Journal of the American College of Surgeons
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After completing general surgery residency, surgeons may seek focused additional education or fellowships. Longterm data describing the characteristics of residents selecting fellowships are lacking. Credible data could inform decisions about surgical education paradigms and workforce planning. ⋯ More general surgery residents are pursuing fellowships. The increase has originated disproportionately from resident and residency demographic subsets and has varied temporally across subgroups. The heterogeneity of change suggests a multifactorial etiology. Future directions in surgical education and workforce planning should reflect these findings.
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The reported incidence of choledochal cyst (CC) disease varies greatly based on geography. Most large series on CC originate from East Asia. So our understanding of the presentation and natural history of CC disease in western societies is less well characterized. Recognition and surgical treatment are important because of the significant longterm risks of developing cholangiocarcinoma. We report here the largest single-institution western experience with CC disease. ⋯ Western CC disease has a similar demographic profile as that seen in Asia. CCs are more frequently found in adults and girls/women and are associated with a longterm risk of developing cholangiocarcinoma. Presentation differs between adults and children. After complete cyst excision, no patients developed cholangiocarcinoma.
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Perineal wound complications after chemoradiotherapy and abdominoperineal resection (APR) for anorectal cancer occur in up to 60% of patients, including perineal abscess and wound dehiscence. Vertical rectus abdominis myocutaneous (VRAM) flaps have been used in an attempt to reduce these complications by obliterating the noncollapsible dead space with vascularized tissue and closing the perineal skin defect with nonirradiated flap skin. Many surgeons are reluctant to use VRAM flaps unless primary closure is not possible. ⋯ VRAM flap reconstruction of irradiated APR defects reduces major perineal wound complications without increasing early abdominal wall complications. Strong consideration should be given to immediate VRAM flap reconstruction after chemoradiation and APR.
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To determine the accuracy of contrast-enhanced multidetector CT (MDCT) in demonstrating splenic vascular injury based on results of splenic angiography and operation. ⋯ MDCT provides valuable information to direct initial clinical management of patients with blunt splenic trauma by demonstrating both active bleeding and nonbleeding vascular injuries. Not all vascular injuries are detected on MDCT, and splenic angiography is still indicated for high-grade parenchymal injury.
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Comparative Study
Comparison of generic versus specific quality-of-life scales for mesh hernia repairs.
With the use of mesh shown to considerably reduce recurrence rates for hernia repair and the subsequent improvement in clinical outcomes, focus has now been placed on quality-of-life outcomes in patients undergoing these repairs, specifically, as they relate to the mesh prosthesis. Traditionally, quality of life after hernia surgery, like many other medical conditions, has been tested using the generic SF-36 survey. The SF-36 quality-of-life survey, although well studied and validated, may not be ideal for patients undergoing hernia repairs. We propose a new quality-of-life survey, the Carolinas Comfort Scale (CCS), pertaining specifically to patients undergoing hernia repair with mesh; our goal was to test the validity and reliability of this survey. ⋯ The CCS better assesses quality of life and satisfaction of patients who have undergone surgical hernia repair than the generic SF-36.