Management of anastomotic leaks after elective colorectal resections: The East of England experience. A retrospective cohort.

Introduction: Colorectal anastomotic leaks (AL) are associated with high morbidity and mortality. Management of AL and its intra-operative decision making is often difficult. The aim of this multi-centre study is to explore different management strategies, including different surgical options, and analyse rates and patterns of failure of initial management.

Diabetes in day case general and vascular surgery: A multicentre regional audit.

Background: People with Diabetes Mellitus (DM) are at increased risk of postoperative complications if their HbA1C readings are not well controlled. In the UK, there are clear national guidelines requiring all people with DM to have HbA1C blood testing within 6months before undergoing surgery and that these readings should be below 69 mmol/mol if this is safe to achieve. The aim of this study was to determine whether hospitals in the region were compliant with the guidelines.

Magnetic Resonance Texture Analysis in Identifying Complete Pathological Response to Neoadjuvant Treatment in Locally Advanced Rectal Cancer.

Background: A certain proportion of patients with locally advanced rectal cancer experience complete response after undergoing neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy. These patients might be suitable for a conservative "watch and wait" approach, avoiding high-morbidity surgery. Texture analysis is a new modality that can assess heterogeneity in medical images by statistically analyzing gray-level intensities on a pixel-by-pixel basis.

Diagnostic accuracy of MRI in assessing tumor regression and identifying complete response in patients with locally advanced rectal cancer after neoadjuvant treatment.

Background: The diagnostic accuracy of Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) in restaging locally advanced rectal cancers (LARC) after neoadjuvant chemo-radio therapy (NCRT) has been under recent scrutiny. There is limited data on the accuracy of MRI and its timing in assessing tumor regression grade (TRG) and in identifying patients with complete response (CR). NCRT seems to cause tissue inflammation and oedema which renders reading the scans difficult for radiologist.