Richard P. Billingham

Treatment of benign anal disease with topical nitroglycerin

PURPOSE: Fissure-in-ano and acutely thrombosed external hemorrhoids are common, benign anal conditions, usually characterized by severe anal pain. Internal anal sphincter hypertonia appears to play a role in the etiology of this pain. Nitric oxide has recently been identified as the “novel biologic messenger” that mediates the anorectal inhibitory reflex in humans. This report documents a therapeutic role for nitroglycerin, a nitric oxide donor, in the treatment of acutely thrombosed external hemorrhoids and anal fissure. METHODS: Five patients with thrombosed external hemorrhoids and fifteen patients with anal fissure or ulcer were identified. A treatment regimen that included 0.5 percent nitroglycerin ointment applied topically to the anus was instituted. After one week of therapy, all patients were re-examined and questioned regarding pain relief and side effects of treatment. Fissure patients were followed for eight weeks or until healing occurred. RESULTS: All patients reported dramatic relief of anal pain following application of nitroglycerin. Pain relief lasted from two to six hours. Complete healing of fissures occurred within two weeks in ten patients and within one month in two patients. One patient, whose fissure had not healed completely within two weeks requested surgical sphincterotomy. Two patients remained with persistent anal ulcers despite two months of therapy. Both, however, were pain-free. Side effects were limited to transient headache in 7 of 20 patients. CONCLUSION: Topically applied nitroglycerin ointment appears to have a therapeutic role in the treatment of thrombosed external hemorrhoids and anal fissure.

The Altemeier repair: Outpatient treatment of rectal prolapse

PURPOSE: Rectal prolapse typically occurs in elderly patients, who are often poor surgical candidates because of the presence of multiple comorbidities. Abdominal approaches to procidentia have low recurrence rates but are associated with higher rates of morbidity and mortality. Perineal rectosigmoidectomy (Altemeier repair) is a safe and effective approach to the treatment of rectal prolapse and can be done as an outpatient procedure. In this article, the results of a series of 63 consecutive Altemeier repairs are presented. METHODS: Between February 1993 and December 1999, 63 patients (61 females) underwent Altemeier repair of rectal prolapse. The mean patient age was 79 years. Preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative data were collected and analyzed for all patients. RESULTS: Median follow-up was 20.8 months. Seventy percent of patients were given a regional or local anesthetic. The average resected specimen length was 11.6 cm, and 83 percent of anastomoses were stapled. Sixty-two percent of patients were discharged home on the day of surgery, and 80 percent were home within 24 hours. Complications occurred in 10 percent of patients, but there was no perioperative mortality. There was a 6.4 percent recurrence rate, and all recurrences were successfully treated with repeat Altemeier repair. All 63 patients had complete objective resolution of prolapse, and 87 percent had subjective improvement after repair. CONCLUSIONS: Altemeier repair of rectal prolapse is safe, produces minimal discomfort, and does not require a general anesthetic. It is ideally suited to be done on an outpatient basis, as was done in the majority of patients in our series. The recurrence rate is slightly higher than with abdominal resections, but morbidity and cost are lower, and repeat perineal resections are easily and safely performed.

A study to determine the nitroglycerin ointment dose and dosing interval that best promote the healing of chronic anal fissures

AbstractPURPOSE: The aim of this study was to determine the optimal dose and dosing interval of nitroglycerin ointment to heal chronic anal fissures. METHOD: A randomized, double-blind study of intra-anally applied nitroglycerin ointment (Anogesic™) was conducted in 17 centers in 304 patients with chronic anal fissures. The patients were randomly assigned to one of eight treatment regimens (0.0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.4 percent nitroglycerin ointment applied twice or three times per day), for up to eight weeks. A dose-measuring device standardized the delivery of 374 mg ointment. Healing of fissures (complete reepithelialization) was assessed by physical examination using an observer unaware of treatment allocation. The subjects assessed pain intensity daily by completing a diary containing a visual analog scale for average pain intensity for the day, the worst pain intensity for the day, and pain intensity at the last defecation. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in fissure healing among any of the treatment groups; all groups, including placebo had a healing rate of approximately 50 percent. This rate of placebo response was inexplicably higher than previously reported in the literature. Treatment with 0.4 percent (1.5 mg) nitroglycerin ointment was associated with a significant (P < 0.0002) decrease in average pain intensity compared with vehicle as assessed by patients with a visual analog scale. The decreases were observed by Day 4 of treatment. At 8 weeks the magnitude of the difference between 0.4 percent nitroglycerin and control was a 21 percent reduction in average pain. Treatment was well tolerated, with only 3.29 percent of patients discontinuing treatment because of headache. Headaches were the primary adverse event and were dose related. CONCLUSION: Nitroglycerin ointment did not alter healing but significantly and rapidly reduced the pain associated with chronic anal fissures.

The Role of Preoperative Colonoscopy in Colorectal Cancer

Routine preoperative colonoscopy has been recommended for those patients with the diagnosis of colorectal cancer to identify synchronous polyps and/or cancers which might otherwise be undetected on barium enema or at the time of operation. It has been suggested that this approach may alter surgical therapy or follow-up. The charts of 98 patients who underwent preoperative colonoscopy solely for the purpose of detecting additional polyps or cancers prior to open surgical resection for colorectal cancer were retrospectively reviewed. All patients had biopsy or barium-enema evidence of colorectal cancer. Patients with familial polyposis or chronic ulcerative colitis were excluded. Synchronous cancers were detected in 7.1 percent of patients, and synchronous neoplastic polyps in 29 percent. Forty-three percent of synchronous cancers and 73 percent of synchronous neoplastic polyps would not have been included in the standard surgical resection for the index cancer if the additional information provided by colonoscopy had not been available. Surgical treatment and/or follow-up were altered in 33 percent of patients as a consequence of the colonoscopic evaluation. Colonoscopy prior to surgery for colorectal carcinoma is highly desirable and may potentially improve long-term survival.

Use of a critical pathway for colon resections.

Tremendous variation in patient care exists, both among medical centers and among individual surgeons, in the field of colon and rectal surgery. Clinical or critical pathways based on “best demonstrated practices” from the medical literature have led to improved outcomes for many disease entities. The objective of this study was to develop a pathway for elective colon and rectal resections, and then determine whether this led to any improvement in measurable outcomes. A critical pathway was developed for the care of patients undergoing elective colon and rectal surgery, by reviewing best demonstrated practices in the literature and then developing standardized order sheets, nursing flow sheets, and patient educational material. A patient satisfaction survey was also included in the evaluation process. After being informed of the positive results from the pilot study, surgeons were ncouraged to use the critical pathway order sheets, patient information sheets, and flow sheets for their patients undergoing elective abdominal colon or rectal surgery. Between January 1995 and October 1998, the critical pathway was used for 263 patients, whereas for 122 patients this pathway was not used. For those patients in the critical pathway group, the hospital length of stay was shorter (5.5 vs. 8.2 days, including the day of surgery, P = 0.001), the time until a regular diet was tolerated was shorter (3.5 vs. 4.4 days, P = 0.001), the percentage of patients discharged home was greater (90% vs. 82%, P = 0.038), and the average hospital charges were less (

Prophylaxis and Management of Wound Infections after Elective Colorectal Surgery: A Survey of the American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons Membership

12,672 vs.

Treatment of levator syndrome using high-voltage electrogalvanic stimulation

16,665, P = 0.001). These advantages did seem to be correlated with efforts at postoperative ambulation, but were independent of the type of postoperative pain control (patient-controlled analgesia vs. epidural analgesia). Patient satisfaction in the subset surveyed was slightly better for those in the critical pathway group than in those for whom the critical pathway was not used. Elective colon and rectal surgery appears to lend itself to uniformity of postoperative order sheets and clinical expectations. Shortened lengths of hospital stay, earlier resumption of a regular diet, and diminished hospital charges were found with the use of this critical pathway, with no diminution of patients’ perceptions of satisfaction with the hospital experience.

Prevalence and management of prolapse of the ileoanal pouch.

BackgroundPostoperative wound infections are a widespread and costly problem, especially in colorectal surgery. Despite their prevalence, there are few data regarding appropriate management and prevention strategies.Materials and MethodsIn order to assess current attitudes and practices about this subject, and as a guide to designing a randomized trial to gather evidence in order to support data-driven protocol development, an e-mail survey was sent to the membership of the American Society of Colorectal Surgeons to assess current attitudes and practices pertaining to prevention and management of wound infections.ResultsMost respondents estimated that the wound infection rate in their own patients was much lower than commonly reported in the literature. Use of evidence-based perioperative strategies for reducing wound infection, such as the use of a wound protector, hyperoxygenation, and implementation of the Surgical Care Improvement Project guidelines, were far from universal. Management strategies varied widely, without apparent rational basis.ConclusionBased on the practices and beliefs in the surgical community, it is our hope that a multi-institutional study can be carried out to objectify best practices in both the effective and cost-effective management of this common condition and to reduce the wide variation in the treatment of surgical site infections.

Rectal injury caused by a personal watercraft accident: report of a case.

Twenty patients diagnosed as having levator syndrome were treated with electrogalvanic stimulation (EGS). Many of these patients had previously been treated unsuccessfully with other methods. While 60 percent of patients had good or excellent response to EGS when assessed immediately after therapy, a subsequent telephone survey revealed that one third of this group experienced recurrence. Of the group of 20 patients, only five (25 percent) remained symptom-free. Though results in this study were less favorable than other reports, EGS may still serve as a valuable adjunct in the treatment of levator syndrome.

Preoperative Immunonutrition and Elective Colorectal Resection Outcomes.

PURPOSEKnown late complications of ileal pouch-anal anastomoses include chronic pouchitis, poor pouch function, or stricture. These may jeopardize the pouch and may require pouch salvage procedures. Prolapse of the ileoanal pouch is a little-known complication infrequently noted in the literature. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of this problem and identify approaches used to correct it and salvage the pouch.METHODSThe literature was reviewed for publications describing the diagnosis and treatment of patients with ileoanal pouch prolapse. A survey inquiring about experience with ileoanal pouch prolapse was sent to all North American members and fellows of The American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons. The survey assessed the number of years that the respondent had been performing ileal pouch-anal anastomoses and the number and type of pouches constructed. The respondents indicated the prevalence of patients with ileoanal pouch prolapse in their practices and length of time from pouch creation to onset of prolapse. They also were asked to indicate presenting symptoms, need for and method of surgical repair, and outcome.RESULTSTwo hundred and sixty-nine responses were received (response rate, 19.5 percent). Thirty-five respondents indicated that they had assisted in the care of a total of 83 patients with prolapse of the ileoanal pouch. Prolapse symptoms included external prolapse of tissue, sense of obstructed defecation, seepage, and pain. Patients with pouch prolapse most commonly presented within two years of pouch construction. Fifty-two patients required surgery and were managed by a combination of transanal repair, abdominal pouchpexy, and transabdominal revision or removal. The ileoanal pouch was salvaged in all but one case.CONCLUSIONSAlthough the incidence of pouch prolapse is relatively low in this survey, the number of cases reported far exceeds the previous known experience. The possibility of this clinical entity should be considered in the differential diagnosis of ileoanal pouch dysfunction. Such recognition should lead to correction of prolapse and pouch salvage in the great majority of patients.