“Suture hernia”: identification of a new type of hernia presenting as a recurrence after laparoscopic ventral hernia repair

After laparoscopic repair of ventral or incisional hernias, the recurrence rates reported are around 4%. Different mechanisms for the recurrences have been identified. We report two cases in which the patients were operated on laparoscopically for recurrence after laparoscopic ventral hernia repair. In both cases, the site of the recurrent hernia was situated at the transfascial fixation sutures. Patients were treated by laparoscopy with a larger intraperitoneal mesh covering the new hernia and the old mesh.     

早期胃癌术后复发的临床分析

目的分析早期胃癌术后复发情况，为制定防治策略提供依据。方法收集解放军总医院1983-2005年间发现的早期胃癌308例，其中245例术后进行了随访，对可能影响早期胃癌术后复发的临床病理特征进行单因素及多因素分析。结果30例出现胃癌复发（中位时间28个月），1、3、5、7、10、15年复发率分别为5．49％、8．44％、11．27％、14．83％、16．39％、37．79％。黏膜内癌复发13例（中位时间24个月），1、3、5、7、10、15年复发率分别为4．23％、6．68％、7．75％、9．34％、9．34％、28．24％。黏膜下癌复发17例（中位时间31个月），1、3、5、7、10、15年复发率分别为7．39％、11．14％、16．54％、24．49％、29．69％、64．85％。Cox回归分析提示浸润黏膜下层（P-O．044，OR-2．172）增加术后肿瘤复发危险，癌周黏膜明显肠化（p-0．047，0R-0．460）者术后肿瘤复发较少。30例复发者中23例（76．7％）无根治手术指征，未再次手术治疗；7例（23．3％）有再次根治手术指征，其中4例再次手术治疗，术后病理提示3例为残胃早期胃癌，无淋巴结转移，1例为残胃进展期胃癌，伴区域淋巴结转移（已无瘤存活28个月），另3例因身体原因未再手术治疗。Logistic回归分析提示癌周黏膜明显肠化（P-0．016，OR=17．000）为有再次根治手术指征的独立影响因子。86．7％（26／30）的复发患者至少每1～2年进行一次包括胃镜检查方式在内的复查。结论早期胃癌累及黏膜下层者术后更易出现复发；癌周明显肠化者术后复发较少，即使出现复发，也有再次进行根治手术的可能；每1～2年进行一次复查有助于早期发现残胃再发癌，但对提高复发转移者再次根治手术机会帮助不大。     

Ano-cutaneous flap repair for complex and recurrent supra-sphincteric anal fistula.

BACKGROUND: Suprasphincteric fistulae remain the most difficult to cure. OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the healing rate of suprasphincteric anal fistula treated by ano-cutaneous advancement flap repair, and the impact of this procedure on continence and quality of life. METHOD: Sixteen patients with complex, recurrent or chronic suprasphincteric fistulae associated with significant tissue damage (necrotizing fasciitis, keyhole deformity and anal stenosis) or who had failed previous surgical procedures were treated by ano-cutaneous flap closure. They were assessed pre and postoperatively by the treating surgeon for wound healing and fistula recurrence and later followed up by phone interview using the St Mark's Hospital incontinence score and the Perianal Disease Activity Index (PDAI) as indicators of treatment outcome. RESULTS: Fifteen patients had successful healing of their fistula with the cutaneous flap, with recurrence in only one. The most common short-term complications were minor graft site wound separation, which healed in all cases without intervention, and wound pain, which settled over time and was not associated with recurrence. Continence improved for almost 70% of the patients, with a significant reduction in St Mark's incontinence scores (t = 2.62, 15 d.f., P = 0.02). PDAI also decreased significantly (t = 7.55, 15 d.f., P < 0.001), demonstrating improvement in quality of life for most patients. CONCLUSION: Ano-cutaneous flap can achieve healing of complex and recurrent suprasphincteric anal fistula in patients who had previously failed at other forms of treatment thus improving their quality of life and continence.     

胃肠道肿瘤术后复发与肠粘连引起的肠梗阻临床分析

目的：探讨胃肠道肿瘤复发和粘连性肠梗阻的临床区别和治疗特点。方法：回顾性复习了经手术治疗的86例胃肠道肿瘤术后出现肠梗阻的临床资料，并分析其在临床上区别和治疗特点。结果：86例中粘连性肠梗阻39例，肿瘤复发47例，在复发组胃癌术后复发最为多见(P＜0．05)，原发性肿瘤分化差的其复发引起肠道梗阻明显高于分化好引起的粘连性肠梗阻(P＜0．01)。症状上肿瘤复发组出现的恶心、呕吐及肛门停止排便排气低于粘连性肠梗阻(P＜0．01)。肿瘤复发的肠梗阻表现为不全性梗阻，口服泛影葡胺治疗多能缓解，但大部分患者部分症状仍存在，粘连性肠梗阻多为完全性肠梗阻(P＜0．005)，多需要手术。结论：低分化原发肿瘤、不全性肠梗阻、低发生率的恶心和呕吐及肛门停止排便排气的肠梗阻，多提示为肿瘤的复发，泛影葡胺治疗后梗阻缓解但仍有症状存在应首先考虑是肿瘤复发。     

The significance of involvement of a free serosal surface for recurrence and survival following resection of clinicopathological stage B and C rectal cancer

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether the presence of tumour at a free serosal surface was independently associated with pelvic recurrence or survival in patients who had a resection for clinicopathological stage B or stage C rectal cancer and who had not received adjuvant therapy. METHOD: Data were drawn from a comprehensive, prospective hospital registry of all resections for rectal cancer from January 1971 to December 1998 with follow up to December 2003. Statistical analysis employed the chi(2) test or Fisher's exact probability, Kaplan-Meier estimation and proportional hazards regression, with a significance level of < or =0.05 and 95% confidence intervals (CI). RESULTS: In 665 patients with stages B or C tumour, 35 (5.3%; CI 3.7-7.2%) had tumour at a free serosal surface. These comprised 6/332 (1.8%; CI 0.8-3.7%) patients with stage B tumour and 29/333 (8.7%; CI 6.1-12.2%) with stage C tumour. After adjustment for other relevant variables, involvement of a free serosal surface was significantly associated with pelvic recurrence [hazard ratio (HR) 2.7; CI 1.3-5.5] and diminished survival (HR 1.6; CI 1.1-2.4) but not with systemic (only) recurrence. CONCLUSION: This study has confirmed that direct tumour spread to a free serosal surface independently predicts pelvic recurrence and diminished survival after resection of clinicopathological stage B and C rectal cancer. This feature should always be sought by the pathologist and reported when present, and noted by the surgeon and oncologist. Serosal involvement should be evaluated further for its utility in selecting patients for adjuvant therapy.     

Is pre‐operative radiotherapy necessary in T1‐T3 rectal cancer with TME?

OBJECTIVE: The indications for pre-operative radiotherapy in rectal cancer are still unclear with the exception of T4 tumours. The aim of this study was to assess local and overall recurrence in patients with T1-T3 rectal cancers undergoing total mesorectal excision (TME). METHODS: Prospective data was collected from 150 patients with rectal cancer treated in one surgical centre between July 1997 and July 2002. One hundred and twenty-nine primary resections were carried of which 102 were with curative intent. Seventy-nine patients with T1-T3 tumours were included in the analysis. Nine had local resections and 70 underwent TME; 19 of the 70 patients were node positive and 51 were node negative. RESULTS: At a median follow-up of 37 months (range 19-79 months) there were 3 (4.3%) isolated local recurrences. One node positive patient developed isolated local recurrence compared with 2 node negative patients. The node positive patient died from a myocardial infarction while the two node negative patients died as a consequence of local recurrence. Three (4.3%) of 70 patients developed systemic relapse all of whom were node positive. The cancer specific mortality rate over the same follow-up period was 3/19 for node positive patients and 2/51 for node negative patients. Of 9 patients who had local resections, none developed local recurrence or systemic relapse. CONCLUSIONS: With TME the rate of local recurrence in T1-T3 tumours is low. Our results do not support the use of pre-operative radiotherapy for these patients.     

Breast cancer surveillance — a cost-effective strategy

Summary The effectiveness of a surveillance program for breast cancer recurrence in extending survival is predicated on two assumptions: 1) most recurrences are detected at an early stage at surveillance visits; and 2) the early treatment of recurrence offers a better chance of cure or longer survival. However, the data suggest that neither of these two assumptions is correct, and that postoperative follow-up of patients with breast cancer is expensive and does not significantly extend survival.This minisymposium was presented December 8, 1992, at the annual San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, and was sponsored by educational grants from Amgen and from Bristol-Myers Oncology Division.     

Clinical Recurrences After Successful Accessory Pathway Ablation:

Dormant Accessory Pathways. Introduction : Recurrence of clinical symptoms after radiofrequency catheter ablation of an accessory atrioventricular pathway (AP) may be due to the late manifestation of an additional AP that was not detected during the initial ablation session. It was the purpose of this study to elucidate the phenomenon of these "dormant" APs.
Methods and Results : Of 1280 consecutive patients who underwent radiofrequency catheter ablation of an AP, 54 patients (4.2 %) developed clinical symptoms postablation, necessitating a repeat ablation session. Recurrence of conduction over the AP targeted al the initial ablation session was found in 45 patients, whereas in the other 9 patients (0.7%) the manifestation of a previously unnoticed AP had caused symptom recurrence. Retrospective analysis of the data from these patients' ablation sessions revealed that the late manifesting AP was ablated at a site clearly different from that of the initially targeted AP, and that the manifestation of conduction over a previously "dormant" AP occurred significantly later than the recovery of a presumably ablated AP. Seven (78%) of the 9 "dormant" APs were concealed, and none exhibited decremental conduction properties.
Conclusion : The incidence of clinical recurrences mediated by the late manifestation of conduction over a previously "dormant" AP is low. The lack of an anatomic vicinity of these predominantly concealed APs with the initially targeted AP and the lack of evidence for their presence during the initial ablation session suggest intermittent conduction as the most likely explanation for their late manifestation.     

Surgical treatment for the recurrence of colorectal cancer

We report the results of a retrospective study conducted on patients who developed recurrence following surgery for colorectal cancer, and present a practical plan to improve the survival rates. Of 974 patients who underwent surgery for colorectal cancer in our hospital during the 20 years between 1974 and 1993, 152 developed recurrence, as local recurrence in 70 (7.2%), as liver metastasis in 47 (4.8%), and as pulmonary metastasis in 35 (3.6%). The number of patients who underwent reoperation or curative resection was 54 (77.1%) and 13 (24.1%), respectively, of those with local recurrence, 16 (34.0%) and 6 (37.5%) of those with liver metastasis, and 6 (17.1%) and 6 (100.0%) of those with pulmonary metastasis. The 3- and 5-year survival rates were 13.4% and 8.9%, respectively, after reoperation for local recurrence, 14.4% and 0%, after reoperation for liver metastasis, and 53.3% and 53.3% after reoperation for pulmonary metastasis. Although evaluation was difficult owing to the small number of patients with lung metastasis, resection of a pulmonary lesion resulted in a good outcome. Furthermore, a significant difference in 3- and 5-year survival rates was observed between patients who underwent reoperation and those who underwent conservative treatment, for whom the survival rates were 0% and 0% following local recurrence, 4.6% and 0% following liver metastasis, and 0% and 0% following lung metastasis, at 3 and 5 years, respectively. These findings indicate that aggressive surgery for recurrence may result in a better outcome.     

Gallstone recurrence after direct contact dissolution with methyltert-butyl ether

To determine the rate and characteristics of gallstone recurrence after direct contact dissolution with methyltert-butyl ether, 60 consecutive patients were followed for up to 4.5 years (median 2.2 years) after complete disappearance of all stone residues and debris and cessation of adjuvant bile acid therapy. Initial gallstones had been multiple in all but four patients. Twenty-eight of the 60 patients developed recurrent gallstones. The cumulative risk of gallstone recurrence (actuarial analysis) was 23±6%, 34±7%, 55±8%, and 70±9% at one, two, three, and four years, respectively. The recurrent stones were usually multiple and small (6±4 mm). Gallstone recurrence was associated with recurrent biliary pain in two patients, one of whom developed acute cholecystitis. Recurrent stones were cleared completely by bile acid medication with or without shock-wave lithotripsy in 61±15% of patients at one year (actuarial analysis). In conclusion, gallstone recurrence after successful contact dissolution of multiple stones with methyltert-butyl ether has to be expected in a high percentage of patients. Most patients, however, remain free of biliary pain during long-term follow-up.