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Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate the outcomes of inguinal hernia repair with prolene hernia system (PHS) mesh under local anaesthesia with sedation as a day surgery procedure within a surgical training programme. Patients and Methods: 5450 patients with inguinal herniae were admitted for hernia repair between 1997 and 2005 in our day surgery unit. 1840 inguinal hernias were repaired with PHS during this time, 1002 patients were operated by residents (54,54%) under staff supervision. Patients were followed-up at five years post-operatively and the outcome measures of pain and complications recorded. Trainees and staff surgeons were assessed by an evaluation of both knowledge and technique. Results: Local anaesthesia with sedation was used in 97.4% (1793) of patients; regional anaesthesia in 45 (2.49%): conversion from local to general anaesthesia was required in two patients (0.2%). Mean operation time was 40 min, including t anaesthesic preparation. Mean hospital stay for all patients was 6 hours. The evaluation of hernia repair with the PHS system was similar between the staff members and residents. Conclusion: Inguinal hernia repair using the PHS technique under local anaesthesia with sedation is feasible on a day case basis and is a suitable procedure for training in a residency programme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: There are no quantified data on the real activity carried out by residents during the 5 years of training in the specialty of general and digestive surgery (GGS) in Spain. There are also limited data on programs in other surgical specialities, and in other countries. The aim of the study is to estimate the mean overall surgical activity by specific skill areas and by the level of complexity of the Spanish program in the specialty of GGS., Patients and Method: A prospective, observational, multicentre study was performed on the activity of GGS residents in Spain using the Resident Computerised Logbook of the Spanish Surgeons Association (LIR-AEC). Each of the residents registered their own activity supervised by their tutor. The sample period was 6 months. The medians of the annual activity and the period of residency were calculated from the results., Results: Surgical activity: during the residency, it was estimated that that they attended 1,325 operations, 654 (49%) as lead surgeon. Health care activity: the mean number of times on-call was 5.2±1.8 per month. Activity in outpatient clinics was 548 first visits, and almost double for second visits. Scientific activity: the total number of courses and conferences attended was 34. The estimated mean number of presentations at conferences was 14, with 3 publications., Conclusions: LIR-AEC is a suitable tool to verify activity in the Spanish GGS Program. These results may be useful for comparing with training programs in other countries and in other surgical specialties., (Copyright © 2012 AEC. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.)

Objective: We want to present our experience about surgical pathology of Meckel´s diverticulum by means of a retrospective study., Material and Methods: We report a group of patients of our Department of General and Abdominal Surgery and Paediatric Surgery of our Hospital with Meckel´s diverticulum since January 1997 to January 2010. We report the clinical presentation, complementary test, interventions, and the postoperative follow up., Results: 45 patients were operated in total, 33 of them in emergency surgery under the clinical form of acute abdominal pain; and the others 12 in programmed surgery, these cases came up more frequently like a clinical manifestations of latent abdominal pain, rectal bleeding and anemia. The complementary tests were so varied; abdominal ultrasounds were used in 63% of emergency cases and the 40% of programmed cases, in these patients,gammagraphy with Tc99 was the second test in frequency. Laparoscopy was used in 10 cases (22%). The main surgery technique used was diverticulectomy (82%)., Conclusions: The presence of Meckel´s diverticulum has to be clinically suspected in all patients with abdominal pain of unknow naetiology. Access to the abdominal cavity using routine laparoscopy provides essential information on the diagnosis and for the treatment.

Introduction: Current studies have shown the validity of the atraumatic fixation with fibrin glue (Tissucol) compared to conventional sutures in polypropylene mesh fixation. We propose to study the behaviour of absorbable mesh., Material and Methods: We used 20 Wistar white rats. Two hernia defects were made in the abdominal wall, which were repaired using absorbable PGA-TMC preperitoneal mesh. The right side of the mesh was fixed with Tissucol and left side with conventional suture attached to the muscle fascia. One group of 10 rats were sacrificed at day 14 (Series A) and the other 10 rats at 28 days (Series B). We used two tests to assess the contingency of the abdominal wall; Pressure Test: pneumoperitoneum more than 40mmHg maintained for 1min, Traction Test: dynamometry of the affected area more than 300mg per cm(2) of traction. Abdominal wall was analysed to determine the integration of the new generation mesh., Results: The fixation of the mesh after the pressure and traction tests showed no statistically significant changes in either group. The integration of the mesh and vessel neoformation was higher in the cases of fixation with fibrin glue., Conclusions: Biological fixation with fibrin glue is similar to the conventional. Absorbable mesh was suitably integrated and vascular neoformation and integration of the mesh was also found to be better than conventional sutures when fibrin sealant was applied.

Introduction: Surgical site infections are frequent in daily surgical practice. One of the main challenges currently facing surgeons is the prevention and treatment of infections, especially those involving prosthetic material. A new suture (Vicryl Plus) has become available. In vitro studies and experimental models have demonstrated the ability of this suture to inhibit bacterial growth and consequently prevent postsurgical infection., Objectives: To compare infections provoked in prosthetic implants fixed with reabsorbable conventional sutures with those in meshes fixed with reabsorbable sutures with antiseptic impregnation., Material and Method: Twenty white Wistar rats were used. In each rat, two hernioplasties were performed: one fixed with Vicryl Plus and the other with normal Vicryl. Subsequently, each polypropylene mesh was infected with S. aureus, and the rats remained in individual cages for a week. After 1 week, the rats were sacrificed and the meshes were extracted for macroscopic, microscopic and microbiologic study., Results: Most of the meshes fixed with the new suture (Vicryl Plus) showed macroscopically fewer infections than those fixed with conventional suture, without abscesses and without dehiscence of the hernioplasty. In the microbiological quantitative bacterial study, the number of bacteria quantified per gram of sample was also lower in prostheses fixed with Vicryl Plus. Pathological analysis showed lesser colonization of the mesh and lower inflammatory response with Vicryl Plus than with normal Vicryl. In the statistical analysis, comparison of the medians of both groups and the interquartile ranges of microbial quantification revealed a lower infection rate in the Vicryl Plus group., Conclusions: The infection rate in the surgical site can be reduced by mesh fixation using the new antimicrobial suture (Vicryl Plus). We believe that this type of suture constitutes a new weapon in the fight against postoperative infection, especially in hernioplasty, emergency surgery, and dirty or potentially contaminated surgery.

Introduction: Surgical and anesthetic advances have allowed an adequate develop at the day surgery programs, with a rational application and cost-effectiveness of the hospital resorts. The aim of this study, is to know the level of quality perceived in surgical treatment in a program of day surgery., Material and Methods: A randomised selection of 204 patients from a series of 751 operated, between April-May 2001 in a day-surgery institution, was done. Phone questionnaire was done following protocol SERCAL (sociodemographic factors and general satisfaction, accessibility, personal assistance, guarantee and fidelity service) with validation for day surgery programs. Absolute and relatives frequencies were evaluated for dichotomous and categoric variables and medium and standard deviation for numeric variables. Possible differences were evaluated by chi2 test in qualitative variables and Student's t and ANOVA test for quantitative variables., Results: Response index was 70.1%. Satisfaction general index was 9.1%, for 18 numeric items (range 0-10). Social and demographic items show that the best validity of treatment were by elderly, women, retired and low cultural patients. Data reduction by factorial analysis showed 4 factors with incidence (total variance 71.62%): Scientific-technical guarantee service and adequate personal treatment (Cronbach's alpha 0.9060), comfortable and security assistance (Cronbach's alpha 0.8708), accessibility to hospital and professionals (Cronbach's alpha 0.0652), accessibility to surgical service., Conclusions: General satisfaction of the patients treated in the day-surgery program was high, 9.1 (range 0-10). 88.8% patients would recommend this type of treatment to their parents or friends and in 84.3% would repeat the same experience in the surgery unit. The best appreciate items were the direct treatment and relation, respect, intimacy and information along the assistential circuit by implicated professionals. The worst identified item was the time past in waiting surgical list.

Management of upper gastrointestinal haemorrhage continues to present a challenge in surgical judgment. To evaluate the incidence of rebleeding, ulcer recurrence, mortality and morbidity derived from the surgical technique, we made a prospective study in patients with active bleeding duodenal ulcer (endoscopy diagnosis in all cases), excluding patients with serious intercurrent diseases NSAIDS intake drugs and over seventy years of age. In 49 patients, oxyntic cell vagotomy with undersewing bleeding ulcer were performed in the period 1972-1984. Periodic controls were established, included clinical, radiographic and gastroduodenoscopic evaluation. Five years after operation 35 patients could be evaluated. In these cases, mortality was nil. No early rebleeding was observed. Long term endoscopic results showed only 2.85% of relapses. The results obtained in this study show that oxyntic cell vagotomy with undersewing bleeding ulcer may be a technique of choice in the treatment of bleeding duodenal ulcers and it should be more extensively used in emergency services.

The surgical treatment in 154 patients with upper gastrointestinal hemorrhage, was analyzed retrospectively. One hundred and twenty-two were males (79.2%) and 20.7% were females. Mean age was 58.3 years. Surgery was performed immediately or on a wait and see fashion, according to the evolution of the bleeding, during 1985-1989. Survivals were analyzed with the chi-square test with 95% confidence limits. Overall mortality was 11.68% (18 patients), 12.69% after immediate surgery and 9.1% after deferred surgery. Resections had a higher mortality than simple suture in patients with associated severe risk and urgent surgical indication. In patients with less risk, a vagotomy procedure is added if no intercurrent diseases are present. Gastrectomy should be performed only out of necessity.

To evaluate the influence of vagotomy in the development of gastric carcinoma, we conducted a prospective, controlled study of 183 patients diagnosed of gastric or duodenal peptic ulcer resistant to medical treatment; all cases had been treated by oxyntic cell vagotomy, without drainage, in the Departamento de Cirugía del Hospital Universitario Virgen del Rocío, Sevilla. Once a year all patients were clinically, radiologically and endoscopically evaluated. In 149 patients followed during 14 years, we did not find any case of carcinoma or premalignant lesions. Therefore, our experience does not suggest that, in the absence of drainage, vagotomy constitutes a contributory factor in the development of gastric carcinoma.

Several methods of treatment have been proposed for the recurrences of peptic ulcers after surgery; they consist of different forms of re-operation, medical treatment (H2 receptors antagonists, cytoprotectors, etc...). First, it is convenient to establish the cause of the recurrence and to rule out the presence of hypersecretory conditions, as inadequate previous surgery or a non identified gastrinoma. Because of the enhancing effect of the cytoprotective drugs on the defense mechanisms of the mucosal barrier, the group of patients with limited acid secretion and recurrent ulcer may obtain benefit from these drugs. To demonstrate this hypothesis we realized a prospective study on 30 patients with recurrent gastro-duodenal peptic ulcer after parietal cell vagotomy without drainage; all the patients were treated with sucralfate during two months. The results can be considered favourable, with endoscopic healing of the ulcer in more than 50% of the cases at the end of the treatment.

Thirty-two cases are presented of carcinoma of the gastric stump after surgery for gastroduodenal ulcer disease, duodenal in 19 patients (59.38%) and gastric in 13 (40.65%). All underwent gastric resection, with Billroth I type reconstruction in 5 cases (15.62%) and Billroth II in 27 (84.36%). The patients generally had very advanced carcinoma at the time of diagnosis and the studies made, barium contrast and endoscopy, were always positive. The operability rate was 84.26% and the rate of curative resectability was 28.12%, this group of patients attaining the longest survival. An evaluation was made of the possible mechanisms implicated in the pathogenesis of this type of carcinoma, type of operation performed, location of the peptic lesion, type of reconstruction, etc. A follow-up protocol was established for the patients who underwent resection, the degree of risk being evaluated in relation to the postoperative period. Finally, to prevent the potentially neoplastic stage of the gastric stump, we present surgical procedures for the treatment of the ulcerative disease which have not been demonstrated to increase the long-term risk of gastric carcinoma.

The authors present 5 cases of congenital aganglionar megacolon in patients over 12 years of age. They were diagnosed and treated in the Digestive System Service and Surgery Department of the "Virgen del Rocío" University Hospital of Seville (Spain). After describing the infrequent incidence of this pathology outside early childhood, the different procedures proposed for its diagnosis are described. Once clinical suspicion of megacolon was established, a careful clinical history with special reference to bowel habit from birth was made, as well as a barium enema, anorectal manometry and rectal endoscopy and biopsy for histological and histochemical studies. Once diagnosed, all patients underwent surgery consisting in excision of the aganglionar colorectal segment, retrorectal lowering of the healthy colon and exteriorization through the fibers of the internal anal sphincter. A side-to-side transanal anastomosis between the healthy colon and diseased rectum (Duhamel II) was fashioned. All the patients had a satisfactory evolution with little immediate morbidity. Five to ten years after performing the operations, the patients remained asymptomatic, without bowel habit disturbances and showed an adequate development.

To evaluate the incidence of ulcer recurrence, mortality and morbidity derived from the surgical technique, we made a prospective and randomized study in patients with perforated duodenal peptic ulcer, within 10 hours after the acute episode and without intercurrent serious diseases. In a total of 180 patients, oxyntic cell vagotomy (VCO) with simple closure or simple closure alone were performed alternatively in the period from 1971 to 1977. Periodic controls were established that included clinical, radiographic and gastroduodenoscopic evaluation. Twelve years after operation, 115 of the patients could be evaluated. Recurrence was defined as endoscopic or surgical evidence of the ulcerous lesion. The endoscopic results after 12 years showed 1.56% of relapses in the group that underwent oxyntic cell vagotomy with simple closure, and 54.9% in the group that only had simple closure (p less than 0.0005). There were also significant differences in the clinical and radiographic controls, and in the degree of comfort achieved with the technique. Mortality was null in both groups and there were no differences between the two techniques as regards morbidity. The results obtained in this study show that oxyntic cell vagotomy with simple closure of the perforation may be the technique of choice in the treatment of perforated duodenal peptic ulcer, which is why we think is should be more extensively used in emergency services.