Drain fluid's pH predicts anastomotic leak in colorectal surgery: results of a prospective analysis of 173 patients.

Background: The early risk assessment of anastomotic leak (AL) after colorectal surgery is crucial. Several markers have been proposed, including peritoneal fluid's pH. Aim of the present study is to evaluate the role of drain fluid pH as predictor of AL.

Lessons learned from 227 biological meshes used for the surgical treatment of ventral abdominal defects.

Purpose: The advantages of biological meshes for ventral hernia repair are still under debate. Given the high financial cost, the proper indications for biological meshes should be clarified to restrict their use to properly selected patients.

Methods: A retrospective database was instituted to register all cases of abdominal wall defect treated with biological meshes from 1/2010 to 3/2016.

Significance of super-extended (D3) lymphadenectomy in gastric cancer surgery.

Background: The extension of lymphadenectomy is a matter of debate in gastric cancer surgery. The purpose of the present study was to analyse our experience on D3 lymphadenectomy in the treatment of gastric cancer with special reference to post-operative morbidity and mortality, incidence of para-aortic nodal metastases and long-term prognosis.

Methods: The results of 201 patients who underwent potentially curative gastrectomy with D3 lymphadenectomy for non-metastatic gastric adenocarcinoma at the First Department of General Surgery, University of Verona, from January 1988 to December 2004, were analysed statistically.

[Actual indications for day-surgery in the treatment of lung neoplasms].

Aim Of The Study: To point out the actual possibilities to apply surgical treatments (diagnostic and therapeutics) for the cure of neoplastic disease of the lungs into an outpatient procedure. After a review of the recent literature, the authors show problems and limits of such a program. The analysis of the invasive diagnostic procedures (video-mediastinoscopy, anterior mediastinotomy, and thoracoscopy) shows that in most cases, a part from the kind of anesthesia, could be done in a short-term hospitalization.

Induction chemoradiotherapy for squamous cell carcinoma of the thoracic esophagus: impact of increased dosage on long-term results.

Background: This study analyzed the impact on long-term results of an increase in the dosage of an induction chemoradiotherapy protocol for squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the thoracic esophagus.

Methods: Two groups were considered among 177 patients who underwent preoperative chemoradiotherapy for SCC of the thoracic esophagus. Group A includes 111 patients (from 1987 to 1995) who were submitted to cisplatin and 5-fluorouracil (two cycles) and radiotherapy (3,000 cGy).

[Long-term results of neoadjuvant radiochemotherapy in squamous carcinoma of the thoracic esophagus].

Aim: Surgery is considered the mainstay of therapy for clinically resectable esophageal cancer, even though neoadjuvant treatments are frequently added. The aim of this study was to analyse our experience on neoadjuvant treatment of squamous cell carcinoma of the thoracic esophagus with special reference to long-term

Methods: The results of 66 patients who underwent neoadjuvant chemo-radiotherapy for squamous cell carcinoma of the thoracic esophagus at the 1(st) Division of General Surgery, University of Verona, from February 1995 to December 2002 were analysed statistically. The median follow-up period for the surviving patients was 65.

Perigastric lymph node metastases in gastric cancer: comparison of different staging systems.

BACKGROUND: Perigastric lymph node metastases in gastric cancer are classified differently by different staging systems: the distance of positive nodes from the primary tumor is considered by the 1987 International Union Against Cancer (UICC)-TNM system, but not by the Japanese staging system (of the Japanese Research Society for Gastric Cancer [JRSGC]); the new UICC-TNM system of 1997 is based on the number of involved nodes without differentiating perigastric from regional nodes. The aim of the present study was to assess which classification was more useful to predict prognosis in gastric cancer patients with metastases to the perigastric nodes.METHODS: The results for 107 patients with lymph node metastases to the first and second tiers who underwent curative gastrectomy for gastric cancer from March 1988 to October 1997 were analyzed.

Extraintestinal infection by group C Salmonella: a case report and review of the literature.

Infected or mycotic aneurysms of the aorta are not very frequent but they are associated with high morbidity and mortality rates. Vascular infections due to Salmonella are not very frequent, but in recent years the reports of infections of this type have been on the increase. The authors report their experience with a case of aneurysm of the abdominal aorta infected by group C Salmonella and go on to review the literature on the subject.

[Abdominal metastasis of cardias adenocarcinoma].

Background: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the incidence of abdominal lymph node involvement of adenocarcinoma of the gastric cardia in relationship with the site and depth of tumor invasion.

Methods: From July 1988 to April 1998, 79 patients with adenocarcinoma of the gastric cardia underwent surgical curative resection and D2 lymphadenectomy at the 1st Department of General Surgery of Verona University. Among these 79 patients, 16 had an adenocarcinoma of the distal esophagus (type I), 26 patients had an adenocarcinoma of the anatomic cardia (type II) and 37 had a subcardial adenocarcinoma (type III).

Induction chemo-radiotherapy for squamous cell carcinoma of the thoracic esophagus: long-term results of a phase II study.

Background: This study was done to evaluate the results of the combined use of chemo- and radiotherapy before surgery in a group of patients with squamous cell esophageal carcinoma after a median follow-up period of more than 5 years.

Methods: Between June 1987 and January 1995, 111 patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the thoracic esophagus were submitted to a preoperative course of radiotherapy (3000 cGy) and chemotherapy (cisplatin and 5-FU) before surgery in the First Division of General Surgery at the University of Verona.

Results: The neoadjuvant treatment was completed in 90.

Manual compared with mechanical cervical oesophagogastric anastomosis: a randomised trial.

Objective: To compare the short and medium term result of hand-sewn and stapled anastomoses after oesophagectomy.

Design: Randomised study.

Setting: Teaching hospital, Italy.

Classification of lymph node metastases from carcinoma of the stomach: comparison of the old (1987) and new (1997) TNM systems.

The pN classification of gastric cancer is currently based on the distance of metastatic nodes from the primary tumor (TNM-1987). The UICC (Union Internationale Contre le Cancer) has recently proposed a new classification system based on the number of the involved nodes (TNM-1997). The present prospective study is aimed at verifying whether the two classifications (1) assign approximately a similar rank to individual patients and (2) give comparable prognostic information.

Aneurysm of the celiac trunk: diagnosis with US-color-Doppler. Presentation of a new case and review of the literature.

Aneurysms of the celiac trunk are the rarest forms of aneurysms of the visceral arteries. Since 1958, when Schumaker reported the first case to be successfully treated surgically, only 69 cases have been reported in the international literature. The detection of such aneurysms, which are often asymptomatic, is mostly occasional.

Endoscopic ultrasonography in the staging of esophageal carcinoma after preoperative radiotherapy and chemotherapy.

Background: In past years multimodal neoadjuvant treatment for carcinoma of the esophagus has been used with increased frequency. Staging of the neoplasm still remains fundamental in evaluating the response to therapy and in planning operation. The aim of the present study was to assess the accuracy of endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS) in a group of patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the thoracic esophagus after undergoing radiotherapy and chemotherapy.

[Recurrence of stomach cancer following surgery].

The purpose of this article is to review the incidence and characteristic of first recurrence in a group of 182 patients who underwent curative surgery with extended lymphadenectomy (> or = D2). The median follow up was 46.4 months (range 14-111).

Solitary fibrous tumor of the liver with CD 34 positivity and hypoglycemia.

We report a new case of solitary fibrous tumor (SFT) of the liver, an extremely rare neoplasm. Including the present case no more than ten cases are reported in the English-language literature. To date there is no definite proof of the origin of this tumor.

[Immunohistochemical study on the prognostic value of the expression of laminin and Ki-67 receptors in advanced gastric cancer].

The expression of 67-KDa laminin receptor (LR) was investigated in a group of 75 patients who underwent curative gastrectomy for advanced gastric cancer, with special reference to the possible role in the tumor progression and in the overall survival. In 56 out of these 75 patients also the prognostic significance of proliferative activity was investigated using the monoclonal antibody Ki-67. The tumor LR expression and the Ki-67 labeling index (Ki-67 LI) were immunohistochemically determined in paraffin-embedded sections using the avidin-biotin immunoperoxidase method.

[Salmonella C infection of aortic abdominal aneurysm].

The infected aneurysms of the aorta represent the 0.65% of all the aneurysms and they are associated with high morbidity and mortality. The vascular infections from Salmonella are not particularly frequent, even if in the last years their reports are more numerous.

Endoscopic clipping of anastomotic leakages in esophagogastric surgery.

Background And Study Aims: Anastomotic leakage is a severe complication in gastric surgery and it is associated with a high rate of mortality. Conservative treatment sometimes is not sufficient to stem the leakages and, even when it is sufficient, it takes a long time. The present study describes the first experience in the treatment of anastomotic leakages with endoscopic clipping.

[Prognostic value of histologic classifications of advanced stomach cancer: comparative study of Lauren's and Goseki's classifications].

Controversy exists about the prognostic value of the histological classifications of gastric cancer commonly used. Recently Goseki proposed a new classifying system based on intracellular mucus production and the degree of tubular differentiation. The aim of this study was to compare Lauren and Goseki classifications with particular emphasis on their prognostic significance.

Prognostic significance of lymph node dissection in gastric cancer.

The results for 162 patients who underwent curative gastrectomy for gastric cancer from January 1988 to June 1994 were analysed statistically with special reference to the effect of lymph node dissection. Median survival was 69.3 months and the overall cumulative 5-year survival rate was 50.

[Ultrasonography mapping of peritoneal adhesions].

A previous laparotomy is still a contraindication to laparoscopy because of the possible presence of abdominal wall adhesions exposing the patient to the risk of a visceral injury when the pneumoperitoneum is created and/or the first trochar is inserted. We report the results of abdominal wall US exams performed preoperatively for the diagnosis of peritoneal adhesions: we investigated two distinct signs unrelated to one another, to minimize false-negative findings. Ultrasonography was performed on 141 patients subdivided into two groups: 81 patients with no previous abdominal surgery (group A) and 60 patients with a history of abdominal surgery (group B).

Vater's papilla and periampullary area villous adenoma: personal experience about nine cases and review of the literature.

Villous tumor of the duodenum is a rare disease. The authors report their personal experience from 1987 to 1993 with nine cases of duodenal villous tumors. The treatment was pancreatoduodenectomy in four cases, segmental resection of the duodenum in two cases and submucosal excision in three cases.

Efficacy and toxicity of vinorelbine-carboplatin combination in the treatment of advanced adenocarcinoma or large-cell carcinoma of the lung.

Aims And Background: The aim of the study was to assess the activity and toxicity of the vinorelbine-carboplatin combination in advanced adenocarcinoma or large-cell carcinoma of the lung. The new vinca derivative, vinorelbine, shows promising activity when combined with cisplatin, but toxicity of the combination is substantial.

Methods: Accordingly, we substituted carboplatin for cisplatin in the combination in order to improve the therapeutic index.

Primary carcinoma of the hypopharynx and cervical esophagus: evolution of surgical therapy.

Carcinoma of the cervical esophagus is invariably fatal because of its advanced stage at presentation. In our surgical division, 167 patients with primary squamous-cell carcinoma of the cervical esophagus were treated over the period between 1973 and June 1992. The tumor was localized in the cervical esophagus in only 37 cases, whereas it also involved the hypopharynx in 112 patients or extended to the cervico-thoracic segment in the remaining 18 subjects.