Search

Background/Objectives: The management of acute uncomplicated diverticulitis (AUD) has shifted towards outpatient care in the last decade, challenging the traditional inpatient approach. We aimed to analyze the safety and feasibility of a structured outpatient treatment pathway for AUD in a tertiary hospital. Methods: We conducted a retrospective observational cohort analysis of patients who underwent outpatient management for AUD at the Geneva University Hospitals from 2019 to 2021. Patient demographics, selection criteria, treatment protocols, and outcomes were analyzed. Results: Two-hundred and twenty patients were included in the outpatient cohort. Four patients (1.8%) required hospitalization due to the failure of outpatient management, whereas the majority of patients (116 patients, 98.2%) experienced a successful resolution of their symptoms without hospitalization. In a univariate analysis, factors associated with treatment failure included elevated white blood cell counts at admission (14 G/l vs. 10.6 G/l, p = 0.049) and the first follow-up appointment, (10.7 G/l vs. 7.4 G/l, p = 0.011) and the presence of free air on their CT scan (25% vs. 2,3%, p = 0.033). In a multivariate analysis, the presence of free air was the only identified risk factor for unsuccessful outpatient management (p = 0.05). We observed high rates of follow-up compliance (99.1%). Conclusion: Under the condition of a warranted outpatient follow-up appointment and with adequate selection criteria, outpatient management appears to be an effective approach for most patients with AUD, emphasizing the importance of tailored therapeutic interventions and vigilant clinical assessments for optimal outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Anatomic variations of the extracranial carotid artery are rare. Persistent primitive hypoglossal artery appears with a reported incidence between 0.03% and 0.2%. We report a case of recurrent transient ischemic attacks originating from proximal internal carotid artery stenosis associated with ipsilateral persistent primitive hypoglossal artery and give a review of the existing literature.Methods: A 78-year-old patient with a medical history of two previous transient ischemic attacks consulted our emergency department with an acute left hemispheric stroke. Intravenous thrombolysis permitted complete resolution of symptoms. Concurrent Computed Tomography (CT) and Magnetic Resonance (MR) angiography revealed an unstable plaque causing 50% stenosis of the left internal carotid artery with a persistent primitive hypoglossal artery dominantly perfusing the posterior circulation, and bilateral hypoplastic vertebral arteries.Results: Uneventful carotid artery stenting using a proximal protection device was performed, and the patient was discharged after 12 days. Six months follow-up was uneventful with a patent stent in the internal carotid artery.Conclusions: Treatment of symptomatic carotid artery stenosis in the presence of persistent primitive hypoglossal artery is challenging. Management should be driven by patients' co-morbidities, the anatomical localization of the lesions and local expertise. In the case of a high origin of the persistent primary hypoglossal artery, carotid artery stenting with the use of a proximal cerebral protection device is probably the preferred and simplest approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Approximately 7% of patients with rectal cancer experience local recurrence within 5 years of curative surgery. A positive circumferential resection margin (CRM) is among the most significant risk factors. Other reported risk factors include histopathologic type, anastomotic leakage, positive distal margins, and more recently, the anterior localization of the tumor. In this retrospective cohort study, we aimed to assess risk factors for local recurrence in our institution, with a focus on tumor localization as an independent negative predictive factor., Patients and Methods: From 2007 to 2018, all patients with stage II or III rectal cancer were included in this study. Patients underwent neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy followed by surgical resection with total mesorectal excision. The tumor's anterior or posterior localization was assessed by preoperative endosonography or magnetic resonance imaging. Risk factors for local recurrence were assessed using univariate and multivariate regression analyses., Results: A total of 128 patients were included. The 3-year and 5-year local recurrence rates were 4.7% and 7%, respectively. In univariate and multivariate analyses, the histologic type of a poorly differentiated tumor (P=0.001) and a positive CRM (P=0.001) were correlated with local recurrence. Tumor localization (anterior or posterior) was not identified as a statistically significant factor associated with local recurrence., Conclusion: Positive CRM and a poorly differentiated tumor histological subtype were found to be independent risk factors for local recurrence. In contrast to previous findings, anterior localization was not identified as an independent risk factor for local recurrence in our patient cohort., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS.. All rights reserved.)