Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most common solid malignancies worldwide. Although sporadic CRC represents the most common form, genetic alterations is increasingly being identified in a relevant portion of patients with CRC. Familial CRC describes an increased incidence of adenomatous polyps and CRC in first - degree relatives. Hereditary CRC is defined by the identification of deleterious mutations in known predisposing genes. Typical hereditary syndromes with predisposition to CRC include: hereditary non-polyposis colon cancer or Lynch syndrome, familial adenomatous polyposis, attenuated familial adenomatous polyposis, Peutz-Jeghers syndrome and MUTYH associated polyposis. Newly identified genetic alterations with increased risk for CRC include: PPAP, NAD, MSH3 and NTHL1. The diagnosis, surveillance and optimal surgical management of patients with hereditary predisposition to CRC warrant a good understanding of the genetic syndrome in question. Prophylactic surgery must be segregated from symptom-related procedures depending on the syndrome in question. The need for extended surgical procedures must be made in an individualized manner based on gene and gender. The patient should play an active role in the surgical decision-making. Minimally invasive access should be the preferred approach and postoperative quality of life must be seen as a primary outcome measure.

Pathologists are an integral member of the colorectal multidisciplinary team and are able to closely interact with surgeons, radiologists and oncologists to facilitate improvements in surgical quality and patient outcomes. Accurate, high quality pathology reports containing all vital prognostic information are essential to ensure the patient receives optimal treatment. These reports should also integrate feedback to all members of the multidisciplinary team on the accuracy of preoperative staging, response to preoperative treatment, and the quality of surgery. Pathologists have played a key role in improving outcomes in patients with rectal cancer by recognising the prognostic importance of an involved circumferential resection margin. In addition, pathologists have described an assessment of the surgical planes of dissection as a marker of surgical quality and thereby a means of quality control. This article will review the current best practice for the pathological assessment of anterior resections and abdominoperineal excisions for rectal cancer and ultimately look at how pathologists can influence quality control in rectal cancer surgery.

Robot-assisted surgery is a commonly performed procedure in the recent urological approach. The scientific data that reveal the complication rates also tend to increase by the rising popularity of the robot-assisted surgeries in the treatment of urological cancers. Patient characteristics, nature of the cancer and learning curve of the surgeon are the determinant factors of the complication rates. Nevertheless, robot-assisted surgical techniques are safer with acceptable morbidity and mortality rates as compared to open surgical methods. In urology practice, robotic surgery is most commonly performed in the treatment of prostate cancer. Thus, this review subjected to reveal the commonly seen and the serious complications of robot-assisted radical prostatectomy, and their prevention and management.

Lumbar disc herniation (LDH) is a common disease characterized by leg pain, numbness, and low back pain, which are also encountered in peripheral nerve and paralumbar spine disease. This study describes other diseases with symptoms similar to LDH. Patients with paralumbar spine diseases such as superior cluneal nerve entrapment neuropathy (NEN), gluteus medius muscle pain, piriformis syndrome, and sacroiliac joint pain experience lowback, buttock, and leg pain. Peripheral nerve diseases of the leg including lateral femoral cutaneous NEN, common and superficial peroneal NEN, and tarsal tunnel syndrome also cause leg symptoms. These diseases can produce intermittent claudication, thought to be specific to lumbar spine disease, and can be misdiagnosed as LDH. They are rather common and can be treated less invasively. As a misdiagnosis may result in failed back-surgery syndrome, it is important to differentiate between LDH and the diseases described here.

In colon cancer surgery, laparoscopic resection is a safer and more feasible method than open resection; however, despite its increasing popularity in recent years, laparoscopic approaches for the treatment of rectal cancer have not become a standard therapy option, due to the technical difficulties in gaining access to the deep and narrow pelvis and the steep learning curve. Multiple randomized trials found that short-term oncological outcomes and perioperative mortality and morbidity were comparable between laparoscopic and open rectal surgery, whereas comparative data between the two approaches. Comparative data between the two approaches on long-term oncological outcomes remain limited. In this review, we summarize the current status of laparoscopic surgery in rectal cancer in the light of recent studies.

Aim: Recently, the transanal down-to-up rectal dissection, a new approach to improve the difficult total mesorectal excision (TME) for low-lying rectal cancer, has been popularized. This study assessed the long-term oncologic and functional outcomes after sphincter-preserving resection combined with transanal rectal dissection (TARD) under direct vision for both complete TME and preservation of the internal anal sphincter (IAS) as much as possible to clarify the clinical feasibility of this approach.

Methods: A prospective cohort study was conducted in 90 Japanese patients between April 2003 and March 2012.

Results: Abdominoperineal resection (APR) was needed in 17 patients (18.9%) including 14 salvage APRs. Local recurrences occurred in 5 sphincter-preserving resection patients (6.8%). No significant between-group differences were observed in overall survival or 5-year disease-free survival. A significant benefit of preserving the internal anal sphincter completely in sphincter-preserving resection was found on the Wexner incontinence score (P = 0.005), low anterior resection syndrome score (P = 0.002), and visual analogue scale (P = 0.047).

Conclusion: TARD, performed under direct vision for both complete TME and preservation of the IAS as much as possible in sphincter-preserving resections for low-lying rectal cancers in Japanese patients, does not negatively impact oncologic outcomes and could have the benefit of minimizing postoperative anorectal dysfunction by preserving the internal anal sphincter.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most common solid malignancies worldwide. Although sporadic CRC represents the most common form, genetic alterations is increasingly being identified in a relevant portion of patients with CRC. Familial CRC describes an increased incidence of adenomatous polyps and CRC in first - degree relatives. Hereditary CRC is defined by the identification of deleterious mutations in known predisposing genes. Typical hereditary syndromes with predisposition to CRC include: hereditary non-polyposis colon cancer or Lynch syndrome, familial adenomatous polyposis, attenuated familial adenomatous polyposis, Peutz-Jeghers syndrome and MUTYH associated polyposis. Newly identified genetic alterations with increased risk for CRC include: PPAP, NAD, MSH3 and NTHL1. The diagnosis, surveillance and optimal surgical management of patients with hereditary predisposition to CRC warrant a good understanding of the genetic syndrome in question. Prophylactic surgery must be segregated from symptom-related procedures depending on the syndrome in question. The need for extended surgical procedures must be made in an individualized manner based on gene and gender. The patient should play an active role in the surgical decision-making. Minimally invasive access should be the preferred approach and postoperative quality of life must be seen as a primary outcome measure.

Aim: To evaluate the application of laminectomy using the interlaminar approach (ILA) for percutaneous endoscopic lumbar discectomy (PELD).

Methods: Minimal laminectomy using the ILA for PELD was performed in 13 patients with lumbar disc herniation (LDH). The width of the interlaminar space, shape of the caudal margin of the upper vertebral laminae (CM-UVL), LDH size, and caudal migration grade were radiologically evaluated. Ten LDHs were removed via the shoulder of the corresponding nerve root, and three via the axilla of the corresponding nerve root and dural sac. Bone status was evaluated preoperatively and postoperatively using two- and three-dimensional computed tomography.

Results: All patients (mean age 46.3 years) underwent PELD at a single spinal level, mostly at L5/S1. Compared with a previous study without laminectomy, the mean operative duration (57.5 min) and operative outcome, evaluated using the modified Japanese Orthopaedic Association and Numerical Rating Scale scores, were similar; no complications were observed. However, the width of the interlaminar space was significantly narrower, and eight cases revealeda narrow interlaminar space (width < 20 mm and/or lost concave shape of CM-UVL).

Conclusion: Minimal laminectomy using the ILA for PELD is feasible for treating LDH with the narrow space and highly migrated LDH.

Pathologists are an integral member of the colorectal multidisciplinary team and are able to closely interact with surgeons, radiologists and oncologists to facilitate improvements in surgical quality and patient outcomes. Accurate, high quality pathology reports containing all vital prognostic information are essential to ensure the patient receives optimal treatment. These reports should also integrate feedback to all members of the multidisciplinary team on the accuracy of preoperative staging, response to preoperative treatment, and the quality of surgery. Pathologists have played a key role in improving outcomes in patients with rectal cancer by recognising the prognostic importance of an involved circumferential resection margin. In addition, pathologists have described an assessment of the surgical planes of dissection as a marker of surgical quality and thereby a means of quality control. This article will review the current best practice for the pathological assessment of anterior resections and abdominoperineal excisions for rectal cancer and ultimately look at how pathologists can influence quality control in rectal cancer surgery.

Percutaneous renal access remains the cornerstone initial step in varied clinical settings. For obtaining the best surgical outcome and minimizing patient morbidity, an appropriate access to the target calyx is needed. Though the site of entry depends upon anatomy of pelvicalyceal system and indication for access, a proper technique should be used for gaining access and at the same time minimizing the associated complications. This article describes our technique of gaining access to the pelvicalyceal system and subsequent percutaneous nephrostomy placement in a stepwise manner.

Lumbar disc herniation (LDH) is a common disease characterized by leg pain, numbness, and low back pain, which are also encountered in peripheral nerve and paralumbar spine disease. This study describes other diseases with symptoms similar to LDH. Patients with paralumbar spine diseases such as superior cluneal nerve entrapment neuropathy (NEN), gluteus medius muscle pain, piriformis syndrome, and sacroiliac joint pain experience lowback, buttock, and leg pain. Peripheral nerve diseases of the leg including lateral femoral cutaneous NEN, common and superficial peroneal NEN, and tarsal tunnel syndrome also cause leg symptoms. These diseases can produce intermittent claudication, thought to be specific to lumbar spine disease, and can be misdiagnosed as LDH. They are rather common and can be treated less invasively. As a misdiagnosis may result in failed back-surgery syndrome, it is important to differentiate between LDH and the diseases described here.

Lumbar disc herniation (LDH) is a common disease characterized by leg pain, numbness, and low back pain, which are also encountered in peripheral nerve and paralumbar spine disease. This study describes other diseases with symptoms similar to LDH. Patients with paralumbar spine diseases such as superior cluneal nerve entrapment neuropathy (NEN), gluteus medius muscle pain, piriformis syndrome, and sacroiliac joint pain experience lowback, buttock, and leg pain. Peripheral nerve diseases of the leg including lateral femoral cutaneous NEN, common and superficial peroneal NEN, and tarsal tunnel syndrome also cause leg symptoms. These diseases can produce intermittent claudication, thought to be specific to lumbar spine disease, and can be misdiagnosed as LDH. They are rather common and can be treated less invasively. As a misdiagnosis may result in failed back-surgery syndrome, it is important to differentiate between LDH and the diseases described here.

Anisakiasis is increasing worldwide, even in Europe and in the Mediterranean region due to the increased practice of raw fish consumption. Usually, a detailed food history is the key to the diagnosis. A 52-year-old woman affected by pathological obesity underwent esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) for a 1-year history of epigastric pain. In the gastric fundus, an Anisakis sp. larva, was casually detected. The nematode was successfully removed with a biopsy forceps. In this case, the finding of the parasite was casual, being detected during an accurate EGD performed for a 1-year history of epigastric pain in the patient.

Laparoscopic surgery for the treatment of colorectal cancer has gained an enormous advantage as compared to the traditional approach in terms of patient benefits. Although it has gained popularity among surgeons, there are still some contentious issues especially in laparoscopic rectal surgery. Splenic flexure mobilization is a crucial aspect of the procedure with complex technical details thereby establishing a learning curve that cannot be easily overcome. A team of colorectal surgeons at China Medical University Hospital adopted a standardized approach to laparoscopic rectal surgery particularly simplifying the steps involved in mobilizing the splenic flexure which is deemed as one of the difficult steps in the surgery.

Rectal cancer surgery has undergone a rapid change over the last few decades. We have come a long way from abdominoperineal resection to minimally invasive sphincter preserving techniques. Colorectal cancer screening programs made it possible to diagnose patients at earlier stages and this has led to question the necessity of radical surgery and the possibility of organ preservation. The platform most recently added to the surgical armamentarium is transanal minimally invasive surgery (TAMIS). It utilizes conventional laparoscopic tools to perform endoluminal surgery in rectum. Along with the conceptual changes in rectal cancer management, TAMIS is more frequently used for local excision of malignant rectal tumors. This review highlights the recent advances and current state of the role of TAMIS in the management of rectal cancer at various stages.

Aim: Traditional methods of cervical dilatation such as Hegar rods and laminaria are associated with the damage leading to the risk of cervical incompetence or require two sessions with higher risk of infections. In this study, a new dilator based on expanding triple balloons is assessed.

Methods: Cervical dilation with the triple balloon was evaluated in 15 women with various indications. After measuring the diameter of the cervix the triple balloon was inserted and inflated for 5-7 min and thereafter measured again.

Results: This time was sufficient to achieve the diameter of 4.5-9.5 mm which allowed performing all planned procedures without any need for further dilatation except for one case with cervical stenosis.

Conclusion: Further studies are needed, but the triple dilating balloon might become the optimal dilatation method for universal use.

Robot-assisted surgery is a commonly performed procedure in the recent urological approach. The scientific data that reveal the complication rates also tend to increase by the rising popularity of the robot-assisted surgeries in the treatment of urological cancers. Patient characteristics, nature of the cancer and learning curve of the surgeon are the determinant factors of the complication rates. Nevertheless, robot-assisted surgical techniques are safer with acceptable morbidity and mortality rates as compared to open surgical methods. In urology practice, robotic surgery is most commonly performed in the treatment of prostate cancer. Thus, this review subjected to reveal the commonly seen and the serious complications of robot-assisted radical prostatectomy, and their prevention and management.

Laparoscopic Heller’s myotomy is the most common surgical procedure to treat achalasia. It is the most accepted therapy for non-advanced stages of the disease. In the setting of advanced disease with marked esophageal dilatation or sigmoid-shaped esophagus the ideal surgical procedure is debatable. Esophagectomy is believed by several authors to be the operation of choice in these cases. Others; however, opt for less invasive alternatives. Laparoscopic Heller’s myotomy has been shown to be a safe and resourceful alternative in end-stage achalasia as well.

Idiopathic and Chagas’ disease achalasia are characterized by absent or partial lower esophageal sphincter relaxation, absence of peristaltic esophageal contraction, food retenction in the esophagus and esophageal dilatation. The most frequent symptoms are dysphagia, regurgitation, heartburn, weight loss and non-cardiac chest pain. The diagnosis is made by radiologic examination and esophageal manometry, which is considered the most accurate exam to characterized achalasia. In both diseases there is destruction of the esophageal myenteric plexus. Despite similarities in clinical and manometric presentation there is evidence of greater loss of inhibitory neurons of the myenteric plexus in idiopathic achalasia, whereas in Chagas’ disease there is a loss of both excitatory and inhibitory neurons. Such differences, though do not affect patients’ clinical presentation, and hence treatment options should be the same for both diseases.

Aim: The advent of minimally invasive abdominal and thoracic surgeries has led to a meaningful reduction in complication and mortality rates among patients undergoing esophagectomy, especially when used for the treatment of benign diseases such as megaesophagus.

Methods: Two hundred thirty-one patients, 152 (65.8%) men and 79 (34.2%) women, with a mean age of 52.46 (19-80) years, were treated for advanced megaesophagus between September 1996 and October 2016. Two hundred ten patients (90.91%) had chagasic megaesophagus and 21 patients (9.09%) had idiopathic megaesophagus.

Results: Immediate complications were observed in 37 patients (16.01%): hemopneumothorax in 22 cases (9.52%), gastric stasis in 11 (4.76%), cervical fistula in 11 (4.76%), dysphonia in 18 (7.8%), and mediastinitis in 1 case (0.43%). Two patients (0.86%) died: 1 patient with a pacemaker died of cardiorespiratory arrest on postoperative day 12 and the other patient died of mediastinitis on day 28. Our standardized protocol includes nutritional and pulmonary outpatient care.

Conclusion: With a standardized multidisciplinary protocol and a team adequately trained in laparoscopy, minimally invasive esophagectomy is an excellent option for the treatment of advanced megaesophagus. The technique is easily standardized and reproducible, and provides excellent postoperative outcomes.

Achalasia is a primary esophageal disorderth variable causes, with an incidence between 0.03 to 1/100,000 people, and prevalence of approximately 10/100,000, with no difference between gender. It is more frequent in South and Central America, where Chagas disease is endemic. There are several methods to treat achalasia including endoscopic and surgical procedures, however, all of these methods are palliative. This article discusses 2 different endoscopic methods to treat advanced megaesophagus in Chagas disease, pneumatic balloon dilatation (PBD), and peroral endoscopic myotomy (POEM). Although varying between studies, PBD has an average symptom relief in 93% of patients in 6 months and 44% in 6 years. Some risk factors for failure of PBD are: younger age, male gender, a wider esophagus, poor emptying on post-treatment barium esophagogram and Eckardt scale < 3 before the treatment. Despite relatively short-term follow-up of an average of 3 years, POEM has excellent results. The clinical success achieved in 98 % with the Eckardt score decreased from 6.9 preoperatively to 0.77. Regarding sigmoid-shaped esophagus, only a few papers have been published on POEM. The largest population was 32 patients with a follow-up of 2 years. There was an efficacy of 96%, with the Eckardt scale decreasing from 7.8 to 1.4. In conclusion, PBD, is still widely used mainly due to its availability, especially in patients with a higher surgical risk and in patients who already had a Heller myotomy who persist or develop dysphagia. POEM has already demonstrated excellent results, but it requires advanced technical skills and Long-term results and randomized clinical trials are needed to validate the use of POEM in routine clinical practice.

Aim: Transhiatal esophagectomy is a therapeuthic option for the treatment of end-stage achalasia that avoids the complications of a thoracotomy. This technique; however, is still linked to some degree of morbimortality especially due to pleuromediastinal complications. Esophageal mucosectomy and endomuscular pull-through could avoid these complications.This study aims to evaluate the short and long-term outcomes of esophageal mucosectomy and endomuscular pull-through in a series of patients with advanced megaesophagus.

Methods: We retrospectively studied 115 patients with end-stage achalasia that underwent esophageal mucosectomy and endomuscular pull-through. Digestive tract reconstruction was accomplished most times using the stomachthourgh the muscular tunnel. Outcomes were evaluated in a short and long-term follow-up based on clinical, endoscopic and tomographic evaluation.

Results: Anastomotic leak or stenosis was present in 27%. Pleural efusion was noticed in 11% and pneumonia in 9%. Mortality was 1.7%. Long-term follow-up (over 10 years) was possible in 42 patients. Excellent and good clinical results were obtained in 83% of the patients.

Conclusion: Esophageal mucosectomy and endomuscular pull-through is a valuable procedure for the treatment of end-stage achalasia. It shows a low rate of complications and good outcomes at long-term follow-up.