Francisca García-Moreno

Benign rectovaginal fistulas: management and results of a personal series

BackgroundTreatment of benign rectovaginal fistula has a high failure rate and entails difficult decisions. The purpose of this retrospective study was to clarify the concepts which may improve its management.MethodsBetween 1983 and 2004, 46 consecutive women of median age 41 years were treated by the same surgeon. Etiology of simple fistulas was iatrogenic (n=6), obstetric (n=4) and septic (n=3). Complex fistulas were due to inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) (n=18, 11 pouchvaginal) or were iatrogenic (n=9), actinic (n=5) or septic (n=1). Surgical techniques included endorectal or vaginal advancement flaps, fistulectomy and sphincteroplasty, vaginal/rectal closure and epiploplasty, restorative proctectomy and restorative proctocolectomy. In 20 patients, a diverting stoma was performed as a single procedure or concomitant to the curative attempt.ResultsOverall, 33 of the 39 fistulas (85%) treated for cure healed, including all simple fistulas and 20 complex fistulas (8 iatrogenic, 3 actinic, 2 ulcerative colitis without restorative proctocolectomy; 5 pouch vaginal; 1 septic; 1 Crohn’s disease) (p=0.009). The first operation for the fistula was curative in 20 of 39 fistulas, including 10 of 13 simple and 10 of 26 complex fistulas (p=0.023). There was no significant age difference between cured and not-cured patients.ConclusionsSimple versus complex fistulas is the most determinant factor for healing. In IBD fistulas, ulcerative colitis shows better prognosis than Crohn’s disease. For complex fistulas, a temporary diverting stoma seems necessary.

Preclinical Bioassay of a Polypropylene Mesh for Hernia Repair Pretreated with Antibacterial Solutions of Chlorhexidine and Allicin: An In Vivo Study.

Introduction Prosthetic mesh infection constitutes one of the major complications following hernia repair. Antimicrobial, non-antibiotic biomaterials have the potential to reduce bacterial adhesion to the mesh surface and adjacent tissues while avoiding the development of novel antibiotic resistance. This study assesses the efficacy of presoaking reticular polypropylene meshes in chlorhexidine or a chlorhexidine and allicin combination (a natural antibacterial agent) for preventing bacterial infection in a short-time hernia-repair rabbit model. Methods Partial hernia defects (5 x 2 cm) were created on the lateral right side of the abdominal wall of New Zealand White rabbits (n = 21). The defects were inoculated with 0.5 mL of a 106 CFU/mL Staphylococcus aureus ATCC25923 strain and repaired with a DualMesh Plus antimicrobial mesh or a Surgipro mesh presoaked in either chlorhexidine (0.05%) or allicin-chlorhexidine (900 μg/mL-0.05%). Fourteen days post-implant, mesh contraction was measured and tissue specimens were harvested to evaluate bacterial adhesion to the implant surface (via sonication, S. aureus immunolabeling), host-tissue incorporation (via staining, scanning electron microscopy) and macrophage response (via RAM-11 immunolabeling). Results The polypropylene mesh showed improved tissue integration relative to the DualMesh Plus. Both the DualMesh Plus and the chlorhexidine-soaked polypropylene meshes exhibited high bacterial clearance, with the latter material showing lower bacterial yields. The implants from the allicin-chlorhexidine group displayed a neoformed tissue containing differently sized abscesses and living bacteria, as well as a diminished macrophage response. The allicin-chlorhexidine coated implants exhibited the highest contraction. Conclusions The presoaking of reticular polypropylene materials with a low concentration of chlorhexidine provides the mesh with antibacterial activity without disrupting tissue integration. Due to the similarities found with the antimicrobial DualMesh Plus material, the chlorhexidine concentration tested could be utilized as a prophylactic treatment to resist infection by prosthetic mesh during hernia repair.

Use of composite prostheses in the repair of defects in the abdominal wall: prosthetic behaviour at the peritoneum.

OBJECTIVE To compare the behaviour of two composite biomaterials in rabbit peritoneum. DESIGN Animal study. SETTING Faculty of Medicine, University of Alcalá, Spain. ANIMALS 14 white New Zealand white rabbits divided into 2 groups of 7 each. INTERVENTIONS Defects (7 x 5 cm) involving all the layers of the abdominal wall were created and repaired using Parietex Composite or Vypro prostheses. Fourteen days after implantation, prosthetic specimens were examined by microscopy, and morphometric and biomechanical analysis. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Infection, healing, development of adhesions, and histological appearance of the interface. RESULTS Firm adhesions were detected after the implant of Vypro while adhesion were loose in the Parietex group. The mean (SD) prosthetic surface area covered by adhesions was significantly greater in the Vypro group 22.3 (2.8) compared with 0.2 (0.02), p <0.01). The neoperitoneum formed after the implant of Parietex was well-organised and homogeneous and covered by a typical mesothelium, while in the Vypro it was disorganised, with a rough texture composed of prosthetic filaments and nodes. The neoperitonum was thicker in the Parietex group 154.0 (5.4) compared with 50.8 (2.3), p <0.05) while higher biomechanical resistance values were recorded in the Vypro group 30.4 (1.9) compared with 15.0 (2.73), p <0.05). CONCLUSIONS While both biomaterials integrated well with tissue, Parietex behaved better at the peritoneal interface.

Inhibition of Staphylococcus aureus Adhesion to the Surface of a Reticular Heavyweight Polypropylene Mesh Soaked in a Combination of Chlorhexidine and Allicin: An In vitro Study.

Introduction Presoaking meshes for hernia repair with antiseptics prior to implantation could decrease the adhesion of microorganisms to the material surface and reduce the risk of antibiotic resistances. In this work, we evaluate chlorhexidine and allicin (natural antiseptic not yet tested for these purposes) against vancomycin as antiseptics to be used in the pretreatment of a heavyweight polypropylene mesh using an in vitro model of bacterial contamination. Methods Solutions of saline, vancomycin (40 µg/mL), allicin (1,000 µg/mL), chlorhexidine (2%-0.05%) and the combination allicin-chlorhexidine (900 µg/mL-0.05%) were analyzed with agar diffusion tests in the presence of 106 CFU Staphylococcus aureus ATCC25923. Additionally, sterile fragments of Surgipro (1 cm2) were soaked with the solutions and cultured onto contaminated agar plates for 24/48/72 h. The antimicrobial material DualMesh Plus was utilized as positive control. At every time, the inhibition zones were measured and the bacterial adhesion to the mesh surface quantified (sonication, scanning electron microscopy). Cytotoxicity of the treatments was examined (alamarBlue) using rabbit skin fibroblasts. Results The largest zones of inhibition were created by allicin-chlorhexidine. Chlorhexidine was more effective than vancomycin, and allicin lost its effectiveness after 24 h. No bacteria adhered to the surface of the DualMesh Plus or the meshes soaked with vancomycin, chlorhexidine and allicin-chlorhexidine. On the contrary, saline and allicin allowed adherence of high loads of bacteria. Vancomycin had no toxic effects on fibroblasts, while allicin and chlorhexidine exerted high toxicity. Cytotoxicity was significantly reduced with the allicin-chlorhexidine combination. Conclusions The use of antiseptics such as chlorhexidine, alone or combined with others like allicin, could represent an adequate prophylactic strategy to be used for hernia repair materials because soaking with these agents provides the mesh with similar antibacterial properties to those observed after soaking with vancomycin, similar to the effect of DualMesh Plus.

Diseño y ensayo biológico de una nueva prótesis composite (PL-PU99) destinada a la reparación de defectos de la pared abdominal

Resumen Introduccion Las protesis macroporosas, tipo polipropileno (PL), empleadas para la reparacion de defectos en la pared abdominal, tienen en algunas ocasiones que ser implantadas en contacto con el peritoneo visceral. La interfase protesis/peritoneo visceral puede generar problemas en cuanto a formacion adherencial con posibilidad de formacion de fistulas. El objetivo del presente trabajo ha sido realizar un estudio sobre el comportamiento en esta interfase de una nueva protesis disenada en forma de composite (PL-PU99) por nuestro grupo de investigacion. Material y metodos Se han empleado 30 animales (conejo blanco Nueva Zelanda) de un peso aproximado entre 2.000 y 2.500 g. Se crearon defectos de 7×5 cm en la pared anterior del abdomen que comprendian todos los planos (aponeurotico, muscular y peritoneo parietal), siendo reparados los mismos con protesis de PL y PL-PU99. La piel que quedo cubriendo la protesis fue cerrada con una sutura de polipropileno 3/0. La protesis PL-PU99 es un composite formado por tres componentes: una protesis de PL de un poro de 1 mm y una lamina de poliuretano (colocada en contacto con el peritoneo visceral), unidas ambas por un pegamento acrilico. Se establecieron dos grupos de estudio: grupo I (n = 15) o control, implantes de PL, y grupo II (n = 15), implantes de PL-PU99. Los animales fueron sacrificados a los 14, 30 y 90 dias de la intervencion quirurgica. Se efectuaron estudios a microscopia optica, electronica de barrido (SEM) y transmision (MET), inmunohistoquimica y morfometria del neoperitoneo. Asimismo, se cuantificaron las adherencias en la interfase protesis/peritoneo visceral. El estudio biomecanico se realizo con un tensiometro Instron (TT-DM-1118). El analisis estadistico se efectuo empleando los test de la t de Student-Newman- Keuls y la U de Mann-Whitney. Resultados No hubo mortalidad en los animales intervenidos ni presencia de infeccion o rechazo de los implantes. Las adherencias fueron firmes en los implantes de PL y practicamente inexistentes en los de PL-PU99. La superficie cubierta por adherencias fue de 7,18 ± 1,11 y 0,11 ± 0,02 cm2, respectivamente, para los grupos I y II, existiendo diferencias significativas entre ambos grupos (p Conclusiones a) la protesis PL-PU99 tiene un comportamiento optimo en cuanto a formacion adherencial, en la interfase protesis/peritoneo visceral; b) el neoperitoneo formado con esta protesis sustituye casi fisica y funcionalmente al peritoneo normal, y c) la resistencia biomecanica obtenida no presenta diferencias entre el grupo control y el grupo objeto de estudio.

Comparing the influence of two immunosuppressants (fingolimod, azathioprine) on wound healing in a rat model of primary and secondary intention wound closure: Effect of fingolimod and azathioprine on skin wound healing.

In this study, rat models of wound closure by first and second intention were developed to evaluate the influence that two immunosuppressants for treating multiple sclerosis (fingolimod, azathioprine) have on wound healing. Sixty‐three Sprague‐Dawley rats were daily treated with fingolimod (0.6 mg/kg), azathioprine (2.5 mg/kg), or placebo (saline). Following 6 weeks of treatment, a linear incision (1.5 cm) or a circular excisional defect (diameter 1.5 cm) was made on the dorsal skin. The treatments were uninterrupted and after 7 days (incisional) or 21 days (incisional, excisional), animals were euthanized (n = 7 per group and time‐point). Morphometric (wound closure), histological (stainings), and immunofluorescent studies (macrophages) were performed to evaluate the healing process. For both the incisional and excisional defects, animals treated with fingolimod exhibited a healing process equivalent to that of placebo in terms of collagenization, wound closure, and macrophage response. By comparison, groups treated with azathioprine displayed a delay in healing times which was especially evident in the excisional defect, where inflammatory reaction and collagen deposition in the repair tissue remained active by day 21. These results show that immunosuppressants with a selective mechanism of action (fingolimod) can have less impact on wound healing than their classical nonselective counterparts (azathioprine).

Laparoscopic transgastric resection of gastric submucosal tumor located near the esophagogastric junction

Aim: Laparoscopic wedge resection is widely accepted as the choice of treatment for gastric submucosal tumors (GST). However, tumors on the posterior wall at the esophagogastric junction (EGJ) are difficult to approach. Laparoscopic transgastric resection (LTR) is a novel technique to remove gastric tumors that are unresectable by endoscopy due to their size and location. The aim of the article is to assess the feasibility and oncological outcomes of this laparoscopic approach for intraluminal GST located in the posterior wall and near the EGJ. Methods: A retrospective analysis of all patients with GST located at the EGJ who underwent LTR at our institution from January 2015 to February 2016 was performed. Results: Of the 4 patients who underwent LTR, 3 were female and 1 was male, with a mean age of 74.5 years. LTR was successfully performed in all the cases. All patients received a complete resection with negative margins. Histopathologic diagnoses were gastrointestinal stromal tumor in 2 cases and leiomyoma in the other 2. Median tumor size was 3.45 cm. The mean operation time was 173 min (range 120-232 min). One patient experienced a postoperative hematemesis, but was treated conservatively. The mean postoperative stay was 8 days (range 4-15 days). Conclusions: LTR is feasible and difficult localizations can be reached with ease. It is an appropriate alternative to laparoscopic wedge resections especially for localizations that cannot be accessed by laparoscopy such as tumors located near the EGJ.