Stapled anopexy is an effective alternative treatment for prolapsing hemorrhoids that allows reduced operative time and shorter rehabilitation. It does not appear to affect continence or overall quality of life.

Many clinicians prefer to avoid surgery in patients with carcinoid neoplasia, because of its slow growth and relatively favourable prognosis. Nevertheless, the commonest cause of death in patients with carcinoid is advanced metastatic disease, and both clinical and epidemiological data indicate that the more effectively the disease is ablated, the more long-lasting the benefit. Multidisciplinary management of patients with carcinoid must consider inherited risk, possible multiple carcinoids and/ or synchronous non-carcinoid cancer, and the use of a range of investigations that also evaluate the 10% of patients with carcinoid syndrome with or without valvular heart disease. Although primary size is correlated with the presence of nodal with or without liver metastases, carcinoid tumours < 1 cm in diameter may be metastatic at presentation, particularly those arising within the small intestine. In the jejunum and ileum, resection of all sizes of carcinoid with local and regional nodes is preferred, to prevent nodal dissemination causing mesenteric ischaemia with or without infarction. Resection of nodal metastases should be undertaken in those with persistent or recurrent nodal disease if possible. Appendiceal and right colonic carcinoids are most effectively treated by right hemicolectomy with local and regional nodal clearance, as for adenocarcinoma. However, for most appendiceal carcinoids which are < 1 cm in diameter and non-invasive, appendicectomy alone is sufficient. For appendiceal carcinoids 1-2 cm in diameter, histopathological assessment helps to determine the need for hemicolectomy. Liver resection has been followed by prolonged 5 year survival in several series and is recommended in appropriate patients to attempt cure or to debulk metastatic disease. Liver transplantation has had only qualified success in highly selected patients without extra-hepatic disease in whom other therapies have failed.

Background Post-thyroidectomy haemorrhage occurs in 1–2 per cent of patients, one-quarter requiring bedside clot evacuation. Owing to the risk of life-threatening haemorrhage, previous British Association of Endocrine and Thyroid Surgeons (BAETS) guidance has been that day-case thyroidectomy could not be endorsed. This study aimed to review the best currently available UK data to evaluate a recent change in this recommendation. Methods The UK Registry of Endocrine and Thyroid Surgery was analysed to determine the incidence of and risk factors for post-thyroidectomy haemorrhage from 2004 to 2018. Results Reoperation for bleeding occurred in 1.2 per cent (449 of 39 014) of all thyroidectomies. In multivariable analysis male sex, increasing age, redo surgery, retrosternal goitre and total thyroidectomy were significantly correlated with an increased risk of reoperation for bleeding, and surgeon monthly thyroidectomy rate correlated with a decreased risk. Estimation of variation in bleeding risk from these predictors gave low pseudo-R2 values, suggesting that bleeding is unpredictable. Reoperation for bleeding occurred in 0.9 per cent (217 of 24 700) of hemithyroidectomies, with male sex, increasing age, decreasing surgeon volume and redo surgery being risk factors. The mortality rate following thyroidectomy was 0.1 per cent (23 of 38 740). In a multivariable model including reoperation for bleeding node dissection and age were significant risk factors for mortality. Conclusion The highest risk for bleeding occurred following total thyroidectomy in men, but overall bleeding was unpredictable. In hemithyroidectomy increasing surgeon thyroidectomy volume reduces bleeding risk. This analysis supports the revised BAETS recommendation to restrict day-case thyroid surgery to hemithyroidectomy performed by high-volume surgeons, with caution in the elderly, men, patients with retrosternal goitres, and those undergoing redo surgery.

Background and Aims: The pre-operative determination of resectability of pancreatic and peri-ampullary neoplasia assists the selection of patients for surgical or non-surgical treatment. This study investigated whether the addition of laparoscopy with laparoscopic ultrasound to dual-phase helical CT could improve the accuracy of assessment of resectability. Patients and Methods: Prospective study of 305 patients referred to a single unit for consideration of pancreatic resection who underwent dual-phase helical CT scanning ± laparoscopy with laparoscopic ultrasound. Data were collected on patient demographics, CT findings, assessment of operability, laparoscopic assessment (LA), surgical procedures and histology. Results: LA was undertaken in 239/305 patients, 190 of whom were considered CT resectable, and 49 CT unresectable. Of the 190 CT resectable patients, LA correctly identified unresectability in 28 (15%: metastases in 15; vascular encasement in 6; anaesthesia for laparoscopy found 7 unfit for major resection) and incorrectly in 2 (vascular encasement), but did not identify unresectability in 33; LA correctly confirmed resectability in the remainder (prediction improved, χ² = 9.73, p < 0.01). Of the 49 CT unresectable patients, LA correctly identified resectability in 4, and incorrectly in 12, and correctly identified unresectability in the remaining 33. Sixty-six of the 305 patients did not undergo LA, of whom 23 underwent resection. Conclusion: When added to dual-phase helical CT, laparoscopy with laparoscopic ultrasound provides valuable information that significantly improves the selection of patients for surgical or non-surgical treatment.

Japan pioneered and has maintained a nationwide mass screening programme for neuroblastoma since 1985 without prior evaluation among a target population. Convincing population-based evaluation of the ongoing programme has also been very limited because a population-based registry for childhood cancer has not been in operation. This report describes trends in incidence of and mortality from neuroblastoma in Osaka Prefecture, Japan, using Great Britain as an external control, between 1970 and 1994. Incidence and mortality rates were comparable between the 2 areas before the beginning of screening in Osaka. However, incidence rates were markedly increased in Osaka, especially among children younger than 1 year, from 25.9 per million children during 1970 -1979 to 240.2 during 1991-1994, while age-standardized incidence rates for metastatic tumours among children aged 1 year or above did not decrease after introduction of the programme. Age-standardized mortality rates per million were unchanged at 3.