Newsletter
Best Papers in General Surgery
The five that matter, every day.
This study reveals a stark lack of diversity among academic surgical leaders in the United States. Although the medical community recognizes the importance of diversity, surgical department chairs, vice chairs, and division chiefs remain predominantly male and underrepresented by racial and ethnic minorities. Notably, leadership…
Neoadjuvant imatinib, a treatment for gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs), effectively and safely decreases tumor size, enabling less extensive surgery with a higher rate of complete resection. Among 108 GIST patients, 88% experienced reduced tumor size. Those with specific genetic mutations predicted a positive response to…
In patients with colorectal peritoneal metastases (CRC-PM) treated with cytoreductive surgery and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (CRS-HIPEC), systemic chemotherapy (SC) did not significantly enhance overall survival (OS). However, the timing of SC made a difference. Preoperative SC correlated with more major complications and shorter disease-free intervals,…
Researchers compared treatments for common bile duct (CBD) stones, and ultrasound-guided percutaneous transhepatic cholangioscopic lithotripsy (PTCSL) stood out. PTCSL outperformed laparoscopic exploration, with better perioperative outcomes and fewer complications. It also beat endoscopic treatment with fewer instances of pancreatitis, reflux esophagitis, and papillary stenosis. Additionally,…
A systematic review and meta-analysis explored whether the presence of an aberrant right hepatic artery (A-RHA) influences outcomes after pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD). Results indicate that A-RHA doesn't significantly affect critical endpoints, such as tumor margin (R1) rate, overall survival, morbidity, mortality, and biliary fistula rate. Additionally,…
Gastric cancer in elderly folks is a global health concern, as it often leads to post-op complications and poor outcomes due to frailty. This innovative study presents a plan: a multimodal prehabilitation combined with enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS). They're putting 368 patients through the…
In a data-driven investigation involving 991 primary gastrointestinal melanoma patients, researchers constructed reliable prognostic models for predicting overall survival (OS) and cancer-specific survival (CSS). These models incorporated key factors like age, disease stage, lymph node density, and surgery. Rigorous testing confirmed their effectiveness, making them…
In a two-center study, researchers established a postoperative MRI-based scoring system for fibrosis in locally advanced rectal cancer patients who received neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (NCRT). They found a positive correlation between anastomotic and perirectal fibrosis scores (AFS and PFS) and anorectal function, measured using the Wexner…
This study aimed to create a ranked list of surgical procedures for high-stakes simulation assessments in general surgery training. Using a Delphi consensus approach, a diverse group of 30 surgical trainers and a steering committee evaluated procedures based on perceived importance, risk, frequency, and feasibility.…
This study reevaluated the best approach for asymptomatic paraesophageal hernia (PEH) patients: elective laparoscopic hernia repair (ELHR) or watchful waiting (WW). The conventional wisdom, based on older analyses, favored WW. However, updated research shows that ELHR leads to increased life expectancy, especially for women aged…
