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Background: Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women, and breast reconstruction improves the patient's quality of life. Autologous breast reconstruction provides benefits of natural appearance, feel, and long-term results without implant-associated problems. However, thin patients are not always suitable for standard autologous reconstructions. In these patients, an omental flap could be a useful alternative. The aim of this review was to provide an overview of the literature regarding the clinical outcomes of omental flaps in breast reconstruction., Methods: A systematic review was performed in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines using the Medline and Embase databases up to November 1, 2023. Study outcomes were type of flap, tissue transfer, cosmetic outcomes, and short- and long-term complications., Results: Eleven studies covering 985 reconstructions in 969 patients were included. The omentum was mostly laparoscopically harvested (88.6%) and a pedicled reconstruction was mostly performed (91.2%). The most commonly reported short-term complications were wound infections at the donor site (5.8%), partial flap necrosis, and fat necrosis. In the long term, epigastric, umbilical and tunnel hernias, and epigastric bulging were observed. Satisfactory cosmetic results were reported by the patients (88.7%) and professionals (80.0%)., Conclusion: Breast reconstruction using an omental flap can be performed in unilateral reconstructions with acceptable donor-site morbidity if laparoscopically harvested. In general, satisfactory cosmetic outcomes were reported and it appears to be a suitable alternative for selected patients who prefer autologous, unilateral breast reconstruction. Further research is necessary to determine the ideal candidates for this reconstruction and the long-term effects of an omentectomy in young patients., (© 2024 The Author(s).)

This review provides an overview regarding the abdominal effects of an omentectomy, with or without extra-peritoneal reconstructions. In general, reported complication rates were low. Short-term complications involved ileus, bowel stenosis, abdominal abscess and sepsis (range 0.0%-23%). Donor-site hernia was mainly reported as long-term complication (up to 32%) and negligible gastrointestinal complications were observed. However, the level of evidence and methodological quality are quite low with a maximum of 8.5 years follow-up., (© 2024 The Authors. Journal of Surgical Oncology published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Background: This study evaluated the association of pathological tumour response (tumour regression grade, TRG) and a novel scoring system, combining both TRG and nodal status (TRG-ypN score; TRG1-ypN0, TRG>1-ypN0, TRG1-ypN+ and TRG>1-ypN+), with recurrence patterns and survival after multimodal treatment of oesophageal adenocarcinoma., Methods: This Dutch nationwide cohort study included patients treated with neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy followed by oesophagectomy for distal oesophageal or gastro-oesophageal junctional adenocarcinoma between 2007 and 2016. The primary endpoint was the association of Mandard score and TRG-ypN score with recurrence patterns (rate, location, and time to recurrence). The secondary endpoint was overall survival., Results: Among 2746 inclusions, recurrence rates increased with higher Mandard scores (TRG1 30.6%, TRG2 44.9%, TRG3 52.9%, TRG4 61.4%, TRG5 58.2%; P < 0.001). Among patients with recurrent disease, the distribution (locoregional versus distant) was the same for the different TRG groups. Patients with TRG1 developed more brain recurrences (17.7 versus 9.8%; P = 0.001) and had a longer mean overall survival (44 versus 35 months; P < 0.001) than those with TRG>1. The TRG>1-ypN+ group had the highest recurrence rate (64.9%) and worst overall survival (mean 27 months). Compared with the TRG>1-ypN0 group, patients with TRG1-ypN+ had a higher risk of recurrence (51.9 versus 39.6%; P < 0.001) and worse mean overall survival (33 versus 41 months; P < 0.001)., Conclusion: Improved tumour response to neoadjuvant therapy was associated with lower recurrence rates and higher overall survival rates. Among patients with recurrent disease, TRG1 was associated with a higher incidence of brain recurrence than TRG>1. Residual nodal disease influenced prognosis more negatively than residual disease at the primary tumour site., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of BJS Foundation Ltd.)

Background: Recurrence is frequently observed after esophageal cancer surgery, with dismal post-recurrence survival. Neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy followed by esophagectomy is the gold standard for resectable esophageal tumors in the Netherlands. This study investigated the recurrence patterns and survival after multimodal therapy., Methods: This retrospective cohort study included patients with recurrent disease after neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy followed by esophagectomy for an esophageal adenocarcinoma in the Amsterdam UMC between 01 and 01-2010 and 31-12-2018. Post-recurrence treatment and survival of patients were investigated and grouped by recurrence site (loco-regional, distant, or combined loco-regional and distant)., Results: In total, 278 of 618 patients (45.0%) developed recurrent disease after a median of 49 weeks. Thirty-one patients had loco-regional (11.2%), 145 distant (52.2%), and 101 combined loco-regional and distant recurrences (36.3%). Post-recurrence survival was superior for patients with loco-regional recurrences (33 weeks, 95%CI 7.3-58.7) compared to distant (12 weeks, 95%CI 6.9-17.1) or combined loco-regional and distant recurrent disease (18 weeks, 95%CI 9.3-26.7). Patients with loco-regional recurrences treated with curative intent had the longest survival (87 weeks, 95%CI 6.9-167.4)., Conclusion: Recurrent disease after potentially curative treatment for esophageal cancer was most frequently located distantly, with dismal prognosis. A subgroup of patients with loco-regional recurrence was treated with curative intent and had prolonged survival. These patients may benefit from intensive surveillance protocols, and more research is needed to identify these patients., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest M.I. van Berge Henegouwen reports research grants from Olympus and Stryker, in addition to consulting fees from Medtronic, Alesi Surgical, Johnson&Johnson, and Mylan. The remaining authors have no conflict of interest to report. No funding was received for this study., (Copyright © 2023. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Objective: This study evaluated the nationwide trends in care and accompanied postoperative outcomes for patients with distal esophageal and gastro-esophageal junction cancer., Summary of Background Data: The introduction of transthoracic esophagectomy, minimally invasive surgery, and neo-adjuvant chemo(radio)therapy changed care for patients with esophageal cancer., Methods: Patients after elective transthoracic and transhiatal esophagectomy for distal esophageal or gastroesophageal junction carcinoma in the Netherlands between 2007-2016 were included. The primary aim was to evaluate trends in both care and postoperative outcomes for the included patients. Additionally, postoperative outcomes after transthoracic and tran-shiatal esophagectomy were compared, stratified by time periods., Results: Among 4712 patients included, 74% had distal esophageal tumors and 87% had adenocarcinomas. Between 2007 and 2016, the proportion of transthoracic esophagectomy increased from 41% to 81%, and neo-adjuvant treatment and minimally invasive esophagectomy increased from 31% to 96%, and from 7% to 80%, respectively. Over this 10-year period, postoperative outcomes improved: postoperative morbidity decreased from 66.6% to 61.8% ( P = 0.001), R0 resection rate increased from 90.0% to 96.5% (P <0.001), median lymph node harvest increased from 15 to 19 ( P <0.001), and median survival increased from 35 to 41 months ( P = 0.027)., Conclusion: In this nationwide cohort, a transition towards more neo-adju-vant treatment, transthoracic esophagectomy and minimally invasive surgery was observed over a 10-year period, accompanied by decreased postoperative morbidity, improved surgical radicality and lymph node harvest, and improved survival., Competing Interests: Luyer received research grants from Galvani and Medtronic. Nieuwenhuijzen reports consulting fees and research grants from Medtronic. Rosman has received research grants from Johnson&Johnson and Medtronic. van Berge Henegouwen reports research grants from Olympus and Stryker, in addition to consulting fees from Medtronic, Alesi Surgical, Johnson&Johnson and Mylan. van Oijen has received unrestricted research grants from Bayer, Lilly, Merck Serono, Nordic, Servier, and Roche. The remaining authors have no conflict of interest to report. No funding was received for this study., (Copyright © 2021 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Transthoracic esophagectomy (TTE) for esophageal cancer facilitates mediastinal dissection; however, it has a significant impact on cardiopulmonary status. High-risk patients may therefore be better candidates for transhiatal esophagectomy (THE) in order to prevent serious complications. This study addressed short-term outcome following TTE and THE in patients that are considered to have a higher risk of surgery-related morbidity. This population-based study included patients who underwent a curative esophagectomy between 2011 and 2018, registered in the Dutch Upper GI Cancer Audit. The Charlson comorbidity index was used to assign patients to a low-risk (score ≤ 1) and high-risk group (score ≥ 2). Propensity score matching was applied to produce comparable groups between high-risk patients receiving TTE and THE. Primary endpoint was mortality (in-hospital/30-day mortality), secondary endpoints included morbidity and oncological outcomes. Additionally, a matched subgroup analysis was performed, including only cervical reconstructions. Of 5,438 patients, 945 and 431 high-risk patients underwent TTE and THE, respectively. After propensity score matching, mortality (6.3 vs 3.3%, P = 0.050), overall morbidity, Clavien-Dindo ≥ 3 complications, pulmonary complications, cardiac complications and re-interventions were significantly more observed after TTE compared to THE. A significantly higher mortality after TTE with a cervical reconstruction was found compared to THE (7.0 vs. 2.2%, P = 0.020). Patients with a high Charlson comorbidity index predispose for a complicated postoperative course after esophagectomy, this was more outspoken after TTE compared to THE. In daily practice, these outcomes should be balanced with the lower lymph node yield, but comparable positive node count and radicality after THE., (© The Author(s) 2022. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of International Society for Diseases of the Esophagus.)

Introduction: Implant loss following breast reconstruction is a devastating complication, which should be prevented as much as possible. This study aimed to validate a previously developed multicenter risk model for implant loss after implant-based breast reconstructions, using national data from the Dutch Breast Implant Registry (DBIR)., Methods: The validation cohort consisted of patients who underwent a mastectomy followed by either a direct-to-implant (DTI) or two-stage breast reconstruction between September 2017 and January 2021 registered in the DBIR. Reconstructions with an autologous adjunctive and patients with missing data on the risk factors extracted from the multicenter risk model (obesity, smoking, nipple preserving procedure, DTI reconstruction) were excluded. The primary outcome was implant loss. The predicted probability of implant loss was calculated using beta regression coefficients extracted from the multicenter risk model and compared to the observed probability., Results: The validation cohort consisted of 3769 reconstructions and implant loss occurred after 307 reconstructions (8.1%). Although the observed implant loss rate increased when the risk factors accumulated, the predicted and observed probabilities of implant loss did not match. Of the four risk factors in the multicenter risk model, only obesity and smoking were significantly associated to implant loss., Conclusion: The multicenter risk model could not be validated using nationwide data of the DBIR and is therefore not accurate in Dutch practice. In the future, the risk model should be improved by including other factors to provide a validated tool for the preoperative risk assessment of implant loss., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Objective: This study investigated the patterns, predictors, and survival of recurrent disease following esophageal cancer surgery., Background: Survival of recurrent esophageal cancer is usually poor, with limited prospects of remission., Methods: This nationwide cohort study included patients with distal esophageal and gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma after curatively intended esophagectomy in 2007 to 2016 (follow-up until January 2020). Patients with distant metastases detected during surgery were excluded. Univariable and multivariable logistic regression were used to identify predictors of recurrent disease. Multivariable Cox regression was used to determine the association of recurrence site and treatment intent with postrecurrence survival., Results: Among 4626 patients, 45.1% developed recurrent disease a median of 11 months postoperative, of whom most had solely distant metastases (59.8%). Disease recurrences were most frequently hepatic (26.2%) or pulmonary (25.1%). Factors significantly associated with disease recurrence included young age (≤65 y), male sex, adenocarcinoma, open surgery, transthoracic esophagectomy, nonradical resection, higher T-stage, and tumor positive lymph nodes. Overall, median postrecurrence survival was 4 months [95% confidence interval (95% CI): 3.6-4.4]. After curatively intended recurrence treatment, median survival was 20 months (95% CI: 16.4-23.7). Survival was more favorable after locoregional compared with distant recurrence (hazard ratio: 0.74, 95% CI: 0.65-0.84)., Conclusions: This study provides important prognostic information assisting in the surveillance and counseling of patients after curatively intended esophageal cancer surgery. Nearly half the patients developed recurrent disease, with limited prospects of survival. The risk of recurrence was higher in patients with a higher tumor stage, nonradical resection and positive lymph node harvest., Competing Interests: M.D.P.L. received research grants from Galvani and Medtronic. G.A.P.N. reports consulting fees and research grants from Medtronic. C.R. has received research grants from Johnson&Johnson and Medtronic. M.I.v.B.H. reports research grants from Olympus and Stryker, in addition to consulting fees from Medtronic, Alesi Surgical, Johnson&Johnson, and Mylan. M.G.H.v.O. has received unrestricted research grants from Bayer, Lilly, Merck Serono, Nordic, Servier, and Roche. The remaining authors report no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: The role of esophageal microbiota in esophageal cancer treatment is gaining renewed interest, largely driven by novel DNA-based microbiota analysis techniques. The aim of this systematic review is to provide an overview of current literature on the possible association between esophageal microbiota and outcome of esophageal cancer treatment, including tumor response to (neo)adjuvant chemo(radio)therapy, short-term surgery-related complications, and long-term oncological outcome., Methods: A systematic review of literature was performed, bibliographic databases were searched and relevant articles were selected by two independent researchers. The Newcastle-Ottawa scale was used to estimate the quality of included studies., Results: The search yielded 1303 articles, after selection and cross-referencing, five articles were included for qualitative synthesis and four studies were considered of good quality. Two articles addressed tumor response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy and described a correlation between high intratumoral Fusobacterium nucleatum levels and a poor response. One study assessed surgery-related complications, in which no direct association between esophageal microbiota and occurrence of complications was observed. Three studies described a correlation between shortened survival and high levels of intratumoral F. nucleatum, a low abundance of Proteobacteria and high abundances of Prevotella and Streptococcus species., Conclusions: Current evidence points towards an association between esophageal microbiota and outcome of esophageal cancer treatment and justifies further research. Whether screening of the individual esophageal microbiota can be used to identify and select patients with a predisposition for adverse outcome needs to be further investigated. This could lead to the development of microbiota-based interventions to optimize esophageal microbiota composition, thereby improving outcome of patients with esophageal cancer., (© The Author(s) 2021. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of International Society for Diseases of the Esophagus.)

Background: Somatostatin analogues (SA) are currently used to prevent postoperative pancreatic fistula (POPF) development. However, its use is controversial. This study investigated the effect of different SA protocols on the incidence of POPF after pancreatoduodenectomy in a nationwide population., Methods: All patients undergoing elective open pancreatoduodenectomy were included from the Dutch Pancreatic Cancer Audit (2014-2017). Patients were divided into six groups: no SA, octreotide, lanreotide, pasireotide, octreotide only in high-risk (HR) patients and lanreotide only in HR patients. Primary endpoint was POPF grade B/C. The updated alternative Fistula Risk Score was used to compare POPF rates across various risk scenarios., Results: 1992 patients were included. Overall POPF rate was 13.1%. Lanreotide (10.0%), octreotide-HR (9.4%) and no protocol (12.7%) POPF rates were lower compared to the other protocols (varying from 15.1 to 19.1%, p = 0.001) in crude analysis. Sub-analysis in patients with HR of POPF showed a significantly lower rate of POPF when treated with lanreotide (10.0%) compared to no protocol, octreotide and pasireotide protocol (21.6-26.9%, p = 0.006). Octreotide-HR and lanreotide-HR protocol POPF rates were comparable to lanreotide protocol, however not significantly different from the other protocols. Multivariable regression analysis demonstrated lanreotide protocol to be positively associated with a low odds-ratio (OR) for POPF (OR 0.387, 95% CI 0.180-0.834, p = 0.015). In-hospital mortality rates were not affected., Conclusion: Use of lanreotide in all patients undergoing pancreatoduodenectomy has a potential protective effect on POPF development. Protocols for HR patients only might be favorable too. However, future studies are warranted to confirm these findings., (Copyright © 2022 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: The number of bariatric procedures has increased exponentially over the last 20 years. On the background of ever-increasing incidence of esophageal malignancies, the altered anatomy after bariatric surgery poses challenges in treatment of these cancers. In this study, an epidemiological estimate is presented for the future magnitude of this problem and treatment options are described in a retrospective multicenter cohort., Methods: The number of bariatric procedures, esophageal cancer incidence, and mortality rates of the general population were used for epidemiological estimates. A retrospective multicenter cohort was composed; patients were treated in three large oncological centers with a high upper gastrointestinal cancer caseload. Consecutive patients with preceding bariatric surgery who developed esophageal cancer between 2014 and 2019 were included., Results: Approximately 3200 out of 6.4 million post bariatric surgery patients are estimated to have developed esophageal cancer between 1998 and 2018 worldwide. In a multicenter cohort, 15 patients with esophageal cancer or Barrett's esophagus and preceding bariatric surgery were identified. The majority of patients had a history of Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (46.7%) and had an adenocarcinoma of the distal esophagus (60%). Seven patients received curative surgical treatment, five of whom are still alive at last follow-up (median follow-up 2 years, no loss to follow-up)., Conclusion: Based on worldwide data, esophageal cancer development following bariatric surgery has increased over the past decades. Treatment of patients with esophageal cancer after bariatric surgery is challenging and requires a highly individualized approach in which optimal treatment and anatomical limitations are carefully balanced., (© 2021. The Author(s).)

Background: Infectious complications are frequently encountered after abdominal surgery. Early recognition, diagnosis, and subsequent timely treatment is the single most important denominator of postoperative outcome. This study prospectively addressed the predictive value of routine assessment of C-reactive protein levels as an early marker for infectious complications after major abdominal surgery., Methods: Consecutive patients undergoing major abdominal surgery between November 2015 and November 2019 were prospectively enrolled. Routine C-reactive protein measurements were implemented on postoperative days 3, 4, and 5, and additional computed tomography examinations were performed on demand. The primary endpoint was the occurrence of Clavien-Dindo grade III or higher infectious complications., Results: Of 350 patients, 71 (20.3%) experienced a major infectious complication, and median time to diagnosis was 7 days. C-reactive protein levels were significantly higher in patients with major infectious complications compared to minor or no infectious complications. The optimal cut-off was calculated for each postoperative day, being 175 mg/L on day 3, 130 mg/L on day 4, and 144 mg/L on day 5, and corresponding sensitivities, specificities, and positive and negative predictive values were over 80%, 65%, 40%, and 92% respectively. Alternative safe discharge cut-offs were calculated at 105 mg/L, 71 mg/L and 63 mg/L on days 3, 4, and 5, respectively, each having a negative predictive value of over 97%., Conclusion: The C-reactive protein cut-offs provided in this study can be used as a discharge criterion or to select patients that might require an invasive intervention due to infectious complications. These diagnostic criteria can easily be implemented in daily surgical practice., (Copyright © 2021 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Implant loss is the most severe complication of implant-based breast reconstructions. This study aimed to evaluate the incidence of implant loss and other complications, identify associated risk factors, and create a risk model for implant loss., Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study of all patients who underwent a mastectomy, followed by either a two-stage or a direct-to-implant breast reconstruction. Patient variables, operative characteristics, and postoperative complications were obtained from the patient records. A multivariate mixed-effects logistic regression model was used to create a risk model for implant loss., Results: A total of 297 implant-based breast reconstructions were evaluated. Overall, the incidence of implant loss was 11.8%. Six risk factors were significantly associated with implant loss: obesity, a bra cup size larger than C, active smoking status, a nipple-preserving procedure, a direct-to-implant reconstruction, and a lower surgeon's volume. A risk model for implant loss was created, showing a predicted risk of 8.4%-13% in the presence of one risk factor, 21.9%-32.5% in the presence of two, 47.5%-59.3% in the presence of three, and over 78.2% in the presence of four risk factors., Conclusions: The incidence of implant loss in this study was 11.8%. Six associated significant risk factors were identified. Our risk model for implant loss revealed that the predicted risk increased over 78.2% when four risk factors were present. This risk model can be used to better inform patients and decrease the risk of implant loss by optimizing surgery using personalized therapy., (Copyright © 2021 The Authors. Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. on behalf of The American Society of Plastic Surgeons.)

Background: CT imaging is the primary diagnostic approach to assess the integrity of the intrathoracic anastomosis following Ivor Lewis esophagectomy. In the postoperative setting interpretation of CT findings, such as air and fluid collections, may be challenging. Establishment of a scoring system that incorporates CT findings to diagnose anastomotic leakage could assist radiologists and surgeons in the postoperative phase., Methods: Consecutive patients who underwent a CT scan for a clinical suspicion of postoperative anastomotic leakage following Ivor Lewis esophagectomy between 2010 and 2016 in two medical centers were retrospectively included. Scans were excluded when oral contrast was not (correctly) administered. Acquired images were randomized and independently assessed by two experienced gastrointestinal radiologists, blinded for clinical information. For this study anastomotic leakage was defined as a visible defect during endoscopy or thoracotomy., Results: A total of 80 patients had 101 CT scans, resulting in 32 scans with a confirmed anastomotic leak (25 patients). After multivariable backward stepwise logistic regression, a practical 5-point scoring system was developed, which included the following CT findings: presence of extraluminal oral contrast, air collection at the anastomotic site, fluid collection at the anastomotic site, pneumothorax and loculated pleural effusion. Patients with a score of ≥3 were considered at high risk for anastomotic leakage (positive predictive value: 83.3%), patients with scores <3 were considered at low risk for anastomotic leakage (negative predictive value: 84.4%). The scoring system showed a superior diagnostic performance compared to the original CT report and blinded interpretation of two radiologists., Conclusions: Our CT-based practical scoring system enables a standardized approach in CT assessment and could facilitate early recognition of anastomotic leakage in patients after Ivor Lewis esophagectomy., Competing Interests: Conflicts of Interest: All authors have completed the ICMJE uniform disclosure form (available at http://dx.doi.org/10.21037/jtd-20-954). The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare., (2020 Journal of Thoracic Disease. All rights reserved.)

Background: Robot-assisted surgery for esophageal cancer is increasingly applied. Despite this upsurge, the preferential technique to create a robot-assisted intrathoracic anastomosis has not been established., Data Sources: Bibliographic databases were searched to identify studies that performed a robot-assisted Ivor Lewis esophagectomy and described the technical details of the anastomotic technique. Out of 1701 articles, 16 studies were included for systematic review., Conclusions: This review shows that all technique used to create a thoracoscopic anastomosis can be adopted to robotic surgery. Techniques can be divided into three categories: robotic hand-sewn, circular stapling or linear stapling and robotic hand-sewn closure of the stapler defect. With limited robotic experience, circular stapling might be the preferred technique, however requires a well-trained bedside assistant. The linear stapling technique or hand-sewn technique are more challenging but enable experienced robotic surgeons to perform a controlled anastomosis without bedside support., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Anastomotic leakage (AL) remains a severe complication following colorectal surgery, having a negative impact on both short- and long-term outcomes. Since timely detection could enable early intervention, there is a need for the development of novel and accurate, preferably, non-invasive markers. The aim of this study was to investigate whether urinary intestinal fatty acid binding protein (I-FABP) could serve as such a marker., Methods: This prospective multicenter cross-sectional phase two diagnostic study was conducted at four centers in the Netherlands between March 2015 and November 2016. Urine samples of 15 patients with confirmed colorectal AL and 19 patients without colorectal AL on postoperative day 3 were included. Urinary I-FABP levels were determined using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays and adjusted for urinary creatinine to compensate for renal dysfunction., Results: Urinary I-FABP levels were significantly elevated in patients with confirmed AL compared to patients without AL on postoperative day 3 (median: 2.570 ng/ml vs 0.809 ng/ml, p = 0.006). The area under the receiver operating characteristics curve (AUROC) was 0.775, yielding a sensitivity of 80% and specificity of 74% at the optimal cutoff point (> 1.589 ng/ml). This difference remained significant after calculation of I-FABP/creatinine ratios (median: 0.564 ng/µmol vs. 0.158 ng/µmol, p = 0.040), with an AUROC of 0.709, sensitivity of 60% and specificity of 90% at the optimal cutoff point (> 0.469 ng/µmol)., Conclusions: Levels of urinary I-FABP and urinary I-FABP/creatinine were significantly elevated in patients with confirmed AL following colorectal surgery, suggesting their potential as a non-invasive biomarker for colorectal anastomotic leakage.

Aim: Inflammatory markers such as serum C-reactive protein (CRP) are used as routine markers to detect anastomotic leakage following colorectal surgery. However, CRP is characterized by a relatively low predictive value, emphasizing the need for the development of novel diagnostic approaches. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are gaseous metabolic products deriving from all conceivable bodily excrements and reflect (alterations in) the patient's physical status. Therefore, VOCs are increasingly considered as potential non-invasive diagnostic biomarkers. The aim of this study was to assess the diagnostic accuracy of urinary VOCs for colorectal anastomotic leakage., Methods: In this explorative multicentre study, urinary VOC profiles of 22 patients with confirmed anastomotic leakage and 27 uneventful control patients following colorectal surgery were analysed by field asymmetric ion mobility spectrometry (FAIMS)., Results: Urinary VOCs of patients with anastomotic leakage could be distinguished from those of control patients with high accuracy: area under the receiver operating characteristics curve 0.91 (95% CI 0.81-1.00, P < 0.001), sensitivity 86% and specificity 93%. Serum CRP was significantly increased in patients with a confirmed anastomotic leak but with lower diagnostic accuracy compared to VOC analysis (area under the receiver operating characteristics curve 0.82, 95% CI 0.68-0.95, P < 0.001). Combining VOCs and CRP did not result in a significant improvement of the diagnostic performance compared to VOCs alone., Conclusion: Analysis by FAIMS allowed for discrimination between urinary VOC profiles of patients with a confirmed anastomotic leak and control patients following colorectal surgery. A superior accuracy compared to CRP and apparently high specificity was observed, underlining the potential as a non-invasive biomarker for the detection of colorectal anastomotic leakage., (Colorectal Disease © 2019 The Association of Coloproctology of Great Britain and Ireland.)

Background: Esophageal cancer is surgically treated by means of an esophagectomy. However, esophagectomies are associated with high morbidity rates with dehiscence of the anastomosis occurring in 19% of these procedures in the Netherlands. Application of a fibrin sealant may improve mechanical strength of the anastomosis. The aim of this study was to determine the technical feasibility of the application of an autologous fibrin sealant by aerosolized spraying on esophageal anastomoses., Methods: This study was designed as a single-center feasibility study. Patients undergoing elective minimal invasive esophageal surgery with the creation of a thoracic or a cervical anastomosis were eligible. Fibrin sealant (Vivostat) was applied to the anastomosis intraoperatively. Feasibility was measured using a nine-item checklist, designed for intraoperative application., Results: In total, fifteen patients, between the ages of 43-79 y, were included in this study. One procedure scored eight out of nine points on the feasibility checklist, so application was considered as unsuccessful. The other fourteen procedures obtained a 100% score and were documented as successful procedures. Together, this led to a success rate of 93%. Grade III anastomotic leakage occurred in one of the fifteen patients (6.7%)., Conclusions: This study showed that application of fibrin sealant on esophageal anastomoses is technically feasible and safe. Future studies may investigate the possible protective effects of fibrin sealant application on the development of anastomotic leakage. NCT03251040., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Esophagectomy or pancreaticoduodenectomy is the standard surgical approach for patients with tumors of the esophagus or pancreatic head. Postoperative mortality is strongly correlated with the occurrence of anastomotic leakage (AL). Delay in diagnosis leads to delay in treatment, which ratifies the need for development of novel and accurate non-invasive diagnostic tests for detection of AL. Urinary volatile organic compounds (VOCs) reflect the metabolic status of an individual, which is associated with a systemic immunological response. The aim of this study was to determine the diagnostic accuracy of urinary VOCs to detect AL after esophagectomy or pancreaticoduodenectomy., Methods: In the present study, urinary VOCs of 63 patients after esophagectomy (n = 31) or pancreaticoduodenectomy (n = 32) were analyzed by means of field asymmetric ion mobility spectrometry. AL was defined according to international study groups., Results: AL was observed in 15 patients (24%). Urinary VOCs of patients with AL after pancreaticoduodenectomy could be distinguished from uncomplicated controls, area under the curve 0.85 (95% CI 0.76-0.93), sensitivity 76%, and specificity 77%. However, this was not observed following esophagectomy, area under the curve 0.51 (95% CI 0.37-0.65)., Conclusion: In our study population AL following pancreaticoduodenectomy could be discriminated from uncomplicated controls by means of urinary VOC analysis, NTC03203434., (© 2018 The Author(s) Published by S. Karger AG, Basel.)

Background: Esophageal anastomotic leakage (EAL) is a severe complication following gastric and esophageal surgery for cancer. Several non-modifiable, patient or surgery related risk factors for EAL have been identified, however, the contribution of modifiable intraoperative parameters remains undetermined. This review provides an overview of current literature on potentially modifiable intraoperative risk factors for EAL., Materials and Methods: The PubMed, EMBASE and Cochrane databases were searched by two researchers independently. Clinical studies published in English between 1970 and January 2017 that evaluated the effect of intraoperative parameters on the development of EAL were included. Levels of evidence as defined by the Centre of Evidence Based Medicine (CEBM) were assigned to the studies., Results: A total of 25 articles were included in the final analysis. These articles show evidence that anemia, increased amount of blood loss, low pH and high pCO2 values, prolonged duration of procedure and lack of surgical experience independently increase the risk of EAL. Supplemental oxygen therapy, epidural analgesia and selective digestive decontamination seem to have a beneficial effect. Potential risk factors include blood pressure, requirement of blood products, vasopressor use and glucocorticoid administration, however the results are ambiguous., Conclusion: Apart from fixed surgical and patient related factors, several intraoperative factors that can be modified in clinical practice can influence the risk of developing EAL. More prospective, observational studies are necessary focusing on modifiable intraoperative parameters to assess more evidence and to elucidate optimal values of these factors., (Copyright © 2018 IJS Publishing Group Ltd. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: Anastomotic leakage following esophageal surgery is a major contributor to mortality. According to the national database leakage occurs in 20% of esophagectomies carried out in the Netherlands. Therefore anastomotic leakage has been the topic of many studies. However, studies discussing application of tissue adhesives for either prevention or management of anastomotic leakage are limited. This article systematically reviewed all available literature on the potential use of tissue adhesives in esophageal surgery., Methods: Medline, Embase and Cochrane were searched to identify studies that used tissue adhesives as anastomotic sealants to prevent esophageal anastomotic leakage or used tissue adhesives to treat esophageal anastomotic leakage. Two authors independently selected nineteen out of 3107 articles., Results: Eight articles, of which five were experimental and three clinical, discussed prevention of anastomotic leakage. Eleven articles, of which one was experimental and ten clinical, discussed treatment of anastomotic leakage. Most articles reported positive results, however overall quality was low due to a high degree of bias and lack of homogeneity., Conclusion: This study shows mainly positive results for the use of tissue adhesives for the esophageal anastomosis both in prevention of leakage as treating anastomotic leakage. However, the quality of current literature is poor., (Copyright © 2017 IJS Publishing Group Ltd. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)