Indocyanine green:The guide to safer and more effective surgery

In this editorial we comment on the article by Kalayarasan and co-workers published in the recent issue of the World Journal of Gastrointestinal Surgery.The authors present an interesting review on the use of indocyanine green fluo-rescence in different aspects of abdominal surgery.They also highlight future perspectives of the use of indocyanine green in mini-invasive surgery.Indo-cyanine green,used for fluorescence imaging,has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration and is safe for use in humans.It can be administered in-travenously or intra-arterially.Since its advent,there have been several advance-ments in the applications of indocyanine green,especially in the surgical field,such as intraoperative mapping and biopsy of sentinel lymph node,measurement of hepatic function prior to resection,in neurosurgical cases to detect vascular anomalies,in cardiovascular cases for patency and assessment of vascular ab-normalities,in predicting healing following amputations,in helping visualization of hepatobiliary anatomy and blood vessels,in reconstructive surgery,to assess flap viability and for the evaluation of tissue perfusion following major trauma and burns.For these reasons,the intraoperative use of indocyanine green has become common in a variety of surgical specialties and transplant surgery.Co-lorectal surgery has just lately begun to adopt this technique,particularly for perfusion visualization to prevent anastomotic leakage.The regular use of in-docyanine green coupled with fluorescence angiography has recently been pro-posed as a feasible tool to help improve patient outcomes.Using the best available data,it has been shown that routine use of indocyanine green in colorectal surgery reduces the rates of anastomotic leak.The use of indocyanine green is proven to be safe,feasible,and effective in both elective and emergency scenarios.However,additional robust evidence from larger-scale,high-quality studies is essential before incorporating indocyanine green guided surgery into standard practice.

Postoperative mortality and morbidity after D2 lymphadenectomy for gastric cancer:A retrospective cohort study

BACKGROUND Surgery for gastric cancer is a complex procedure and lymphadenectomy is often mandatory.Postoperative mortality and morbidity after curative gastric cancer surgery is not insignificant.AIM To evaluate the factors determining mortality and morbidity in a population of patients undergoing R0 resection and D2 lymphadenectomy for gastric cancer.METHODS A retrospective analysis of clinical data and pathological characteristics(age,sex,primary site of the tumor,Lauren histotype,number of positive lymph nodes resected,number of negative lymph nodes resected,and depth of invasion as defined by the standard nomenclature)was conducted in patients with gastric cancer.For each patient we calculated the Kattan’s score.We arbitrarily divided the study population of patients into two groups based on the nomogram score(<100 points or≥100 points).Prespecified subgroups in these analyses were defined according to age(≤65 years or>65 years),and number of lymph nodes retrieved(≤35 lymph nodes or>35 lymph nodes).Uni-and multivariate analysis of clinical and pathological findings were performed to identify the factors affecting postoperative mortality and morbidity.RESULTS One-hundred and eighty-six patients underwent a curative R0 resection with D2 lymphadenectomy.Perioperative mortality rate was 3.8%(7 patients);a higher mortality rate was observed in patients aged>65 years(P=0.002)and in N+patients(P=0.04).Following univariate analysis,mortality was related to a Kattan’s score≥100 points(P=0.04)and the presence of advanced gastric cancer(P=0.03).Morbidity rate was 21.0%(40 patients).Surgical complications were observed in 17 patients(9.1%).A higher incidence of morbidity was observed in patients where more than 35 lymph nodes were harvested(P=0.0005).CONCLUSION Mortality and morbidity rate are higher in N+and advanced gastric cancer patients.The removal of more than 35 lymph nodes does not lead to an increase in mortality.

Endoluminal vacuum-assisted therapy as a treatment for anastomotic leakage in colorectal surgery

Anastomotic leakage(AL)has a wide range of clinical features ranging from radiological only findings to peritonitis and sepsis with multiorgan failure.An early diagnosis of AL is essential in order to establish the most appropriate treatment for this complication.Despite AL continues to be a dreadful complication after colorectal surgery,there has been no consensus on its management.However,based on patient’s presentation and timing of the AL,there has been a gradual shift to a more conservative management,keeping surgery as the last option Reoperation for sepsis control is rarely necessary especially in those patients who already have a diverting stoma at the time of the leak.A nonoperative management is usually preferred in these patients.There are several treatment options,also for patients without a stoma who do not require a reoperation for a contained pelvic leak,including recently developed endoscopic procedures,such as clip placement or endoluminal vacuum-assisted therapy.More conservative treatments could be an option in patients who are clinically stable or in presence of a small defect.

SARS-CoV-2 and the pancreas: What do we know about acute pancreatitis in COVID-19 positive patients?

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2(SARS-CoV-2)can cause pancreatic damage,both directly to the pancreas via angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 receptors(the transmembrane proteins required for SARS-CoV-2 entry,which are highly expressed by pancreatic cells)and indirectly through locoregional vasculitis and thrombosis.Despite that,there is no clear evidence that SARS-CoV-2 is an etiological agent of acute pancreatitis.Acute pancreatitis in coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)positive patients often recognizes biliary or alcoholic etiology.The prevalence of acute pancreatitis in COVID-19 positive patients is not exactly known.However,COVID-19 positive patients with acute pancreatitis have a higher mortality and an increased risk of intensive care unit admission and necrosis compared to COVID-19 negative patients.Acute respiratory distress syndrome is the most frequent cause of death in COVID-19 positive patients and concomitant acute pancreatitis.In this article,we reported recent evidence on the correlation between COVID-19 infection and acute pancreatitis.

2D vs 3D laparoscopic right colectomy:A propensity score-matching comparison of personal experience with systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND The benefits of laparoscopic approach for right colectomy have been well established.However,the technical difficulty to construct the intra-corporeal anastomosis is still cumbersome.AIM To analyze the results of 3D and 2D laparoscopic right colectomy and to compare it to the published series through a systematic review and meta-analysis.METHODS A retrospective study with propensity score matching analysis of patients undergoing laparoscopic right colectomy at Umbria2 Hospitals from January 2014 to March 2020 was performed.A systematic review was accomplished comparing 2D and 3D right colectomy.RESULTS In the personal series 47 patients of the 2D group were matched to 47 patients of the 3D group.The 3D group showed a favorable trend in terms of mean operative time(170.7±32.9 min vs 183.8±35.4 min;P=0.053)and a significant lower anastomotic time(16.9±2.3 min vs 19.6±2.9 min,P<0.001).The complete mesocolic excision(CME)subgroups analysis showed a shorter anastomotic time(16.5±1.8 min vs 19.9±3.0 min;P<0.001)and operative time(175.0±38.5 min vs 193.7±37.1 min;P=0.063)in the 3D group.Six studies and our series were included in the meta-analysis with 551 patients(2D group:291;3D group:260).The pooled analysis demonstrated a significant difference in favour of the 3D group regarding the operative time(P<0.001)and the anastomotic time(P<0.001)while no differences were identified between groups in terms of blood loss(P=0.827),LNH yield(P=0.243),time to first flatus(P=0.333),postoperative complications(P=0.718)and length of stay(P=0.835).CONCLUSION The meta-analysis results showed that 3D laparoscopic right colectomy shortens operative and anastomotic time without affecting the standard lymphadenectomy.In our series,the advantage of the 3D system becomes evident when CME and/or more complex associated procedure are requested significantly reducing both the total operative and the anastomotic time.