Publications by authors named "Ugo Elmore"

Importance: Evidence suggests that prophylactic abdominal drainage after gastrectomy for cancer may reduce postoperative morbidity and hospital stay but this evidence comes from small studies with a high risk of bias. Further research is needed to determine whether drains safely meet their primary purpose of identifying and managing postoperative intraperitoneal collections without the need for reoperation or additional percutaneous drainage.

Objective: To determine whether avoiding routine abdominal drainage increased postoperative invasive procedures.

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: Delayed gastric conduit emptying (DGCE) occurs in 15-39% of patients who undergo esophagectomy. Intra-Pyloric Injection of Botulinum Toxin (IPBT), Pneumatic Balloon Dilation (PBD), and the same session combination (BTPD) represent the main endoscopic procedures, but comparative data are currently unavailable. : We retrospectively analyzed prospectively collected data on all consecutive patients with DGCE treated endoscopically with IPBT, PBD, or BTPD.

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Background/objectives: Esophagectomy represents a major oncological operation due to the surgical involvement of both the abdominal and thoracic cavities. The minimally invasive technique has been developed to minimize the operative impact on patients undergoing esophageal resections, often presenting with nutritional deterioration and poor functional reserves.

Methods: The present article provides an illustrative description of the total minimally invasive (laparo-thoracoscopic) Ivor Lewis esophagectomy for cancer integrated with complementary components of perioperative clinical management.

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Objective: The aim of the present study is to assess the effectiveness of indocyanine-green (ICG)-guided lymphography (ICG-Lg) in reducing the incidence of chyle leak (CL) after esophagectomy.

Background: Chylothorax may severely impact esophageal cancer surgery, and the pre-emptive ligation of the thoracic duct (TD) is the most widespread control of this complication. Intraoperative ICG-Lg has been recently embedded in minimally invasive esophagectomy to facilitate TD detection and pre-emptive ligation.

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Minimally invasive surgery has provided several clinical advantages in locally advanced gastric cancer (LAGC) care, although a consensus on its application criteria remains unclear. Surgery remains a careful choice in elderly patients, who frequently present with frailty, comorbidities, and other disabling diseases. This study aims to assess the possible advantages of laparoscopic gastric resections in elderly patients presenting with LAGC.

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Esophagectomy, while a pivotal treatment for esophageal cancer, is not without adverse events. Among these, anastomotic leak (AL) is the most feared complication, threatening patient lives and incurring significant healthcare costs. The management of AL is complex and lacks standardization.

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Background: Although laparoscopy has demonstrated growing applications for either primary colorectal resections or reoperations, no standardized criteria for implementing laparoscopy in revisional surgery have been reported. This study analyzes a single-center series of major complications after laparoscopic colorectal surgery, undergoing laparoscopic (LR), or open reoperations in compliance with a hemodynamics-based institutional management.

Methods: This study retrospectively analyzes a series of consecutive patients who primarily underwent either laparoscopic left colectomy or low anterior resection in a tertiary referral center between 2016 and 2021.

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Purpose: The aim of the present study is to assess the impact of Echelon Circular powered stapler (PCS) on left-sided colorectal anastomotic leaks and to compare results to conventional circular staplers (CCS).

Methods: A single center cohort study was carried out on 552 consecutive patients, who underwent laparoscopic colorectal resection and anastomosis to the rectum between December 2017 and September 2022. Patients who underwent powered circular anastomosis to the rectum were matched to those who had a conventional stapled anastomosis using a propensity score matching.

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Objective: Colorectal tumours are often densely infiltrated by immune cells that have a role in surveillance and modulation of tumour progression but are burdened by immunosuppressive signals, which might vary from primary to metastatic stages. Here, we deployed a multidimensional approach to unravel the T-cell functional landscape in primary colorectal cancers (CRC) and liver metastases, and genome editing tools to develop CRC-specific engineered T cells.

Design: We paired high-dimensional flow cytometry, RNA sequencing and immunohistochemistry to describe the functional phenotype of T cells from healthy and neoplastic tissue of patients with primary and metastatic CRC and we applied lentiviral vectors (LV) and CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing technologies to develop CRC-specific cellular products.

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Background: Management of anastomotic leaks after Ivor-Lewis esophagectomy remains a challenge. Although intracavitary endoscopic vacuum therapy (EVT) has shown great efficacy for large dehiscences, the optimal management of smaller leaks has not been standardized. This study aims to compare EVT versus self-expandable metal stent (SEMS) in the treatment of leaks < 30 mm in size, due to the lack of current data on this topic.

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Unlabelled: Current treatment for patients with locally advanced esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) is neoadjuvant chemotherapy (nCT), alone or combined with radiotherapy, before surgery. However, fewer than 30% of treated patients show a pathologic complete response to nCT, which correlates with increased 5-year survival compared with nonresponders. Understanding the mechanisms of response to nCT is pivotal to better stratify patients and inform more efficacious therapies.

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Introduction: Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV) transmission mostly occurs through the genital and intestinal mucosae. Although HIV-1 transmission has been extensively investigated, gaps remain in understanding the initial steps of HIV entry through the colonic mucosa. We previously showed that HIV can selectively trigger mononuclear phagocytes (MNP) to migrate within colonic epithelial cells to sample virions.

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Article Synopsis
  • - The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted the global population, with higher fatality rates observed among the elderly and those with pre-existing health conditions, prompting an analysis of various coronavirus studies over five decades.
  • - The research identified a strong interconnectedness among keywords related to immune response, nutrition, and inflammation, leading to the conclusion that the immune system operates through a complex, multilevel framework that includes a "self-destroy and rebuild" strategy.
  • - The findings suggest that the immune system’s response to infections, such as COVID-19, might be influenced by nutrition and the processes involved in cellular regeneration, highlighting the importance of strategies like vaccination to mitigate the pandemic's effects.
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Background: Endoscopic treatment of post-esophagectomy/gastrectomy anastomotic dehiscence includes Self-Expandable Metal Stents (SEMS), which have represented the "gold standard" for many years, and Endoscopic Vacuum Therapy (EVT), which was recently introduced, showing promising results. The aim of the study was to compare outcomes of SEMS and EVT in the treatment of post-esophagectomy/gastrectomy anastomotic leaks, focusing on oncologic surgery.

Methods: A systematic search was performed on Pubmed and Embase, identifying studies comparing EVT versus SEMS for the treatment of leaks after upper gastro-intestinal surgery for malignant or benign pathologies.

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Background: The impact of preoperative body composition as independent predictor of prognosis for esophageal cancer patients after esophagectomy is still unclear. The aim of the study was to explore such a relationship.

Methods: This is a multicenter retrospective study from a prospectively maintained database.

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Article Synopsis
  • The Italian Research Group for Gastric Cancer (GIRCG) noted in 2013 that laparoscopic or robotic surgeries should primarily be used for early gastric cancer (EGC), with no further guidelines available at that time.
  • A recent study surveyed 46 out of 100 expert Italian upper gastrointestinal surgeons on their use of minimally invasive techniques for gastric cancer treatment, finding a similar preference for these methods in both early and advanced gastric cancer cases.
  • The results indicated that as the number of surgical procedures performed at a center increased, so did the likelihood of utilizing minimally invasive approaches, suggesting a shift in clinical practice beyond current national guidelines.
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Article Synopsis
  • The study looked at why surgeons decide to do a protective ileostomy after a certain type of surgery for rectal cancer.
  • Most surgeons (76%) agreed on doing the ileostomy, and many (88%) considered certain risk factors before deciding.
  • The study found that emotions and personal experiences played a big role in the decisions surgeons made, but there aren't clear guidelines on when to perform this procedure yet.
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Introduction: Despite progressive improvements in technical skills and instruments that have facilitated surgeons performing intracorporeal gastro-jejunal and jejuno-jejunal anastomoses, one of the big challenging tasks is handsewn knot tying. We analysed the better way to fashion a handsewn intracorporeal enterotomy closure after a stapled anastomosis.

Methods: All 579 consecutive patients from January 2009 to December 2019 who underwent minimally invasive partial gastrectomy for gastric cancer were retrospectively analysed.

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Gastric cancer represents one of the leading causes of cancer-related death worldwide. Even if the last decade has witnessed an improvement in surgical and systemic treatments, with an increase of overall life expectancy, survival rates still remain unsatisfactory, especially for patients with metastatic disease. Systemic therapies represent the gold standard in the management of stage IV gastric cancer.

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Background: Evidence on the efficacy of minimally invasive (MI) segmental resection of splenic flexure cancer (SFC) is not available, mostly due to the rarity of this tumor. This study aimed to determine the survival outcomes of MI and open treatment, and to investigate whether MI is noninferior to open procedure regarding short-term outcomes.

Methods: This nationwide retrospective cohort study included all consecutive SFC segmental resections performed in 30 referral centers between 2006 and 2016.

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Management and treatment of esophagogastric diseases have been evolving in terms of multimodal approach and quality of care. The recent introduction of standardized perioperative protocols has represented the opportunity to homogenize the multiple factors enhancing patients' recovery after surgery worldwide. A further optimization would lead to the extension of the ERAS program to upper GI emergencies.

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A tracheobronchoesophageal fistula (TBEF) is a rare but life-threatening complication after esophagectomy. The existing literature on TBEF management is limited and many previous recommendations are contradictory. We aimed to describe our series of TBEF after esophagectomy and compare it with other reported series.

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Laparoscopy has already been validated for treatment of early gastric cancer. Despite that, no data have been published about the possibility of a minimally invasive approach to surgical complications after primary laparoscopic surgery. In this multicentre study, we describe our experience in the management of complications following laparoscopic gastrectomy for gastric cancer.

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Gastrectomy for gastric cancer is still performed in Western countries with high morbidity and mortality. Post-operative complications are frequent, and effective diagnosis and treatment of complications is crucial to lower the mortality rates. In 2015, a project was launched by the EGCA with the aim of building an agreement on list and definitions of post-operative complications specific for gastrectomy.

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