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Complex abdominal wounds (CAWs) are an increasing clinical problem in abdominal surgery and pose a challenge for the surgeon.This review analyzes the results of treating CAWs with a porcine biological mesh and topical negative pressure (TNP) to address the feasibility, effectiveness, level of risk, and overall results.A series of 4 consecutive cases treated with the biologic mesh and TNP at the General Surgery Unit of the Cannizzaro Hospital (Catania, Italy) is reported and analyzed. In addition, a review of the literature published in all languages from 2000 to 2015 in the MEDLINE/PubMed database was performed to identify cases of CAWs treated with the association of biologic mesh and TNP.Taking into account the authors' experience and review of literature, a total of 12 patients (4 treated in the authors' department) were treated with the aforementioned combination. The main indications for using this association were a large abdominal wall defect, laparotomy, or wound dehiscence and wound infection. In almost all cases, this combination demonstrated a successful outcome with a clear improvement in wound healing and no adverse effects.From these cases and the review of the literature, the authors believe TNP can be applied on a biological mesh with effectiveness in improving the treatment of the CAWs without relevant risk to the patient or biological mesh.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to evaluate the surgical treatment of acute pancreatitis in Italy and to assess compliance with international guidelines. METHODS: A series of 1173 patients in 56 hospitals were prospectively enrolled and their data analysed. RESULTS: Twenty-nine patients with severe pancreatitis underwent surgical intervention. Necrosectomy was performed in 26 patients, associated with postoperative lavage in 70% of cases. A feeding jejunostomy was added in 37% of cases. Mortality was 21%. Of the patients with mild pancreatitis, 714 patients with a biliary aetiology were evaluated. Prophylactic treatment of relapses was carried out in 212 patients (36%) by cholecystectomy and in 161 using a laparoscopic approach. Preoperative endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography was associated with cholecystectomy in 83 patients (39%). Forty-seven patients (22%) were treated at a second admission, with a median delay of 31 days from the onset of pancreatitis. Eighteen patients with severe pancreatitis underwent cholecystectomy 37.9 days after the first admission. There were no deaths. DISCUSSION: The results indicate poor compliance with published guidelines. In severe pancreatitis, early surgical intervention is frequently performed and enteral feeding is seldom used. Only a small number of patients with mild biliary pancreatitis undergo definitive treatment (i.e. cholecystectomy) within 4 weeks of the onset of pancreatitis.

Gastrointestinal stromal tumour (GIST) of the stomach is extremely rare in the elderly. Surgical resection of the stomach by partial gastrectomy or wedge resection is the standard treatment. Today the resection can also be performed laparoscopically, especially in the case of small tumours as well as for larger GIST though there are unclearly defined oncological limits. The authors report the successful treatment of a large 7.5 cm GIST of the stomach by laparoscopic wedge resection in a 78-year-old patient. The GIST was almost entirely located intraperitoneally between the stomach and the spleen and could be radically resected with a minimal touch technique. The patient recovered promptly and manifested no recurrence at a 2-year follow-up. The authors focus on the main factors supporting the indication for laparoscopic resection of large gastric GIST, especially in the elderly. The surgical risk/benefit ratios of the different approaches, the surgeon's skills in laparoscopically respecting the rules of oncological surgery, and informed consent of the patient in relation to the limited scientific evidence concerning the main risk factors of recurrence are all important considerations.

Up till now, only one study providing practically complete information on acute pancreatitis in Italy has been published. The aim of this prospective study was to evaluate the clinical characteristics, in terms of diagnostic assessment and outcome, of a large series of patients affected by acute pancreatitis in Italy.The study involved 56 Italian centres, homogeneously distributed throughout the entire national territory. Each participating centre was furnished with an ad hoc software including 530 items along with subsequent collection, tabulation and quality control of the data.One thousand five hundred and forty case report forms of patients affected by acute pancreatitis were collected but 367 of them (24%) were subsequently eliminated from the final analysis. Therefore, 1173 patients (581 females and 592 males) were recruited. Mean age of patients was 62.0+/-18.2 years (95% confidence interval, 60.9-63.0). On the basis of Atlanta classification, 1006 patients (85.8%) were defined as mild and 167 (14.2%) as severe pancreatitis. Biliary forms represented the most frequent aetiological category (813 cases, 69.3%) while alcoholic forms only 6.6% (77 cases); the remaining aetiologies accounted for 7.1% (83 cases) while 200 cases (17.1%) remained without a definite aetiological factor. Complete recovery was achieved in 1016 patients (86.6%) whereas morphological sequelae were found in 121 patients (10.3%) and mortality in 36 patients (3.1%; 0.4% in mild and 19.2% in severe acute pancreatitis). Ultrasonography was largely utilised as a first line diagnostic tool in all patients, with valuable visualisation of the pancreas in 85% of patients. Computer tomography scan was also widely used, with 66.7% of exams in mild and 33.3% in severe pancreatitis. Patients affected by biliary pancreatitis presented more severe (p=0.004) and necrotizing forms (p=0.021). Mortality was significantly related (p0.001) with the extension of pancreatic necrosis and with an age of over 70 years. Body mass index presented significantly greater values in severe than in mild forms (p0.001).Association of creatinine serum level over 2mg/dl with an abnormal chest X-ray showed a high significant correlation with a more severe outcome in terms of morphological sequelae and mortality (p=0.0001). Acute pancreatitis in Italy more commonly presents biliary aetiology and favourable outcome with low rate of complications and mortality. From a cost-effectiveness standpoint, diagnostic approach to this disease needs to be better standardised.

The Italian Association for the Study of the Pancreas released a diagnostic and therapeutic algorithm for acute pancreatitis in 1999.This study focused on the analysis of the therapeutic approach for the treatment of acute pancreatitis in Italy.One thousand, one hundred and seventy-three patients were recruited: 1006 patients (85.8%) had mild acute pancreatitis (MAP) and 167 (14.2%) had the severe acute pancreatitis (SAP); 161 patients showed pancreatic necrosis at computed tomography; 121 patients (10.3%) had sequelae and 36 (3.1%) died.Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and tramadol were used more frequently in patients with the MAP whereas opioids and the association schedules were used more frequently in patients with the SAP (P0.001). Gabexate mesilate was utilised in 831 out of 1173 patients (70.8%); in particular, gabexate mesilate was used in 70.6% patients with MAP and in 73.1% of those with SAP (P=0.521). The duration of the drug administration was significantly shorter in those having MAP than in those having the SAP (P0.001). The antibiotics most frequently used for the prophylaxis against infection from pancreatic necrosis (43.1%) were carbapenems. Only a small number of patients received enteral nutrition (4.7%). Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography was carried out in 344 of the 1173 patients (29.3%). Surgery was performed in 48 with SAP (19 had elective biliary surgery and 29 had pancreatic surgery).The results of this survey indicate a lack of compliance with the guidelines which regard the indications mainly for interventional endoscopy and surgery.

We report a rare case of a patient operated on with a diagnosis of hepatic tumour and gallstone disease, which postoperatively was found to be a hepatocellular carcinoma associated with a gallbladder carcinoma. Spiral CT at admission showed only a hepatic mass in the 4th segment, compatible with hepatocellular carcinoma and gallbladder lithiasis. Cholecystectomy was performed followed by a wedge resection of the 4th segment of the liver. The histopathological examination revealed a well-differentiated hepatocellular carcinoma and, surprisingly, an adenocarcinoma of the gallbladder confined to the mucosa. The association of a hepatocellular carcinoma and gallbladder adenocarcinoma is extremely rare. This association, together with an analysis of the literature showing the increased incidence of gallstones in cirrhotic patients and the consequent greater surgical risk when undergoing subsequent cholecystectomy after liver resection, would suggest that cholecystectomy should be performed routinely during liver resection for hepatocellular carcinoma or cirrhosis, even for minor resections and when there are no evident signs of gallbladder disease.

The Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) classification has been recently validated as the best system for treatment guidance for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), but it doesn't properly consider liver dysfunction. The aim of this retrospective study is to evaluate the usefulness of BCLC for hepatic surgeons comparing our treatment decision and BCLC algorithm indications.A retrospective analysis of 102 patients affected by HCC observed from 1991 to 2002 was performed. The treatment choice was compared with the treatment schedule proposed by BCLC.Of 102 patients, in 44 (43.1%) cases, the present study treatment and BCLC system agreed, while in the remnant 58 (56.9%) cases, there was an under treatment in 47 (81.1%) patients and an overtreatment in 11 (18.9%). About the undertreatment cases we didn't perform hepatic resection such as BCLC suggests because of advanced age and/or high level of IGC; in patients in whom BCLC would suggest chemoembolization, we supposed this treatment as high risk therapy. Regarding the overtreatment, we choose hepatic resection, because early Child B class and good liver functional status.Analysing our aprroach in the treatment of HCC during ten years before introduction of BCLC classification, we can conclude that even if our treatment choice disagreed with BCLC systems, this wouldn't changed our decision especially in surgical indications.

Surgery is considered mandatory for major oesophageal perforations but the operative risk in cirrhotic patients is very high. The best treatment of these perforations is unknown as these have been always analyzed together with all other kinds of oesophageal perforations. A case is reported of spontaneous healing of severe postsclerosal perforation in an aged cirrhotic patient treated conservatively who otherwise should have been treated surgically. Conclusions are that due to the rarity and the cirrhosis, the common guidelines for the treatment of major esophageal perforations are not to be automatically extended to these perforations as postsclerosal perforation is clinically particular, etiologically and prognostically different than all other oesophageal perforations. Conservative but active treatment is to be tried first also with major postsclerosal oesophageal perforations.

All haemodynamically stable patients with blunt abdominal trauma can be managed conservatively by non-operative management which is the treatment of choice in 80% of liver trauma. Non-operative management, when feasible, yields very good results in terms of survival, need for blood transfusions, morbidity and reduction of hospital stay. The Authors retrospectively analyse their recent experience with liver trauma. Of 53 patients with blunt liver trauma, 36 underwent surgical treatment whereas 17 haemodynamically stable patients received non-operative management. After CT scans, all patients on non-operative management underwent haemodynamic monitoring, US and blood examinations. A percentage of 47.1 % had aor = grade III trauma. The mortality and morbidity rates were 0% and no blood transfusions were needed. The efficacy of non-operative management was 100% and none of the patients needed subsequent surgical treatment. Our clinical experience demonstrates that non-operative management is feasible and effective even for higher grade traumas, but always requires strict clinical, haemodynamic and US monitoring and careful patient selection. Current progress in the field and recent evidence reported in the literature indicate the likelihood of further developments and more widespread utilisation of non-operative management in liver trauma.