Karine Pautrat

Amoxicillin plus clavulanic acid versus appendicectomy for treatment of acute uncomplicated appendicitis: an open-label, non-inferiority, randomised controlled trial

BACKGROUND Researchers have suggested that antibiotics could cure acute appendicitis. We assessed the efficacy of amoxicillin plus clavulanic acid by comparison with emergency appendicectomy for treatment of patients with uncomplicated acute appendicitis. METHODS In this open-label, non-inferiority, randomised trial, adult patients (aged 18-68 years) with uncomplicated acute appendicitis, as assessed by CT scan, were enrolled at six university hospitals in France. A computer-generated randomisation sequence was used to allocate patients randomly in a 1:1 ratio to receive amoxicillin plus clavulanic acid (3 g per day) for 8-15 days or emergency appendicectomy. The primary endpoint was occurrence of postintervention peritonitis within 30 days of treatment initiation. Non-inferiority was shown if the upper limit of the two-sided 95% CI for the difference in rates was lower than 10 percentage points. Both intention-to-treat and per-protocol analyses were done. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT00135603. FINDINGS Of 243 patients randomised, 123 were allocated to the antibiotic group and 120 to the appendicectomy group. Four were excluded from analysis because of early dropout before receiving the intervention, leaving 239 (antibiotic group, 120; appendicectomy group, 119) patients for intention-to-treat analysis. 30-day postintervention peritonitis was significantly more frequent in the antibiotic group (8%, n=9) than in the appendicectomy group (2%, n=2; treatment difference 5·8; 95% CI 0·3-12·1). In the appendicectomy group, despite CT-scan assessment, 21 (18%) of 119 patients were unexpectedly identified at surgery to have complicated appendicitis with peritonitis. In the antibiotic group, 14 (12% [7·1-18·6]) of 120 underwent an appendicectomy during the first 30 days and 30 (29% [21·4-38·9]) of 102 underwent appendicectomy between 1 month and 1 year, 26 of whom had acute appendicitis (recurrence rate 26%; 18·0-34·7). INTERPRETATION Amoxicillin plus clavulanic acid was not non-inferior to emergency appendicectomy for treatment of acute appendicitis. Identification of predictive markers on CT scans might enable improved targeting of antibiotic treatment. FUNDING French Ministry of Health, Programme Hospitalier de Recherche Clinique 2002.

Emergency Laparoscopic Management of Perforated Sigmoid Diverticulitis: A Promising Alternative to More Radical Procedures

BACKGROUND Classic emergency surgical management of complicated perforated sigmoid diverticulitis is based on the principle of a two-stage operation, with colon resection and temporary stoma (Hartmanns procedure). But the later second-stage operation can be technically difficult and can be associated with a significant morbidity rate. We argue that laparoscopy may be beneficial in such patients with peritonitis in terms of operative results and could facilitate later surgical management. STUDY DESIGN We studied all consecutive patients with perforated sigmoid diverticulitis requiring emergency surgery between January 2000 and December 2004. RESULTS Twenty-four patients underwent emergency laparoscopic management for perforated sigmoid diverticulitis. Nineteen patients (80%) were found to have a purulent or fecal diffuse peritonitis. No conversion and colostomy were necessary. The overall morbidity rate was 8%; 2 patients with pelvic abscesses required radiologic drainage. The median hospital stay was 12 days (range 7 to 35 days). Prophylactic sigmoid resection was performed by laparoscopy in all patients, with a conversion rate of 16%. CONCLUSIONS Laparoscopic treatment of generalized peritonitis secondary to diverticulitis is feasible and safe and may be a promising alternative to more radical surgery in selected patients, avoiding fecal diversion and allowing a delayed elective laparoscopic sigmoid resection.

Laparoscopic Peritoneal Lavage or Primary Anastomosis With Defunctioning Stoma for Hinchey 3 Complicated Diverticulitis : Results of a Comparative Study

PURPOSE: This study was designed to compare postoperative outcomes of laparoscopic peritoneal lavage and open primary anastomosis with defunctioning stoma in the management of Hinchey 3 diverticulitis. METHODS: From 1994 to 2006, 35 patients underwent laparoscopic peritoneal lavage for Hinchey 3 diverticulitis in three institutions. Data prospectively collected were compared with those of a retrospective series of 24 patients matched for Hincheys classification and who underwent primary anastomosis with defunctioning stoma. RESULTS: There was no postoperative death. Postoperative morbidity was not different between the two groups. One patient in the laparoscopic peritoneal lavage group required a Hartmanns procedure because of a colonic fistula. One patient in the primary anastomosis with defunctioning stoma group underwent a reoperation for incisional dehiscence. The median hospital stay was lower in patients treated by laparoscopic peritoneal lavage (8 vs. 17 days, P < 0.0001). Twenty-five patients in the laparoscopic peritoneal lavage group underwent elective laparoscopic resection. One of them required conversion to laparotomy. All patients in the primary anastomosis with defunctioning stoma group have had their ileostomy closed. Cumulative surgical morbidity (16 vs. 37.5 percent, P = 0.0507) and hospital stay (14 vs. 23 days, P < 0.0001) were lower in the laparoscopic peritoneal lavage group. CONCLUSION: In the management of Hinchey 3 diverticulitis, laparoscopic peritoneal lavage does not result in excess morbidity or mortality, it reduces the length of hospital stay and avoids a stoma in most patients, and it is, therefore, a reasonable alternative to primary anastomosis with defunctioning stoma.

Preoperative detection of hepatic metastases: Comparison of diffusion-weighted, T2-weighted fast spin echo and gadolinium-enhanced MR imaging using surgical and histopathologic findings as standard of reference

PURPOSE The purpose of this study was to retrospectively compare the respective sensitivities of diffusion-weighted (DW), T2-weighted fast spin-echo (T2WFSE) and gadolinium chelate-enhanced MR imaging in the preoperative detection of hepatic metastases using intraoperative ultrasonographic and histopathologic findings as the standard of reference. MATERIALS AND METHODS Twenty-seven patients with 64 surgically and histopathologically proven hepatic metastases had MR imaging of the liver, including DW, T2WFSE and dynamic gadolinium chelate-enhanced MR imaging. Images from each MR sequence were separately analyzed by two readers with disagreements resolved by consensus readings. The findings on MR images were compared with intraoperative ultrasonographic and histopathologic findings on a lesion-by-lesion basis to determine the sensitivity of each MR sequence. Statistical review of the lesion-by-lesion analysis was performed with the McNemar test. RESULTS DW, T2WFSE and gadolinium chelate-enhanced MR imaging allowed the depiction of 54/64 (84.4%; 95% CI: 73.1-92.2%), 44/64 (68.8%; 95% CI: 55.9-79.8%), and 51/64 (79.7%; 95% CI: 67.8-88.7%) hepatic metastases respectively. DW MR images allowed depiction of significantly more hepatic metastases than did T2WFSE and was equivalent to gadolinium chelate-enhanced MR imaging (P=.002 and P=.375, respectively). CONCLUSION DW MR imaging is superior to T2WFSE imaging and equivalent to gadolinium chelate-enhanced MR imaging for the preoperative detection of hepatic metastases. Further studies however are needed to determine at what extent DW MR imaging can be used as an alternative to gadolinium chelate-enhanced MR imaging for the preoperative depiction of hepatic metastases.

Effect of postoperative antibiotic administration on postoperative infection following cholecystectomy for acute calculous cholecystitis: a randomized clinical trial.

IMPORTANCE Ninety percent of cases of acute calculous cholecystitis are of mild (grade I) or moderate (grade II) severity. Although the preoperative and intraoperative antibiotic management of acute calculous cholecystitis has been standardized, few data exist on the utility of postoperative antibiotic treatment. OBJECTIVE To determine the effect of postoperative amoxicillin plus clavulanic acid on infection rates after cholecystectomy. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PATIENTS A total of 414 patients treated at 17 medical centers for grade I or II acute calculous cholecystitis and who received 2 g of amoxicillin plus clavulanic acid 3 times a day while in the hospital before and once at the time of surgery were randomized after surgery to an open-label, noninferiority, randomized clinical trial between May 2010 and August 2012. INTERVENTIONS After surgery, no antibiotics or continue with the preoperative antibiotic regimen 3 times daily for 5 days. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES The proportion of postoperative surgical site or distant infections recorded before or at the 4-week follow-up visit. RESULTS An imputed intention-to-treat analysis of 414 patients showed that the postoperative infection rates were 17% (35 of 207) in the nontreatment group and 15% (31 of 207) in the antibiotic group (absolute difference, 1.93%; 95% CI, -8.98% to 5.12%). In the per-protocol analysis, which involved 338 patients, the corresponding rates were both 13% (absolute difference, 0.3%; 95% CI, -5.0% to 6.3%). Based on a noninferiority margin of 11%, the lack of postoperative antibiotic treatment was not associated with worse outcomes than antibiotic treatment. Bile cultures showed that 60.9% were pathogen free. Both groups had similar Clavien complication severity outcomes: 195 patients (94.2%) in the nontreatment group had a score of 0 to I and 2 patients (0.97%) had a score of III to V, and 182 patients (87.8%) in the antibiotic group had a score of 0 to I and 4 patients (1.93%) had a score of III to V. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE Among patients with mild or moderate calculous cholecystitis who received preoperative and intraoperative antibiotics, lack of postoperative treatment with amoxicillin plus clavulanic acid did not result in a greater incidence of postoperative infections. TRIAL REGISTRATION clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT01015417.

Pitfalls and mimickers at 64-section helical CT that cause negative appendectomy: an analysis from 1057 appendectomies

PURPOSE To determine the rate of negative appendectomy and clarify the causes of negative appendectomy in patients with clinically suspected acute appendicitis who had surgery after 64-section helical computed tomography (CT). MATERIAL AND METHODS A retrospective analysis of 1057 patients who had appendectomy after 64-section helical CT was performed to determine the rate of negative appendectomy. The 64-section helical CT examinations obtained with submillimeter and isotropic voxels in the patients with negative appendectomy were analyzed by two readers and compared to clinical, operative and histopathological reports, discharge summaries and original radiology reports. RESULTS The negative appendectomy rate was 1.7% (18/1057). Appendix enlargement (>6 mm) and fat stranding were present in 17 (17/18; 94%) and 6 patients (6/18; 33%), respectively. In 13 patients (13/18; 72%) 64-section helical CT findings were consistent with acute appendicitis. Interpretive errors in original imaging reports were identified in five patients (5/18; 28%). CONCLUSION The preoperative use of 64-section helical CT results in a very low rate of negative appendectomy. Patients with negative appendectomy have 64-section helical CT findings consistent with a diagnosis of acute appendicitis in the majority of cases. Interpretive errors are less frequent.

Acute cholecystitis: quantitative and qualitative evaluation with 64-section helical CT.

Background Because of an expanded role for CT in the evaluation of patients with acute abdominal pain, it is not rare that acute cholecystitis is depicted by CT. However, the sensitivity and the specificity of a given CT variable for the diagnosis of acute cholecystitis is not known. Purpose To quantitatively and qualitatively analyze acute cholecystitis at 64-section helical CT with submilimeter and isotropic voxels using a retrospective case-control study. Material and Methods The 64-section helical CT examinations obtained with submilimeter and isotropic voxels in 40 patients with acute cholecystitis (25 men; mean age, 62.2years) were quantitatively and qualitatively analyzed and compared to those of 40 control subjects matched for age and gender. Receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was used to determine the most discriminating cut-off values for quantitative variables. Comparisons of qualitative variables were made using univariate analysis. Results Pericholecystic fat stranding, mural stratification, pericholecystic hypervascularity, spontaneous hyperattenuation of gallbladder wall, short (≥32-mm) and long (≥74-mm) gallbladder axis enlargement, and gallbladder wall thickening (≥3.6-mm) were the most discriminating and independent variables for the diagnosis of acute cholecystitis (P < 0.0001). Using cut-off values found at ROC curve analysis, gallbladder wall thickening, and short and long gallbladder axis enlargement were the most sensitive findings (sensitivity = 92.5%; 95%CI: 79.6%–98.4%) for the diagnosis of acute cholecystitis. Conclusion Acute cholecystitis is associated with myriad suggestive findings on 64-section helical CT. It can be anticipated that familiarity with these findings would result in more confident diagnosis of acute cholecystitis at 64-section helical CT.

Appendicite épiploïque primitive : une étiologie d’abdomen aigu révélée par la tomodensitométrie

Resume Les appendicites epiploiques primitives sont des etiologies sous-estimees d’abdomen aigu douloureux. Nous rapportons 2 observations ou le diagnostic a pu etre affirme par la tomodensitometrie helicoidale. Il s’agit d’une veritable entite clinique dont la semiologie tomodensitometrique est caracteristique. L’evolution de cette pathologie est le plus souvent favorable, autorisant un traitement medical premier de cette affection.

Acute colonic diverticulitis: an update on clinical classification and management with MDCT correlation

Currently, the most commonly used classification of acute colonic diverticulitis (ACD) is the modified Hinchey classification, which corresponds to a slightly more complex classification by comparison with the original description. This modified classification allows to categorize patients with ACD into four major categories (I, II, III, IV) and two additional subcategories (Ia and Ib), depending on the severity of the disease. Several studies have clearly demonstrated the impact of this classification for determining the best therapeutic approach and predicting perioperative complications for patients who need surgery. This review provides an update on the classification of ACD along with a special emphasis on the corresponding MDCT features of the different categories and subcategories. This modified Hinchey classification should be known by emergency physicians, radiologists, and surgeons in order to improve patient care and management because each category has a specific therapeutic approach.

Anti-tnf Therapy Is Associated With an Increased Risk of Postoperative Morbidity After Surgery for Ileocolonic Crohn Disease: Results of a Prospective Nationwide Cohort

Objective: To determine the risk factors of morbidity after surgery for ileocolonic Crohn disease (CD). Summary Background Data: The risk factors of morbidity after surgery for CD, particularly the role of anti-TNF therapy, remain controversial and have not been evaluated in a large prospective cohort study. Methods: From 2013 to 2015, data on 592 consecutive patients who underwent surgery for CD in 19 French specialty centers were collected prospectively. Possible relationships between anti-TNF and postoperative overall morbidity were tested by univariate and multivariate analyses. Because treatment by anti-TNF is possibly dependent on the characteristics of the patients and disease, a propensity score was calculated and introduced in the analyses using adjustment of the inverse probability of treatment-weighted method. Results: Postoperative mortality, overall and intra-abdominal septic morbidity rates in the entire cohort were 0%, 29.7%, and 8.4%, respectively; 143 (24.1%) patients had received anti-TNF <3 months prior to surgery. In the multivariate analysis, anti-TNF <3 months prior to surgery was identified as an independent risk factor of the overall postoperative morbidity (odds-ratio [OR] =1.99; confidence interval [CI] 95% = 1.17–3.39, P = 0.011), with preoperative hemoglobin <10 g/dL (OR = 4.77; CI 95% = 1.32–17.35, P = 0.017), operative time >180 min (OR = 2.71; CI 95% = 1.54–4.78, P < 0.001) and recurrent CD (OR = 1.99; CI 95% = 1.13–3.36, P = 0.017). After calculating the propensity score and adjustment according to the inverse probability of treatment-weighted method, anti-TNF <3 months prior to surgery remained associated with a higher risk of overall (OR = 2.98; CI 95% = 2.04–4.35, P <0.0001) and intra-abdominal septic postoperative morbidities (OR = 2.22; CI 95% = 1.22–4.04, P = 0.009). Conclusions: Preoperative anti-TNF therapy is associated with a higher risk of morbidity after surgery for ileocolonic CD. This information should be considered in the surgical management of these patients, particularly with regard to the preoperative preparation and indication of temporary defunctioning stoma.