No abstract

The surgical management of pancreatic cancer has undergone a significant change in the past decade. It has moved away from no active treatment. The standard of care can now be defined as potentially curative resection in a specialist centre followed by adjuvant systemic chemotherapy.

Background: There is no clear consensus on the better therapeutic approach (endoscopic versus surgical) to choledocholithiasis. This study is a meta-analysis of the available evidence.

Somatostatin and its analogues reduce the incidence of complications after surgery.

Background: Pancreatic fistula remains a significant problem in pancreatic disease, trauma and surgery. Whilst improved diagnostic and treatment techniques, including endoscopic approaches, have resulted in considerably improved outcomes, surgical intervention remains an important aspect of treatment but has been relatively poorly documented. Aims: The aims were to review the recent world literature on the relative incidence of pancreatic fistula and the results of surgical treatment. Results: The pancreatic fistula rate following partial pancreato-duodenectomy was 421 (12.9%) in 3,268 patients in 13 large series; 80 (13.0%) in 671 patients after left pancreatectomy in 6 large series, and 28 (11.9%) in 243 patients after pancreatic trauma in 4 recent series. The success rate of surgical procedures for external pancreatic fistulae was 101 (90.2%) in 112 patients with an overall mortality of 7 (6.3%) reported in 9 series. For internal pancreatic fistulae the success rate of surgical treatment was 61 (92%) in 66 patients with an overall mortality of 6 (9%) reported in 7 series. Conclusions: The treatment of established pancreatic fistula remains challenging. Although surgical treatment is reserved for patients who have failed all other treatments, the success rate is 90–92% but with a mortality of 6–9%.

No abstract

Lymph node 8a was an independent prognostic factor in patients with periampullary malignancy, but lymph node 16b1 was not. Survival in those with metastatic lymph node 8a was not significantly different from that in patients with metastatic disease at presentation. Preoperative determination of lymph node 8a status may have important implications in selecting patients for treatment.

Cap-assisted colonoscopy is associated with improved detection of colorectal neoplasia and higher cecal intubation rates than standard adult colonoscopy.