Optimising patients with long-term spinal cord injury for nephrectomy: A review of pre-, peri- and post-operative factors to safeguard outcomes

Objectives: To review the potential challenges a urologist may encounter when embarking on simple/partial/radical nephrectomy in patients with long-term spinal cord injury and propose strategies to pre-empt and manage these. Materials and methods: Comprehensive literature review via PubMed, MEDLINE® and Google™ Scholar searching for relevant scientific articles published to date in English. Recommendations for strategies to safeguard surgical outcomes discussed with a panel of experienced upper-tract urologists. Results: Pre-operative considerations: - urethral assessment via flexible cystoscopy due to higher incidence of urethral pathology in spinal cord injury; - assessing for chronic constipation and distended bowel; and - considering glomerular filtration rate assessment by radio-isotope techniques, such as 51chromium-EDTA Peri-operative considerations: - adequate theatre staffing for safe patient transfer; and - planned choice of incision, due to higher incidence of previous abdominal surgery, stoma bags and/or foreign body devices. Post-operative considerations: - ensuring attending medical staff are trained to recognise autonomic dysreflexia; - early re-mobilisation with physiotherapists experienced in treating spinal cord injury; and - attentive antibiotic stewardship due to higher risk of hospital-acquired or urinary infections Conclusions: Patients with long-term spinal cord injury pose significant potential challenges in the pre-, peri- and post-operative stages of nephrectomy. Familiarisation and optimisation of such factors is recommended to safeguard outcomes. Level of evidence: Not applicable for this multicentre audit.

Intestinal Obstruction Following Ingestion of Alginate Dental Impression Material

Introduction: No medical intervention is required for emergency department applications resulting from foreign body ingestion. Patients who need intervention are generally with complications such as obstruction, perforation or fistula. Alginate is a non-toxic and non-irritant substance that is elastic in the form of a paste preserving its elasticity under heat, which is used as a printing material for measuring the teeth in dental prosthesis applications . A case of ileus developing as a result of ingestion of alginate impression has been presented. Case report: A 74-year-old male patient presented to our emergency department due to abdominal pain nausea and vomiting . He described periumbilical pain and stated that he felt mild swelling. He had vomit one time and the content of vomit was what he had eaten. On physical examination, his abdomen was slightly distended, bowel sounds had increased slightly on auscultation and there was mild periumbilical tenderness with palpation, with no defence or rebound. On the abdominal CT evaluation, a homogeneous, lobulated, hyperintense foreign body image was detected in the distal ileus and distension in the small bowel loops proximal to the foreign body was interpreted. After general surgery consultation, distal ileal resection was performed and pink, homogenous, slightly soft charactered object was extrected. Later this object was understood to be alginate impression. Conclusion: Elderly patients in particular, ileus may occur due to foreign body associated with dental interventions, and in such cases, patients may need surgical intervention.

Robot-assisted laparoscopic surgery after placing a self-expanding metallic stent for malignant rectal obstruction: a case report

Background Approximately 20% of colorectal cancer patients show complete or incomplete bowel obstruction as an early symptom. Preoperative nonsurgical decompression such as placing a self-expanding metallic stent for malignant colorectal obstruction has been shown to be effective for reducing perioperative morbidity and mortality. However, there is a lack of published studies reporting robot-assisted laparoscopic surgery (RALS) after self-expanding metallic stent (SEMS) placement for malignant rectal obstruction (MRO). To our knowledge, this is the first report to do so. Case presentation An 80-year-old man with incomplete paralysis of the lower limbs as well as bladder–rectal disorder due to a spine fracture sustained in a fall accident 26 years ago presented with lower abdominal pain and vomiting. Abdominal multi-detector computed tomography revealed an obstructive rectal tumor with distended bowel on the oral side. Emergency colonoscopy was performed, and an SEMS placed. The patency of SEMS and decompression of the distended bowel was confirmed, and elective RALS was performed 29 days after SEMS placement. To our knowledge, this is the first report of RALS after decompression with SEMS placement for MRO. Conclusions RALS after SEMS placement is a safe and feasible therapeutic strategy for MRO.

Redo surgery with longitudinal resection for dilated bowel in Hirschsprung disease: an illustrative case series

Purpose Patients with Hirschsprung disease (HD) can have persistent obstructive symptoms after resection of the aganglionic segment. If obstructive symptoms are treated inadequately, this may lead to recurrent faecal stasis and impaction, and may result in severe distension of the bowel. A permanently distended bowel which not responds to conservative treatment may be an indication for redo surgery. The aim of this study is to describe our experiences and the short-term results of a novel technique: longitudinal antimesenteric resection with a longitudinal anastomosis. Methods We reviewed the medical records of our three patients who underwent longitudinal resection of severe distended bowel. This technique aims to improve defecation by improving faecal passage and is characterized by resection of the antimesenteric side of the distended intestinal segment, followed by plication with a longitudinal anastomosis. In this paper, this novel technique is described in detail, as well as short-term outcomes. Results All patients had an uneventful recovery after longitudinal antimesenteric resection. During follow-up, the functional outcomes were excellent, with a large improvement of bowel function. All patients were continent for faeces, and treated with low-dose laxatives or occasional preventive irrigation in one patient. There were no more complaints of persistent constipation or soiling. Conclusion Longitudinal resection is a surgical redo-procedure offering large benefits for patients with Hirschsprung disease with distended bowel after primary surgery.

Intestinal Neuronal Dysplasia Type B: Timely Diagnosis and Management

A 23-year-old female presented to the emergency department with abdominal pain and constipation. She reported an extensive history of constipation. Imaging showed distended bowel without an obstruction. During laparotomy, no obvious mechanical cause was found and a total colectomy was performed. Gross examination of the colectomy specimen showed cobblestoning in a 10-cm portion of the colon. Microscopic examination demonstrated hypoganglionosis of the myenteric plexus, hyperganglionosis of Auerbach’s plexus, and “giant ganglia.” This case met the 2006 Meier-Ruge criteria and diagnosis of intestinal neuronal dysplasia (IND) was established. IND was first described in 1971. The frequency of IND varies widely due to lack of consensus of diagnostic criteria and has a geographic distribution with the highest rates in Europe, which correlates to published research in this region. Diagnostic criteria are controversial and require standardization. Meier-Ruge suggests a quantitative analysis of the number of ganglion cells in the submucosal plexuses and the identification of at least 20% giant ganglia with at least 8 neurons each, in 25 analyzed ganglia. More recent diagnostic criteria are conservative with differences, including (1) elimination of increased AChE-positive nerve fibers around submucosal blood vessels, (2) stipulation that a giant ganglion contains more than 8 ganglion cells, (3) the requirement that more than 20% of at least 25 ganglia be giant ganglia, and (4) diagnostic exclusion of patients <1 year. Clinical management is also controversial. Schimpl et al reported satisfactory results in 80% of 105 patients treated with dietary changes, cisapride, and laxatives with a median 7.2 years follow-up. Since colonic peristalsis is impaired by dysganglionosis, subtotal colectomy procedures have been widely successful. Clinicians should be mindful of IND in patients with a history of chronic constipation with abdominal pain and nonspecific imaging, as timely diagnosis can spare the patient from total colectomy and improve quality of life.

Segmental absence of intestinal musculature in an extremely low birthweight preterm infant

Background The segmental absence of intestinal musculature is a rare clinical entity, usually manifested in the neonatal period. It is more frequent in preterm infants, particularly in very low birthweight infants. Typically, there are intestinal perforation or intestinal obstruction symptoms. Case presentation The authors report a case of a 30-week-gestational age extremely low birthweight newborn who presented, on the fourth day of life, with a progressively acute abdomen and radiological findings suggestive of intestinal perforation. An emergency laparotomy with segmental ileal resection was performed; intestinal perforation was not confirmed. The histopathological examination of the resected distended bowel revealed an area of severe hypoplastic muscularis propria (with remaining layers intact). Conclusion Preoperative diagnosis of segmental absence of intestinal musculature is extremely difficult; its definitive diagnosis relies solely on the histopathological examination. The clinicians and pathologists should be aware of this rare condition, the treatment and prognosis of which differs from the more common necrotising enterocolitis.

Closed loop small bowel obstruction due to paracaecal internal herniation: a lesson in rarity

A 40-year-old man presented to the emergency department of our tertiary hospital with acute abdominal pain since 1 day, which responded to conservative measures initially. On further investigation and abdominal CT, he was diagnosed with closed loop small bowel obstruction with an encapsulated lesion with small bowel loops within, in the right iliac fossa, which was initially missed. On exploration, the patient had a sac in the right iliac fossa (paracaecal incarcerated internal hernia) with distended bowel loops within, the sac was excised after reduction of the contents. Postoperative recovery was uneventful.