Principles of privileging and credentialing for endoscopy and colonoscopy.
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Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to Steven D Wexner.
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PURPOSE: As many as 60 percent of patients present with recurrent symptoms of fecal incontinence after anterior overlapping anal sphincter repair. The aim of this study was to assess the outcome of repeat overlapping anal sphincter repair. METHODS: All female patients with obstetric sphincter damage who underwent anterior overlapping sphincter repair between November 1988 and June 2000 were reviewed. All patients were preoperatively assessed by anorectal manometry, electromyography, and pudendal nerve terminal motor latency; manometry was repeated during follow-up. Preoperative endoanal ultrasonography was available only after 1990. Clinical outcome was assessed according to the Cleveland Clinic Florida Incontinence Score. RESULTS: One hundred fifty-one patients were available for analysis, 115 without previous surgery and 36 after at least one previous sphincter repair. The median follow-up was 13 (range, 1-64) months and 20 (range, 2-96) months, respectively. The median incontinence score improved from 18 to 5 (P < 0.0001) in patients without previous repair and from 17.5 to 7 (P < 0.0001) in patients after previous repair. In the former group, the outcome was good in 67 (58 percent) patients, adequate in 19 (16.5 percent), and poor in 29 (25.5 percent). In the group with previous sphincter repair, the outcome was good in 18 patients (50 percent), adequate in 4 (11 percent), and poor in 14 (39 percent; P = 0.2646). The mean resting pressure increased from 20 (range, 3-43) mmHg to 24 (range, 10-44) mmHg and from 27 (range, 4-56) mmHg to 32 (range, 16-45) mmHg, respectively. The mean squeeze pressure increased from 60 (range, 23-63) mmHg to 67 (range, 33-114) mmHg and from 54 (range, 25-90) mmHg to 70 (range, 34-95) mmHg, respectively. CONCLUSION: Previous sphincter repair does not affect clinical outcome. Repeat anterior overlapping sphincter repair yields a significant improvement in the continence score and should be considered as the treatment of choice in patients with fecal incontinence who have had previous sphincter repair and residual anterior sphincter damage.
PURPOSE: Patients with end-stage fecal incontinence in whom all standard medical and surgical treatment has failed or is not expected to be effective can be treated by dynamic graciloplasty. The aim of this study was to review the long-term efficacy data. METHODS: Success was defined as a greater than 50 percent decrease in the frequency of incontinent episodes. Measured physiologic parameters included enema retention time and the difference in resting and squeezing pressures with and without stimulation. Measured quality-of-life parameters included the Medical Outcomes Study Short Form 36 Health Status Questionnaire, a Fecal Incontinence TyPE Specification, the Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale, the "state" portion of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, and the Visual Analog Scale, which were administered at baseline and through follow-up. Independent monitors collected data as part of a multicenter trial for patients who underwent dynamic graciloplasty from May 1993 to November 1999. RESULTS: There were 129 patients entered in the study, 115 of whom met eligibility criteria and were included in the efficacy outcome analysis. Twenty-seven patients entered the study with a preexisting functioning stoma; the remaining 88 patients did not have a functioning stoma at the time of enrollment. Success was achieved in 62 percent of nonstoma patients at 12 months; these results were sustained at 18-month and 24-month follow-up assessments (55 and 56 percent, respectively). The success rate in the stoma patients increased from 37.5 percent (9 of 24 patients) at 12 months to 62 percent (13 of 21 patients) at 18 months and was 43 percent at 24 months (9 of 21 patients), which reflects the increased number of patients whose stomas were closed. Although the measured physiologic continence parameters generally improved, these changes did not correlate with continence outcome. The group of patients (stoma and nonstoma) who underwent dynamic graciloplasty showed statistically significant improvements in quality of life as measured by Medical Outcomes Study Short Form 36 physical function (P = 0.006) and social functioning (P = 0.02) assessment. CONCLUSIONS: Dynamic graciloplasty was successful in the majority of patients with end-stage fecal incontinence. This result was usually achieved by 12 months after surgery in patients who did not have stomas and by 18 months in patients who had stomas at the time of dynamic graciloplasty surgery. These various improvements conferred by dynamic graciloplasty persisted during the two-year follow-up.
INTRODUCTION: Hyaluronate carboxymethylcellulose-based bioresorbable membrane (Seprafilm ) has been used as a method of postoperative adhesion prevention. However, its short-term effect on colorectal cancer recurrence remains unknown. METHODS: A retrospective chart review was undertaken of patients with colorectal cancer operated on with curative intent from 1996 to 1999. All patients who received Seprafilm during surgery were assigned to the Seprafilm group, whereas all patients who did not were placed in a control group. Tumor recurrence was defined as persistently elevated carcinoembryonic antigen levels, pathologic confirmation of endoscopic findings, or radiographically documented lesions in the liver, lung, or pelvis. RESULTS: There were 63 patients in the Seprafilm group and 93 in the control group. The two groups were well matched according to all standard clinical and pathologic characteristics. Adjuvant chemoradiotherapy was administered to 23 patients (36.5 percent) in the Seprafilm group and to 44 (47.3 percent) in the control group ( P= 0.24). At a mean follow-up of 11.4 +/- 7.3 months in the Seprafilm group and 14.2 +/- 11.9 months in the control group, there were 6 (9.5 percent) and 15 (16.1 percent) recurrences, respectively ( P= 0.33). The 1- and 2-year disease-free survival rates were 88 and 85 percent, respectively, in the Seprafilm group and 85 and 72 percent, respectively, in the control group (log-rank test, P= 0.44). CONCLUSION: Seprafilm did not adversely affect the short-term recurrence rate after curative resection of colorectal cancer. In addition, it did not appear to compromise the short-term oncologic outcome. However, with a short follow-up and a small denominator, a definitive conclusion cannot be drawn. This study does intimate that larger, longer-term, prospective, randomized studies may be safely conducted.
PURPOSE: Connective tissue growth factor stimulates fibroblast proliferation and extracellular matrix deposition in many fibrotic disorders. The aim of our study was to determine the expression pattern of connective tissue growth factor in postoperative intra-abdominal adhesions. METHODS: Adhesions were created in 46 Sprague-Dawley rats by complete dissection and resuturing of a peritoneal patch 2 cm in diameter, lateral from the midline incision. Animals were killed at postoperative Days 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, and 21 and the adhesions scored on a scale of 0 to 5. Tissue samples from adhesion areas and from uninvolved peritoneum were evaluated by Northern and Western blotting for temporal connective tissue growth factor mRNA and protein expression, respectively. Immunohistochemical analysis was performed for connective tissue growth factor localization. RESULTS: Adhesions formed in all animals after surgery and were confined to the peritoneal patches. Adhesion formation increased across time, with significant correlation between adhesion scores and postoperative days (r = 0.329, P = 0.026). Connective tissue growth factor mRNA concentrations were significantly elevated in adhesion tissue throughout the three-week period when compared with normal peritoneum (P = 0.012); peak levels occurred between Days 6 and 15. Western blots demonstrated connective tissue growth factor protein expression in adhesions from Days 6 to 21, in contrast to negligible bands in normal peritoneum. Fibroblasts within the adhesive tissue, but not in uninjured peritoneum, stained positive for connective tissue growth factor by immunohistochemistry. CONCLUSIONS: We have demonstrated a specific temporal and spatial expression pattern for connective tissue growth factor in intra-abdominal adhesions during a three-week postoperative time course. According to what is known about the functional role of connective tissue growth factor in fibrogenesis, our findings warrant further investigations addressing a causal relationship between this growth factor and fibrous adhesion formation.
The primary mode of therapy for colon cancer continues to be surgery. Although little has changed in the technical aspects of colonic resection, a great deal of research has taken place to develop procedures that enhance staging of disease, optimize postoperative recovery, and improve outcomes in obstructed patients without compromising cancer-related morbidity and mortality. This review explores the current use of laparoscopy, sentinel node biopsy, intraoperative ultrasound, and colonic stents in the elective and emergent management of colon cancer.
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Laparoscopic colectomy is one of the most difficult laparoscopic procedures. Surgeons attempting to perform laparoscopic surgery for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) must have significant experience with IBD and advanced laparoscopic skills. Surgical management for IBD may be treated with a range of laparoscopic procedures that vary in complexity. After 10 years of experience, studies comparing laparoscopy versus laparotomy are favoring laparoscopy when evaluating reduction in postoperative ileus, pain, and length of hospitalization, disability, and cosmesis. The indications and contraindications for laparoscopic surgery for IBD are evolving as surgical expertise and equipment improve.
PURPOSE: The management of complex perianal fistulas with endorectal advancement flap is aimed at avoiding the risk of sphincter injury associated with traditional surgical methods. Long-term follow-up is required to assess the recurrence and continence outcomes of this procedure. The aim of this study was to review our experience with endorectal advancement flap in the treatment of complex perianal fistulas and to define the predictors of successful healing. METHODS: A retrospective chart review of all patients who underwent endorectal advancement flap for complex perianal fistulas between 1988 and 2000 was performed. Follow-up was established by telephone interview. RESULTS: One hundred six consecutive endorectal advancement flap procedures were performed on 94 patients (94.4 percent). There were 56 females (59.6 percent). Mean age was 41.6 (range, 18-76) years. Cryptoglandular disease was the most common cause of fistula (n = 41, 43.6 percent), followed by Crohn's disease (n = 28, 29.8 percent). At a mean follow-up of 40.3 (range, 1-149) months, the procedure was successful in 56 (59.6 percent) of 94 patients. Twelve patients underwent repeat surgery with the same technique because of initial failure, 8 of whom eventually healed. Crohn's disease was associated with a significantly higher recurrence rate (57.1 percent) when compared with fistulas in patients without Crohn's disease (33.3 percent, P< 0.04). Prior attempts at repair of the fistula were not associated with less favorable outcome of the procedure (P = 0.5). Recurrence was not associated with the type of fistula, origin, preoperative steroid use, postoperative bowel confinement, use of postoperative antibiotics, or creation of a diverting stoma. The median time to recurrence was 8 (range, 1-156) weeks; there was no postoperative mortality. Two patients had postoperative bleeding, one requiring resuture of the flap on the first postoperative day. Recurrences were observed in 15.7 percent of the patients 3 or more years after the repair. In 8 patients (9 percent), continence deteriorated after the endorectal advancement flap, a more common finding in patients who had undergone previous surgical repairs (P < 0.02). CONCLUSION: The success rate of endorectal advancement flap for complex perianal fistulas is modest. Failure is mainly correlated with the presence of Crohn's disease.
OBJECTIVES: Treatment of severe fecal incontinence (FI) is essentially surgical. However, patients in whom surgery has failed, those who have high operative risks, and those who refuse to undergo surgery are often condemned to living with this embarrassing condition. The Procon incontinence device, a relatively simple, nonsurgical device, may represent a good solution in preventing episodes of FI, thus improving quality of life in these individuals. This device consists of a disposable, pliable rubber catheter with an infrared photo-interrupter sensor and flatus vent holes on the distal tip that is connected to a pager (or "beeper"). The catheter is inserted in the rectum and held in place by a 20-cc capacity cuff, which acts as a temporary mechanical barrier to stool leakage. Stool entering the rectum is sensed by the photo-interrupter sensor, which then alerts the patient to an imminent bowel movement. Voluntary evacuation is accomplished by deflating the balloon and removing the catheter. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy, reliability, and safety of the Procon device in a group of patients with FI. METHODS: Patients with significant FI who had undergone anorectal manometry, ultrasound, and electromyography with pudendal nerve terminal motor latency assessment were prospectively entered into this study. The Procon device was used for 14 consecutive days. A quality of life diary and daily log of bowel activity and incontinent episodes were completed before and after the end of the study. RESULTS: Seven patients (five female and two male) with a mean age of 72.7 yr (range 39-81 yr) were evaluated. Etiology of incontinence included idiopathic in four patients, sphincter defect in two, and neurological disorder in one patient. There was an overall significant improvement in the quality of life (p < 0.05) and a significant reduction in incontinence scores with the Procon device (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The Procon is a unique, safe, and promising device that is able to prevent episodes of FI without the need for surgery, thereby improving quality of life. Its role includes use in patients with severe FI who are unfit to undergo surgery, those in whom previous surgical treatments have failed, or those who do not wish to undergo surgery.
One of the hazards of colorectal surgery is ureteric injury. The aim of this study was to evaluate the results of ureteric catheterization regarding its safety and operative time. One-hundred sixty two patients underwent laparoscopic segmental left or right colectomy. The mean time for placement of ureteric catheters was 11.4 min for the right hemicolectomy and 11.3 min for the left hemicolectomy group. The mean preparation times for right hemicolectomy and left hemicolectomy (group 1 vs. group 2) were 54.7 vs. 39.1 min (p=0.00001) and 61.4 vs. 47.6 min (p=0.006), respectively. There were no significant differences in the laparoscopic operative time in either the right or left hemicolectomy groups (134.2 vs. 145.5 min and 198.4 vs. 170.1 min, respectively). There was no morbidity directly related to the ureteric catheters and in fact the incidence of postoperative urinary tract infection was lower in group 1 (1.5%) than in group 2 (5.3%) (p<0.05). Although the use of ureteric catheters added a mean of 11.3 min to the surgical procedure, the overall anesthetic time for right hemicolectomy was no longer than that for left hemicolectomy. The morbidity rate was quite acceptable. Thus, ureteric catheters may be useful in selected cases of laparoscopic left and right colorectal resections.
The most common indications for laparoscopic surgery in Crohn's disease include ileocolic resection and right hemicolectomy. The aim of this study was to compare the results of right hemicolectomy in an early phase versus a later phase. Between August 1992 and October 1998 all patients who underwent laparoscopic surgery for ileocolic resection and right hemicolectomy were divided into chronological groups: Group I = August 1992 to January 1996 and Group II = February 1996 to October 1998. Statistical analysis was performed using the Mann-Whitney test, Student t test, or Fisher's exact test. We identified 41 patients; 16 patients [eight females and eight males with an average age of 37.1 (range 20-59) years] were in Group I and 25 [16 females and nine males with an average age of 41.9 (range 15-74) years] were in Group II [P = not significant (NS)]. Overall there were five (12%) intraoperative complications reported: two (12%) in Group I and three (12%) in Group II (P = NS). Mean operative time was 149 (range 90-260) minutes in Group I versus 158 (range 100-285) minutes in Group II (P = NS). Mean length of hospital stay was 7.4 (range 4-18) days in Group I and 6.6 (range 3-20) days in Group II (P = NS). Four patients (25%) in Group I and seven (28%) in Group II had their procedures converted to laparotomy (P = NS). In Group I four (25%) patients had surgery-related postoperative complications, one of which was wound related. One patient has an anastomotic leak whereas two had prolonged postoperative ileus. In Group II six (24%) patients had surgery-related complications, two of which were wound related, three were cases of prolonged postoperative ileus, and one was an anastomotic leak (P = NS between Groups I and II). Perhaps as a result of the relative technical ease of right-sided resections or the nature of the disease the expected decrease in morbidity and conversion rate over time could not be shown.
The etiopathology of colonic inertia remains unclear. Current studies show that pancreatic polypeptide-fold family members can serve as regulators of colonic motility and transit. Thus, the cells containing these peptides on colonic mucosa could be abnormal in patients with colonic inertia. We aimed to evaluate the immunocytochemical staining of peptide YY (PYY) and pancreatic polypeptide (PP) immunoreactive cells, and detect if alteration of these cells relates to an increase in enterochromaffin cells (EC) demonstrated by chromogranin A (CgA), in the colonic mucosa of patients with colonic inertia. Nineteen consecutive patients (18 female, 1 male; age, 43.7+/-11.5 years) who underwent subtotal colectomy for colonic inertia were assessed. The control group consisted of 15 patients (all female; age, 50.7+/-12.5 years) who underwent colonoscopic biopsies from the right and left colon for indications other than constipation, inflammatory bowel diseases, diarrhea, or neoplasm. Hollande's-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissues of both right and left colons were collected. Immunocytochemical staining of PYY, PP, or CgA was performed on 4-microm tissue sections with the respective primary rabbit antibody, the biotinylated secondary antibody, and enzyme-labeled streptavidin. The average number of positive cells per microscopic field (200x) was calculated. Positive cells were classified as strongly, moderately, and weakly staining. The proportion of the variously stained cells is expressed as the percentage of the entire positive cell population. On both sides of the colon, the percentages of strongly and moderately stained PYY positive cells were higher in the patient group compared to the controls (right side, 10.6 and 27.3 vs. 6.1 and 18.7%, respectively; left side, 9.4 and 23.9 vs. 6.2 and 23.1%, respectively) (P < 0.01). Furthermore, in the patients with colonic inertia, the percentages of strongly and moderately stained PYY-positive cells were higher in the right-side colon than in the left (P < 0.01). There was no difference in the number of PYY-positive cells between the patients and the controls. PP-positive cells were very rare in all specimens and were found in 7 of 19 cases (36.84%) in the right-side colon and 16 of 19 (84.21%) in the left-side colon in the patient group (P < 0.01, left vs. right). In contrast, the number of EC in the left colon of patients (16.8+/-10.2) was significantly higher than that in the right side (9.4+/-6.0) (P < 0.01) or that in the left side in the control group (10.4+/-6.0) (P < 0.05). We conclude that in the colonic mucosa of patients with colonic inertia, PYY-positive cells present with higher immunoreactivity, indicating that they may contain more hormones, especially on the right side of the colon. However, the PPY- and PP-positive cells did not relate to the increased EC. and It is therefore suggested that the altered PYY in the colonic mucosa may partially contribute to the etiopathology of colonic inertia.
The advantages of laparoscopy in the treatment of benign diseases have been well demonstrated. Compared with laparotomy, the laparoscopic approach is associated with a shorter hospitalization period, shorter duration of ileus, decreased postoperative pain, earlier return to work, and improved cosmesis. The role of laparoscopy for the treatment of gastrointestinal malignancy has had a slower evolution and been the subject of considerable debate over the past decade. Since 1991, several concerns have limited the widespread use of laparoscopy for attempted cure of colorectal carcinoma. This review aims to analyze the results of several studies published to date on short and long term outcome of laparoscopy for colorectal carcinoma, based on levels of evidence. From the least to the most convincing data, the hierarchy of study designs progresses through a spectrum ranging from retrospective reviews to prospective series, to case-controlled, cohort, and ultimately randomized controlled trials.