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Recently, a minimally invasive procedure based on a laser technique (SiLaT) has been developed for the treatment of pilonidal cysts. Although less invasive and less painful than surgery, this solution is nevertheless limited by its high cost. Other more affordable laser devices, such as the holmium laser, are also used in minimally invasive surgery. The objective of this study was to evaluate the possibility of using the holmium laser instead of the SiLaT laser in the treatment of pilonidal cysts. Retrospective cohort study with the primary endpoint being the cure rate one month after treatment. Median duration of local care was 21 days (mean = 22 ± 7.5) and healing rate at 1 month was 90.7%. During follow-up, 102 patients (44.9%) experienced pain in the coccygeal region often exacerbated by sitting and significantly more common in people with a small frame, overwhelmingly female. A surgical site infection was reported in 36 patients (15.9%). Recurrence, occurred in 39 patients (17.2%), was related to cyst type (type 1 do not recur, type 3 recur twice three time than type 2). Holmium laser does not differ from SiLaT laser in the healing rate of pilonidal cysts after treatment. However, it is characterised by a moderately higher incidence of complications, foremost of which is the occurrence of pain that can persist for up to a year after the procedure and which could be related to an increase in heat inherent to the use of holmium. As a result, this procedure does not seem to represent an alternative to SiLaT., Competing Interests: Declarations. Conflict of Interest: This study was funded by the Groupement de coopération sanitaire Ramsay Santé pour l’Enseignement et la Recherche. The authors have no competing interests to declare that are relevant to the content of this article. Ethical Statement: The protocol for this study was approved by the IRB (Institutional Review Board) of the Groupement de coopération sanitaire Ramsay Santé pour l’Éducation et la recherche. Given the retrospective nature of the study, all the procedures performed were part of the routine care. Informed Consent: Informed consent was not required for this retrospective study according to the principles of ethics in medical research. However an information letter was sent to all patients. None of them objected to the use of their anonymized data for this study., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag London Ltd., part of Springer Nature.)

Background: The implementation of an Enhanced Recovery After Surgery programme after colectomy reduces postoperative morbidity and shortens the length of hospital stay., Objective: To evaluate the short and midterm outcomes of ambulatory colectomy for cancer., Methods: This was a two-centre, observational study of a database maintained prospectively between 2013 and 2021. Short-term outcome measures were complications, admissions, unplanned consultations and readmission rates. Midterm outcome measures were the delay between surgery and initiation of adjuvant chemotherapy, length of disease-free survival and 2-year disease-free survival rate., Results: A total of 177 patients were included. The overall morbidity rate was 15% and the mortality rate was 0%. The admission rate was 13% and 11% patients left hospital within 24 h of surgery. The readmission rate was 9% and all readmissions occurred before postoperative Day 4. Eight patients underwent repeat surgery because of anastomotic fistula (n = 7) or anastomotic ileocolic bleeding (n = 1). These patients had an uneventful recovery. Sixty-one patients required adjuvant chemotherapy with a median delay between surgery and chemotherapy initiation of 35 days., Conclusions: Ambulatory colectomy for cancer is feasible and safe. Adjuvant chemotherapy could be initiated before 6 weeks postsurgery. The ambulatory approach may be a step forward to further improve morbidity and oncologic prognosis., (© 2022 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Introduction: Surgical management of Diaphragmatic and thoracic endometriosis (DTE) is still controversial, a thoracic or an abdominal approach can be proposed., Methods: We conducted a multicentric retrospective study in 8 thoracic, gynecology or digestive surgery units in 5 French university hospitals. The main objective was to review the current management of DTE., Results: 50 patients operated for DTE from 2010 to 2017 were included: 26 with a thoracic approach and 24 with an abdominal approach. Preoperative pelvic endometriosis (PE) concerned 25 patients. In 38 patients, DTE diagnosis was made on clinical symptoms (pneumothorax (n = 19), chronic or catamenial chest pain (n = 18) or hemopneumothorax (n = 1)). Median time from onset of symptoms to diagnosis was 47 months (0-212). PE surgery concurrently occurred in 22 patients. We report diaphragmatic nodules, pleuropulmonary nodules and diaphragmatic perforations in 42, 5 and 22 women respectively. Lesions were right-sided in 45 patients. Nodules were destructed in 12 cases and resected in 38 cases. When a diaphragmatic reconstruction was needed (n = 31), a simple suture was performed in 26 patients, while 5 patients needed a mesh repair. Pleural symphysis was performed for all patients who received a thoracic approach. DTE resection was considered complete in 46 patients. Three patients had severe 30-days complications of DTE surgery. Median follow-up was 20 months (range 1-69). Recurrence occurred in 10 patients., Conclusion: The results emphasize the importance of systematically looking for chest pain in patients suffering from PE and underline the lack of a standardized procedure and treatment in DTE., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest none, (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)

Background: Laparoscopy is nowadays considered as the standard approach for hepatic left lateral sectionectomy (LLS), but its value in the prevention of incisional hernia (IH) has not been demonstrated., Methods: Between 2012 and 2017, patients undergoing laparoscopic (LLLS) or open LLS (OLLS) in 8 centers were compared. Patients undergoing a simultaneous major abdominal procedure were excluded. The incidence of IH was assessed clinically and morphologically on computed tomography (CT) using inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW) and multivariable regression analysis., Results: After IPTW, 84 LLLS were compared to 48 OLLS. Compared to OLLS, LLLS patients had reduced blood loss (100 [IQR: 50-200] ml vs. 150 [IQR: 50-415] ml, p = 0.023) and shorter median hospital stay (5 [IQR: 4-7] days vs. 7 [6-9] days, p < 0.001), but experienced similar rate of postoperative complications (mean comprehensive complication index: 12 ± 19 after OLLS versus 13 ± 20 after LLLS, p = 0.968). Long-term radiological screening was performed with a median follow-up of 27.4 (12.1-44.9) months. There was no difference between the two groups in terms of clinically relevant IH (10.7% [n = 9] after LLLS, 8.3% [n = 4] after OLLS, p = 0.768). The rate of IH detected on computed tomography was lower after LLLS than after OLLS (11.9% [n = 10] versus 29.2% [n = 14], p = 0.013). On multivariable analysis, the laparoscopic approach was the only independent factor influencing the risk of morphological IH (OR = 0.290 [95% CI: 0.094-0.891], p = 0.031). The 2 preferential sites for specimen extraction after LLLS were Pfannenstiel and midline incisions, with rates of IH across the extraction site of 2.3% [n = 1/44] and 23.8% [n = 5/21], respectively (p = 0.011)., Conclusion: The laparoscopic approach for LLS decreases the risk of long-term IH as evidenced on morphological examinations, with limited clinical impact. Pfannenstiel's incision should be preferred to midline incision for specimen extraction after LLLS., (© 2020. Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Aim: The aim of this work was to determine the rate of incisional hernia (IH) repair and risk factors for IH repair after laparotomy., Method: This population-based study used data extracted from the French Programme de Médicalisation des Systèmes d'Informations (PMSI) database. All patients who had undergone a laparotomy in 2010, their hospital visits from 2010 to 2015 and patients who underwent a first IH repair in 2013 were included. Previously identified risk factors included age, gender, high blood pressure (HBP), obesity, diabetes and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)., Results: Among the 431 619 patients who underwent a laparotomy in 2010, 5% underwent IH repair between 2010 and 2015. A high-risk list of the most frequent surgical procedures (>100) with a significant risk of IH repair (>10% at 5 years) was established and included 71 863 patients (17%; 65 procedures). The overall IH repair rate from this list was 17%. Gastrointestinal (GI) surgery represented 89% of procedures, with the majority of patients (72%) undergoing lower GI tract surgery. The IH repair rate was 56% at 1 year and 79% at 2 years. Risk factors for IH repair included obesity (31% vs 15% without obesity, p  < 0.001), COPD (20% vs 16% without COPD), HBP (19% vs 15% without HBP) and diabetes (19% vs 16% without diabetes). Obesity was the main risk factor for recurrence after IH repair (19% vs 13%, p < 0.001)., Conclusion: From the PMSI database, the real rate of IH repair after laparotomy was 5%, increasing to 17% after digestive surgery. Obesity was the main risk factor, with an IH repair rate of 31% after digestive surgery. Because of the important medico-economic consequences, prevention of IH after laparotomy in high-risk patients should be considered., (© 2021 The Association of Coloproctology of Great Britain and Ireland.)

Introduction: Hernia pathology is one of the leading causes of surgery worldwide. For asymptomatic patients, surgery remains questionable. The objective of this study was to evaluate the practices of a large population of digestive surgeons with asymptomatic hernia., Methods: Between October 2016 and March 2017, French-speaking digestive surgeons were invited to respond to an online survey consisting of 13 common clinical situations concerning primary or asymptomatic incisional hernia pathology where a therapeutic decision was requested. A consensual attitude was defined by identical care by at least 75% of surgeons., Results: Of the 204 surgeons responding to the study, 44% were under 45 years of age. The therapeutic attitude was consensual in 2 out of 13 clinical cases: surgical abstention was chosen consensually for inguinal hernia in the elderly with comorbidities while surgical treatment was consensually chosen for incisional hernia in a young patient in remission of pancreatic cancer. The under-45s were more likely to undergo surgical repair (5 cases of 13 vs 4 cases of 13, p = 0.03)., Conclusion: Although frequent, the management of primary and incisional hernias of the abdominal wall does not reach consensus in the surgical community. Specific recommendations for indications of surgical management or watchful waiting are required., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest., (© 2020 The Authors.)

The aim of this work was to review the entire literature on splenic surgery in cirrhotic patients in order to best define the surgical indications and their management specifics. A review of the international literature published between January 1995 and August 2015 was thus carried out., (Celsius.)

In the original article, the institutional author the E-AHPBA DP-CAR study group was misspelled. It is correct as reflected here. The original article has also been corrected.

Background: Multiple gallbladders (MG) are a rare malformation, with no clear data on its clinical impact, therapeutic indications or risk for malignancy., Methods: A systematic review of all published literature between 1990 and 2017 was performed using the PRISMA guidelines., Results: Data of 181 patients extracted from 153 studies were reviewed. MG were diagnosed during the treatment of a gallstone-related disease in 83% of patients, of which 13% had previous cholecystectomy and had a recurrence of biliary stone disease. The sensitivity of ultrasound scan was 66%, and that of magnetic resonance imaging cholangio-pancreatography, 97%. The cystic duct was common to both gallbladders (type1) in 43% and separated (type 2) in 50% of patients. In the latter case, there was no way to differentiate preoperatively an accessory gallbladder from a Todani II bile duct cyst. Cholecystectomy was performed in 129 patients by laparotomy (43%) or laparoscopy (56%). MG was undiagnosed before surgery in 24% of the patients. The postoperative biliary leakage rate was 0.7%. In two patients, gallbladder cancers were detected., Conclusion: MG are difficult to diagnose and share a common natural history with single gallbladders, without evidence of increased risk for malignancy. Excision of both gallbladders is indicated in symptomatic stone disease. However, prophylactic cholecystectomy must be considered for type 2 MG, since it cannot be preoperatively differentiated from a Todani II bile duct cyst, which is associated with a risk of malignant transformation., (Copyright © 2018 International Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Association Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: The benefit of adjuvant chemotherapy (AC) after pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD) for distal cholangiocarcinoma (DCC) remains controversial. The study aimed to evaluate the impact of AC after PD for DCC in a large multicentric cohort., Methods: Patients from five French centers who underwent from PD for DCC between 2000 and 2015 and received AC (AC+ group) or surgery only (AC- group) were included in the analysis. Variables associated with AC administration were analyzed by univariate analysis. The Cox regression identified covariates associated with overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS). The AC+ cohort was matched to the AC- cohort (1:1) by a propensity score (PS) based on the likelihood of AC administration and independent factors associated with decreased OS and DFS., Results: Of the 178 patients included, 56 (31.5%) received AC. In the whole cohort, no difference on OS and DFS between the AC+ and AC- groups was identified (P = 0.15 and P = 0.07, respectively). After PS matching, the AC+ group (n = 49) was comparable to the AC- group (n = 49) on factors associated with AC administration and on factors associated with a decreased survival in the large cohort. After matching, the medians of OS and DFS in the AC+ group and in the AC- group were comparable (26.27 vs 43.33 months, P = 0.34, and 15.47 vs. 14.70 months, P = 0.79, respectively)., Conclusion: Our study did not demonstrate a survival benefit of adjuvant chemotherapy (mostly base on gemcitabine regimen) for DCC after PD even after propensity score matching. New trial specially designed for DCC is urgently needed to improve survival after surgical resection.

Background: The impact of portal hemodynamic variations after portal vein embolization on liver regeneration remains unknown. We studied the correlation between the parameters of hepatic venous pressure measured before and after portal vein embolization and future hypertrophy of the liver remnant after portal vein embolization., Methods: Between 2014 and 2017, we reviewed patients who were eligible for major hepatectomy and who had portal vein embolization. Patients had undergone simultaneous measurement of portal venous pressure and hepatic venous pressure gradient before and after portal vein embolization by direct puncture of portal vein and inferior vena cava. We assessed these parameters to predict future liver remnant hypertrophy., Results: Twenty-six patients were included. After portal vein embolization, median portal venous pressure (range) increased from 15 (9-24) to 19 (10-27) mm Hg and hepatic venous pressure gradient increased from 5 (0-12) to 8 (0-14) mm Hg. Median future liver remnant volume (range) was 513 (299-933) mL before portal vein embolization versus 724 (499-1279) mL 3 weeks after portal vein embolization, representing a 35% (7.4-83.6) median hypertrophy. Post-portal vein embolization hepatic venous pressure gradient was the most accurate parameter to predict failure of future liver remnant to reach a 30% hypertrophy (c-statistic: 0.882 [95% CI: 0.727-1.000], P < 0.001). A cut-off value of post-portal vein embolization hepatic venous pressure gradient of 8 mm Hg showed a sensitivity of 91% (95% CI: 57%-99%), specificity of 80% (95% CI: 52%-96%), positive predictive value of 77% (95% CI: 46%-95%) and negative predictive value of 92.3% (95% CI: 64.0%-99.8%). On multivariate analysis, post-portal vein embolization hepatic venous pressure gradient and previous chemotherapy were identified as predictors of impaired future liver remnant hypertrophy., Conclusion: Post-portal vein embolization hepatic venous pressure gradient is a simple and reproducible tool which accurately predicts future liver remnant hypertrophy after portal vein embolization and allows early detection of patients who may benefit from more aggressive procedures inducing future liver remnant hypertrophy. (Surgery 2018;143:1-2.)., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Although the peri-operative mortality following pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD) for distal cholangiocarcinoma (DCC) has decreased, the post-operative morbidity remains high. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of factors that may affect the long term survival for patients with DCC following PD., Methods: All patients who underwent PD for DCC between January 2000 and December 2015 in 5 tertiary referral centers underwent retrospective medical record review. Factors likely to influence overall (OS) and disease-free (DFS) survivals were assessed by univariate and multivariate analysis., Results: A total of 201 on 217 patients who underwent PD for DCC were included for further analysis. The median OS was 39 months, with actuarial survival rates at 1, 3, and 5 years of 85%, 53% and 39%. Recurrence occurred in 123 (61%) patients. The median DFS was 16 months, with actuarial survival rates at 1, 3 and 5 years of 60%, 37% and 28%. Following multivariate analysis, peri-operative blood transfusions (PBT) were associated to worse OS (HR = 2.25 [1.31-3.85], P = 0.003) and DFS (HR = 2.08 [1.24-3.5], P = 0.005)., Conclusion: This study confirms the negative impact of PBT on the oncologic result following PD for DCC., (Copyright © 2017 International Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Association Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: Western multicenter studies on distal pancreatectomy with celiac axis resection (DP-CAR), also known as the Appleby procedure, for locally advanced pancreatic cancer are lacking. We aimed to study overall survival, morbidity, mortality and the impact of preoperative hepatic artery embolization (PHAE)., Methods: Retrospective cohort study within the European-African Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary-Association, on DP-CAR between 1-1-2000 and 6-1-2016. Primary endpoint was overall survival. Secondary endpoints were radicality (R0-resection), 90-day mortality, major morbidity, and pancreatic fistulae (grade B/C)., Results: We included 68 patients from 20 hospitals in 12 countries. Postoperatively, 53% of patients had R0-resection, 25% major morbidity, 21% an ISGPS grade B/C pancreatic fistula, and 16% mortality. In total, 82% received (neo-)adjuvant chemotherapy and median overall survival in 62 patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma patients was 18 months (CI 10-37). We observed no impact of PHAE on ischemic complications., Conclusions: DP-CAR combined with chemotherapy for locally advanced pancreatic cancer is associated with acceptable overall survival. The 90-day mortality is too high and should be reduced. Future studies should investigate to what extent increasing surgical volume or better patient selection can improve outcomes.

Background: Hepatic surgery is a major abdominal surgery. Epidural analgesia may decrease the incidence of postoperative morbidities. Hemostatic disorders frequently occur after hepatic resection. Insertion or withdrawal (whether accidental or not) of an epidural catheter during coagulopathic state may cause an epidural hematoma. The aim of the study is to determine the incidence of coagulopathy after hepatectomy, interfering with epidural catheter removal, and to identify the risk factors related to coagulopathy., Methods: We performed a retrospective review of a prospective, multicenter, observational database including patients over 18 years old with a history of liver resection. Main collected data were the following: age, preexisting cirrhosis, Child-Pugh class, preoperative and postoperative coagulation profiles, extent of liver resection, blood loss, blood products transfused during surgery. International normalized ratio (INR) ≥1.5 and/or platelet count <80,000/mm defined coagulopathy according to the neuraxial anesthesia guidelines. A logistic regression analysis was performed to assess the association between selected factors and a coagulopathic state after hepatic resection., Results: One thousand three hundred seventy-one patients were assessed. Seven hundred fifty-nine patients had data available about postoperative coagulopathy, which was observed in 53.5% [95% confidence interval, 50.0-57.1]. Maximum derangement in INR occurred on the first postoperative day, and platelet count reached a trough peak on postoperative days 2 and 3. In the multivariable analysis, preexisting hepatic cirrhosis (odds ratio [OR] = 2.49 [1.38-4.51]; P = .003), preoperative INR ≥1.3 (OR = 2.39 [1.10-5.17]; P = .027), preoperative platelet count <150 G/L (OR = 3.03 [1.77-5.20]; P = .004), major hepatectomy (OR = 2.96 [2.07-4.23]; P < .001), and estimated intraoperative blood loss ≥1000 mL (OR = 1.85 [1.08-3.18]; P = .025) were associated with postoperative coagulopathy., Conclusions: Coagulopathy is frequent (53.5% [95% confidence interval, 50.0-57.1]) after liver resection. Epidural analgesia seems safe in patients undergoing minor hepatic resection without preexisting hepatic cirrhosis, showing a normal preoperative INR and platelet count.

Objectives: Management of hepatic arterial complications after liver transplant remains challenging. The aim of our study was to assess the efficacy of rescue arterial revascularization using cryopreserved iliac artery allografts in this setting., Materials and Methods: Medical records of patients with liver transplants who underwent rescue arterial revascularization using cryopreserved iliac artery allografts at a single institution were reviewed., Results: From 1992 to 2015, 7 patients underwent rescue arterial revascularization using cryopreserved iliac artery allografts for hepatic artery pseudoaneurysm (3 patients), thrombosis (2 patients), aneurysm (1 patient), or stenosis (1 patient). Two patients developed severe complications, comprising one biliary leakage treated percutaneously, and one acute necrotizing pancreatitis causing death on postoperative day 29. After a median follow-up of 75 months (range, 1-269 mo), 2 patients had an uneventful long-term course, whereas 4 patients developed graft thrombosis after a median period of 120 days (range, 2-488 d). Among the 4 patients who developed graft thrombosis, 1 patient developed ischemic cholangitis, 1 developed acute ischemic hepatic necrosis and was retransplanted, and 2 patients did not develop any further complications., Conclusions: Despite a high rate of allograft thrombosis, rescue arterial revascularization using cryopreserved iliac artery allografts after liver transplant is an effective and readily available approach, with a limited risk of infection and satisfactory long-term graft and patient survival.

The benefit of placing a T-tube for duct-to-duct biliary reconstruction during orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) remains controversial because it could be associated with specific complications, especially at the time of T-tube removal. While the utility of T-tube during OLT represents an eternal debate, only a few technical refinements of T-tube placement have been described since the report of the original technique by Starzl and colleagues. Herein, we present a novel technique of T-tube placement for duct-to-duct biliary reconstruction during OLT, using a tunneled retroperitoneal route. On the basis of our experience of 305 patients who benefitted from the reported technique, the placement of a tunneled retroperitoneal biliary T-tube appears to be safe and results in a low rate of biliary complications, especially at the time of T-tube removal.

Background: Doppler ultrasound (DUS) arterial abnormalities (DAA) after orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) often represent a sign of hepatic artery (HA) complication (HAC). The standard management of DAA involves computed tomographic angiography (CTA) followed by invasive vascular intervention (IVI) or observation. We evaluated the contribution of systemic vasodilators (SVD) to the management of DAA after OLT., Methods: Between 2005 and 2015, 91 of 514 OLT recipients developed DAA (defined by HA resistive index [HARI] <0.5) and received oral SVDs. Doppler ultrasound was performed 2 days later, and patients were assigned to 3 groups accordingly: the normalization group (HARI >0.5), improvement group (HARI increase of >0.1 but value <0.5), or nonresponse group. We analyzed the contribution of this strategy to predict clinically significant HAC, defined as thrombosis or HAC requiring IVI., Results: A clinically significant HAC (4 thromboses, 35 HACs requiring IVI) was found in 2.9% (n = 1/34), 32.1% (n = 9/28), and 100% (n = 29/29) of patients in the normalization, improvement, and nonresponse groups, respectively (P < 0.001). On multivariate analysis, absence of HARI normalization after SVD and time to DAA longer than 30 days were associated with clinically significant HAC. Specificity and accuracy of DUS after SVD increased from 88.1% to 95.1% and from 88.9% to 95.1% (P < 0.001), without altering its sensitivity (97.7% vs 95.5%, P = 1.000)., Conclusions: The use of SVD improves the diagnostic performance of DUS for clinically significant HAC after OLT. It allows identifying patients at low risk for HAC, for whom CTA could be avoided, and helps choosing between observation and IVI in patients with inconclusive CTA.