A systematic review and meta-analysis of the use of methylene blue to improve the lymph node harvest in rectal cancer surgery.

Background: Methylene blue staining of the resected specimen has been described as an alternative to the conventional palpation and visual inspection method to improve lymph node harvest. This meta-analysis evaluates the usefulness of this technique in surgery for rectal cancer, particularly after neoadjuvant therapy.

Methods: Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing lymph node harvest in methylene blue-stained rectal specimens to those of unstained specimens were identified from the Medline, Embase, and Cochrane databases.

Robotic colorectal surgery in elderly patients: A single-centre experience.

Introduction: The purpose of this study was to evaluate outcomes in elderly patients (age ≥ 65 years) undergoing robotic colorectal surgery (RCRS) in comparison with non-elderly patients.

Materials And Methods: Data was collected on elderly and non-elderly patients who underwent RCRS from a prospectively maintained database.

Results: A total of 89 elderly and 73 non-elderly patients were identified.

Necrotising fasciitis in the COVID-19 era: A consequence of caution - A case series.

Necrotising fasciitis (NF) is a severe soft tissue infection that is associated with a high risk of morbidity and mortality. During the coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) pandemic, the population has been actively discouraged from presenting to emergency medical services unless absolutely necessary. While this was an important step in allowing for preservation of limited resources in a time of crisis, it may have resulted in immeasurable 'secondary victims' of the pandemic as patients with time-critical conditions delay hospital presentation.

Robotic versus laparoscopic right hemicolectomy: a case-matched study.

The current gold standard surgical treatment for right colonic malignancy is the laparoscopic right hemicolectomy (LRH). However, laparoscopic surgery has limitations which can be overcome by robotic surgery. The benefits of robotics for rectal cancer are widely accepted but its use for right hemicolectomy remains controversial.

A meta-analysis of low Hartmann's procedure versus abdominoperineal resection for non-restorative treatment of rectal cancer.

Background: Non-restorative surgery for rectal cancer is indicated in patients with comorbidities, advanced disease and poor continence. The aim of this meta-analysis was to compare the postoperative morbidity of Hartmann's procedure (HP) with that of extrasphincteric and intersphincteric abdominoperineal resection (APR) in the treatment of rectal cancer.

Methods: The Medline, Embase and Cochrane databases were searched for publications comparing postoperative morbidity of HP and APR.

The first robotic transanal minimally invasive surgery in Ireland: a case-based review.

Transanal minimally invasive surgery (TAMIS) has gained worldwide acceptance as a means of local excision of early rectal cancers and benign rectal lesions. However, it is technically challenging due to the limitations of rigid laparoscopic instruments in the narrow rectal lumen. Robotic platforms offer improved ergonomics that are valuable in operative fields with limited space.

The impact of body mass index on outcomes in robotic colorectal surgery: a single-centre experience.

Obesity is an independent risk factor for postoperative morbidity and mortality in laparoscopic colorectal surgery (LCRS). The technological advantages of robotic colorectal surgery (RCRS) may allow surgeons to overcome the limitations of LCRS in obese patients, but it is largely unknown if this translates to superior outcomes. The aim of this study was to compare perioperative, postoperative and short-term oncological outcomes in obese (BMI ≥ 30.

Communication, collaboration and contagion: "Virtualisation" of anatomy during COVID-19.

COVID-19 has generated a global need for technologies that enable communication, collaboration, education and scientific discourse whilst maintaining physical distance. University closures due to COVID-19 and physical distancing measures disrupt academic activities that previously occurred face-to-face. Restrictions placed on universities due to COVID-19 have precluded most conventional forms of education, assessment, research and scientific discourse.

Surgical treatment of intestinal stricture in inflammatory bowel disease.

Fibroblast infiltration and collagen deposition result in structural changes in the bowel wall, and lead to strictures in intestinal inflammatory disease. While strictures can also occur in other contexts, such as malignancy, this review focuses on the surgical treatment of stricture secondary to inflammatory bowel disease. Distinguishing between predominantly inflammation vs established fibrosis as the cause of a stricture can be challenging.

A review of clinical and oncological outcomes following the introduction of the first robotic colorectal surgery programme to a university teaching hospital in Ireland using a dual console training platform.

Robotic-assisted surgery is evolving, with improving clinical and cancer outcomes. The aim of this study was to present the clinical and cancer outcomes of patients undergoing robotic-assisted colorectal surgery (RAS-CR) at University Hospital Limerick (UHL) since its introduction to the 100th case, using the daVinci Xi dual-console surgical system. The RAS-CR programme at UHL commenced in June 2016 and the 100th case was performed in July 2019.

Development of a Novel Technique to Dissect the Mesentery That Preserves Mesenteric Continuity and Enables Characterization of the Mesentery.

The conventional model of abdominal anatomy described multiple mesenteries. Dissection techniques were based on this. Recent studies demonstrate the mesentery is continuous from duodenojejunal flexure to anorectal junction.

The Mesenteric Organ: New Anatomical Concepts and an Imaging-based Review on Its Diseases.

The proposal of reclassifying the mesentery as an organ prompts clinicians and radiologists to reappraise their approach to it and to mesenteric diseases (mesenteropathies). Recent updates in mesenteric anatomy and the better comprehension of its structure constitute a basis to push forward the process of disease management and allow the development of less radical (including endoscopic, radiological, and pharmacotherapeutic) treatments. Radiological evaluation currently plays a pivotal role in the noninvasive characterization of abdominal diseases.

Development of mesenteric tissues.

Mesothelial, neurovascular, lymphatic, adipose and mesenchymal tissues make up the mesentery. These tissues are pathobiologically important for numerous reasons. Collectively, they form a continuous, discrete and substantive organ.

Anatomy of the mesentery: Current understanding and mechanisms of attachment.

An understanding of the anatomy of the mesentery is necessary to undertake any appraisal of the literature on its development. The mesentery is the collection of tissues that maintain all abdominal digestive organs in position and connection with the rest of the body. Therefore, it is also necessary to detail the exact mechanisms that maintain the mesentery in position.

Anatomy of the mesentery: Historical development and recent advances.

Recent appraisals of mesenteric anatomy clarify its structure and show a continuous and helical-shaped organ. This new model signifies a departure from the conventional model which described multiple, separate "mesenteries". Renaissance anatomists depicted the mesentery as a continuous structure.

The Mesentery, Systemic Inflammation, and Crohn's Disease.

Initially thought to be a structure that only provided support to the abdominal contents, the mesentery has now gained special attention in the scientific community. The new approach of studying the mesentery as an individual organ has highlighted its importance in the development of local and systemic inflammatory diseases and its potential role in Crohn's disease. Its topographical relationship with the intestine in the setting of active inflammation and "creeping fat" is possibly one of the most important arguments for including the mesentery as an important factor in the pathogenesis of Crohn's disease.

Festschrift for Patrick Ronan (PR) O'Connell (also known as ROCON): reconciling surgery and science.

Ronan O Connell's clinical activities were fundamentally based on accurate data. His scientific outputs were based on similarly high quality data. Anybody who trained with him and in particular those who trained with him on more than occasion base their clinical and scientific activities on a similar approach.

Expression of protein kinase C gamma promotes cell migration in colon cancer.

Despite extensive efforts, Protein Kinase Cs (PKCs) have proven to be an intractable target in cancer therapies. Traditionally it was accepted that PKCs act as tumour promoters, however new research suggests that PKCs may play an important role in the suppression of cancer. A challenge in targeting PKCs is the limited data available in patient samples.

Prophylactic Negative Pressure Dressing Use in Closed Laparotomy Wounds Following Abdominal Operations: A Randomized, Controlled, Open-label Trial: The P.I.C.O. Trial.

Objective: A randomized controlled trial was undertaken to investigate the effect of prophylactic negative pressure dressings on postoperative surgical site infection (SSI) rates in closed laparotomy wounds.

Summary Of Background Data: Laparotomy wounds are associated with high rates of SSI. The effect of prophylactic negative pressure dressing of closed incisional wounds on SSI rate is unknown.

Extracellular matrix gene expression profiling using microfluidics for colorectal carcinoma stratification.

In cancer, biomarkers have many potential applications including generation of a differential diagnosis, prediction of response to treatment, and monitoring disease progression. Many molecular biomarkers have been put forward for different diseases but most of them do not possess the required specificity and sensitivity. A biomarker with a high sensitivity has a low specificity and vice versa.

Lymph Node Ratio in Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy Era: Are We Losing Prognostic Information?

Background: The number of involved axillary lymph nodes (LNs) found pathologically is regarded as a significant prognostic factor in early-stage breast cancer (EBC). Recently, there is speculation that LN ratio (LNR) may be a better surrogate at predicting cancer-specific outcome than number of involved LNs. This study investigated prognostic value of LNR, using predetermined cutoff values.