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Backgrounds: To compare the complication rates and overall costs of self-expandable metal stents (SEMS) and plastic stents (PS) in clinically indicated preoperative biliary drainage (PBD) prior to a pancreatoduodenectomy (PD). Methods: We conducted an Australian multicentre retrospective cohort study using the databases of four tertiary hospitals. Adult patients who underwent clinically indicated endoscopic PBD prior to PD from 2010 to 2019 were included. Rates of complications attributable to PBD, surgical complications and pre-operative endoscopic re-intervention were calculated. Costing data were retrieved from our Financial department. Results: Among the 157 included patients (mean age 66.6 AE 9.8 years, 45.2% male), 49 (31.2%) received SEMS and 108 received PS (68.8%). Baseline bilirubin was 187.5 AE 122.6 μmol/L. Resection histopathology showed mainly adenocarcinoma (93.0%). Overall SEMS was associated less complications (12.2% vs. 28.7%, p = 0.02) and a lower pre-operative endoscopic re-intervention rate (4.3 vs. 20.8%, p = 0.03) compared with PS. There was no difference in post-PD complication rates. On multivariate logistic regression analysis, stent type was an independent risk factor of PBD complication (OR of SEMS compared to PS 0.24, 95% CI 0.07-0.79, p = 0.02) but not for any secondary outcome measures.

Introduction Postimplantation dizziness is common, affecting approximately 50% of patients. Theories for dizziness include utricular inflammation, endolymphatic hydrops, and loss of perilymph. Four-point impedance (4PI) is a novel impedance measurement in cochlear implantation that shows potential to predict hearing loss, inflammation, and fibrotic tissue response. Here, we associate 4PI with dizziness after implantation and explore the link with utricular function. Methods Subjective visual vertical (SVV) as a measure of utricular function was recorded preoperatively as a baseline. 4PI was measured immediately postinsertion. Ongoing follow-up was performed at 1 day, 1 week, and 1 month, postoperatively. At each follow-up, 4PI, SVV, and the patients’ subjective experience of dizziness were assessed. Discussion Thirty-eight adults were recruited. One-day 4PI was significantly higher in patients dizzy within the next week (254 Ω vs 171 Ω, p = 0.015). The optimum threshold on receiver operating characteristic curve was 190 Ω, above which patients had 10 times greater odds of developing dizziness (Fisher exact test, OR = 9.95, p = 0.0092). This suggests that 4PI varies with changes in the intracochlear environment resulting in dizziness, such as inflammation or hydrops. SVV significantly deviated away from the operated ear at 1 day (fixed effect estimate = 2.6°, p ≤ 0.0001) and 1 week (fixed effect estimate 2.7°, p ≤ 0.001). Conclusion One-day 4PI is a potentially useful marker for detecting postoperative dizziness after cochlear implantation. Of the current theories for postoperative dizziness, inflammation might explain the findings seen here, as would changes in hydrostatic pressure. Future research should focus on detecting and exploring these labyrinthine changes in further detail.

Aortic valve infective endocarditis is a life-threatening condition. Patients frequently present profoundly unwell and extensive surgery may be required to correct the underlying anatomical deficits and control sepsis. Periannular involvement occurs in more than 10% of patients with aortic valve endocarditis. Complex aortic valve endocarditis has a mortality rate of 10 to 40%. Longstanding surgical dogma suggests homografts represent the optimal replacement option in complex aortic valve endocarditis; however, there is a paucity of evidence and lack of consensus on the optimal replacement choice. A systematic review and meta-analysis was performed utilizing EMBASE, PubMed, and the Cochrane databases to review articles describing homografts versus aortic valve replacement and/or valved conduit graft implantation for complex aortic valve endocarditis. The outcomes of interest were mortality, reinfection, and reoperation. Eleven studies were included in this meta-analysis, contributing 810 episodes of complex aortic valve endocarditis. All included reports were cohort studies. There was no statistically significant difference in overall mortality (risk ratio [RR] 0.99; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.61–1.59; p = 0.95), reinfection (RR 0.89; 95% CI, 0.45–1.78; p = 0.74), or reoperation (RR 0.91; 95% CI, 0.38–2.14; p = 0.87) between the homograft and valve replacement/valved conduit graft groups. Overall, there was no difference in mortality, reinfection, or reoperation rates between homografts and other valve or valved conduits in management of complex aortic endocarditis. However, there is a paucity of high-quality evidence in the area, and comparison of valve types warrants further investigation.

Background: Extracorporeal shockwave lithotripsy (SWL) is still an important option in the treatment of renal tract stones. SWL is not without its limitations and alternatives should be considered. This study investigates the referral data to a new SWL planning meeting to identify reasons why SWL was not offered.Methods: A review of 12 months of data prospectively collected at a weekly stone meeting was supplemented with a retrospective chart analysis to identify the source of all referrals for SWL. The principal reason for diverting a patient to other stone management was noted.Results: 142 patients (median age 52 years) were referred for SWL over the 12-month period. SWL was not recommended in 40 (28.2%) patients. SWL was most commonly contraindicated due to excessive stone size±position (32.5%), anatomical complexity (25.0%) and radiolucency on x-ray (10.0%). The majority of patients who were diverted away from SWL were referred from an emergency department (32.5%) and the general urology clinics (20.0%).Conclusions: A significant portion of patients referred for SWL prove unsuitable for this method of stone clearance. This highlights an educational gap amongst clinicians regarding the indications and more importantly contraindications for SWL. Only 6.3% of total referrals originated from general practice suggesting a lack of awareness of the process of direct referral for SWL. Improving this with guidelines will relieve demand in outpatient clinics and help streamline patient care.

Objective: Monitor four-point impedance in cochlear implant recipients over time and determine if implant type, surgical approach, and electrode positioning affected impedance measurements. Study Design: Prospective observational. Setting: Hospital. Patients: Adult cochlear implant recipients implanted with a perimodiolar or lateral wall cochlear implant. Main Outcome Measure(s): Mean values for four-point impedances were calculated for all electrode contacts at perioperative and 3 months after surgery. Linear mixed models were applied to the impedance data to compare between implant types and time points. The angular insertion depth and electrode position relative to the medial and lateral wall, commonly termed the Intracochlear Position Index (ICPI), were collected and compared with impedance measurements. Results: Perioperatively, the four-point impedance was similar between implant types, with perimodiolar implants having marginally higher impedance values in the basal region. At 3 months after surgery, impedances significantly increased in the basal half of the electrode array for both implants, with higher impedance values for CI532 implants. There were no significant differences in insertion angle depth between implant types. The ICPI values for the seven most basal electrodes were similar for both implants; however, CI532 arrays were significantly more medially placed along the remaining apical portion of the array, which is expected. ICPI values did not correlate with impedance measurements for either implant. Conclusions: Four-point impedance increases at 3 months after surgery may reflect fibrous tissue formation after cochlear implantation. The higher impedance values in perimodiolar implants may reflect a more extensive fibrosis formation as a result of surgical approaches used, requiring drilling of the cochlea bone.