Gd Tebala

The use of cyanoacrylate tissue adhesive in high-risk intestinal anastomoses

The success of every intestinal surgical procedure primarily depends on correct technical execution of the intestinal sutures. Despite the continuing improvements in intestinal synthesis techniques and the introduction of mechanical staplers, the risk of anastomotic dehiscence remains a major concern. For high-risk anastomoses, defined as those performed under critical conditions, n-butyl-2-cyanoacrylate tissue adhesive allows for quick sealing of the two stumps and supports the physiological wound-healing process. Furthermore, no experimental or clinical studies have shown that this glue has any carcinogenic or mutagenic properties. Thus, we believe that n-butyl-2-cyanoacrylate will be extremely useful for intestinal anastomoses with a high risk of dehiscence.

Emergency treatment of complicated colorectal cancer

Aim To find evidence to suggest the best approach in patients admitted as an emergency for complicated colorectal cancer. Methods The medical records of 131 patients admitted as an emergency with an obstructing, perforated, or bleeding colorectal cancer to Noble’s Hospital, Isle of Man, and the Umberto I University Hospital, Rome, were retrospectively evaluated. Patients were divided in 3 groups on the basis of the emergency treatment they received, namely 1) immediate resection, 2) damage control procedure and elective or semielective resection, and 3) no radical treatment. Demographic variables, clinical data, and treatment data were considered, and formed the basis for the comparison of groups. Primary endpoints were 90-day mortality and morbidity. Secondary endpoints were length of stay, number of lymph nodes analyzed, rate of radical R0 resections, and the number of patients who had chemoradiotherapy. Results Forty-two patients did not have any radical treatment because the cancer was too advanced or they were too ill to tolerate an operation, 78 patients had immediate resection and 11 had damage control followed by elective resection. There was no statistically significant difference between immediate resections and 2-stage treatment in 90-day mortality and morbidity (mortality: 15.4% vs 0%; morbidity: 26.9% vs 27.3%), number of nodes retrieved (16.6±9.4 vs 14.9±5.7), and rate of R0 resections (84.6% vs 90.9%), but mortality was slightly higher in patients who underwent immediate resection. The patients who underwent staged treatment had a higher possibility of receiving a laparoscopic resection (11.5% vs 36.4%). Conclusion The present study failed to demonstrate a clear superiority of one treatment with respect to the other, even if there is an interesting trend favoring staged resection.