Role of ultrasound in colorectal diseases

Ultrasound is an undervalued non-invasive examination in the diagnosis of colonic diseases. It has been replaced by the considerably more expensive magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography, despite the fact that, as first examination, it can usefully supplement the diagnostic process. Transabdominal ultrasound can provide quick information about bowel status and help in the choice of adequate further examinations and treatment. Ultrasonography,as a screening imaging modality in asymptomatic patients can identify several colonic diseases such as diverticulosis, inflammatory bowel disease or cancer. In addition, it is widely available, cheap, non-invasive technique without the use of ionizing radiation, therefore it is safe to use in childhood or during pregnancy, and can be repeated at any time. New ultrasound techniques such as elastography, contrast enhanced and Doppler ultrasound, miniprobes rectal and transperineal ultrasonography have broadened the indication. It gives an overview of the methodology of various ultrasound examinations, presents the morphology of normal bowel wall and the typical changes in different colonic diseases. We will pay particular attention to rectal and transperineal ultrasound because of their outstanding significance in the diagnosis of rectal and perineal disorders. This article seeks to overview the diagnostic impact and correct indications of bowel ultrasound.

Vedolizumab in Crohn’s disease with rectal fistulas and presacral abscess:A case report

BACKGROUND Fistula and intraabdominal abscess are common complications of Crohn’s disease(CD),but complex rectal fistula with abscess formation is rare.Tumor necrosis factor antagonists combined with percutaneous drainage or surgical intervention is optimal treatment for fistulizing CD with intraabdominal abscess.There is no study showing the efficacy of vedolizumab in such complicated condition.CASE SUMMARY A 47-year-old man has decompensated liver cirrhosis,Child B.He suffered from abdominal pain,bloody diarrhea,fever,and body weight loss.CD with rectoprostatic fistula,rectopresacral fistula,presacral abscess and cytomegalovirus(CMV)infection were noted.He received antibiotics,anti-viral therapy,transverse colostomy and vedolizumab treatment.Six months later,he had deep remission and complete fistula tracts closure.CONCLUSION Early vedolizumab and stool diversion are effective and safe in treating CD with complex rectal fistula with abscess formation.

局部进展期直肠癌的全程新辅助治疗模式

局部进展期直肠癌(LARC)目前公认的治疗模式为多学科综合治疗。标准术前同步放化疗可明显降低LARC的局部复发率,但不影响其远处转移发生率和总生存率,而全程新辅助治疗(TNT)通过提高化疗强度、延长放疗至手术的时间,从而提高肿瘤缓解率,可明显改善无病生存率和无转移生存率。TNT模式可明显提高患者的依从性,使全身化疗完成度更高,能带来最大程度的肿瘤退缩,不但能改善远期生存,也能增加器官功能保留的机会。对于远处转移风险高或器官功能保留意愿强的LARC患者,TNT是一种极具潜力的治疗模式。随着免疫治疗在TNT领域的应用,TNT模式不断拓展;同时,疗效预测标志物的探索将为个体化治疗奠定基础。

柏薏灌肠液联合丹白颗粒治疗盆腔炎性疾病后遗症(湿热瘀结证)的临床研究

目的:探讨柏薏灌肠液联合丹白颗粒治疗盆腔炎性疾病后遗症(湿热瘀结证)的临床疗效。方法:选取2021年3月至2023年3月该院收治的盆腔炎性疾病后遗症(湿热瘀结证)患者90例,采用随机数字表法分为中药灌肠组、中药颗粒组和联合组,每组30例。中药灌肠组患者采用常规治疗+柏薏灌肠液,中药颗粒组患者采用常规治疗+丹白颗粒,联合组患者采用常规治疗+柏薏灌肠液+丹白颗粒。治疗3个月经周期后,评估三组患者的临床疗效、中医证候积分、血流动力学、炎症因子和治疗安全性。结果:联合组患者的总有效率为93.33%(28/30),高于中药灌肠组、中药颗粒组的70.00%(21/30)、66.67%(20/30),差异均有统计学意义(P<0.05)。治疗后,联合组患者中医证候积分(包括腰骶胀痛、经行不畅、带下增多和舌红苔黄积分)低于中药灌肠组、中药颗粒组,差异均有统计学意义(P<0.05)。治疗后,联合组患者子宫动脉收缩期最大流速、舒张末期最大流速和搏动指数高于中药灌肠组、中药颗粒组,阻力指数低于中药灌肠组、中药颗粒组,差异均有统计学意义(P<0.05)。治疗后,联合组患者炎症因子[白细胞介素18、前列腺素E2和β淀粉样前体蛋白]水平低于中药灌肠组、中药颗粒组,差异均有统计学意义(P<0.05)。联合组、中药灌肠组和中药颗粒组患者的不良反应发生率分别为13.33%(4/30)、10.00%(3/30)和6.67%(2/30),组间差异无统计学意义(P>0.05)。结论:柏薏灌肠液联合丹白颗粒治疗盆腔炎性疾病后遗症(湿热瘀结证)的效果良好,可改善患者中医证候,提高盆腔子宫动脉血流动力学,抑制炎症因子水平,安全性良好。

低位直肠癌造口患者支持性照顾需求轨迹分析

目的追踪低位直肠癌造口患者支持性照顾需求的变化轨迹及影响因素。方法使用癌症患者支持性照顾需求简明量表对267例低位直肠癌造口患者于术后1个月、3个月、6个月调查患者支持性照顾需求水平。使用潜类别增长模型分析患者支持性照顾需求的变化轨迹,采用多分类logistic回归分析不同轨迹的影响因素。结果完成全程随访249例患者。肠造口患者支持性照顾需求变化轨迹存在3个类别:持续高需求组、需求快速下降组、需求缓慢下降组,分别占20.5%、43.8%、35.7%。logistic回归分析显示,年龄、文化程度、家庭人均月收入、化疗经历、并发症、合并慢性病、社会心理适应影响低位直肠癌造口患者支持性照顾需求轨迹类别(均P<0.05)。结论肠造口患者在术后6个月内支持性照顾需求得分呈下降趋势,患者支持性照顾需求具有群体异质性,临床医护人员可根据预测因素早期识别患者不同阶段的支持性照顾需求,制定精准化的干预措施,以满足患者照护需求。

湿润烧伤膏保留灌肠治愈混合痔经肛门直肠黏膜环切术后药物性肠病1例报告

给予2019年4月湖北省中医院收治的1例混合痔经肛门直肠黏膜环切术后药物性肠病患者在常规中药辨证口服治疗的基础上行湿润烧伤膏保留灌肠治疗,治疗1个月后,溃疡创面完全愈合,愈后黏膜无瘢痕增生,肠腔无狭窄。

Perineal rectosigmoidectomy for gangrenous rectal prolapse

Incarceration rarely complicates the chronically progressive form of the full thickness rectal prolapse.Even more rarely,it becomes strangulated,necessitating emergency surgery.We describe an extremely rare case of incarcerated acute rectal prolapse,without a relevant previous history or symptoms of predisposing pathology.The patient underwent emergency perineal proctosigmoidectomy,the Altemeier operation,combined with diverting loop sigmoid colostomy.The postoperative course was quite uneventful with an excellent final result after colostomy closure.The successful treatment of this patient illustrates the value of the Altemeier procedure in the difficult and unusual case scenario of bowel incarceration.

Neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy for locally advanced rectal cancer:The debate continues

Rectal carcinoma represents the 30% of all colorectal cancers, with about 40000 new cases/years. In the past two decades, the management of rectal cancer has made important progress, highlighting the main role of a multimodality strategy approach, combining surgery, radiation therapy and chemotherapy. Nowadays, surgery remains the primary treatment and neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy, based on fluoropyrimidine(5-FU) continuous infusion, is considered the standard in locally advanced rectal carcinoma. The aim is to reduce the incidence of local recurrence and to perform a conservative surgery. To improve these purposes different drugs combination have been tested in the neo-adjuvant setting. At American Society of Clinical Oncology 2014 an important abstract was presented focusing on the role of adding oxaliplatin to concomitant treatment, in patients with locally advanced rectal carcinoma. Rodel et al reported on the CAO/ARO/AIO-04 randomized phase Ⅲ trial that compared standard treatment with 5-FU and radiation therapy, to oxaliplatin plus 5-FU inassociation with radiation therapy. The addition of oxaliplatin to the neo-adjuvant treatment has been shown to improve disease-free survival from 71.2% to 75.9%(P = 0.03). This editorial was planned to clarify the optimal treatment in patients with locally advanced rectal cancer, considering the results from CAO/ARO/AIO-04 study.

Rectal neuroendocrine tumors:Current advances in management,treatment,and surveillance

Rectal neuroendocrine neoplasms(r-NENs)are considered among the most frequent digestive NENs,together with small bowel NENs.Their incidence has increased over the past few years,and this is probably due to the widespread use of endoscopic screening for colorectal cancer and the advanced endoscopic procedures available nowadays.According to the current European Neuroendocrine Tumor Society(ENETS)guidelines,well-differentiated r-NENs smaller than 10 mm should be endoscopically removed in view of their low risk of local and distant invasion.R-NENs larger than 20 mm are candidates for surgical resection because of their high risk of distant spreading and the involvement of the muscularis propria.There is an area of uncertainty regarding tumors between 10 and 20 mm,in which the metastatic risk is intermediate and the endoscopic treatment can be challenging.Once removed,the indications for surveillance are scarce and poorly codified by international guidelines,therefore in this paper,a possible algorithm is proposed.

Cap polyposis: A rare cause of rectal bleeding in children

AIM: To evaluate the clinicopathological features and treatment outcomes of cap polyposis in the pediatric population. METHODS: All pediatric patients with histologically proven diagnosis of cap polyposis were identified from our endoscopy and histology database over a 12 year period from 2000-2012 at our tertiary pediatric center, KK Women's and Children's Hospital in Singapore. The case records of these patients were retrospectively reviewed. The demographics, clinical course, laboratory results, endoscopic and histopathological features, treatments, and outcomes were analyzed. The study protocol was approved by the hospital institutional review board. The histological slides were reviewed by a pediatric histopathologist to confirm the diagnosis of cap polyposis. RESULTS: Eleven patients were diagnosed with cap polyposis. The median patient age was 13 years (range 5-17 years); the sample included 7 males and 4 females. All of the patients presented with bloody stools. Seven patients (63%) had constipation, while 4 patients (36%) had diarrhea. All of the patients underwent colonoscopy and polypectomies (excluding 1 patient who refused polypectomy). The macroscopic findings were of polypoid lesions covered by fibrinopurulent exudates with normal intervening mucosa. The rectum was the most common involvement site (n = 9, 82%), followed by the rectosigmoid colon (n = 3, 18%). Five (45%) patients had fewer than 5 polyps, and 6 patients (65%) had multiple polyps. Histological examination of these polyps showed surface ulcerations with a cap of fibrin inflammatory exudate. Four (80%) patients with fewer than 5 polyps had complete resolution of symptoms following the polypectomy. One patient who did not consent to the polypectomy had resolution of symptoms after being treated with sulphasalazine. All 6 patients with multiple polyps experienced recurrence of bloody stools on follow-up (mean = 28 mo). CONCLUSION: Cap polyposis is a rare and underrecognised cause of rectal bleeding in children. Our study has characterized the disease phenotype and treatment outcomes in a pediatric cohort.

Risk of cancer,with special reference to extra-intestinal malignancies,in patients with inflammatory bowel disease

AIM:To determine the incidence and characteristics of intestinal and extra-intestinal cancers among patients with inflammatory bowel disease in a Spanish hospital and to compare them with those of the local population.METHODS:This was a prospective,observational,7-year follow-up,cohort study.Cumulative incidence,incidence rates based on person-years of follow-up and relative risk were calculated for patients with inflammatory bowel disease and compared with the background population.The incidence of cancer was determined using a hospital-based data registry from Hospital Universitario de Fuenlabrada.Demographic data and details about time from diagnosis of inflammatory bowel disease to occurrence of cancer,disease extent,inflammatory bowel disease treatment,cancer therapy and cancer evolution were also collected in the inflammatory bowel disease cohort.RESULTS:Eighteen of 590 patients with inflammatory bowel disease developed cancer[cumulative incidence=3%(95%CI:1.58-4.52)vs 2%(95%CI:1.99-2.11)in the background population;RR=1.5;95%CI:0.97-2.29].The cancer incidence among inflammatory bowel disease patients was 0.53%(95%CI:0.32-0.84)per patient-year of follow-up.Patients with inflammatory bowel disease had a significantly increased relative risk of urothelial carcinoma(RR=5.23,95%CI:1.95-13.87),appendiceal mucinous cystadenoma(RR=36.6,95%CI:7.92-138.4),neuroendocrine carcinoma(RR=13.1,95%CI:1.82-29.7)and rectal carcinoid(RR=8.94,95%CI:1.18-59.7).Colorectal cancer cases were not found.CONCLUSION:The overall risk of cancer did not significantly increase in our inflammatory bowel disease patients.However,there was an increased risk of urinary bladder cancer and,with less statistical power,an increased risk of appendiceal mucinous cystadenoma and of neuroendocrine tumors.Colorectal cancer risk was low in our series.

The Impact of Neutrophil to Lymphocytic Ratio (NLR) as a Predictor of Treatment Outcomes in Rectal Carcinomas: A Retrospective Cohort Study

Background and aim: The prognostic role of neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) has been shown in many solid tumors included in a recent meta-analysis of one hundred studies. We aimed to evaluate the prognostic value of neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio in treatment outcomes;response and survival of patients with different stages of rectal cancers. Patients and methods: All patients with pathologically confirmed cancer rectum presented to our department during the period from January 2012 to the end of 2014 were included in this retrospective study, these recruited patients were evaluated through their files to determine different objectives of our study. Results: The median overall survival was 31 ± 4.676 months while disease free survival was 40 ± 2.346 for the whole study group;neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio was negatively correlated with overall survival with r = –0.743, P disease free survival with r = –0.717, P total number of lymph nodes dissected ratio with r = +0.254, P = 0.028. Roc curve was used to find the accurate cut point of NLR for these patients and was found to be of 4.5. Conclusion: Elevated pre-treatment NLR is an independent predictor of shorter survival in patients with rectal cancer. This parameter is a simple, easily accessible laboratory test for identifying patients with poorer prognosis.

Lack of CD44 variant 6 expression in rectal cancer invasive front associates with early recurrence

AIM: To investigate the prognostic value of CD44 variant 6 (CD44v6), a membranous adhesion molecule, in rectal cancer. METHODS: Altogether, 210 rectal cancer samples from 214 patients treated with short-course radiotherapy (RT, n = 90), long-course (chemo) RT (n = 53) or surgery alone (n = 71) were studied with immunohistochemistry for CD44v6. The extent and intensity of membranous and cytoplasmic CD44v6 staining, and the intratumoral membranous staining pattern, were analyzed.RESULTS: Membranous CD44v6 expression was seen in 84% and cytoplasmic expression in 81% of the cases. In 59% of the tumors with membranous CD44v6 expression, the staining pattern in the invasive front was determined as "front-positive" and in 41% as "front-negative". The latter pattern was associated with narrower circumferential margin (P = 0.01), infiltrative growth pattern (P < 0.001), and shorter disease-free survival in univariate survival analysis (P = 0.022) when compared to the "front-positive" tumors. CONCLUSION: The lack of membranous CD44v6 in the rectal cancer invasive front could be used as a method to identify patients at increased risk for recurrent disease.

Perianal Crohn's disease: Is there something new?

Perianal lesions are common in patients with Crohn's disease, and display aggressive behavior in some cases. An accurate diagnosis is necessary for the optimal management of perianal lesions. Treatment of perianal Crohn's disease includes medical and/or surgical options. Recent discoveries in the pathogenesis of this disease have led to advances in medical and surgical therapy with good results. Perianal lesions in Crohn's disease remain a challenging aspect for both gastroenterologists and surgeons and lead to a greatly impaired quality of life for all patients affected by this disease. A multidisciplinary approach is mandatory to obtain the best results.

Treatment of advanced rectal cancer after renal transplantation

Renal transplantation is a standard procedure for endstage renal disease today. Due to immunosuppressive drugs and increasing survival time after renal transplantation, patients with transplanted kidneys carry an increased risk of developing malignant tumors. In this case report, 3 patients with advanced rectal cancer after renal transplantation for renal failure were treated with anterior resection or abdominoperineal resection plus total mesorectal excision, followed by adjuvant chemotherapy. One patient eventually died of metastasized cancer 31 mo after therapy, although his organ grafts functioned well until his death. The other 2 patients were well during the 8 and 21 mo followup periods after rectal resection. We therefore strongly argue that patients with advanced rectal cancer should receive standard oncology treatment, including operation and adjuvant treatment after renal transplantation. Colorectal cancer screening in such patients appears justified.

Predicting prognosis of rectal cancer patients with total mesorectal excision using molecular markers

AIM:To explore the prognostic variables in rectal cancer patients undergoing curative total mesorectal excision and the effect of postoperative chemotherapy in advanced rectal cancer. METHODS:A total of 259 consecutive rectal cancer patients treated with curative total mesorectal excision between 1999 and 2004 were collected. p53,p21,PCNA,and CD44v6 were examined using immunohistochemistry (IHC). The correlation between clinicopathological or molecular variables and clinical outcomes,including local recurrence,metastasis,disease-free survival and overall survival,was analyzed. RESULTS:The median follow-up was 44 mo. Five-year survival rates and 5-year disease free survival rates were 75.43% and 70.32%,respectively. Multi-analysis revealed TNM staging,preoperative CEA,and CD44v6 level were independent risk factors predicting overall survival or disease free survival. The hazard ratio of peroperative CEA was 2.65 (95% CI 1.4-5) and 3.10 (95% CI 1.37-6.54) for disease free survival and overall survival,respectively. The hazard ratio of CD44v6 was 1.93 (95% CI 1.04-3.61) and 2.21 (95% CI 1.01-4.88) for disease free survival and overall survival,respectively. TNM staging was the only risk factor predicting local recurrence. Postoperative chemotherapy without radiotherapy did not improve patients' outcome. CONCLUSION:TNM staging,preoperative CEA and CD44v6 were independent prognostic factors for rectal cancer patients with total mesorectal excision. Postoperative chemotherapy may be only used together with radiotherapy for rectal cancer patients.

Anorectal emergencies

Anorectal emergencies refer to anorectal disorders presenting with some alarming symptoms such as acute anal pain and bleeding which might require an immediate management. This article deals with the diagnosis and management of common anorectal emergencies such as acutely thrombosed external hemorrhoid, thrombosed or strangulated internal hemorrhoid, bleeding hemorrhoid, bleeding anorectal varices, anal fissure, irreducible or strangulated rectal prolapse, anorectal abscess, perineal necrotizing fasciitis(Fournier gangrene), retained anorectal foreign bodies and obstructing rectal cancer. Sexually transmitted diseases as anorectal non-surgical emergencies and some anorectal emergencies in neonates are also discussed. The last part of this review dedicates to the management of early complications following common anorectal procedures that may present as an emergency including acute urinary retention, bleeding, fecal impaction and anorectal sepsis. Although many of anorectal disorders presenting in an emergency setting are not life-threatening and may be successfully treated in an outpatient clinic, an accurate diagnosis and proper management remains a challenging problem for clinicians. A detailed history taking and a careful physical examination, including digital rectal examination and anoscopy, is essential for correct diagnosis and plan of treatment. In some cases, some imaging examinations, such as endoanal ultrasonography and computerized tomography scan of whole abdomen, are required. If in doubt, the attending physicians should not hesitate to consult an expert e.g., colorectal surgeon about the diagnosis, proper management and appropriate follow-up.

Quantitative observation by enzyme cytochemistry of human rectal adenocarcinoma cells killed by LAK cells

Activity of succinic dehydrogenase(SDH)and acid phosphatase(AcPase)of effector-target cells during the process of LAK cells killing HR8348 cells was estimated by enzyme cyto-chemistry technique.SHD positive granules and AePase gray level were assayed with MIAS-300image analyser.The results showed:(1)After cocultivation of effector and target cells for vari-ous times,the activity of AcPase of HR8348 cells was apparently higher than that of the controlgroup,and it increased following prolonged coincubation.SDH activity of target cells increasedmarkedly within 30 and 60 rain cocultivation,but became low after 90 min treatment.(2)Ac-Pase content within LAK cells at 60,90,120,180 and 240 rain cocultivation was significantlyhigher than that of control group(P【0.01).The phenomenon of high AcPase and SDH activitywithin effector-target cells indicates that the function of the two types of cells was in an activestate.At the early stage of effector-target combining,the increase of SDH with HR8348 cellsmay be related to defensive function of the target cells.Higher AcPase activity of target cells in-dicates the activation of lysosomal enzyme which serves as the material basis for autolysis of thecells.

TEM observation on LAK cells killing the human rectal adenocarcinoma cells in vitro

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Phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase CB association with preoperative radiotherapy response in rectal adenocarcinoma

AIM:To examine the correlation of phosphatidylinositol3-kinase(PIK3)CB expression with preoperative radiotherapy response in patients with stageⅡ/Ⅲrectal adenocarcinoma.METHODS:PIK3CB immunoexpression was retrospectively assessed in pretreatment biopsies from 208 patients with clinical stageⅡ/Ⅲrectal adenocarcinoma,who underwent radical surgery after 30-Gy/10-fractionpreoperative radiotherapy.The relation between PIK3CB expression and tumor regression grade,clinicopathological characteristics,and survival time was statistically analyzed.Western blotting and in vitro clonogenic formation assay were used to detect PIK3CB expression in four colorectal cancer cell lines(HCT116,HT29,Lo Vo,and LS174T)treated with 6-Gy ionizing radiation.Pharmacological assays were used to evaluate the therapeutic relevance of TGX-221(a PIK3CB-specific inhibitor)in the four colorectal cancer cell lines.RESULTS:Immunohistochemical staining indicated that PIK3CB was more abundant in rectal adenocarcinoma tissues with poor response to preoperative radiotherapy.High expression of PIK3CB was closely correlated with tumor height(P<0.05),yp T stage(P<0.05),and high-degree tumor regression grade(P<0.001).High expression of PIK3CB was a potential prognostic factor for local recurrence-free survival(P<0.05)and metastasis-free survival(P<0.05).High expression of PIK3CB was also associated with poor therapeutic response and adverse outcomes in rectal adenocarcinoma patients treated with 30-Gy/10-fraction preoperative radiotherapy.In vitro,PIK3CB expression was upregulated in all four colorectal cancer cell lines concurrently treated with 6-Gy ionizing radiation,and the PIK3CB-specific inhibitor TGX-221 effectively inhibited the clonogenic formation of these four colorectal cancer cell lines.CONCLUSION:PIK3CB is critically involved in response to preoperative radiotherapy and may serve as a novel target for therapeutic intervention.