The British journal of surgery
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study
Randomized clinical trial of laparoscopic ultrasonography before laparoscopic colorectal cancer resection.
Intraoperative ultrasonography during open surgery for colorectal cancer may be useful for the detection of unrecognized liver metastases. Laparoscopic ultrasonography (LUS) for the detection of unrecognized liver metastasis has not been studied in a randomized trial. This RCT tested the hypothesis that LUS would change the TNM stage and treatment strategy. ⋯ Routine LUS during resection of colorectal cancer is not recommended. Registration number: NCT02079389 (http://www.clinicaltrials.gov).
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Varicose veins can affect quality of life. Patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) provide a direct report from the patient about the impact of the disease without interpretation from clinicians or anyone else. The aim of this study was to examine the quality of the psychometric evidence for PROMs used in patients with varicose veins. ⋯ There is a scarcity of psychometric evidence for PROMs used in patients with varicose veins. These data suggest that AVVQ and SF-36® are the most rigorously evaluated PROMs in patients with varicose veins.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Randomized clinical trial of laparoscopic versus open pancreatoduodenectomy for periampullary tumours.
Laparoscopic resection as an alternative to open pancreatoduodenectomy may yield short-term benefits, but has not been investigated in a randomized trial. The aim of this study was to compare laparoscopic and open pancreatoduodenectomy for short-term outcomes in a randomized trial. ⋯ Laparoscopy offered a shorter hospital stay than open pancreatoduodenectomy in this randomized trial. Registration number: NCT02081131( http://www.clinicaltrials.gov).
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The use of social media platforms among healthcare professionals is increasing. A Twitter social media campaign promoting the hashtag #colorectalsurgery was launched with the aim of providing a specialty-specific forum to collate discussions and science relevant to an engaged, global community of coloproctologists. This article reviews initial experiences of the early adoption, engagement and utilization of this pilot initiative. ⋯ Online global communities formed via healthcare-related hashtags, such as #colorectalsurgery, unify social media posts, scientists, surgeons and authors who have an interest in coloproctology. Furthermore, they facilitate greater connectivity among geographically separate users.
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Multicenter Study
Association between metformin prescription and growth rates of abdominal aortic aneurysms.
It has been suggested that diabetes medications, such as metformin, may have effects that inhibit abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) growth. The aim of this study was to examine the association of diabetes treatments with AAA growth in three patient cohorts. ⋯ These findings suggest a potential role for metformin in limiting AAA growth.