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Postoperative pancreatic fistulas represent the most frequent complication after distal and segmental pancreatectomy and occur with a frequency of up to 50 %. There are many technical variations of pancreatic stump treatment for reduction of fistula rates after distal resection. Most of these techniques have only been analyzed in retrospective studies and the evidence for or against a specific technique is low. Several retrospective trials have been conducted with good results to compare suturing with stapled closure of the remnant and to assess the effect of a vascularized falciform ligament patch in reducing postoperative pancreatic fistula; however, in a recently published randomized trial, which analyzed closure of the remnant with a pancreaticojejunostomy compared to standard closure, these results could not be confirmed. Because stapler resection and closure is the most commonly used technique in laparoscopic distal pancreatectomy, there are a large number of studies which assessed various novel methods of improving stapling. Extended stapler compression time and mesh augmentation of the stapler line can be valid methods to reduce fistula rates. Central pancreatectomy is a relatively rarely used procedure where the right-sided pancreatic remnant is closed in the same fashion as during distal pancreatectomy and the left-sided remnant is connected to the intestines with a pancreaticojejunostomy or pancreaticogastrostomy. In conclusion, postoperative pancreatic fistula rates are still a relevant clinical problem after distal pancreatectomy and further studies on potentially improved novel techniques are required.

Vascular resection interventions and the associated necessity of a reconstruction for maintenance particularly of hepatic and small intestinal perfusion are important aspects especially for the surgical treatment of pancreatic cancer. An R0 resection is the only curative treatment option for patients with pancreatic cancer. Venous or arterial vascular infiltration by the tumor and the associated resection and reconstruction for complete tumor removal and establishment of a sufficient perfusion of the dependent organs represents one of the greatest challenges in pancreatic surgery. In addition the oncological significance with respect to arterial vascular resections is controversial.In this review article the indications and technical aspects of vascular resection and reconstruction in the therapy of pancreatic cancer are presented and discussed based on the current literature.A systematic search of Medline, Embase and the Cochrane Library was carried out to identify studies reporting the results of venous or arterial vascular resection techniques, postoperative morbidity, mortality and patient survival after surgery for pancreatic cancer. Results Pancreatic cancer with vascular infiltration should not principally be seen as non-resectable but must always be checked for the possibility of a curative resection. A decisive factor is the differentiation between venous and arterial vascular involvement. Various safe technical options are available for venous vascular resection, depending on the extent of tumor infiltration. Arterial vascular resections are associated with an increased morbidity and mortality. In selected patients a complete tumor resection and prolonged survival can be achieved by arterial vascular resection.

Due to the comprehensive establishment of modern techniques, tracheostomy has become a routine procedure in intensive care units (ICU). The negative effects of prolonged translaryngeal intubation on the laryngeal and tracheal mucosa up to tracheal stenosis can be reduced by tracheostomy. Furthermore, long-term ventilation is facilitated; however, there is no clear evidence on the optimal timing of tracheostomy in critically ill patients. The specific indications and contraindications of surgical as well as percutaneous tracheostomy must be strictly observed for a safe and successful intervention. Exchanging the tracheostomy tube may lead to potentially dangerous situations especially after percutaneous tracheostomy. A standardized and structured approach is therefore recommended.

Pancreatic cancer is still associated with a poor prognosis and remains the fourth leading cause of cancer related mortality. Overall, long-term survival is about 5 %. However, when pancreatic cancer can be resected, five-year survival rates increase to approximately 25 %. Pancreatic surgery is technically challenging and has significantly changed over the past decades with regard to technical aspects as well as perioperative care. Standardized resections can be carried out with low morbidity and a mortality below 5 % in high volume institutions. Furthermore, there is growing evidence that also more extended resections including multivisceral approaches, vessel reconstructions or surgery for tumor recurrence can be carried out safely with favorable outcomes. In addition, about 20 percent of all primarily locally irresectable tumors may profit from neoadjuvant radiochemotherapy. The impact of adjuvant chemotherapy has increased over recent years, leading to improved long-term survival. Thus, pancreatic cancer should be treated in an interdisciplinary team at a pancreatic cancer center. Cystic pancreatic tumors (e. g. IPMNs) are diagnosed more and more frequently over the past decade. Often, these tumors are diagnosed in premalignant or early invasive stages. While the outcome of late tumor stages of cystic and ductal pancreatic carcinomas is identical to ductal adenocarcinomas, the long-term outcome of prophylactic resection of premalignant or resection of early tumor stages of cystic tumors is excellent. Thus, early surgical treatment must be considered in cystic pancreatic tumors.

Elective laparoscopic sigmoid resection (LSR) for symptomatic diverticular disease is supposed to have significant short-term advantages compared to open surgery (open sigmoid resection (OSR)). This opinion is rather based on inferences from trials on colonic resections for malignant diseases or minor laparoscopic surgery. This randomized controlled trial was conducted to compare quality of life as well as morbidity and clinical outcome after LSR vs. OSR following a midterm follow-up period.Patients presenting with a symptomatic sigmoid diverticular disease stage II/III (Stock/Hansen) were randomly allocated to LSR or OSR in a prospective multicenter trial. Endpoints included the quality of life assessed with a standardized questionnaire, postoperative mortality, and complications within the follow-up of 12 months after operation.A total of 143 patients randomized between 2005 and 2008 in 12 centers could be analyzed. The recruitment was aborted for nonachievement of the planned sample size. Seventy-five patients were allocated to LSR, and 68 received OSR. Nine operations were converted to OSR (9%) and analyzed as intention to treat. Groups were comparable for age, gender, body mass index, comorbidity, and indication for surgery. Operation time was longer for LSR (p 0.001). Quality of life did not differ between LSR and OSR, either during the early postoperative course or after 12 months (p = 0.172). Also, mortality and morbidity, including subgroups of major and minor morbidity, were compared.LSR was not superior to OSR regarding postoperative quality of life and incidence of complications in this trial.

The case presented deals with the complicated course of a laparoscopic cholecystectomy in a 45-year-old female patient due to cholecystolithiasis. The patient complained that during the operation an injury to the small intestine occurred, which was only operatively treated at midday of the despite massive pain and insufficient pain treatment. The intervention was claimed to have resulted in mental and physical suffering. The case is assessed by two independent experts in the sense of a "scientifically founded comment" with respect to the decision of the arbitration board and taking the surgical standards into consideration.

The occurrence of a postoperative pancreatic fistula is one of the most important complications following pancreatic resections. The frequency of this complication varies between 3 % after pancreatic head resection and up to 35 % following distal pancreatectomy. In 2005, the international definition of postoperative pancreatic fistula was standardized according to the approach of the International Study Group of Pancreatic Surgery (ISGPS) including an A-C grading system of the severity. Consequently, results from different studies have become comparable and the historically reported fistula rates can be evaluated more critically. The present review summarises the currently available data on incidence, risk factors, fistula-associated complications and management of postoperative pancreatic fistula.

Fundamentals of hernia surgery technique of conventional surgery international results of conventional hernia repair techniques of laparoscopic hernia repair international results of laparoscopic hernia repair.

Perioperative complications following surgical procedures of the lower gastrointestinal tract still represent a relevant problem. The perioperative morbidity may negatively affect short and long-term outcomes of treatment of individual patients. The additional diagnostics and treatment required also lead to additional costs that burden the healthcare system. Ideally, complications should be avoided by preventive measures. In the event of a complication, early detection is essential for appropriate treatment.Surgical site infections (SSI) have been described as the most common complication in the postoperative period and may occur in up to 30% of cases. Through various perioperative measures up to 40-60% of SSI are preventable. Depending on the location, the reported anastomotic leakage rate ranges from 1% to 23%. The therapeutic strategy ranges from conservative measures through interventional methods up to surgical revision. An early postoperative burst abdomen occurs in about 3% of cases. A midline closure with small stitches and small suture distances (suture length to wound length ratio of 4) seems to be superior to large stitches with long distance intervals. A rare but potentially fatal complication is bleeding. The identification of patients with relevant risk factors is of great importance. This article summarizes the prevention, recognition and treatment of perioperative complications after surgery of the lower gastrointestinal tract.

The interdisciplinary management of postoperative complications in liver transplantation is of extreme importance. Due to organ shortage and prioritization of the most severely ill recipients in the model for end-stage liver disease (MELD)-based allocation, both donor and recipient associated morbidity are increasing. An interdisciplinary, structured monitoring concept is essential for the timely identification and specific treatment of postoperative complications. Interdisciplinary clinical rounds, laboratory testing and Doppler ultrasound monitoring of the graft perfusion are as important as comprehensive anti-infection prophylaxis and immunosuppression. Arterial perfusion disorders of any kind, biliary complications and postoperative fluid accumulation demand individualized therapeutic concepts. In summary, the success of liver transplantation depends on the communication and coordinated interdisciplinary cooperation of all disciplines involved.

Die chirurgische Therapie der akuten Pankreatitis ist heute zunehmend seltener indiziert. Die Infektion der Pankreasnekrose stellt heute den Hauptrisikofaktor im Krankheitsverlauf der akuten Pankreatitis dar. Eine prophylaktische Antibiotikatherapie bei der nekrotisierenden Pankreatitis kann die Infektion und die Mortalität senken. Bei Verdacht auf eine infizierte Pankreasnekrose sollte diese durch eine Feinnadelaspiration gesichert werden. Die infizierte Pankreasnekrose ist weiterhin eine absolute Indikation für eine Operation. Ziel der Nekrosektomie ist die Entfernung des septischen Fokus. Der optimale Zeitpunkt der Operation ist nach der 3. Krankheitswoche, da zu diesem Zeitpunkt die Nekrosen demarkiert sind und so Blutungen und die Entfernung von vitalem Gewebe vermieden werden können. Operative Verfahren der Wahl sind heute die Kombination von Nekrosektomie und der postoperativen Entfernung von Nekrosen durch Drainagen oder Lavage (Postoperative kontinuierliche Lavage oder Closed packing).

Complement activation has been shown to occur in patients with acute pancreatitis. However, the diagnostic potential of complement activation products in plasma for predicting severe disease remains unclear to date.The daily levels of the complement anaphylatoxin C3a and the soluble terminal complement complex sC5b-9 were determined by ELISA in plasma of patients with mild (n = 16) or severe (n = 14) acute pancreatitis during the first week after onset of symptoms, and in healthy control subjects (n = 14).Both C3a and sC5b-9 were significantly elevated during the first 7 days in plasma of patients with severe acute pancreatitis (C3a: 459.3 +/- 407.5 ng/mL (mean +/- s); sC5b-9: 617.9 +/- 297.7 ng/mL), as compared to patients with mild disease (C3a: 172 +/- 149.5 ng/mL; sC5b-9: 306.7 +/- 167.3 ng/mL) or controls (C3a: 102.3 +/- 19.7 ng/mL; sC5b-9: 40.64 +/- 19.7 ng/mL; P0.001, repeated measures ANOVA). The analysis of both parameters in combination during the first week after onset of symptoms revealed a high sensitivity (0.93) and specificity (0.88) as well as high negative and positive predictive values (0.93 and 0.87, respectively) with an odds ratio of 91.0 for the development of pancreatic necrosis (P0.0001, Fisher exact test).In patients with acute pancreatitis, the plasma levels of complement C3a and sC5b-9 measured daily during the first week after onset of symptoms represent highly specific and sensitive parameters for the prediction of severe acute pancreatitis.

Liver resection has developed into the current standard procedure due to modern resection techniques, profound knowledge of the liver anatomy and optimized surgical and anesthesiological strategies to allow extended resections with both low morbidity and mortality. Initially major blood loss was the biggest concern with liver resection and a Pringle's manoeuvre was necessary. Nowadays, biliary leakage is the major problem after liver surgery. Besides the classical conventional clamp crushing technique for parenchymal transection, various devices including ultrasound, microwaves and staplers have been introduced. Minimally invasive techniques have become increasingly important for liver resection but are still applied in selected patients only. The selection of the resection technique and device mainly depends on the extent of the resection and also on the liver parenchyma, the liver disease, costs, personal experiences and preferences. This article presents a selection of techniques used in modern parenchymal transection during liver resection with special focus on transection time, blood loss, bile leakage and costs.

Ethical and moral topics have always been an integral part of surgery. The rapid progress of highly advanced medicine has induced public discussions about medico-ethical problems as well as respective legislation. Interdisciplinary ethical committees, appointed by political as well as professional associations, have published guidelines concerning current ethical topics. However, what about the doctor's attitude and the influence of the ever changing "Zeitgeist"? With the surplus of unproven health information on the web, modern information technologies have changed the doctor-patient relationship. Active leadership of the doctor is still required. For the benefit of the patient the physician should confront increasing economic pressures and the requirements of higher performance levels with competence. Indications have to be based on the results of valid quality controls. Special moral standards should be applied for working within the surgical community and for the pursuit of a career in academic surgery. By strengthening mutual respect and the community spirit surgery will remain attractive for aspiring young doctors.

Transforming growth factor-alpha (TGF-alpha) is a key mediator of colonic mucosal protection and/or repair mechanisms in orally induced acute dextran sodium sulphate (DSS) colitis. However, it also has been suggested that TGF-alpha may contribute to malignant transformation in the colon. The aim of the studies was to determine whether TGF-alpha is needed for malignant transformation in orally induced chronic DSS colitis using TGF-alpha deficient mice (wa-1) and Balb/c mice, a strain competent in TGF-alpha.Chronic colitis was induced by oral administration of DSS (5%) for 7 days followed by drinking water for 10 days in wa-1 and Balb/c mice (n = 20, per group). In the two subsequent cycles (7 days DSS, 10 days water) 3% DSS-water was utilized due to a high mortality in the wa-1 group. Mucosal injury severity was assessed histologically and graded (three grades). A crypt damage score (CDS) reflecting all three grades of mucosal pathology was calculated. Mucosal dysplasia and cancerous lesions were noted.Seven per cent of the entire colonic mucosa was completely destroyed in wa-1 animals compared to 3% in Balb/c mice (P0.05). The CDS was 10.2 +/- 0.4 and 4.8 +/- 0.3 in wa-1 and Balb/c mice, respectively (P0.05). Fifteen incidences of mucosal dysplasia were found in the 10 surviving wa-1 animals and 31 incidences were found in 20 Balb/c animals. In both groups, one fully developed adenomatous cancerous lesion was present.The markedly increased severity of mucosal injury in chronic induced DSS colitis in TGF-alpha deficient wa-1 mice compared to Balb/c mice further substantiates that endogenous TGF-alpha is a pivotal mediator of protection and/or healing mechanisms in the colon. The appearance of dysplastic and cancerous lesions in TGF-alpha deficient animals suggests that TGF-alpha per se is not essential for malignant mucosal cell transformation in colitis.

Postoperative complications following major pancreatic surgery are mainly due to the difficulties of performing a safe and proper anastomosis between the stomach or small bowel and the pancreas. Continuous pancreatic juice secretion and the often soft structure of the pancreatic parenchyma are major risk factors. The present paper summarizes the results of six previously published, placebo-controlled, double-blind trials and one open randomized trial analyzing the efficacy of octreotide in preventing postoperative complications in patients who undergo major pancreatic surgery. Patients were given either octreotide (3×100–150 µg subcutaneously/day) or a placebo perioperatively for 5–7 days starting at least 1 h before operation. The patients were monitored postoperatively for typical postoperative complications such as: leakage of the anastomosis, pancreatic fistula, abscess, fluid collection, shock, sepsis, pulmonary insufficiency, renal insufficiency, bleeding, postoperative pancreatitis, and death. Six of the seven studies showed significantly fewer postoperative complications in the octreotide group in comparison with the placebo group (p

Background—Transforming growth factor α (TGF-α) knockout mice have increased susceptibility to dextran sodium sulphate (DSS) induced colitis.Aim—To substantiate the findings that TGF-α is a key mediator of colonic mucosal protection and/or repair mechanisms by evaluating the susceptibility of mice overexpressing TGF-α to DSS induced colitis.Methods—TGF-α overexpression was induced in transgenic mice by ZnSO4administration in drinking water (TG+). Three groups were used as controls: one transgenic group without ZnSO4 administration (TG−), and two non-transgenic littermate groups receiving ZnSO4 (Non-TG+) or only water (Non-TG−). Acute colitis was induced in all groups by administration of DSS (5%, w/v) in drinking water for six days ad libitum.Results—About 35–39% of the entire colonic mucosa was destroyed in Non-TG−, Non-TG+, and TG− animals compared with 9% in TG+ mice. The crypt damage score was 18.7 (0.9), 18.2 (1.0), 18.9 (0.8), and 6.8 (1.5) (means (SEM)) in Non-TG−, Non-TG+, TG−, and TG+ mice respectively. Mucin and bromodeoxyuridine staining were markedly enhanced in colons of TG+ mice compared with controls, indicating increased mucosal protection and regeneration.Conclusions—The significantly reduced susceptibility of mice overexpressing TGF-α to DSS further substantiates that endogenous TGF-α is a pivotal mediator of protection and/or healing mechanisms in the colon.