resection has been main stream of minimally invasive surgery for gastrointestinal SMTs, recent advances in endoscopic procedures now provide various treatment modalities for gastric SMTs. Moreover, investigators have developed several hybrid techniques that include the advantages of both laparoscopic and endoscopic procedure. In addition, several types of reduced port surgeries, modification of conventional laparoscopic procedures, have been recently applied to the surgical resection of SMTs. Meanwhile, robotic surgery for SMTs requires further evidence and improvement.     

Role of endoscopy in the bariatric surgery of patients

Obesity is an increasingly serious health problem in nearly all Western countries.It represents an important risk factor for several gastrointestinal diseases,such as gastroesophageal reflux disease,erosive esophagitis,hiatal hernia,Barrett’s esophagus,esophageal adenocarcinoma,Helicobacter pylori infection,colorectal polyps and cancer,non-alcoholic fatty liver disease,cirrhosis,and hepatocellular carcinoma.Surgery is the most effective treatment to date,resulting in sustainable and significant weight loss,along with the resolution of metabolic comorbidities in up to 80%of cases.Many of these conditions can be clinically relevant and have a significant impact on patients undergoing bariatric surgery.There is evidence that the chosen procedure might be changed if specific pathological upper gastrointestinal findings,such as large hiatal hernia or Barrett’s esophagus,are detected preoperatively.The value of a routine endoscopy before bariatric surgery in asymptomatic patients(screening esophagogastroduodenoscopy)remains controversial.The common indications for endoscopy in the postoperative bariatric patient include the evaluation of symptoms,the management of complications,and the evaluation of weight loss failure.It is of critical importance for the endoscopist to be familiar with the postoperative anatomy and to work in close collaboration with bariatric surgery colleagues in order to maximize the outcome and safety of endoscopy in this setting.The purpose of this article is to review the role of the endoscopist in a multidisciplinary obesity center as it pertains to the preoperative and postoperative management of bariatric surgery patients.     

Influence of cirrhosis in cardiac surgery outcomes

Liver cirrhosis has evolved an important risk factor for cardiac surgery due to the higher morbidity and mortality that these patients may suffer compared with general cardiac surgery population.The presence of contributing factors for a poor outcome,such as coagulopathy,a poor nutritional status,an adaptive immune dysfunction,a degree of cirrhotic cardiomyopathy,and a degree of renal and pulmonary dysfunction,have to be taken into account for surgical evaluation when cardiac surgery is needed,together with the degree of liver disease and its primary complications.The associated pathophysiological characteristics that liver cirrhosis represents have a great influence in the development of complications during cardiac surgery and the postoperative course.Despite the population of cirrhotic patients who are referred for cardiac surgery is small and recommendations come from small series,since liver cirrhotic patients have increased their chance of survival in the last 20 years due to the advances in their medical care,which includes liver transplantation,they have been increasingly considered for cardiac surgery.Indeed,there is an expected rise of cirrhotic patients within the cardiac surgical population due to the increasing rates of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis,especially in western countries.In consequence,a more specific approach is needed in the assessment of care of these patients if we want to improve their management.In this article,we review the pathophysiology and outcome prediction of cirrhotic patients who underwent cardiac surgery.     

Overview of screening methods for fatty liver disease in children

The prevalence of obesity and obesity related comorbidities including diabetes and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has been rising globally. Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease is emerging as a common liver disease among adults which can lead to the eventua development of complications including cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. With the rise of obesity in children, the development of detection methods for the presence of NAFLD is becoming imperative. Although the gold standard for diagnosis is liver biopsy, practica issues limit pediatric use and warrant development of noninvasive or minimally invasive screening tools for the detection and staging of NAFLD. A variety of diagnostic methods have been studied including use aminotransferases, imaging studies and serologic markers which have some population-based limitations. Additional factors such as gender and ethnicity may also play a role in the screening of NAFLD in pediatric population studies.     

Therapeutic strategies for pediatric non-alcoholic fatty liver disease： A challenge for health care providers

Non-alcoholic steato-hepatitis (NASH) is related to insulin resistance and, thus, frequently occurs as part of the metabolic changes that accompany obesity, diabetes and hyperlipidemia. In childhood, the overwhelming boost of obesity and its co-morbidities have lead to the extraordinarily increased prevalence of NASH. Establishing effective therapeutic strategies to treat the disease represents the challenge for hepatologists and gastroenterologists in the next decade. Therapeutic approaches have aimed at treating associated conditions (obesity, insulin resistance, hyperlipemia, etc ) or reducing liver oxidative damage (vitamin E).     

Laparoscopic gastric surgery for cancer: Where do we stand?

Gastric cancer poses a significant public health problem, especially in the Far East, due to its high incidence in these areas. Surgical treatment and guidelines have been markedly different in the West, but nowadays this debate is apparently coming to an end. Laparoscopic surgery has been employed in the surgical treatment of gastric cancer for two decades now, but with controversies about the extent of resection and lymphadenectomy. Despite these difficulties, the apparent advantages of the laparoscopic approach helped its implementation in early stage and distal gastric cancer, with an increase on the uptake for distal gastrectomy for more advanced disease and total gastrectomy. Nevertheless, there is no conclusive evidence about the laparoscopic approach yet. In this review article we present and analyse the current status of laparoscopic surgery in the treatment of gastric cancer.     

Controversy of hand-assisted laparoscopic colorectal surgery

Laparoscopically assisted colorectal procedures are time-consuming and technically demanding and hence have a long steep learning curve. In the technical demand, surgeons need to handle a long mobile organ, the colon, and have to operate on multiple abdominal quadrants, most of the time with the need to secure multiple mesenteric vessels. Therefore, a new surgical innovation called hand-assisted laparoscopic surgery (HALS) was introduced in the mid 1990s as a useful alternative to totally laparoscopic procedures. This hybrid operation allows the surgeon to introduce the non-dominant hand into the abdominal cavity through a special hand port while maintaining the pneumoperitoneum. A hand in the abdomen can restore the tactile sensation which is usually lacking in laparoscopic procedures. It also improves the eye-to-hand coordination, allows the hand to be used for blunt dissection or retraction and also permits rapid control of unexpected bleeding. All of those factors can contribute tremendously to reducing the operative time. Moreover, this procedure is also considered as a hybrid procedure that combines the advantages of both minimally invasive and conventional open surgery. Nevertheless, the exact role of HALS in colorectal surgery has not been well defined during the advanced totally laparoscopic procedures. This article reviews the current status of hand-assisted laparoscopic colorectal surgery as a minimally invasive procedure in the era of laparoscopic surgery.     

Laparoscopic and robot-assisted laparoscopic digestive surgery: Present and future directions

Laparoscopic surgery is applied today worldwide to most digestive procedures. In some of them, such as cholecystectomy, Nissen’s fundoplication or obesity surgery, laparoscopy has become the standard in practice. In others, such as colon or gastric resection, the laparoscopic approach is frequently used and its usefulness is unquestionable. More complex procedures, such as esophageal, liver or pancreatic resections are, however, more infrequently performed, due to the high grade of skill necessary. As a result, there is less clinical evidence to support its implementation. In the recent years, robot-assisted laparoscopic surgery has been increasingly applied, again with little evidence for comparison with the conventional laparoscopic approach. This review will focus on the complex digestive procedures as well as those whose use in standard practice could be more controversial. Also novel robot-assisted procedures will be updated.     

Surgical treatment of anal stenosis

Anal stenosis is a rare but serious complication of anorectal surgery, most commonly seen after hemorrhoidectomy. Anal stenosis represents a technical challenge in terms of surgical management. A Medline search of studies relevant to the management of anal stenosis was undertaken. The etiology, pathophysiology and classification of anal stenosis were reviewed. An overview of surgical and non-surgical therapeutic options was developed. Ninety percent of anal stenosis is caused by overzealous hemorrhoidectomy. Treatment, both medical and surgical, should be modulated based on stenosis severity. Mild stenosis can be managed conservatively with stool softeners or fiber supplements. Sphincterotomy may be quite adequate for a patient with a mild degree of narrowing. For more severe stenosis, a formal anoplasty should be performed to treat the loss of anal canal tissue. Anal stenosis may be anatomic or functional. Anal stricture is most often a preventable complication. Many techniques have been used for the treatment of anal stenosis with variable healing rates. It is extremely difficult to interpret the results of the various anoplastic procedures described in the literature as prospective trials have not been performed. However, almost any approach will at least improve patient symptoms.     

How to do when PFO closure failed under routine guidance:the first clinical experience for PFO closure

Patent foramen ovale(PFO)is the most common abnormality of fetal origin and is affecting approximately 25%of the worldwide adult population.[1]During the past two decades,instead of surgical closure,catheter-based procedures to close the PFO have become widely used among patients.Periprocedural guidance with fluoroscopy,transesophageal echocardiography(TEE)or intracardiac echocardiography have been the mainstream technique to ensure a safe and successful procedure.     

Multimodal pain stimulation of the gastrointestinal tract

Understanding and characterization of pain and other sensory symptoms are among the most important issues in the diagnosis and assessment of patient with gastrointestinal disorders. Methods to evoke and assess experimental pain have recently developed into a new area with the possibility for multimodal stimulation (e.g., electrical, mechanical, thermal and chemical stimulation) of different nerves and pain pathways in the human gut. Such methods mimic to a high degree the pain experienced in the clinic. Multimodal pain methods have increased our basic understanding of different peripheral receptors in the gut in health and disease. Together with advanced muscle analysis, the methods have increased our understanding of receptors sensitive to mechanical, chemical and temperature stimuli in diseases, such as systemic sclerosis and diabetes. The methods can also be used to unravel central pain mechanisms, such as those involved in allodynia, hyperalgesia and referred pain. Abnormalities in central pain mechanisms are often seen in patients with chronic gut pain and hence methods relying on multimodal pain stimulation may help to understand the symptoms in these patients. Sex differences have been observed in several diseases of the gut, and differences in central pain processing between males and females have been hypothesized using multimodal pain stimulations. Finally, multimodal methods have recently been used to gain more insight into the effect of drugs against pain in the GI tract. Hence, the multimodal methods undoubtedly represents a major step forward in the future characterization and treatment of patients with various diseases of the gut.     

Surgical management of chronic pancreatitis

BACKGROUND: Treatment of chronic pancreatitis (CP) is a challenging condition for surgeons. During the last decades, increasing knowledge about pathophysiology of CP, improved results of major pancreatic resections, and integration of sophisticated diagnostic methods in clinical practice have resulted in significant changes in surgery for CP. DATA SOURCES: To detail the indications for CP surgery, the surgical procedures, and outcome, a Pubmed database search was performed. The abstracts of searched articles about surgical management of CP were reviewed. The articles could be identified and further scrutinized. Further references were extracted by cross-referencing. RESULTS: Main indications of CP for surgery are intractable pain, suspicion of malignancy, and involvement of adjacent organs. The goal of surgical treatment is to improve the quality of life of patients. The surgical approach to CP should be individualized according to pancreatic anatomy, pain characteristics, baseline exocrine and endocrine function, and medical co-morbidity. The approach usually involves pancreatic duct drainage and resection including longitudinal pancreatojejunostomy, pancreatoduodenectomy (Whipple's procedure), pylorus-preserving pancreatoduodenectomy, distal pancreatectomy, total pancreatectomy, duodenum- preserving pancreatic head resection (Beger's procedure), and local resection of the pancreatic head with longitudinal pancreatojejunostomy (Frey's procedure). Non-pancreatic and endoscopic management of pain has also been advocated. CONCLUSIONS: Surgical procedures provide long-term pain relief, a good postoperative quality of life withpreservation of endocrine and exocrine pancreatic function, and are associated with low early and late mortality and morbidity. In addition to available results from randomized controlled trials, new studies are needed to determine which procedure is the most effective for the management of patients with CP.     

Blood loss,predictors of bleeding,transfusion practice and strategies of blood cell salvaging during liver transplantation

Blood loss during liver transplantation (OLTx) is a common consequence of pre-existing abnormalities of the hemostatic system,portal hypertension with multiple collateral vessels,portal vein thrombosis,previous abdominal surgery,splenomegaly,and poor "functional" recovery of the new liver.The intrinsic coagulopathic features of end stage cirrhosis along with surgical technical difficulties make transfusion-free liver transplantation a major challenge,and,despite the improvements in understanding of intraoperative coagulation profiles and strategies to control blood loss,the requirements for blood or blood products remains high.The impact of blood transfusion has been shown to be significant and independent of other well-known predictors of posttransplant-outcome.Negative effects on immunomodulation and an increased risk of postoperative complications and mortality have been repeatedly demonstrated.Isovolemic hemodilution,the extensive utilization of thromboelastogram and the use of autotransfusion devices are among the commonly adopted procedures to limit the amount of blood transfusion.The use of intraoperative blood salvage and autologous blood transfusion should still be considered an important method to reduce the need for allogenic blood and the associated complications.In this article we report on the common preoperative and intraoperative factors contributing to blood loss,intraoperative transfusion practices,anesthesiologic and surgical strategies to prevent blood loss,and on intraoperative blood salvaging techniques and autologous blood transfusion.Even though the advances in surgical technique and anesthetic management,as well as a better understanding of the risk factors,have resulted in a steady decrease in intraoperative bleeding,most patients still bleed extensively.Blood transfusion therapy is still a critical feature during OLTx and various studies have shown a large variability in the use of blood products among different centers and even among individual anesthesiologists within the same center.Unfortunately,despite the large number of OLTx performed each year,there is still paucity of large randomized,multicentre,and controlled studies which indicate how to prevent bleeding,the transfusion needs and thresholds,and the "evidence based" perioperative strategies to reduce the amount of transfusion.     

Gastrointestinal metabolic surgery for the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus

Medical therapy for type 2 diabetes mellitus is ineffective in the long term due to the progressive nature of the disease, which requires increasing medication doses and polypharmacy. Conversely, bariatric surgery has emerged as a cost-effective strategy for obese diabetic individuals; it has low complication rates and results in durable weight loss, glycemic control and improvements in the quality of life, obesity-related co-morbidity and overall survival. The finding that glucose homeostasis can be achieved with a weight loss-independent mechanism immediately after bariatric surgery, especially gastric bypass, has led to the paradigm of metabolic surgery. However, the primary focus of metabolic surgery is the alteration of the physio-anatomy of the gastrointestinal tract to achieve glycemic control, metabolic control and cardio-metabolic risk reduction. To date, metabolic surgery is still not well defined, as it is used most frequently for less obese patients with poorly controlled diabetes. The mechanism of glycemic control is still incompletely understood. Published research findings on metabolic surgery are promising, but many aspects still need to be defined. This paper examines the proposed mechanism of diabetes remission, the efficacy of different types of metabolic procedures, the durability of glucose control, and the risks and complications associated with this procedure. We propose a tailored approach for the selection of the ideal metabolic procedure for different groups of patients, considering the indications and prognostic factors for diabetes remission.