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Even when wide-ranging measures for avoidance of complications by improved techniques, training and many other activities are undertaken, postoperative and postinterventional complications still represent a daily problem in clinical medicine. The outcome of the patient is not uncommonly decided by the management of the complications. The failure to rescue or to control complications is increasingly recognized as being decisive for the success of treatment. This article therefore provides a current overview of the endoscopic management of complications of the upper and lower gastrointestinal tract. It describes when endoscopy can be used to detect or exclude a complication. The most important principles of treatment including the indications, limits of performance and technique are presented.

Background A novel double-flap esophagogastrostomy technique developed to prevent reflux after proximal gastrectomy was applied to laparoscopic proximal gastrectomy (LPG), and the clinical outcomes of this technique (LPG-DFT) were evaluated and compared to those of laparoscopic total gastrectomy (LTG). Methods This retrospective study of 90 patients with early gastric cancer (EGC) in the upper third of the stomach compared surgical outcomes, postoperative endoscopic findings, and nutritional status between two procedure groups, LPG-DFT ( n  = 43) and LTG ( n  = 47). The association between morbidity and surgical procedure was analyzed by controlling for body mass index (BMI). Results Mean operation time was significantly higher for LPG-DFT than LTG (386.5 vs. 316.3 min, P  < 0.001). The morbidity and the frequency of anastomotic complications were lower, although not significantly, for LPG-DFT than LTG (7.0 vs. 21.3%, P  = 0.073; and 4.7 vs. 17.2%, P  = 0.093). Median postoperative hospital stay was significantly shorter for LPG-DFT than LTG (10 vs. 13 days, P  = 0.002). The LPG-DFT procedure was identified as the most significant independent predictor of low morbidity after adjustment for BMI ( P  = 0.028, OR = 0.232, 95% CI 0.047–0.862). LTG induced more severe reflux esophagitis than LPG-DFT (14.9% vs. 2.3%, P  = 0.06). The mean baseline weight, total protein, and hemoglobin were significantly higher with LPG-DFT than with LTG ( P  < 0.05). Conclusions LPG-DFT is a better surgical procedure for treating upper-third EGC than LTG in terms of morbidity, postoperative hospital stay, and postoperative nutritional status.

Bariatric surgery is emerging as a powerful weapon against severe obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Given its role in metabolic regulation, the gastrointestinal tract constitutes a meaningful target to treat T2DM, especially in light of accumulating evidence that surgery with gastrointestinal manipulations may result in T2DM remission (metabolic surgery). The major mechanisms mediating the weight loss-independent effects of bariatric surgery comprise effects on tissue-specific insulin sensitivity, β-cell function and incretin responses, changes in bile acid composition and flow, modifications of gut microbiota, intestinal glucose metabolism and increased brown adipose tissue metabolic activity. Shorter T2DM duration, better preoperative glycemic control and profound weight loss, have been associated with higher rates of T2DM remission and lower risk of relapse. In the short and medium term, a significant amount of weight is lost, T2DM may completely regress, and cardiometabolic risk factors are dramatically improved. In the long term, metabolic surgery may achieve durable weight loss, prevent T2DM and cancer, improve overall glycemic control while leading to significant rates of T2DM remission, and reduce total and cause-specific mortality. The gradient of efficacy for weight loss and T2DM remission comparing the four established surgical procedures is biliopancreatic diversion >Roux-en-Y gastric bypass >sleeve gastrectomy >laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding. According to recently released guidelines, bariatric surgery should be recommended in diabetic patients with class III obesity, regardless of their level of glycemic control, and patients with class II obesity with inadequately controlled T2DM despite lifestyle and optimal medical therapy. Surgery should also be considered in patients with class I obesity and inadequately controlled hyperglycemia despite optimal medical treatment.

BackgroundPerforming endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) in patients with surgically altered gastrointestinal anatomy is challenging. Double-balloon enteroscopy (DBE) has been shown to be safe and efficacious for ERCP in these patients but attempts to synthesize existing data are limited. The purpose of this study was to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the safety and efficacy of DBE-ERCP in surgically altered anatomy.MethodsWe searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, and CENTRAL databases through March 2020 for studies that conducted DBE-ERCP in patients with surgically altered gastrointestinal anatomy. Primary outcomes were enteroscopic, diagnostic, and procedural success rates of DBE-ERCP. Secondary outcomes were adverse events after DBE-ERCP. Random effects meta-analysis of proportions was performed when appropriate. The Newcastle–Ottawa scale was used to evaluate risk of bias. Heterogeneity was assessed using the inconsistency (I2) statistic.Results24 studies involving 1523 patients were included. The pooled enteroscopic, diagnostic, and procedural success rates of DBE-ERCP were 90% (95% confidence interval (CI), 84–94%), 94% (95% CI 88–98%), and 93% (95% CI 88–97%). Adverse events were reported in 4% (95% CI 3–6%) of cases. Subgroup analysis of short-scope DBE-ERCP (< 200 cm) and long-scope DBE-ERCP (200 cm) did not demonstrate substantial difference in outcomes.ConclusionDBE is safe and efficacious for facilitating ERCP in patients with surgically altered gastrointestinal anatomy, but RCTs or comparative studies are required to clarify its role compared to other modalities in surgically altered anatomy.

BackgroundEndoscopic vacuum therapy (EVT) is an effective treatment option for leakage of the upper gastrointestinal (UGI) tract. The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical impact of quality improvements in EVT management on patients’ outcome.MethodsAll patients treated by EVT at our center during 2012–2021 were divided into two consecutive and equal-sized cohorts (period 1 vs. period 2). Over time several quality improvement strategies were implemented including the earlier diagnosis and EVT treatment and technical optimization of endoscopy. The primary endpoint was defined as the composite score MTL30 (mortality, transfer, length-of-stay > 30 days). Secondary endpoints included EVT efficacy, complications, in-hospital mortality, length-of-stay (LOS) and nutrition status at discharge.ResultsA total of 156 patients were analyzed. During the latter period the primary endpoint MTL30 decreased from 60.8 to 39.0% (P = .006). EVT efficacy increased from 80 to 91% (P = .049). Further, the need for additional procedures for leakage management decreased from 49.9 to 29.9% (P = .013) and reoperations became less frequent (38.0% vs.15.6%; P = .001). The duration of leakage therapy and LOS were shortened from 25 to 14 days (P = .003) and 38 days to 25 days (P = .006), respectively. Morbidity (as determined by the comprehensive complication index) decreased from 54.6 to 46.5 (P = .034). More patients could be discharged on oral nutrition (70.9% vs. 84.4%, P = .043).ConclusionsOur experience confirms the efficacy of EVT for the successful management of UGI leakage. Our quality improvement analysis demonstrates significant changes in EVT management resulting in accelerated recovery, fewer complications and improved functional outcome.

An air-fluid level within a gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) is unusual and indicates the presence of a fistula within the lumen of the GI tract. Until recently, the optimal management of such patients was not clear-cut. This retrospective study investigated the clinicopathological characteristics, surgical procedures, pre-and post-operative management, and prognosis of patients with GIST containing an air-fluid level. Data of GIST patients, spanning 5 years, including 17 GIST patients with air-fluid levels in the experimental group and 34 GIST patients without air-fluid levels in the control group, were retrieved from two hospitals in China. The clinicopathological characteristics, types of surgery, management, and clinical outcomes of GIST patients were compared between the two groups. GISTs containing air-fluid levels were significantly different from GISTs without air-fluid levels regarding tumor morphology, NIH risk category, invasion of adjacent organs, and necrosis or ulceration. Most GIST patients with air-fluid levels (14/17, 82.4%) received open surgery, significantly higher than the 20.6% in the control group. Targeted therapy with Imatinib mesylate (IM) was implemented in all GIST patients in the experimental group (17/17, 100%); markedly higher than those (3/34, 8.8%) in the control group. During follow-up, recurrence and death rates (5.9% and 5.9%) in the experimental group were higher than those (2.9% and 0%) in the control group. Open surgery is commonly performed in GIST patients with air-fluid levels who also require targeted therapy with IM. The Torricelli-Bernoulli sign could be a risk factor, adversely affecting the patient’s prognosis.

Objective To investigate the safety and efficacy of endoscopic subserosal dissection for patients with submucosal tumors in the upper gastrointestinal tract. Methods This retrospective single-center study included 16 patients who underwent ESSD. All patients were enrolled from July 2018 to Dec 2021. Parameters such as demographics, size, resection margin, complications, pathological features, procedure time and follow-up were investigated and analyzed. Results Our study achieved 100% en bloc resection and 100% R0 resection. The most common location was the corpus with a mean tumor size of 2.78 ± 1.56 cm. The mean age, procedure time, were 53.4 ± 10.3 years, 85.31 ± 46.64 min respectively. Acocording to National Institutes of Health classification, 7 (13, 53.85%), 5 (13, 38.46%) ,and 1 (13, 7.69%) objects belonged to the very low, low, and intermediate classification, respectively. Immunohistochemistry results showed a 100% positive rate of CD34, DOG-1, CD117, and Ki67. A mean follow-up of 9.3 ± 2.5 months showed no recurrence or metastasis. Conclusions ESSD is effective and safe surgical procedure for curative removal of gastrointestinal submucosal tumors in the upper gastrointestinal tract, and it can be preferred for patients with no metastasis.

Objective STAT 3 deficiency (autosomal dominant hyper immunoglobulin E syndrome (AD-HIES)) is a primary immunodeficiency disorder with multi-organ involvement caused by dominant negative signal transducer and activator of transcription gene 3 ( STAT3) mutations. We sought to describe the gastrointestinal (GI) manifestations of this disease. Methods Seventy subjects aged five to 60 years with a molecular diagnosis of AD-HIES were evaluated at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Data collection involved a GI symptom questionnaire and retrospective chart review. Results In our cohort of 70 subjects, we found that 60% had GI symptoms (42/70). The most common manifestations were gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) observed in 41%, dysphagia in 31%, and abdominal pain in 24%. The most serious complications were food impaction in 13% and colonic perforation in 6%. Diffuse esophageal wall thickening in 74%, solid stool in the right colon in 50% (12/24), and hiatal hernia in 26% were the most prevalent radiologic findings. Esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) demonstrated esophageal tortuosity in 35% (8/23), esophageal ulceration in 17% (4/23), esophageal strictures requiring dilation in 9% (2/23), and gastric ulceration in 17% (4/23). Esophageal eosinophilic infiltration was an unexpected histologic finding seen in 65% (11/17). Conclusion The majority of AD-HIES subjects develop GI manifestations as part of their disease. Most notable are the symptoms and radiologic findings of GI dysmotility, as well as significant eosinophilic infiltration, concerning for a secondary eosinophilic esophagitis. These findings suggest that the STAT3 pathway may be implicated in a new mechanism for the pathogenesis of several GI disorders.

Recovery from gastrointestinal (GI) surgery is often interrupted by the unpredictable occurrence of postoperative complications, including infections, anastomotic leak, GI dysmotility, malabsorption, cancer development, and cancer recurrence, in which the implication of gut microbiota is beginning to emerge. Gut microbiota can be imbalanced before surgery due to the underlying disease and its treatment. The immediate preparations for GI surgery, including fasting, mechanical bowel cleaning, and antibiotic intervention, disrupt gut microbiota. Surgical removal of GI segments also perturbs gut microbiota due to GI tract reconstruction and epithelial barrier destruction. In return, the altered gut microbiota contributes to the occurrence of postoperative complications. Therefore, understanding how to balance the gut microbiota during the perioperative period is important for surgeons. We aim to overview the current knowledge to investigate the role of gut microbiota in recovery from GI surgery, focusing on the crosstalk between gut microbiota and host in the pathogenesis of postoperative complications. A comprehensive understanding of the postoperative response of the GI tract to the altered gut microbiota provides valuable cues for surgeons to preserve the beneficial functions and suppress the adverse effects of gut microbiota, which will help to enhance recovery from GI surgery.

BackgroundIn super-obese patients, rates of weight loss failure and weight regain are high after RYGB. In order to improve weight loss, lengthening of the biliopancreatic limb is vital. In this study, efficacy and safety of two types of RYGB with 2-m BP-limb were assessed in improving weight loss and in the resolution of comorbidities compared with standard RYGB in a long-term follow-up.MethodsThis is a retrospective cohort analysis on 671 super-obese patients operated in a 10-year period. Patients were classified into three groups: (1) 155 patients; roux limb 150 cm, BP-limb 60 cm; (2) 230 patients; roux limb 60 cm, BP-limb 200 cm; and (3) 286 patients; roux limb 150 cm, BP-limb 200 cm. EWL, TWL, BMI, failure, weight regain, comorbidity resolution, nutritional status, and complications were assessed.ResultsTotal alimentary limb length was shortened with 60 cm in group 1 and with 200 cm in groups 2 and 3. EWL, BMI change, and TWL were higher in the 2-m BP-limb groups vs group 1. No differences in complication rates were found, except higher frequency of marginal ulcers in patients with a shorter roux limb. EWL failure was higher in group 1 (10.3%) vs the other groups (4.3%; 5.2%). Group 3 had significantly less weight regain (26.6%). Remission of comorbidities was higher in the 2-m BP-limb groups at expense of nutritional and vitamin deficiencies (3.9%; 5.9%). No difference in hypoalbuminemia was noted.ConclusionLengthening of the BP-limb gives significantly higher weight loss, lower rate of EWL failure, and lesser weight regain along with better resolution of obesity-associated comorbidities.