Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to R E Tagart.
Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in association with Crohn's disease is a rare occurrence. A case of high grade B-cell lymphoma arising in an isolated segment of ileal Crohn's disease is described and the mechanisms for its possible causal association are discussed.
Two hundred and twenty consecutive, unselected cases of restorative rectal resection are reported. The operative mortality was 8.3 per cent; 3.5 per cent in patients less than 70 years old and 13 per cent over that age. Leakage at the colorectal suture line was an intractable problem, uninfluenced by anastomotic technique, but the introduction of antimicrobial prophylaxis as a routine was followed by a statistically significant reduction in the leak rate. Postoperative rectal function was satisfactory but temporary stenosis at the suture line was not uncommon. In only one case was it permanent, requiring regular dilatation. Recurrence of malignant disease occurred in 50 per cent of cases followed for at least 2 years; 35 per cent general disease, 15 per cent localized to the pelvis. These figures do not differ significantly from those following total rectal excision, which is now necessary in only 1 in 10 cases where the growth lies within 10 cm of the anus.
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Preservation of the anal sphincters is now consistent with adequate extirpation of the majority of rectal neoplasms. However, there is still a troublesome incidence of leakage through colorectal anastomoses. A number of different factors, working in combination, are responsible for this. Although most problems have been solved, and the mortality is low, the anastomotic leak rate described in the present series, and in the hands of most surgeons, remains high. Efficient suturing without tension, adequate filling and drainage of the presacral space, and antimicrobial prophylaxis effective enough to abolish abdominal wound sepsis, have been applied. The large vessel arterial blood supply to the suture line is good but the microcirculation of the left colon and rectum, upon which suture line healing ultimately depends, is suspect. Reduction of blood viscosity by deliberate lowering of the haemoglobin level before operation has been practised in the hope of improving the microcirculatory flow. The results so far are encouraging and suggest that the method is worth a continued trial.
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Four cases of recurring para-anal sinus originating, it is suggested, as congenital duplication of the anal canal, are described. The diagnosis depends upon the finding of columnar mucus-secreting epithelium in a sinus track which does not communicate with the bowel lumen. The sinus may or may not penetrate the levator ani muscle. Treatment should be by excision of the sinus, rather than by laying it open into the anal canal. If the sinus is superficial, the latter operation will result only in delayed healing and prolonged convalescence, but if it runs deep, there is a danger of causing incontinence or an extra-sphincteric fistula. Untreated lesions may eventually be the site of malignant change. This complication was not encountered in the present series.
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The very varied pathology which underlies peritonitis caused by colonic diverticular disease makes the comparison of various methods of treatment very difficult. The best results are probably achieved by removal of the affected part of the colon from the abdomen as soon as possible. Really aggressive medical treatment is an essential accompaniment to any form of surgery. A two-stoma or Hartmann procedure is generally the safest form of resection. Immediate anastomosis has no particular advantage since it should always be accompanied by a proximal diverting colostomy, making a second operation necessary in any case. In desperate cases proximal colostomy may be the only possible procedure and can be life-saving. The advantage of a skin-bridge colostomy is stressed.In cases of haemorrhage the source of bleeding is usually impossible to locate. Conservative treatment is successful in most cases, but if there is no alternative to surgery subtotal colectomy with ileorectal anastomosis is the treatment of choice.
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