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Background: Several studies have explored functional outcomes after rectal cancer surgery, but bowel dysfunction after sigmoid resection for cancer has hardly been considered. The aim of this study was to identify the prevalence and pattern of bowel dysfunction after resection for sigmoid cancer, and the impact of bowel function on quality of life (QoL) by comparison with patients who had polypectomy for cancer., Methods: This was a national cross-sectional study. Data were collected from the Danish Colorectal Cancer Group database, and a questionnaire regarding bowel function and European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) QLQ-C30 QoL questionnaire was sent to all Danish colonic cancer survivors treated with sigmoid resection or polypectomy between 2001 and 2014., Results: A total of 3295 patients (3061 sigmoid resection, 234 polypectomy) responded to the questionnaire (response rate 63·8 per cent). Twelve bowel symptoms were more prevalent after sigmoid resection, including: excessive straining, fragmentation, bloating, nocturnal defaecation, bowel false alarm, liquid stool incontinence, incomplete evacuation and sense of outlet obstruction. QoL impairment owing to bowel symptoms was reported in 16·6 per cent of patients in the resection group and 10·1 per cent after polypectomy (P = 0·008). Obstructed defaecation symptoms (ODS) were encountered significantly more often after sigmoid resection than following polypectomy (17·9 versus 7·3 per cent; P < 0·001). In the resection group, patients with ODS had substantial impairment on most aspects of QoL assessed by the EORTC QLQ-C30., Conclusion: Sigmoid resection for cancer is associated with an increased risk of long-term bowel dysfunction; obstructed defaecation is prevalent and associated with substantial impairment of QoL., (© 2018 BJS Society Ltd Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Background: Acute abdominal complaints in children are common presentations in the emergency department. The aetiology, presentation, diagnosis and management often differ from those in adults., Methods: This review was based on expert paediatric surgical experience confirmed by evidence from the literature obtained by searching PubMed and the Cochrane Library. Keywords used were the combinations of 'abdominal emergencies', 'acute abdomen' and the disorders 'acute appendicitis', 'intussusception', 'volvulus', 'Meckel's diverticulum', 'incarcerated inguinal hernia', 'testicular torsion' and 'ovarian torsion' with 'children'. Information was included from reviews, randomized clinical trials, meta-analyses, and prospective and retrospective cohort studies., Results: Presentation and symptoms of abdominal emergencies, especially in young children, vary widely, which renders recognition of the underlying disorder and treatment challenging. Critically targeted imaging techniques are becoming increasingly important in obtaining the correct diagnosis without unnecessary delay. Minimally invasive techniques have become the method of choice for the diagnosis and treatment of many abdominal emergencies in children., Conclusion: Knowledge of abdominal disorders in childhood, their specific presentation, diagnosis and treatment facilitates management of children with acute abdomen in emergency departments. Imaging and minimally invasive techniques are becoming increasingly important in the diagnosis of acute abdomen in children. Urgent operation remains the cornerstone of therapy for most acute abdominal disorders., (© 2013 BJS Society Ltd. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Background: Abdominal compartment syndrome (ACS) occurs when intra-abdominal pressure is abnormally high in association with organ dysfunction. It tends to have a poor outcome, even when treated promptly by abdominal decompression., Methods: A search of the Medline database was performed to identify articles related to intra-abdominal hypertension and ACS., Results: Currently there is no agreed definition or management of ACS. However, it is suggested that intra-abdominal pressure should be measured in patients at risk, with values above 20 mmHg being considered abnormal in most. Abdominal decompression should be considered in patients with rising pressure and organ dysfunction, indicated by increased airway pressure, reduced cardiac output and oliguria. Organ dysfunction often occurs at an intra-abdominal pressure greater than 35 mmHg and may start to develop between 26 and 35 mmHg. The mean survival rate of patients affected by compartment syndrome is 53 per cent., Conclusion: The optimal time for intervention is not known, but outcome is often poor, even after decompression. Most of the available information relates to victims of trauma rather than general surgical patients., (Copyright 2004 British Journal of Surgery Society Ltd.)

Background: Recent evidence suggests that intestinal dysfunction has a role in sustaining the systemic inflammatory response in acute pancreatitis and may be ameliorated by the introduction of enteral nutrition. This study therefore assessed the effect of early enteral nutrition on the systemic inflammatory response in patients with prognostically severe acute pancreatitis., Methods: Patients with prognostically severe acute pancreatitis within 72 h of disease onset were randomized to receive either enteral nutrition or conventional therapy consisting of a nil-by-mouth regimen. Serum interleukin (IL) 6, soluble tumour necrosis factor receptor I (sTNFRI) and C-reactive protein (CRP) were used as markers of the inflammatory response. Intestinal function was assessed using a differential sugar permeability technique., Results: Of 27 patients, 13 received enteral nutrition. A median of 21 (range 0-100) per cent of calorific requirements was delivered over the first 4 days by enteral nutrition. There were no significant complications of enteral nutrition. The introduction of enteral nutrition did not affect the serum concentrations of IL-6 (P = 0.28), sTNFRI (P = 0.53) or CRP (P = 0.62) over the first 4 days of the study. Although there were no significant differences in intestinal permeability between the two patient groups at admission (chi2 = 2.33, d.f. = 1, P = 0.13), by day 4 abnormal intestinal permeability occurred more frequently in patients receiving enteral nutrition (chi2 = 4.94, d.f. = 1, P = 0.03), Conclusion: Early enteral nutrition did not ameliorate the inflammatory response in patients with prognostically severe acute pancreatitis. Furthermore, it did not have a beneficial effect on intestinal permeability. Presented in part to the Pancreatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland in Leeds, UK, November 1998 and at Digestive Disease Week in Orlando, Florida, USA, May 1999

Background: Many technical difficulties of the ileoanal reservoir operation have been overcome, allowing acceptable morbidity in the hands of both the frequent and less frequent operator. However, a minority of patients have persistently unsatisfactory pouch function, which can be a difficult problem to manage., Methods: A Medline search was carried out to identify relevant papers published from November 1996 to January 1978. For clinical information more emphasis was given to recent publications with larger numbers. Where appropriate, information from other sources and some local data were included., Results: Most patients empty the pouch four to eight times a day with perfect continence and no urgency, and are considered to have acceptable function with which they are satisfied. Patients who have poor function beyond an easily treated episode of pouchitis require the expertise of a multidisciplinary team offering some understanding of the anatomy, physiology and pathology of the gastrointestinal tract in general and of the ileal reservoir in particular. A thorough and persistent approach to difficult cases is often rewarded with a good outcome, with the exception of problems arising from postoperative sepsis. The temptation to use pouchitis as a waste-basket diagnosis for poorly understood dysfunction should be avoided. Problems causing poor function may originate in the pouch (including pelvic sepsis), the pouch outlet, or the small bowel above the pouch, and these areas need to be considered in each case., Conclusion: To optimize the benefits of restorative pouch surgery, both patients and physicians need to understand aspects of fine tuning of pouch function, including diet, medication and lifestyle. In managing ileoanal reservoir dysfunction the temptation to procrastinate should be resisted; an approach that is systematic and sympathetic should be adopted.

Background: Local complications of pancreatic necrosis may occur after surgery, but when they occur spontaneously render surgical treatment more hazardous and impair prognosis., Methods: A retrospective review was carried out of 83 patients who underwent surgery for pancreatic necrosis from 1988 to 1995, to determine the incidence, type, treatment and outcome of locoregional complications caused by pancreatic necrosis associated with acute pancreatitis., Results: Seventeen patients (20 per cent) were identified to have intra-abdominal complications with pancreatic necrosis either before operation or at the time of surgery. The majority of patients had a delay in intervention (mean 46 days). At presentation ten of the 17 patients had one or more organ system failures. Fourteen patients had gastrointestinal tract involvement, two had involvement of the biliary tract and one patient had a splenic rupture. Six patients died., Conclusions: In patients with pancreatic necrosis, development of locoregional complications is associated with a high mortality rate. The presence of gastrointestinal bleeding, peritonitis, jaundice or pneumoperitoneum in such patients suggests the presence of a complication of the necrotic process and should prompt early intervention. Early referral of patients with severe acute pancreatitis to specialized units may reduce the risk of locoregional complications.

The number of potential candidates for small bowel transplantation in the UK is unknown. Potential recipients are those with irreversible small intestinal failure, including those treated with permanent parenteral nutrition. This study of one of the largest groups of patients receiving such nutrition identified ten of 25 adult patients as possible recipients. The remaining 15 were considered unsuitable, mainly because of multiple previous abdominal operations or abscesses. Extrapolation of these data to national figures on the incidence of irreversible small intestinal failure suggests that each year up to 20 new adult patients in the UK might benefit from small bowel transplantation.

Between 1982 and 1989, 78 children with diarrhoea-associated haemolytic uraemic syndrome (HUS) were referred to this hospital. Most presented with abdominal pain, bloody diarrhoea and vomiting. Seven had severe gastrointestinal involvement, four of whom required resection for bowel perforation or necrosis. One also developed an oesophageal stricture, a previously unreported complication of HUS. These seven children had a high incidence of other complications including hypertension, and cerebral and pancreatic involvement. One died from severe cerebral involvement, one has a residual neurological deficit and one has residual renal impairment. Severe gastrointestinal involvement did not significantly affect the long-term outcome. Simple haematological indices helped predict severe gut involvement. Four of the 78 children had undergone appendicectomy before the diagnosis of HUS was made. The operative findings were in no case typical of primary acute appendicitis, although histological examination did confirm inflammation of the appendix in two patients. Diagnosis is difficult in early disease, but increased awareness may help prevent unnecessary appendicectomy.

In the first 11 years of the heart and heart-lung transplantation programme at Papworth Hospital, Cambridge, 356 patients underwent heart transplantation, and 73 patients received both heart and lungs. Out of 429 patients 41 (9.5 per cent) developed abdominal complications within the first 30 days, and 20 of the 41 required surgery. The complications included pancreatitis (10), peptic ulceration (8), and pseudo-obstruction (8), in addition to colonic perforation and small bowel obstruction. When laparotomy was performed it was well tolerated. This paper supports the view that successful management of abdominal complications following transplantation requires prompt diagnosis and treatment. Where doubt exists in the presence of an acute abdomen, laparotomy is the appropriate way to establish a definitive diagnosis.

Although intestinal obstruction from intra-abdominal adhesions is a relatively common surgical emergency, the vast majority of adhesions are harmless and may be protective or even life-saving. The causes of intestinal adhesions are presented, and various methods advocated to prevent adhesions are discussed. The surgeon is advised to reduce unnecessary adhesion formation by meticulous surgical technique, control those adhesions which inevitably form to obtain their beneficial effects, and to avoid the risk of subsequent obstruction.

A case of abdominal pain caused by irritation of a segment of jejunum and another due to irritation of the ureter are reported. In both cases the cause of the irritation was established to be osteophytic growth from the 4th lumbar vertebra. After its excision the symptoms disappeared in both cases. To the best of our knowledge, osteophytes have not been reported before to be the cause of intestinal and ureteric pain, and its is therefore urged that in cases of intractable pain these must be considered as a possible cause.

In a series of 292 children with intussusception ten (3.5 per cent) were caused by small bowel tumours. The average age of these patients was greater than in idiopathic cases; seven of the ten being older than 2 years. Intussusception due to Peutz-Jeghers hamartomas was jejunojejunal whereas other small bowel tumours causing intussusception were in the terminal ileum. The majority of these intussusceptions were either irreducible or gangrenous and all required resection of bowel. There was only one death in the entire series of 292 patients, and this was a child with lymphosarcoma.

The clinical features are described of 37 patients requiring surgical management for radiation injury to the intestine sustained as a result of treatment of abdominal or pelvic malignancy. Twenty-nine of the patients underwent operation and only 4 remained symptom-free after the procedure. Thirteen patients died in the postoperative period, and of these, 5 were free of the original disease. Possible predisposing factors in the production of intestinal injury are discussed, as are various means of dealing with the established condition.