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Background: Preoperative diagnosis for suspected gallbladder cancers is challenging, with a risk of overtreating benign disease, for example, xanthogranulomatous cholecystitis, with radical cholecystectomies. We retrospectively evaluated the surgeon's intraoperative assessment alone, and with the addition of intraoperative frozen sections, for suspected gallbladder cancers from a tertiary hepatobiliary multidisciplinary team (MDT)., Methods: MDT patients with complex gallbladder disease were included. Collated data included demographics, MDT discussion, operative details, and patient outcomes., Results: A total of 454 patients with complex gallbladder disease were reviewed, 48 (10.6%) were offered radical surgery for suspected cancer. Twenty-five underwent frozen section that led to radical surgery in 6 (25%). All frozen sections were congruent with final histopathology but doubled the operating time (p < 0.0001). Both the surgeon's subjective and additional frozen section's objective assessment, allowed for de-escalation of unnecessary radical surgery, comparing favourably to a 13.0% cancer diagnosis among radical surgery historically., Conclusions: The MDT process was highly sensitive in identifying gallbladder cancers but lacked specificity. The surgeon's intraoperative assessment is paramount in suspected cancers, and deescalated unnecessary radical surgery. Intraoperative frozen section was a safe and viable adjunct at a cost of resources and operative time., (© 2021 The Authors. Journal of Surgical Oncology published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Background: Scoring systems were developed to stratify patients with colorectal liver metastases considered for liver resection into different risk groups. Such scores have never been evaluated in recurrent liver metastases. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether these scores are applicable to patients with recurrent colorectal liver metastases and treated with curative intent., Methods: We retrospectively analyzed data from 375 consecutive patients who underwent liver surgery for colorectal liver metastases between June 2010 and August 2015. Seventy-three patients developed liver-limited recurrence treated with curative intent. The predictive value of 6 scores (Fong, Sofocleous, Nagashima, Nordlinger, Konopke, and the Basingstoke index) was assessed in this set of patients., Results: Median follow-up was 36.2 months. Overall survival and progression-free survival were 33.6 and 5.6 months, respectively. When scores were applied for OS, none showed a significant stratification between patients, although Nagashima's score showed a significant difference in overall survival between patients from the low-risk group and those from the intermediate- and high-risk groups (40.8 vs 30.5 months, P = 0.039). For PFS, only Fong's score showed a statistically significant stratification (6.6 vs 4.7 months, P = 0.027)., Conclusion: Scoring systems are of limited-value in stratifying patients operated on for recurrent colorectal liver metastases., (© 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Background: Cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) assessed "poorer" fitness correlates with poorer outcomes in blinded studies. Whether this correlation will persist when CPET is utilized to stratify care as part of a multi-modal enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) program is unclear. This study examined whether CPET variables were associated with postoperative morbidity in patients undergoing hepatectomy within an ERAS program., Objectives and Methods: Data were prospectively collected on patients undergoing elective hepatectomy between October 2009 and April 2011. The relationships between CPET derived variables; postoperative complications and length of stay were investigated., Results: Of 267 patients undergoing surgery, 197 had undergone standard cycle ergometer CPET. The relative oxygen uptake [VO2 (ml kg(-1) min(-1))] and ventilatory equivalent of CO2 (VE/VCO2) at the anaerobic threshold (AT) were not associated with complications or length of stay. Greater absolute oxygen uptake at AT [VO2 at AT (L min(-1) )] was associated with early hospital discharge [OR 2.16 (95% CI 1.18-3.96), P = 0.013] on multivariable analysis., Conclusions: When CPET is used to delineate perioperative management a low relative oxygen uptake [VO2 (ml kg(-1) min(-1) )] at the AT does not place patients at significantly higher risk of postoperative complications. This suggests CPET assessed "poor" fitness should not be used as a barrier to surgical intervention., (© 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Background: There is limited evidence for the use of enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) in patients undergoing hepatectomy, and the impact of the evolution of ERAS over time has not been examined. This study sought to evaluate the effect of an evolving ERAS program in patients undergoing hepatectomy for colorectal liver metastases (CRLM)., Methods: A multimodal ERAS program was introduced in 2/2008. Consecutive patients undergoing hepatectomy for CRLM between 2/2008 and 9/2012 were included in the study. Data were collected prospectively. Retrospective analysis compared an early ERAS cohort (2/2008-4/2010) with a later cohort with a matured ERAS program (5/2010-8/2012)., Results: Length of stay reduced as experience of ERAS increased (Log-rank χ(2)  = 10.43, P = 0.001). Although median length of stay remained unchanged (6 days), the probability of hospitalization beyond 10 days was 25% in the early cohort compared with 7% in the later cohort. Critical care utilization reduced over time (75.5% vs. 54.7%, P < 0.0001). Complications occurred in 38.2%, with no difference in between cohorts. One postoperative death occurred in the early cohort (<0.3%)., Conclusions: This study suggests that as experience of ERAS evolves, there is a progressive reduction in hospitalization and critical care admission. This is without any increase in morbidity and mortality., (© 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Age-related macular degeneration (ARMD) is the leading cause of irreversible visual loss in the Western world, affecting approximately 25 million people worldwide. The pathogenesis is complex and missense mutations in FBLN5 have been reported in association with ARMD. We have investigated the role of fibulin 5 in ARMD by completing the first European study of the gene FBLN5 in ARMD (using 2 European cohorts of 805 ARMD patients and 279 controls) and by determining the functional effects of the missense mutations on fibulin 5 expression. We also correlated the FBLN5 genotype with the ARMD phenotype. We found two novel sequence changes in ARMD patients that were absent in controls and expressed these and the other nine reported FBLN5 mutations associated with ARMD and two associated with the autosomal recessive disease cutis laxa. Fibulin 5 secretion was significantly reduced (P<0.001) for four ARMD (p.G412E, p.G267S, p.I169 T, and p.Q124P) and two cutis laxa (p.S227P, p.C217R) mutations. These results suggest that some missense mutations associated with ARMD lead to decreased fibulin 5 secretion with a possible corresponding reduction in elastinogenesis. This study confirms the previous work identifying an association between FBLN5 mutations and ARMD and for the first time suggests a functional mechanism by which these mutations can lead to ARMD. It further demonstrates that FBLN5 mutations can be associated with different phenotypes of ARMD (not limited to the previously described cuticular drusen type). Such knowledge may ultimately lead to the development of novel therapies for this common disease., (Copyright 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc.)