B. G. Wolff

The long-term effect of adjuvant postoperative chemoradiotherapy for rectal carcinoma on bowel function

ObjectiveThe authors assessed the long-term effect of postoperative chemoradiotherapy on bowel function. Summary Background DataAdjuvant postoperative radiation therapy, often combined with chemotherapy, is being used increasingly often for rectal carcinoma. However, the long-term effect of this treatment on bowel function has not been investigated. MethodsThe records were reviewed of all patients undergoing anterior resection for rectal carcinoma 2 to 5 years previously. During this period, patients with Astler-Coller stage B2 or C tumors generally were given postoperative radiation therapy with chemotherapy, whereas those with earlier stage tumors were not. To minimize possible confounding factors that may have been more common in the group receiving chemoradiotherapy and that may affect bowel function, extensive exclusion criteria were used, such as invasion of contiguous organs, local or distant metastases, use of a dysfunctfoning stoma, and anastomotic or pelvic complications. One hundred remaining patients were suitable for inclusion in the study and participated in a telephone questionnaire; 41 patients had postoperative chemoradiotherapy, and 59 did not. ResultsThe two groups were well matched for sex, level of anastomosis, and length of follow-up, although the group receiving chemoradiotherapy was slightly younger. The group that had chemoradiotherapy had more bowel movements per day than the group that did not have radiation therapy (median 7 vs. median 2, p < 0.001); the former group had “clustering” of bowel movements more often (42% vs. 3%, p < 0.001), had nighttime movements more often (46% vs. 14%, p < 0.001), had occasional or frequent incontinence more often (39% and 17% vs. 7% and 0%, p < 0.001), wore a pad more often (41% vs. 10%, p < 0.001), and were unable to defer defecation for more than 15 minutes more often (78% vs. 19%, p < 0.001). The group that had chemoradiotherapy also had stool of liquid consistency, used antidiarrheal medications, had perianal skin irritation, were unable to differentiate stool from gas, and needed to defecate again within 30 minutes of a movement significantly more often than the group that did not receive chemoradiotherapy.

Results at up to 20 years after ileal pouch–anal anastomosis for chronic ulcerative colitis†

Ileal pouch–anal anastomosis (IPAA) is performed routinely for chronic ulcerative colitis.

Anorectal melanoma—An incurable disease?

PURPOSE: This study was designed to describe recurrence and survival rates after operative treatment for anorectal melanoma and to identify predictive factors for recurrence. METHODS: Records of 50 patients with anorectal melanoma from 1939 to 1993 were reviewed. RESULTS: Overall five-year survival and disease-free survival were 22 and 16 percent, respectively. At the time of diagnosis, 26 percent of patients had metastatic disease, and all died within 12 (mean, 6.3) months. Five-year survival and recurrence rates were identical after either abdominoperineal resection (APR) or wide local excision, both with curative intent. Gender, size of tumor, presence of melanin, positive perirectal lymph nodes, or treatment were not predictive of recurrence. Anorectal melanoma was found incidentally after hemorrhoidectomy or polypectomy in five patients. Three other patients underwent an excisional biopsy of a lesion measuring less than 2 cm. Of these eight patients, five underwent APR and three underwent wide local excision with no microscopic residual tumor at pathology. All developed regional or systemic recurrence at a mean of 21 (range, 4–88) months, and all died of their disease at a mean of 29 (range, 5–98) months. CONCLUSION: Prognosis for anorectal melanoma is poor, irrespective of surgical treatment performed. No predictive factors for recurrence were identified in this series. Wide local excision with a negative margin of a least 1 cm is suggested as the treatment of choice. APR should be reserved for tumor not amenable to local excision or for palliative treatment of large obstructive lesion until effective adjuvant therapies are available.

Does rectal mucosa regenerate after ileonal anastomosis

Regeneration of rectal mucosa after rectal mucosectomy and ileoanal anastomosis (IAA) could jeopardize the long-term safety of the procedure. The aim of this study was to determine if rectal mucosal regeneration occurred after IAA. Pathologic specimens of the IAA and surrounding rectal muscular cuff were obtained from 29 patients who had required IAA excision 17±2 months (mean±SEM, range, 2 to 48 months) following construction. Multiple (≥6) coronal and sagittal sections of each specimen were made and examined histologically. The rectal muscle cuff was bound to ileal serosa by dense fibrous tissue. Small islets of residual rectal mucosa were identified between the denuded rectal cuff and the ileal pull-through in four patients (14 percent) and at the ileoanal anastomosis in two patients (7 percent). Active rectal muscosal disease, dysplasia, or reeplithelialization of the denuded rectal muscle were not seen. It is concluded that small islets of rectal mucosa may remain after IAA. Up to four years after IAA, however, no evidence of rectal mucosal regeneration could be documented.

Randomized prospective trial comparing ileal pouch-anal anastomosis performed by excising the anal mucosa to ileal pouch-anal anastomosis performed by preserving the anal mucosa.

OBJECTIVE The purpose of the study is to compare the results of ileal pouch-anal anastomosis (IPAA) in patients in whom the anal mucosa is excised by handsewn techniques to those in whom the mucosa is preserved using stapling techniques. SUMMARY BACKGROUND DATA Ileal pouch-anal anastomosis is the operation of choice for patients with chronic ulcerative colitis requiring proctocolectomy. Controversy exists over whether preserving the transitional mucosa of the anal canal improves outcomes. METHODS Forty-one patients (23 men, 18 women) were randomized to either endorectal mucosectomy and handsewn IPAA or to double-stapled IPAA, which spared the anal transition zone. All patients were diverted for 2 to 3 months. Nine patients were excluded. Preoperative functional status was assessed by questionnaire and anal manometry. Twenty-four patients underwent more extensive physiologic evaluation, including scintigraphic anopouch angle studies and pudendel never terminal motor latency a mean of 6 months after surgery. Quality of life similarly was estimated before surgery and after surgery. Univariate analysis using Wilcoxon test was used to assess differences between groups. RESULTS The two groups were identical demographically. Overall outcomes in both groups were good. Thirty-three percent of patients who underwent the handsewn technique and 35% of patients who underwent the double-stapled technique experienced a postoperative complication. Resting anal canal pressures were higher in the patients who underwent the stapled technique, but other physiologic parameters were similar between groups. Night-time fecal incontinence occurred less frequently in the stapled group but not significantly. The number of stools per 24 hours decreased from preoperative values in both groups. After IPAA, quality of life improved promptly in both groups. CONCLUSIONS Stapled IPAA, which preserves the mucosa of the anal transition zone, confers no apparent early advantage in terms of decreased stool frequency or fewer episodes of fecal incontinence compared to handsewn IPAA, which excises the mucosa. Higher resting pressures in the stapled group coupled with a trend toward less night-time incontinence, however, may portend better function in the stapled group over time. Both operations are safe and result in rapid and profound improvement in quality of life.

Preoperative staging of rectal carcinoma by computed tomography and 0.15t magnetic resonance imaging: Preliminary report

A prospective study was done on 34 patients using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computed tomography (CT) preoperatively to stage patients with known rectal carcinoma. The study was done to determine the accuracy and clinical usefulness of CT and MRI. The Thoeni staging method was used. Twenty-four of 30 cases were staged correctly by CT. Sixteen of 27 were staged correctly by MRI. CT detected lymph node metastases in six of 15 cases with one false-positive. MRI detected lymph node metastases in two of 15 patients with one false-positive. CT was the preferred examination, and was useful in some cases. These cases included patients with small tumors who were considered for local excision and patients with extensive disease who were candidates for preoperative or intraoperative radiation treatment. MRI demonstrated extensive disease, as did CT in our later cases.

Atypical diverticular disease : Surgical results

PURPOSE: Patients with diverticular disease may present with chronic symptoms but never develop diverticulitis. The purpose of this research was to review the outcome of surgical intervention in this subgroup of patients with atypical “smoldering” diverticular disease. METHODS: Records of 930 patients who underwent sigmoid resection for diverticular disease during a ten-year period at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, were reviewed. Forty-seven patients (5 percent) fit our inclusion criteria for smoldering diverticular disease and underwent sigmoid colectomy with primary anastomosis. A minimum of 12 months of follow-up was completed in 68 percent of these patients. RESULTS: Evidence of acute or chronic inflammatory changes was present in 76 percent of resected specimens. Complete resolution of symptoms occurred in 76.5 percent, with 88 percent being pain free. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that the diagnosis and presentation of atypical smoldering diverticular disease is an uncommon and poorly defined entity. However, sigmoid resection in this subgroup of patients is safe and is associated with resolution of symptoms in the majority of cases.

Postoperative intra-abdominal and pelvic sepsis complicating ileal pouch-anal anastomosis

In a series of 500 patients who underwent ileal pouch-anal anastomosis for ulcerative colitis or polyposis coli, significant intra-abdominal or pelvic sepsis developed in 30 (6%). Among the patients who did not require laparotomy because they responded to treatment with antibiotics or local drainage (surgical or radiologically guided) or both, no pouches were excised and the ileostomy closure rate (92%) was similar to that for the patients who did not have sepsis. The 17 patients whose sepsis did require laparotomy had a high rate of pouch excision (41%) (p<0.0001) and a low rate of ileostomy closure (29%) (p<0.0001). Factors identified as possibly associated with severe sepsis included female gender and ulcerative colitis complicated by toxicity or malignancy.

Outcomes following surgery without radiotherapy for rectal cancer

This study determined survival and recurrence rates following curative resection of rectal cancer without radiotherapy.

Perineal Hernia After Proctectomy: Prevalence, Risks, and Management

PurposePerineal hernias are infrequent complications of abdominoperineal operations with estimated historic prevalences (from the era where the perineal wound was left open) ranging from 0.6 to 7 percent. The purpose of this study was to identify the modern prevalence of postoperative perineal hernias, factors that may contribute to their development, and examine the methods of repair.MethodsThe Mayo Clinic patient database (1990–2000) was interrogated for the following data identifiers: incisional hernia, perineal hernia, abdominoperineal resection, proctocolectomy, and partial or total pelvic exenteration. All surviving patients were followed up to December 2005. The retrieved patient data was retrospectively analyzed.ResultsOf a total of 3,761 patients who underwent abdominoperineal resection (including nonrestorative proctocolectomy and pelvic exenteration) during the study period, 8 developed a perineal hernia (5 females). The median age at hernia presentation was 76 (range, 69–84) years, representing a median interval of 22 (range, 1–60) months from the original operation. All were smokers (≥15 pack years) and five had received chemoradiotherapy for their original diagnosis. The commonest prevalence was found in patients who had undergone abdominoperineal resection (5/1,266) or pelvic exenteration (2/1,334). Only 1 of 1,161 patients developed a perineal hernia after proctocolectomy despite most being on perioperative immunosuppression for inflammatory bowel disease. Abdominal exploration and repair was performed in four patients whereas four underwent perineal repair (2 of each with mesh). None have recurred with a median follow-up of 36 (range, 6–60) months.ConclusionsPerineal hernias are rare complications of abdominoperineal surgery with a more common prevalence after cancer operations. Smoking and chemoradiotherapy, but not corticosteroid immunosuppression, may be factors. The abdominal approach has advantages over the perineal approach, but both are suitable with good medium-term results.