No abstract

These results indicate that increased experience decreases the risk of pouch-related complications and that with time the functional results remain stable, but the failure rate increases.

Primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC), present in 5% of patients with ulcerative colitis, may be associated with pouchitis after ileal pouch-anal anastomosis. The cumulative frequency of pouchitis in patients with and without PSC who underwent ileal pouch-anal anastomosis for ulcerative colitis was determined. A total of 1097 patients who had an ileal pouch-anal anastomosis for ulcerative colitis, 54 with associated PSC, were studied. Pouchitis was defined by clinical criteria in all patients and by clinical, endoscopic, and histological criteria in 83% of PSC patients and 85% of their matched controls. PSC was defined by clinical, radiological, and pathological findings. One or more episodes of pouchitis occurred in 32% of patients without PSC and 63% of patients with PSC. The cumulative risk of pouchitis at one, two, five, and 10 years after ileal pouch-anal anastomosis was 15.5%0 22/5%, 36%/ and 45.5% for the patients without PSC and 22%/ 43%, 61%, and 79% for the patients with PSC. In the PSC group, the risk of pouchitis was not related to the severity of liver disease. In conclusion, the strong correlation between PSC and pouchitis suggest a common link in their pathogenesis.

IPAA is a reliable surgical procedure for patients requiring proctocolectomy for chronic ulcerative colitis and indeterminate colitis. The clinical and functional outcomes are excellent and stable for 20 years after operation.

ObjectiveTo assess long-term outcomes after ileal pouch-anal anastomosis (IPAA) for chronic ulcerative colitis (CUC) with specific emphasis on patient sex, childbirth, and age. Summary Background DataChildbirth and the process of aging affect pelvic floor and anal sphincter function independently. Early function after IPAA is good for most patients. Nonetheless, there are concerns about the impact of the aging process as well as pregnancy on long-term functional outcomes after IPAA. MethodsFunctional outcomes using a standardized questionnaire were prospectively assessed for each patient on an annual basis. ResultsOf the 1,454 patients who underwent IPAA for CUC between 1981 and 1994, 1,386 were part of this study. Median age was 32 years. Median length of follow-up was 8 years. Pelvic sepsis was the primary cause of pouch failure irrespective of sex or age. Functional outcomes were comparable between men and women. Eighty-five women who became pregnant after IPAA had pouch function, which was comparable with women who did not have a child. Daytime and nocturnal incontinence affected older patients more frequently than younger ones. Incontinence became more common the longer the follow-up in older patients, but this was not found in younger patients. Poor anal function led to pouch excision in only 3 of 204 older patients. ConclusionsIncontinence rates were significantly higher in older patients after IPAA for CUC compared with younger patients. However, this did not contribute to a greater risk of pouch failure in these older patients. Patient sex and uncomplicated childbirth did not affect long-term functional outcomes.Early reports of function after ileal pouch-anal anastomosis (IPAA) for chronic ulcerative colitis (CUC) have indicated favorable outcomes, with an excellent quality of life for more than 90% of patients.1-3 Areas of concern remain, however, regarding long-term functional outcome after vaginal delivery and the natural aging process, which may affect pelvic floor function regardless of sex. 4,5 Chronic ulcerative colitis has a bimodal distribution of incidence based on age, with a peak at 25 years and a second peak at 60 years.6 A selected group of older patients choose, in the absence of contraindications, to undergo IPAA. Short-term follow-up has shown that such patients may have comparable or only marginally worse functional outcomes compared with younger patients. 7-9Our aim was to assess long-term outcomes after IPAA for CUC with specific reference to the impact of age, aging, and childbirth to determine how these factors affect the incidence of pouch failure. METHODSBetween January 1981 and December 1994, 762 men and 692 women were identified from the Mayo Ileal Pouch Registry as having undergone proctocolectomy, endoanal mucosal resection, and hand-sewn ileal J pouch-anal anastomosis for CUC. Ethical permission to review patient records was obtained from the Institutional Review Board.

ObjectiveThe authors' aim was to determine survival and recurrence rates in patients undergoing resection of rectal cancer achieved by abdominoperineal resection (APR), coloanal anastomosis (CM), and anterior resection (AR) without adjuvant therapy. Summary Background DataThe surgery of rectal cancer is controversial; so, too, is its adjuvant management. Questions such as preoperative versus postoperative radiation versus no radiation are key. An approach in which the entire mesorectum is excised has been proposed as yielding low recurrence rates. MethodsOf 1423 patients with resected rectal cancers, 491 patients were excluded, leaving 932 with a primary adenocarcinoma of the rectum treated at Mayo. Eighty-six percent were resected for cure. Surgery plus adjuvant treatment was performed in 418, surgery alone in 514. These 514 patients are the subject of this review. Among the 514 patients who underwent surgery alone, APR was performed in 169, CM in 19, AR in 272, and other procedures in 54. Eighty-seven percent of patients were operated on with curative intent. The mean follow-up was 5.6 years; follow-up was complete in 92%.APR and CM were performed excising the envelope of rectal mesentery posteriorly and the supporting tissues laterally from the sacral promontory to the pelvic floor. AR was performed using an appropriately wide rectal mesentery resection technique if the tumor was high; if the tumor was in the middle or low rectum, all mesentery was resected. The mean distal margin achieved by AR was 3 ± 2 cm. ResultsMortality was 2% (12 of 514). Anastomotic leaks after AR occurred in 5% (16 of 291) and overall transient urinary retention in 15%. Eleven percent of patients had a wound infection (abdominal and perineal wound, 30-day, purulence, or cellulitis).The local recurrence and 5-year disease-free survival rates were 7% and 78%, respectively, after AR; 6% and 83%, respectively, after CM; and 4% and 80%, respectively, after APR. Patients with stage Ill disease, had a 60% disease-free survival rate. ConclusionsComplete resection of the envelope of supporting tissues about the rectum during APR, CM, and AR when tumors were low in the rectum is associated with low mortality, low morbidity, low local recurrence, and good 5-year survival rates. Appropriate "tumor-specific" mesorectal excision during AR when the tumor is high in the rectum is likewise consistent with a low rate of local recurrence and good long-term survival. However, the overall failure rate of40% in stage Ill disease (which is independent of surgical technique) means that surgical approaches alone are not sufficient to achieve better long-term survival rates.

The aim of this study was to determine the long-term outcome among 390 patients with ulcerative colitis who underwent ileal J pouch-anal anastomosis and whether patient or operative factors influenced results. The combined operative morbidity rate for the pouch-anal anastomosis and the subsequent closure of the temporary ileostomy was 29% (bowel obstruction, 22%; pelvic sepsis, 5%), with one death due to pulmonary embolus. The probability of a successful outcome at 5 years was 94%. Of the 24 patients who failed (6% of total), 18 did so within 1 year (4%), three during year 2 (1%), three during year 3 (1%), and none thereafter. Stool frequency (7 stools/24 h), the occurrence of pouchitis (14%), and satisfactory daytime continence (94% of patients) remained stable over 4 years after operation, whereas nocturnal fecal spotting decreased (51% of patients to 20%). Women had more spotting than men, whereas patients over 50 years old had more stools per day than those 50 years or younger. In conclusion, ileal pouch-anal anastomosis achieved a reasonable stool frequency and satisfactory continence in patients with ulcerative colitis over the long-term. These results support the ileal pouch-anal anastomosis as a safe, satisfactory alternative to permanent ileostomy.

One hundred fifty-one patients with colorectal polyps containing invasive adenocarcinoma treated by resection were studied to determine the incidence of lymph node metastasis and whether lymph node metastasis was related to the depth of invasion. Other variables evaluated included size and configuration of the polyp, grade of adenocarcinoma, presence or absence of lymphovascular invasion, and degree of differentiation. In patients with sessile polyps, the incidence of lymph node metastasis was 10 percent. Eighty percent of these lesions had lymphovascular invasion. For pedunculated polyps, the overall incidence of lymph node metastasis was 6 percent. However, there was no incidence of lymph node metastasis when the depth of invasion was limited to the head, neck, and stalk of the polyp (Levels 1, 2, and 3). Only when the depth of invasion reached to the base of the stalk (Level 4) was the risk of lymph node metastasis high (27 percent). The other risk factors were not associated with lymph node metastasis. We concluded that the most significant risk factor for lymph node metastasis in patients with invasive carcinoma in a polyp was invasion into the submucosa of the bowel wall (Level 4).