Comparing outcomes after treatment of rectal cancer over a long-lasting follow-up between patients who were offered surgery alone and surgery with neoadjuvant therapy.

Background: To assess outcomes of patients operated on for rectal cancer (RC) by analysing the trends of disease free survival curves (DFSc) after a very long-term follow-up.

Methods: All patients treated with curative intent for RC from 1986 to 2005 were retrospectively analyzed. Other than demographics, disease characteristics and treatment-related factors were considered.

Laparoscopic splenectomy 15 years after.

Objective: The authors aim to analyze the impact of spleen size on the operative time, the splenic weight, the surgical technique, and the immediate clinical outcome in a series of 116 laparoscopic splenectomies (LS) performed in our department in the last 15 years. This study was also aimed to evaluate the efficacy of hand-assisted LS for splenomegaly.

Materials And Methods: From July 1995 to January 2010, 116 LS were performed.

Preliminary results of the influence of the in vivo use of a lymphatic dye (patent blue v) in the surgical treatment of Crohn's disease.

Introduction: Recently, the lymphatic vessels has been considered to play a key role in the pathophysiology and, consequently, in the treatment of Crohn's disease (CD). The aim of this study is to show that the evaluation of lymphatic anomaly might be a useful tool in the recognition of the pathological involvement of the intestinal wall in CD.

Material And Methods: Fourteen patients with CD who underwent surgical treatment for distal ileum critical stenosis were prospectively evaluated.

Long-term results of treatment of acute diverticulitis: still lessons to be learned?

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the long-term results in patients treated for diverticular disease (DD), mainly considering indication for surgery, outcome of the treatment modalities and quality of life. All consecutive patients who underwent treatment for diverticular disease since January 2003 to June 2007 were analyzed. Patients were divided into three groups: medical treatment, elective surgery and emergency surgery.

Ileal pouch adenomas and carcinomas after restorative proctocolectomy for familial adenomatous polyposis.

Background: Restorative proctocolectomy and IPAA has become the treatment of choice in familial adenomatous polyposis. However, several cases of adenomas and carcinomas arising in the ileal pouch were reported.

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence and natural history of ileal pouch adenomas and the development of carcinomas in patients with restorative proctocolectomy for familial adenomatous polyposis.

Iterative surgical resection of a recurrent gallbladder carcinoma with long-term survival: report of a case.

Gallbladder carcinoma is a rare, but often lethal disease. Unfortunately, at the time of diagnosis, patients usually have advanced disease (T3-T4) and long-term survival is dismal, ranging from 5 to 12% in the literature. However, this cancer can be successfully treated when the tumour is organ-confined (T1-T2 tumours), as happens in the case of incidental diagnosis at the time of cholecystectomy for gallstones.