Full-Dose Intraoperative Electron Radiotherapy for Early Breast Cancer: Evidence from a Single Center's Experience

To evaluate the clinical response rate and cosmetic outcome after full-dose intraoperative electron radiotherapy (IOERT) in early breast cancer (BC) treated with conserving surgery. Inclusion criteria were: >60 years old, clinical tumor size ≤2 cm, luminal A carcinoma, patological negative lymph nodes, excluded lobular carcinoma histology. IOERT was delivered with a dose of 21 Gy at 90% isodose. Clinical, cosmetic and/or instrumental follow-up were performed 45 days after IOERT, 6 months after the first check, and every 12 months thereafter. Acute and late toxicities were assessed with the CTCAE v.4.03 and EORTC-RTOG scales, respectively. Cosmetic outcome was evaluated using the Harvard/NSABO/RTOG Breast Cosmesis Grading Scale. Overall, 162 consecutive patients were included in this analysis (median follow-up: 54 months, range: 1-98 months). The overall response rate was 97.5% (CI 95%: 0.93-0.99%). Locoragional relapse occurred in 2.5% of patients. No patient showed distant metastases. No patient showed radiation-related acute complications, with 3.7% showing late G2-3 toxicity. Only 3.7% of patients showed poor cosmetic results. Our data confirmed that IOERT is a feasible and valid therapeutic option in low-risk BC patients treated with lumpectomy. A low local recurrence rate combined with good cosmetic results validates the settings of our operative method in routinely clinical practice.

Predictive Factors of Recurrence After Laparoscopic Incisional Hernia Repair: A Retrospective Multicentre Cohort Study

Background: The main purpose of this study was to analyze patient-related factors that may influence the risk of hernia recurrence following laparoscopic incisional hernia repair (LIHR), including the potential role of chosen materials. Materials and Methods: A multicenter, retrospective cohort study was conducted on all patients who were aged >18 years and who underwent elective laparoscopic incisional hernia mesh repair at the Departments of Surgery of the S. Anna University Hospital in Ferrara and Sassuolo Hospital in Modena, Italy. Exclusion criteria were as follows: patients undergoing an open or emergency incisional hernia repair or with primary ventral hernia. All hernia and operative variables that may favor hernia recurrence were collected and analyzed. Follow-up was conducted through a standardized telephone interview, followed by an outpatient visit and diagnostic imaging if needed. Results: From September 2002 to September 2017, 312 consecutive patients underwent elective laparoscopic incisional hernia mesh repair. At a mean 22-month follow-up, 273 patients presented no recurrence of incisional hernia and 39 had relapsed. Intra- and postoperative complications were similar between groups. Unadjusted Cox regression analysis showed a statistically significant association between both the partially absorbable mesh (P < .0001) and absorbable tacks (P = .001) and recurrence, while after adjusting for potential confounders, only the partially absorbable mesh was significantly associated with recurrence (P = .007). Conclusions: The laparoscopic approach may be considered safe for incisional hernia mesh repair. In this multicenter, retrospective cohort study, the use of a partially absorbable mesh in LIHR was the only predictor of hernia recurrence. The partially absorbable mesh that was investigated, however, has been withdrawn from the market.

Non-traumatic emergency abdominal surgery in nonagenarian patients: a retrospective study

PURPOSE

The primary aim of this study was to evaluate the 30-day survival of nonagenarian patients who underwent non-traumatic emergency abdominal surgery. Other aims were: 90-day and 12-month survival rates, the postoperative complications rate, the impact of the emergency operation on postoperative functional status, the accuracy of the P-POSSUM in predicting 30-day postoperative mortality and changes in care services after surgery.

METHODS

This was a retrospective cohort study of nonagenarian patients who underwent non-traumatic emergency abdominal surgery between January 2010 and June 2017. Patients were divided in two groups according to the 30-day survival status to compare the distribution of patients' characteristics and postoperative outcomes. Overall survival was estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method. To assess the accuracy of P-POSSUM to predict 30-day mortality, a receiver operating characteristic curve and the Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness of fit test were used.

RESULTS

85 nonagenarian patients were enrolled in this study; of these, 27 (31.8%) died within 30 days. The Kaplan-Meier curve showed a rapid decline in survival over the first 30 postoperative days, followed by a more gradual reduction during the rest of the first year. The majority of patients (92.6%) who died within 30 days experienced a medical complication, with a preponderance of respiratory failure (48.2%) and multiple organ failure (33.3%). In the surviving patients, the postoperative functional status had worsened, and 64.2% of patients did not return to their original housing situation or were institutionalized. The accuracy of P-POSSUM in predicting 30-day mortality in nonagenarian patients was poor.

CONCLUSIONS

This study may help doctors convey the postoperative risks of morbidity and mortality, and also to adequately inform relatives about the possible adverse discharge destination of surviving nonagenarian patients with a consequent increase in care needs.

Twelve years of experience in carotid endarterectomy with general anesthesia and preserved consciousness

BACKGROUND

Carotid endarterectomy (CEA) can be performed both under general anesthesia (GA) or local anesthesia (LA) with good results. General anesthesia with preserved consciousness (GAPC) using remifentanil infusion has been already reported in literature and could potentially merge the advantages of GA and LA overcoming the disadvantages of this last technique. Although the good results of GAPC reported in literature, this technique is not widespread in clinical practice. The aim of this study was to report the perioperative results of CEA under GAPC in a large series of consecutive patients.

METHODS

This is a retrospective, single center, observational study including all patients treated for CEA under GAPC in our institution between January 2008 and October 2019. Primary endpoints were neurological complications rate, mortality rate in the perioperative period, need to GAPC conversion to GA during surgery and evaluation of the technique with a specific questionnaire regarding patients' satisfaction. Secondary endpoints were myocardial infarction (MI) rate, other perioperative complications rate, rate of intraoperative shunting and need of reintervention in the perioperative period.

RESULTS

In the considered period 1290 CEA under GAPC were performed and included in this study. Neurological complications rate was 2.01%, mortality rate in the perioperative period was 0.07%, need of GAPC conversion to GA rate during surgery was 0.46% and patients satisfaction regarding the technique were high with a mean vote of 9.1 in a 0 to 10 scale. In the perioperative period MI rate was 0.23%, other perioperative complications rate was 1.39%, intraoperative shunting rate was 7.1% and reintervention rate after surgery was 2.4%.

CONCLUSIONS

CEA under GAPC may combine the advantages of LA and GA, with a very low rate of conversion to GA during surgery and good patients' satisfaction. Moreover, it does not increase neurological, cardiologic and systemic complications. For these reasons CEA under GAPC could represents a valid alternative to GA or LA.

Outcomes of Surgical and Endovascular Treatment for Arterial Lesions in Intravenous Drug Abusers

BACKGROUND

The objective of this study is to report an 18-year single-center experience in the surgical and endovascular treatment of arterial complications due to self-injection in drug abuser patients.

METHODS

This retrospective single-center study was conducted analyzing a prospectively collected database including all endovascular or surgical procedures performed from January 2007 to December 2019 for any arterial complication due to self-injection in drug abuser patient. Collected data were patient demographic and comorbidity, site and type of arterial lesion (pseudoaneurysm [PA], arteriovenous fistula [AVF]), signs of systemic or local infection, and procedural data (endovascular/surgical treatment). End points were rate of postoperative complications, reintervention rate, limb salvage, and patients' early and long-term survival.

RESULTS

In 11 patients (median age 36 years, range 27-47; male 73%), 13 arterial lesions were treated: 10 (77%) PA, 2 (15%) PA associated with AVF, and 1 (8%) isolated AVF. Arterial lesion involved common femoral artery in 5 (38%), superficial femoral artery in 4 (31%), profunda femoral artery in 1 (8%), brachial artery in 2 (15%), and subclavian artery in 1 (8%). Signs of infections were present in 9 of the 13 cases (69%). The treatment was surgical in 11 (85%) cases: 7 interposition graft (6 great saphenous vein, 1 arterial cryopreserved homograft), 2 direct reconstruction, 1 patch plasty with pericardium bovine patch, and 1 arterial ligation. Endovascular treatment was performed in 2 cases: 1 noninfected PA of the superficial femoral artery, and 1 55-mm PA of the postvertebral segment of the right subclavian artery with clinical sign of hemodynamic instability. At 1 month, postoperative complication rate was 8% (one lower limb claudication after superficial femoral artery ligation). Reintervention rate was 8% (interposition graft rupture for repeated self-injections). Limb salvage and patient survival were both 100%. Median follow-up was 5 years (range 1 month to 11.3 years); surgical group: median 8.2 years (range 2 months to 11.3 years); endovascular group: median 3.5 months (range 1-6). During follow-up, neither complications nor reinterventions occurred, and limb salvage was 100% for both groups. At 2, 4, and 6 years, overall estimated patient survival was 91%, 81%, and 81%, respectively, with no procedure-related death.

CONCLUSIONS

After surgical or endovascular management of arterial lesions due to self-injection in drug abuser patients, complications occur mainly in the postoperative period. During follow-up, the surgical procedures have low rate of complications, reinterventions, and procedure-related mortality, whereas for the endovascular treatment the mid-term outcomes remain unknown.

The SIFIPAC/WSES/SICG/SIMEU guidelines for diagnosis and treatment of acute appendicitis in the elderly (2019 edition)

The epidemiology and the outcomes of acute appendicitis in elderly patients are very different from the younger population. Elderly patients with acute appendicitis showed higher mortality, higher perforation rate, lower diagnostic accuracy, longer delay from symptoms onset and admission, higher postoperative complication rate and higher risk of colonic and appendiceal cancer. The aim of the present work was to investigate age-related factors that could influence a different approach, compared to the 2016 WSES Jerusalem guidelines on general population, in terms of diagnosis and management of elderly patient with acute appendicitis. During the XXIX National Congress of the Italian Society of Surgical Pathophysiology (SIFIPAC) held in Cesena (Italy) in May 2019, in collaboration with the Italian Society of Geriatric Surgery (SICG), the World Society of Emergency Surgery (WSES) and the Italian Society of Emergency Medicine (SIMEU), a panel of experts participated to a Consensus Conference where eight panelists presented a number of statements, which were developed for each of the four topics about diagnosis and management of acute appendicitis in elderly patients, formulated according to the GRADE system. The statements were then voted, eventually modified and finally approved by the participants to the Consensus Conference. The current paper is reporting the definitive guidelines statements on each of the following topics: diagnosis, non-operative management, operative management and antibiotic therapy.

Endovascular repair of an abdominal aortic aneurysm using bifurcated stent-graft in a patient with bilateral external iliac artery occlusion

Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) in association with external iliac artery (EIA) occlusion is a rare entity which may limit endovascular aortic aneurysm repair (EVAR) feasibility. We describe the case of an 84-year-old man affected by a 64mm infrarenal inflammatory abdominal aortic aneurysm with complete bilateral occlusion of EIA and patency of both common and internal iliac arteries. The common femoral arteries (CFA) were patent, and the patient was asymptomatic for lower limb claudication. The treatment was performed by EVAR using a bifurcated stent-graft after the recanalization of the left EIA, achieving technical success.

One-year experience in carotid endarterectomy combining general anaesthesia with preserved consciousness and sequential carotid cross-clamping

Background and aim of the work: We report 1-year single-centre experience in carotid endarterectomy (CEA) combining general anaesthesia with preserved consciousness (GAPC) and standardized carotid sequential cross-clamping, for our protocol effectiveness evaluation in reduction of perioperative stroke, death or cardiologic complications. Methods: We considered all patients who underwent CEA in 2016. All patients underwent superficial cervical plexus block and GAPC with Remifentanil. The surgical technique consisted of common carotid artery (CCA) cross-clamping, carotid bifurcation isolation, external (ECA) and internal carotid artery (ICA) cross-clamping. After CCA cross-clamping, we performed a neurological tolerance test (NTT); this allowed selective shunting only for positive NTT. Primary end-points were: transient ischemic attack (TIA)/stroke, myocardial infarction, death in perioperative period. Secondary end-points were: carotid shunting, peripheral cranial nerves injuries (PCNI), GAPC intolerance, other complications, reintervention in perioperative period, length of hospital stay. Results: 104 consecutive patients underwent CEA with this protocol in the considered period. Twenty-seven (25.9%) patients were symptomatic. Mean clamping time was 48±13.5 minutes. Five cases (4.8%) requested internal carotid artery shunting. No TIA/stroke, myocardial infarction or death were recorded in the perioperative period. PCNI were observed in 19 cases (18.2%) in the immediate post-operative period; 16 of them (84.2%) showed complete or partial resolution at discharge. Only one patient (0.9%) showed GAPC intolerance. No other complication occurred. Three patients (2.9%) underwent reintervention for neck haematoma drainage. Mean hospital stay were 3±0.9 days. Conclusions: GAPC associated with sequential carotid cross-clamping appeared to be safe and effective in prevention of major neurological and cardiologic complications during CEA. (www.actabiomedica.it)

Radio-guided selective compartment neck dissection improves staging in papillary thyroid carcinoma: a prospective study on 345 patients with a 3-year follow-up

BACKGROUND

Prospective uncontrolled study to investigate in papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) patients: (1) Distribution of lymph node metastases within the neck compartments, (2) factors predicting lymph nodes metastases, and (3) disease recurrence after thyroidectomy associated with radio-guided selective compartment neck dissection (RSCND).

METHODS

We studied 345 consecutive PTC patients operated on between February 2004 and October 2011 at the S. Anna University Hospital, Ferrara (Italy). Patients with cervical lymph node metastases on preoperative ultrasonography and fine needle aspiration cytology were excluded. All patients underwent total thyroidectomy associated with SLN identification followed by RSCND in the SLN compartment, without SLN frozen section.

RESULTS

In patients with lymph node metastases, metastatic nodes were not in the central neck compartment in 22.6% of the cases. The presence of infiltrating or multifocal PTC was a predicting factor for lymph nodes metastases. The median follow-up was 35.5 months. RSCND was associated with a false-negative rate of 1.1%, a persistent disease rate of 0.6%, and a recurrent disease rate of 0.9%. The permanent dysphonia rate was 1.3%.

CONCLUSION

RSCND associated with total thyroidectomy may improve: (1) the locoregional lymph node staging, and (2) the identification of the site of lymphatic drainage within the neck compartments. Thus, considering the high false-negative rate of sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB), a radio-guided technique in PTC patients may guide the lymphadenectomy (ie, RSCND) to increase the metastatic yield and improve staging of the disease rather than avoid prophylactic lymphadenectomy (ie, SLNB).

Extracranial Internal Carotid Artery Aneurysms: case report of a saccular wide-necked aneurysm and review of the literature

PURPOSE

To describe a case of atherosclerotic Extracranial internal Carotid Artery Aneurysm (ECAA) with an unique "diverticulum-like" morphological structure, surgically treated and to review the experiences of major referral centers.

CASE REPORT

A 76-year-old woman presented with persistent dysphagia and transient hypophonia caused by a growing pulsatiling mass of the neck; duplex ultrasonography and angio-CT scan demonstrated a wide-necked, saccular aneurysm at the origin of the right Internal Carotid Artery (ICA). A total aneurysmectomy with patch angioplasty of the aneurysm of the neck on the carotid wall was successfully performed. No perioperative complications were encountered; at one year follow-up the patient was asymptomatic without any neurological complication and with carotid patency.

CONCLUSIONS

Open surgery remains the gold standard for the treatment of extracranial internal carotid artery aneurysms in terms of patency and reduced risk of adverse complications; endovascular procedures may, in selected cases, provide a valuable additional tool in the armoury of the physician.

Carotid endarterectomy with mini-invasive access in locoregional anaesthesia

AIM

To assess the validity of a carotid endarterectomy (CEA) with a mini-invasive access via a 3-7 cm cutaneous incision in locoregional anaesthesia as a viable alternative to the traditional access with a cutaneous incision longer than 7 cm.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We carried out a retrospective analysis of 76 consecutive patients (Group A) who had undergone carotid CEA in locoregional anaesthesia with cervical mini-access (3-7 cm incision), compared to a preceding series of 95 patients (Group B) who had undergone the same operation through a traditional access (incision > 7 cm). All patients in Group A were examined solely by means of duplex ultrasound scanning.

RESULTS

No mortality occurred in Group A and the morbidity rate was as follows: 1.3% strokes, 2.6% minor neurological events and 6.5% transitory deficit of peripheral nerves. In Group B, the mortality rate was 1%, with the following morbidity rate: 2% strokes, 1% minor neurological events and 7.3% transitory deficit of peripheral nerves. Statistical analysis revealed the two groups as being compatible for age, sex, associated pathologies and type of surgery. No statistically significant differences emerged between the two series of patients with regards to neurological morbidity or operative mortality.

CONCLUSIONS

In addition to being more aesthetically pleasing, mini-invasive access is a viable alternative to the traditional access for patients undergoing carotid CEA in locoregional anaesthesia.