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Opioid use disorder increases healthcare costs for surgical patients

Emergency surgical patients with opioid use disorder (OUD) demonstrated significantly higher healthcare spending and utilization following discharge compared to those without OUD, indicating a heightened risk of complications. Analysis of 142,726 patients revealed that optimizing the use of opioid agonist treatment (OAT) preoperatively could enhance perioperative care and reduce costs. The findings highlight the critical role of addressing OUD in surgical management to improve patient outcomes and overall healthcare efficiency.

Journal Article by Dixit AA, Lagisetty PA (…) Sun EC et 4 al. in Ann Surg Open

Copyright © 2025 The Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.

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Cytoreductive surgery improves survival in metastatic colorectal cancer.

National trends indicate that the utilization of cytoreductive surgery (CRS) for metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) increased from 33.1% in 2004 to 38.3% in 2015. In a cohort of 88,593 patients, those undergoing CRS exhibited significantly better overall survival (OS) compared to non-surgical patients, with median OS at 34.4 months, versus 13.2 months for no surgery. Additionally, patients receiving hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) showed further OS improvement (30.2 months) compared to non-HIPEC patients.

Journal Article by Young S, Greene J (…) Bilchik A et 3 al. in J Surg Oncol

© 2025 Wiley Periodicals LLC.

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Augmented reality improves surgical outcomes in liver cancer patients

A study evaluating augmented reality navigation combined with indocyanine green fluorescence in laparoscopic right hemihepatectomy found that this approach significantly reduced intraoperative blood loss (150 ml vs 250 ml) and lowered blood transfusion rates (13.5% vs 39.5%). Additionally, it improved one- and three-year recurrence-free survival rates (81.1% and 73.0% vs 60.5% and 50.0%, respectively). These results suggest the technique enhances safety and prognostic outcomes for hepatocellular carcinoma patients.

Journal Article by Chen H, Wu X (…) Fang C et 4 al. in Eur J Surg Oncol

Copyright © 2025 Elsevier Ltd, BASO ~ The Association for Cancer Surgery, and the European Society of Surgical Oncology. All rights reserved.

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ETEP technique shows safety and low recurrence for ventral hernias

A study involving 163 patients undergoing the enhanced-view totally extraperitoneal (ETEP) technique for ventral hernia repair revealed promising results. The average operative time was 137.2 minutes, with a low conversion rate to open surgery (2.5%). Postoperative complications included seromas (6.7%) and wound infections (3.1%), while the long-term recurrence rate stood at just 0.6%. Notably, proficiency in the ETEP method appeared after performing 14 cases, indicating a manageable learning curve.

Journal Article by Montechiari DA, Rossi MM (…) Signorini FJ et 2 al. in Hernia

© 2025. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag France SAS, part of Springer Nature.

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Positive lymph node ratio enhances prognosis in colorectal cancer

A prognostic model incorporating positive lymph node ratio (LNR) significantly improves disease-free survival (DFS) predictions in yp stage III colorectal cancer patients post-neoadjuvant therapy. An optimal LNR threshold of 0.29 highlighted its role as an independent prognostic factor, with high LNR correlating to shorter DFS rates (HR=2.103). Furthermore, a nomogram integrating LNR demonstrated superior predictive power compared to conventional TNM staging (AUC: 0.852 vs. 0.781, p<0.05), underscoring its clinical relevance for patient prognosis.

Journal Article by Xia K, Wang L and Tang N in Updates Surg

© 2025. Italian Society of Surgery (SIC).

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New risk score predicts recurrence in liver transplant for cancer

A novel risk score, PRETREAT, was developed to estimate post-transplant recurrence in patients with perihilar cholangiocarcinoma (pcca) following neoadjuvant therapy and liver transplantation. In a study involving 399 patients, the five-year recurrence rate was 29.7% in the development cohort and 27.6% in the validation cohort. Four predictors—residual tumor, vascular encasement, lymphovascular invasion, and tumor diameter—were identified. The PRETREAT score demonstrated excellent predictive performance, significantly stratifying patients into low, moderate, and high-risk groups.

Journal Article by Li Z, Taner T (…) Heimbach JK et 11 al. in Ann Surg

Copyright © 2025 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.

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New CAP Score Predicts Liver Surgery Mortality Risks

A novel CAP score, combining type-IV collagen, albumin, and prothrombin time, effectively predicts 180-day surgery-related mortality in liver resection for hepatocellular carcinoma. With a predictive accuracy (AUC: 0.728), the score identifies risk levels in patients, showing mortality rates of 0.8% for low risk to 26.7% for high risk. It outperforms other existing models, underscoring its potential as a vital tool in preoperative assessment.

Journal Article by Hayakawa T, Miyashita S (…) Aoki T et 8 al. in Ann Surg Oncol

© 2025. The Author(s).

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AI-assisted system improves biliopancreatic disease detection

A novel AI-assisted endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) system demonstrated superior performance in recognizing biliopancreatic stations and segmenting anatomical structures. Testing with 45,737 EUS images revealed the mean teacher algorithm achieved 95.60% accuracy in internal tests and 92.72% in external validation for station recognition. Additionally, U-Net v2 emerged as the optimal model for segmentation. Notably, the system outperformed mid-level endoscopists, potentially expediting learning curves and standardizing EUS procedures.

Journal Article by Zhang J, Zhang J (…) Jiang Z et 4 al. in Surg Endosc

© 2025. The Author(s).

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Enhanced Recovery Protocols for Cirrhotic Liver Surgery Identified

A systematic review evaluated enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) protocols specifically for cirrhotic patients undergoing hepatectomy. From 3,123 screened articles, 81 were analyzed, revealing five perioperative items with moderate or high evidence levels. Key recommendations include preoperative ascites control, postoperative venous thromboembolism prophylaxis if coagulation tests are normal, avoidance of systematic drainage, preference for acetate-buffered solutions, and optimization of portal hypertension prior to surgery. Ongoing research is needed to refine these protocols.

Review by Joliat GR, Delabays C (…) Melloul E et 3 al. in World J Surg

© 2025 The Author(s). World Journal of Surgery published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of International Society of Surgery/Société Internationale de Chirurgie (ISS/SIC).

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Artificial intelligence enhances preoperative assessment of thyroid conditions

Advances in artificial intelligence are revolutionizing the preoperative evaluation of thyroid nodules, significantly improving diagnostic accuracy. By enhancing imaging, cytopathology diagnostics, and prognostic assessments, AI minimizes reliance on clinical judgment and reduces diagnostic errors. The ability to process large volumes of data enables a comprehensive analysis of thyroid conditions, facilitating the development of tailored treatment strategies. As a result, AI offers promising solutions to the challenges of overdiagnosis and overtreatment in thyroid care.

Review by Shen K, Tan M (…) Yang S et 2 al. in Eur J Surg Oncol

Copyright © 2025 Elsevier Ltd, BASO ~ The Association for Cancer Surgery, and the European Society of Surgical Oncology. All rights reserved.

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