Robotic Versus Laparoscopic Colorectal Resection: Are We There Yet?

Background: Laparoscopy-assisted surgery (LAS) for colorectal cancer (CRC) was first described in 1991 and robotic-assisted surgery (RAS) for CRC was first reported in 2002; robotic-assisted colorectal surgery (RACS) is becoming increasingly popular. However, data comparing its outcomes to other established techniques remain limited to small case series. Our primary goal was to review the mortality outcome difference between laparoscopic versus robotic elective colon resection at a small, community hospital.

Removal of Esophageal Variceal Bands to Salvage Complete Esophageal Obstruction.

Esophageal varices develop in almost half of the patients with cirrhosis, and variceal hemorrhage constitutes an ominous sign with an increased risk of mortality. Variceal banding is considered an effective and mostly safe measure for primary and secondary prophylaxis. Although adverse events related to banding including dysphagia, stricture formation, bleeding, and ligation-induced ulcers have been described, complete esophageal obstruction is rare, with only 10 reported cases in the literature.

Sweet outcome for a rare inflammatory condition.

Sweet syndrome is a rare inflammatory condition that was first described by Douglas Sweet in 1964 as an acute febrile neutrophilic dermatosis. It can be associated with infections, inflammatory conditions,pregnancy, drugs, and malignancy. It is usually divided into three subtypes based on etiology: classical(idiopathic); malignancy-associated; and drug-induced.

Ineffective Esophageal Motility (IEM): the Old-New Frontier in Esophagology.

Ineffective esophageal motility (IEM) is characterized by distal esophageal contraction amplitude of <30 mmHg on conventional manometry (Blonski et al. Am J Gastroenterol. 103(3):699-704, 2008), or a distal contractile integral (DCI) < 450 mmHg*s*cm on high-resolution manometry (HRM) (Kahrilas et al.

Approach to the patient with dysphagia.

Dysphagia is a fascinating symptom. It is ostensibly simple when defined by trouble swallowing, yet its subtleties in deciphering and its variations in pathophysiology almost mandate a thorough knowledge of medicine itself. With patience and careful questioning, a multitude of various disorders may be suggested before an objective test is performed.

Anatomical Location of Pathology Is Predictive of Prolonged Fluoroscopy Time During ERCP: A Multicenter American Study.

Background: Different factors have been associated with prolonged fluoroscopy time (FT) during endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP).

Aim: We hypothesize that FT depends on both the anatomical location of the pathology managed during ERCP and the complexity of the ERCP.

Methods: Three centers participated in a retrospective multi-center cohort study.

Severe Ulcerative Esophagitis Induced by Crizotinib Therapy.

Crizotinib is an oral tyrosine-kinase inhibitor that inhibits anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) in gene-rearranged non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). In 2011, the Food and Drug Administration approved crizotinib for treatment of locally advanced or metastatic ALK-positive NSCLC. The crizotinib adverse events profile included esophageal disorders in 11% of patients treated during trial phases I, II, and III, but none of them had severe events.