Adult intussusception: still a challenging diagnosis for the surgeon

INTRODUCTION AND AIM

Intussusception is rare in adults and can occur in the small bowel and colon. Its atypical presentation makes the diagnosis difficult. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the causes, clinical characteristics, and treatment outcomes of adult intussusception and to determine whether there was an association between etiology and clinical presentation.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A retrospective study was carried out on patients above 18 years of age that were treated for intussusception at a tertiary care hospital, between 2000 and 2020. The findings were summarized utilizing descriptive and inferential statistics.

RESULTS

Twenty-eight cases were identified. Median patient age was 46 years (18-80) and median symptom duration was 18 days. Abdominal pain was the most frequent symptom (96.42%). The intussusceptions registered were enteroenteric (14), ileocecal (4), ileocolonic (4), colocolonic (5), and colorrectal (1). Intussusception etiology was benign in 15 cases, 9 were associated with malignancy, and 4 were idiopathic. Surgery was performed on 11 patients with enteroenteric intussusception and on all the cases of ileocecal, ileocolonic, colocolonic, and colorectal intussusception. There were 2 events of perioperative mortality (8%) and 8 of postoperative morbidity (32%). No significant differences were found regarding symptom duration or length of hospital stay, when the etiologic groups were compared.

CONCLUSIONS

Intussusception is rare in adults. Diagnosis is a challenge because of the nonspecific signs and symptoms. Surgical resection should be considered in the definitive treatment and management should be individualized according to the patient's comorbidities, clinical presentation, and risk of malignancy.

Post COVID-19 pneumo-hematocele: clinical presentation and treatment pathway

Objectives

The appearance of characteristic pulmonary lesions has been noted after COVID-19, being described as post-COVID-19 pneumo-hematocele. The aim of this study is to describe the clinical, histopathologic, and imaging features of pneumo-hematocele and to suggest a treatment algorithm for these patients.

Methods

A retrospective study was performed in patients admitted with a diagnosis of SARS-CoV2 infection from March 2020 to September 2021 who presented a pneumo-hematocele on imaging studies. Clinical and demographic variables were recorded, and CT scans were analyzed. A secondary analysis was performed to estimate the risk provided by the pneumo-hematocele diameter of developing pneumothorax.

Results

37 patients were diagnosed with pneumo-hematoceles, 97.3% were males with a median age of 41 ± 13 years and 51% were smokers. The mean diameter of the pneumatocele was 6.3 ± 2.8 cm; they were more common on the subpleural surface and in the inferior lobe. Thirty patients had ruptured pneumo-hematoceles and developed pneumothorax (81.1%); a total of 26 patients required surgery (70.3%). Lesions measuring 5 cm had a high risk of rupture (OR 6.8, CI 95% 1.1–42); those measuring 3 cm were prone to this complication. For each centimeter that the pneumo-hematocele diameter increases, the OR for rupture increases 1.5.

Conclusions

It appears that post-COVID-19 pneumo-hematocele occurs secondary to encapsulation of blood accumulation inside the lung, as a result of micro-capillary bleeding, with partial reabsorption of blood and subsequent air filling. We recommend surgery for patients with pneumo-hematoceles of 5 cm and those with persistent lesions of 3 cm.

Trial registration

Clinical Trial Registration: NCT05067881.

Laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass in the treatment of obesity: evidence based update through randomized clinical trials and meta-analyses

Bariatric surgery was introduced in 1953, but during the last 20 years its popularity has increased after the development of significant Romaevidenced based breakthroughs in the field. Currently, approximately 150 long-term randomized clinical trials and 40 meta-analyses support and give credibility to the surgical approaches for the treatment of obesity and its related metabolic disturbances. Bariatric surgery has demonstrated improved outcomes compared to medical treatment, conduct therapy, and endoscopic procedures. Roux-en-Y gastrojejunostomy (RYGB) and Sleeve gastrectomy (SG) are the surgical procedures most frequently performed, due to their satisfactory results and security profile. There is sufficient evidence in medical literature to perform these procedures when indicated; however, there are still several controversies regarding technical aspects that need to be further explored.

Clinical characteristics and surgical treatment of schwannomas of the esophagus and stomach: A case series and systematic review

BACKGROUND

Gastrointestinal schwannomas are slow-growing benign mesenchymal neoplasms that originate from Schwann cells of the nerve sheath of Auerbach´s plexus or less frequently from Meissner´s plexus. The main differential diagnosis of gastric schwannomas are the gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs), which are classified by their immunohistochemistry. The treatment of choice for gastric schwannomas is surgery where laparoscopy plays an important role. Wedge resection, subtotal or total gastrectomy can be done. In its counterpart, esophageal schwannomas are benign tumors of the esophagus that are very uncommon since they comprise less than 2% of all esophageal tumors. The main differential diagnosis is the leiomyoma which corresponds to the most common benign esophageal tumor, followed by GIST. The treatment consists on tumoral enucleation or esophagectomy.

AIM

To review the available literature about gastrointestinal schwannomas; especially lesions from de stomach and esophagus, including diagnosis, treatment, and follow up, as well as, reporting our institutional experience.

METHODS

A systematic review was conducted following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyzes guidelines. The following databases were used for reviewing process: PubMed, Ovid, MEDLINE, and Scopus. Only English language manuscripts were included. All gastrointestinal schwannomas specifically located in the esophagus and stomach were included. Cases that did not report long-term follow-up were excluded.

RESULTS

Gastric localization showed a higher prevalence in both, the literature review and our institution: 94.95% (n = 317) and 83% (n = 5) respectively. With a follow-up with disease-free survival greater than 36 mo in most cases: 62.01% (n = 80) vs 66.66% (n = 4). In both groups, the median size was > 4.1 cm. Surgical treatment is curative in most cases

CONCLUSION

Schwannoma must be taken into account in the differential diagnosis of gastrointestinal mesenchymal tumors. It has a good prognosis, and most are benign. A disease-free survival of more than 36 mo can be achieved by surgery.