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In this retrospective study we aimed to analyse the risk factors for complications after different methods of distal interphalangeal arthrodesis in the hand. Forty-four per cent were treated with K-wire/cerclage fixation, 46% with X-fuse® implants (Stryker GmbH, Selzach, Switzerland) and 10% with headless compression screws (HBS®-screw, KLS Martin Group, Tuttlingen, Germany). The median follow-up was 16 weeks (range 6–224). The overall complication incidence was 44% (minor complications 29% and major 15%). The logistic regression showed that osteoarthritis, revisional arthrodesis and smoking had a negative impact on the total complication incidence. A Cox-regression analysis showed that HBS®-screw arthrodesis was associated with a significantly lower incidence of major complications compared with K-wire/cerclage and X-Fuse®-arthrodesis. Revisional arthrodesis was five times more frequently connected with major complications than primary surgery. Smokers were three times more likely to experience major complications than non-smokers. We conclude that arthrodesis of the distal interphalangeal joint often leads to complications. Risk factors must be kept in mind. Level of evidence: III

Introduction Burns that involve the perineum, buttocks and genitals (PBG) have been associated independently with more challenging therapeutic needs and worse clinical outcomes in case series and smaller patient collectives, while large scale epidemiology of this injury is lacking. We studied a cohort of 1024 patients admitted to our burn center to assess clinical outcomes based on the presence of PBG burns. Methods Medical records were screened for patients who did or did not sustain PBG burns and patients stratified accordingly (PBG vs. control (CTR)). Demographic baseline data, burn etiology, presence of inhalation injury (IHT), presence of full thickness burns (FT), number of operations (NOR), mortality, length of ICU treatment (LOS ICU) and hospitalization (LOS) were assessed to compare clinical characteristics and outcomes between the groups. Multivariate regression analyses adjusting for TBSA, sex and age were conducted for key clinical outcomes. Results Between 2014 and 2022, 1024 patients were included in the analysis (PBG: n=227; CTR: n=797). PBG burns were older (median (IQR) 54 (38) vs. 44, (31) years, p< 0.0001), more frequently female (35% vs. 23%, p=0.002) presented with larger TBSA burns overall (27 (37) vs. 10 (13) %, p< 0.0001) and sustained FT burns more frequently (69% vs. 26% p< 0.0001). Scald burns were more frequently the cause of PBG burns (45% vs. 15%, p< 0.0001), PBG patients needed twice as many surgical procedures (2 (4) vs. 1 (1), p< 0.0001) as CTR. PBG patients remained longer in the ICU per per cent TBSA (0.9 (1.1) vs. 0.5 (0.8) days/%TBSA, p< 0.001). Mortality was higher in patients with PBG burns (33.1% vs. 7.8%, p< 0.0001). Multivariate logistic regression yielded significant effects of PBG burns on LOS ICU, LOS and NOR. Conclusions Burns to the perineum, buttocks and genitals are associated with more challenging baseline characteristics upon admission and substantially worse clinical outcomes than burns not involving PBG. Applicability of Research to Practice Expectable therapeutic challenges regarding prolonged intensive care, more frequent surgeries and increased risk for mortality should be taken into account and planned for when admitting patients with PBG burns.

Background: Synovial sarcoma (SS) is a malignant soft tissue tumor of mesenchymal origin that frequently occurs in young adults. Translocation of the SYT gene on chromosome 18 to the SSX genes on chromosome X leads to the formation of oncogenic fusion genes, which lead to initiation and proliferation of tumor cells. The detection and quantification of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) can serve as a non-invasive method for diagnostics of local or distant tumor recurrence, which could improve survival rates due to early detection. Methods: We developed a subtype-specific targeted next-generation sequencing (NGS) approach specifically targeting SS t(X;18)(p11;q11), which fuses SS18 (SYT) in chromosome 18 to SSX1 or SSX2 in chromosome x, and recurrent point mutations. In addition, patient-specific panels were designed from tumor exome sequencing. Both approaches were used to quantify ctDNA in patients’ plasma. Results: The subtype-specific assay allowed detection of somatic mutations from 25/25 tumors with a mean of 1.68 targetable mutations. The minimal limit of detection was determined at a variant allele frequency of 0.05%. Analysis of 29 plasma samples from 15 tumor patients identified breakpoint ctDNA in 6 patients (sensitivity: 40%, specificity 100%). The addition of more mutations further increased assay sensitivity. Quantification of ctDNA in plasma samples (n = 11) from one patient collected over 3 years, with a patient-specific panel based on tumor exome sequencing, correlated with the clinical course, response to treatment and tumor volume. Conclusions: Targeted NGS allows for highly sensitive tumor profiling and non-invasive detection of ctDNA in SS patients, enabling non-invasive monitoring of tumor dynamics.

The search for an operation that effectively prevents and treats intrathoracic gastric migration (ITGM) after bariatric surgery has revived a long-forgotten technique: ligamentum teres cardiopexy (LTC) by which a vascularized flap of the teres ligament is wrapped around the distal esophagus. The systematic search of publications in the English language revealed 4 studies (total number of patients 53) in the non-bariatric literature with an unsatisfactory resolution of GERD. There were 5 reports from the bariatric literature with small patient numbers (total 64) and a short follow-up (6-36 months). There were no objective signs of gastric remigration in 93% of investigated patients. Acknowledging the limitations of these preliminary reports, bariatric surgeons are encouraged to further investigate the potentials of LTC in their patients.

The standard of surgical correction of post-bariatric intrathoracic gastric migration (ITGM) is hiatal hernia repair, but little is known about its efficacy in patients with one anastomosis gastric bypass (OAGB). We present our experience. This retrospective cohort study includes all patients with OAGB who had undergone hiatal hernia repair from 2014 to 2019. The primary outcome was recurrence of ITGM as diagnosed by computed tomography and gastroscopy. A total of 63 patients underwent hiatal hernia repair 2–54 months (median 13) after primary OAGB (40 patients) or concurrent with revisional OAGB after prior sleeve gastrectomy (23 patients). ITGM recurred in 48% of patients with hiatal repair after primary OAGB and in 91% of patients with concomitant hiatal repair. Recurrences were diagnosed after a median interval of 9 and 8.5 months, respectively. Thirty-six patients (57% of total number) required a revision, and a re-recurrence of ITGM was detected in 15 patients. The Cox regression analysis of all hiatal repairs showed that two variables significantly influenced the likelihood of ITGM recurrence: the length of the migrated pouch (hazard ratio 1.32; p = 0.016) and the type of repair. Combining hiatoplasty with ligamentum teres augmentation (LTA) and conversion to Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) lowered the probability of ITGM recurrence (compared with stand-alone hiatoplasty; hazard ratio 0.21, p = 0.029). The outcome of hiatal repair in patients with OAGB is unsatisfactory. Stand-alone hiatoplasty is particularly ineffective. The combination of hiatoplasty with LTA and conversion to RYGB improves the early results, but the long-term durability needs to be tested.

The augmentation of hiatoplasty (HP) with the ligamentum teres hepatis (LTA) is a new concept for intrathoracic migration of a gastric sleeve or pouch (ITGM). We retrospectively analyzed all cases of hiatal hernia repair in a single center between 2015 and 2019. A total of 171 patients underwent 307 hiatal hernia repairs after sleeve gastrectomy (SG) (n = 79), Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) (n = 129), and one anastomosis gastric bypass (OAGB) (n = 99). Each hiatal hernia repair was defined as a “case” and assigned to the LTA group or the non-LTA group. The primary outcome was the recurrence of ITGM as detected by endoscopy or CT. The basic characteristics in the LTA group (78 cases) and the non-LTA group (229 cases) were comparable with the exception of the rate of revisional HP (72% vs. 21%), the rate of prior conversion to RYGB (33% vs. 17%), the initial BMI (45.9 ± 8.2 kg/m2 vs. 49.0 ± 8.8 kg/m2), and the follow-up (7 months (1–16) vs. 8 months (1–54)). The ITGM recurrence rate was 15% in the LTA group and 72% in non-LTA group (p