Endoscopic ultrasound-guided elastography in the nodal staging of oesophageal cancer

AIM:To assess quantitative endoscopic ultrasound (EUS)guided elastography in the nodal staging of oesophagogastric cancers.METHODS:This was a single tertiary centre study assessing 50 patients with established oesophago-gastric cancer undergoing EUS-guided fine needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) of lymph nodes between July 2007 and July 2009.EUS-guided elastography of lymph nodes was performed before EUS-FNAB.Standard EUS characteristics were also described.Cytological determination of whether a lymph node was malignant or benign was used as the gold standard for this study.Comparisons of elastography and standard EUS characteristics were made between the cytologically benign and malignant nodes.The main outcome measure was the accuracy of elastography in differentiating between benign and malignant lymph nodes in oesophageal cancers.RESULTS:EUS elastography and FNAB were performed on 53 lymph nodes.Cytological malignancy was found in 23 nodes,one was indeterminate,one was found to be a gastrointestinal stromal tumor and 25 of the nodes were negative for malignancy.On 3 occasions insufficient material was obtained for analysis.The area under the curve for the receiver operating characteristic curve for elastography strain ratio was 0.87 (P<0.0001).Elastography strain ratio had a sensitivity 83%,specificity 96%,positive predictive value 95%,and negative predictive value 86% for distinguishing between malignant and benign nodes.The overall accuracy of elastography strain ratio was 90%.Elastography was more sensitive and specific in determining malignant nodal disease than standard EUS criteria.CONCLUSION:EUS elastography is a promising modality that may complement standard EUS and help guide EUS-FNAB during staging of upper gastrointestinal tract cancer.

Mediastinal node staging by positron emission tomographycomputed tomography and selective endoscopic ultrasound with fine needle aspiration for patients with upper gastrointestinal cancer:Results from a regional centre

AIM To investigate the impact of endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration(EUS-FNA) and positron emission tomography-computed tomography(PET-CT) in the nodal staging of upper gastrointestinal(GI) cancer in a tertiary referral centre.METHODS We performed a retrospective review of prospectively recorded data held on all patients with a diagnosis of upper GI cancer made between January 2009 and December 2015. Only those patients who had both a PET-CT and EUS with FNA sampling of a mediastinal node distant from the primary tumour were included. Using a positive EUS-FNA result as the gold standard for lymph node involvement, the sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values(PPV and NPV) and accuracy of PET-CT in the staging of mediastinal lymph nodes were calculated. The impact on therapeutic strategy of adding EUS-FNA to PET-CT was assessed.RESULTS One hundred and twenty one patients were included. Sixty nine patients had a diagnosis of oesophageal adenocarcinoma(Thirty one of whom were junctional), forty eight had oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma and four had gastric adenocarcinoma. The FNA results were inadequate in eleven cases and the PET-CT findings were indeterminate in two cases, therefore thirteen patients(10.7%) were excluded from further analysis. There was concordance between PET-CT and EUS-FNA findings in seventy one of the remaining one hundred and eight patients(65.7%). The sensitivity, specificity, PPV and NPV values of PET-CT were 92.5%, 50%, 52.1% and 91.9% respectively. There was discordance between PET-CT and EUS-FNA findings in thirty seven out of one hundred and eight patients(34.3%). MDT discussion led to a radical treatment pathway in twenty seven of these cases, after the final tumour stage was altered as a direct consequence of the EUS-FNA findings. Of these patients, fourteen(51.9%) experienced clinical remission of a median of nine months(range three to forty two months). CONCLUSION EUS-FNA leads to altered staging of upper GI cancer, resulting in more patients receiving radical treatment that would have been the case using PET-CT staging alone.

Return to sport following scaphoid fractures:A systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND Scaphoid fracture is the most commonly fractured carpal bone in the athletic patient, accounting for over 85% of all sport-related carpal bone fractures, and is particularly common in sports involving high impact injuries to the wrist. The management of such injuries comprises both conservative and surgical techniques, as guided by fracture location and type. Athletes demonstrate a unique challenge with regards to the management of scaphoid fractures due to their requirement to return to sport, as soon as able.AIM To review systemically all studies recording return to sport following scaphoid fractures, to collate information on return rates to sport(RRS) and mean return times(RTS) to sport and to determine differences in sporting outcome for the various treatment methods.METHODS A systematic search of MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHAL, Cochrane, Google Scholar, Physiotherapy Evidence Database, SPORTDiscus, Web of Science and Scopus was performed in August 2018 using the keywords "scaphoid","fracture", "acute", "carpal", "athletes", "sports", "non-operative","conservative", "operative" and "return to sport". All studies that recorded RRS and RTS following scaphoid fractures were included. RTS was recorded as the length of time from commencement of either primary conservative management or primary surgical procedure to return to sport.RESULTS Eleven studies were included: Two randomised controlled trials, six retrospective cohort studies and three case series. Seven studies reported on conservative management(n = 77), and eight studies reported on surgical management(n =83). For conservative management, RRS was 90%(69/77), and the mean RTS was9.6 wk. Three studies allowed to return to sport in cast [RRS 89%(25/28); RTS 1.9 wk], and four studies required completion of cast treatment prior to returning to sport [RRS 90%(44/49); RTS 13.9 wk]. Four studies recorded fracture union data:Union rate 85%(47/55); mean time to union 14.0 wk. For surgical management,RRS was 98%(81/83), and RTS was 7.3 wk. Three studies reported on Percutaneous Screw Fixation [RRS 97%(32/33); RTS 6.5 wk], and five studies reported on Open Reduction Internal Fixation [RRS 98%(49/50); RTS 7.9 wk]. Six studies recorded fracture union data: Union rate 97%(69/71); mean time to union9.8 wk. On meta-analysis, RRS(RR = 1.09; 95% confidence interval(CI): 1.00-1.18;P < 0.045), RTS(MD 2.3 wk; 95%CI: 0.79-3.87; P < 0.002), union rates(RR = 1.14;95%CI: 1.01-1.28; P < 0.030) and mean times to union(MD 4.2 wk; 95%CI: 3.94-4.36; P < 0.001) were all significantly better for the surgical cohort compared to the conservative cohort.CONCLUSION Surgical management of scaphoid fractures can provide significantly improved RRS and RTS to sport compared to conservative management. Both treatments,however, remain acceptable options, and athletes should be fully informed of the benefits and risks of both prior to deciding treatment plans. Immediate return to sport in a cast should be avoided due to the significant risk of non-union.

Intraosseous device for arthrodesis in foot and ankle surgery: Review of the literature and biomechanical properties

BACKGROUND Arthrodesis is the surgical fusion of a diseased joint for the purposes of obtaining pain relief and stability.There have been numerous fixation devices described in literature for foot and ankle arthrodesis,each with their own benefits and drawbacks.AIM To review the use of intraosseous devices in foot and ankle surgery.METHODS There were 9 papers included in the review(6 clinical and 3 experimental studies)all evaluating arthrodesis in the foot and ankle using the IOFIX device(Extremity Medical™,Parsippany,NJ,United States).Outcome scores,union rates,as well as complications were analysed.RESULTS IOFIX appears to be safe and effective in achieving arthrodesis of the 1st metatarsophalangeal,and talonavicular joints with early rehabilitation.In comparison to plate/screw constructs there were fewer soft tissue complications and issues of metalwork prominence.Cadaveric and biomechanical studies on the use of intramedullary fixation for fusion of the tarsometatarsal and ankle joint showed decreased load to failure,cycles to failure and stiffness in comparison to traditional fusion methods using plates and screws,however IOFIX devices produced higher compressive forces at the joint.CONCLUSION We describe the reasons for which this biomechanical behavior of the intraosseous fixation may be favorable,until prospective and comparative studies with largersample size and longer follow-up confirm the effectiveness and limitations of the method.