Blog

New Insights on Appendicitis Treatment Options

Endoscopic retrograde appendicitis therapy (ERAT) could reduce complications in select patients with uncomplicated appendicitis.

  • ERAT has a complication rate of only 6.3%, significantly lower than antibiotics at 37.8%.
  • Appendectomy remains the best for preventing recurrence (recurrence rate 0.6% vs. 53.2% for ERAT and 2.2% for antibiotics).
  • ERAT might be a safe alternative for specific patients but requires more evidence for broader use.

Choose between ERAT and appendectomy based on patient needs to minimize recurrence and treatment failures.

Systematic Review by Wang J, Yin J, Wang C and Zhu Y in BMC Surg

© 2025. The Author(s).

read the whole article in BMC Surg

open it in PubMed

Thumbtack Needle Helps GI Recovery Post-Gastrectomy

This study shows that thumbtack needle therapy can accelerate gastrointestinal recovery in gastric cancer surgery patients.

  • Patients receiving therapy had bowel sound recovery 4 hours faster than the control group.
  • The intervention did not increase complications and was deemed safe.

Surgeons can consider incorporating thumbtack needle therapy to enhance recovery protocols after laparoscopic radical gastrectomy.

  • Both groups were well-matched, ensuring valid results.

Journal Article by Guo S, Lin XP (…) Wang Q et 4 al. in Front Surg

© 2025 Guo, Lin, Jin, Tuo, Li, Yang and Wang.

read the whole article in Front Surg

open it in PubMed

Single-port robotic hepatectomy shows promising outcomes

Single-port robotic liver resections are feasible and safe, even in moderate-volume centers.

  • 20 patients underwent surgery with no conversions to multiport/open approaches.
  • Median operative time was 201.1 minutes with a 7.2-day hospital stay; no major complications occurred.

These results suggest that surgeons can confidently adopt this technique for both major and minor hepatectomies.

  • All malignant cases achieved R0 resection, with an average of 9.3 lymph nodes retrieved when needed.

Journal Article by Jang EJ and Kim KW in Surg Endosc

© 2025. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.

read the whole article in Surg Endosc

open it in PubMed

New findings on optimal method for CBD stone removal

Comparative study on endoscopic techniques reveals EPBD as superior for small common bile duct stones, impacting patient outcomes.

  • All techniques (EST, EPBD, ESBD) achieved 100% overall stone removal success with first-session rates over 97%.
  • Complications like pancreatitis were under 6%, with similar low rates across all methods.

EPBD is recommended for its simplicity and lower long-term risk to the sphincter of Oddi.

  • No significant difference in mechanical lithotripsy use across techniques (<1%).

Journal Article by Ye Q, Zhang J (…) Xu S et 11 al. in Surg Endosc

© 2025. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.

read the whole article in Surg Endosc

open it in PubMed

Robotic Surgery Improves Survival in Rectal Cancer Patients

Robotic surgery significantly enhances 3-year relapse-free survival in rectal cancer compared to laparoscopic techniques.

  • 3-year relapse-free survival was 83.6% for robotic surgery versus 78.2% for laparoscopic surgery (hazard ratio 0.72).
  • Pathological complete resection rates were higher with robotics (98.2% vs. 95.3%).

Robotic procedures may also reduce complications, with comparable rates (28.4% vs. 32.0%).

  • Efficacy may be greater in male patients and those with T4 tumors.

Journal Article by Mizuno R, Okamura R (…) Obama K et 20 al. in Surg Endosc

© 2025. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.

read the whole article in Surg Endosc

open it in PubMed

Prolonged Ventilation Cuts Esophageal Leak Rates

Prolonging mechanical ventilation after minimally invasive esophagectomy significantly reduces anastomotic leak rates.

  • Patients on prolonged mechanical ventilation (≥24 hours) had a lower leak rate (8.08%) compared to those with non-prolonged ventilation (23.47%).
  • The difference in leak rates remained significant even after matching for other variables (7.88% vs 24.71%).

This suggests extended ventilation may improve postoperative outcomes by stabilizing oxygen levels.

  • Complications like pulmonary infections and pleural effusions were also reduced in the prolonged ventilation group.

Journal Article by Zhang L, Zhao S (…) Li K et 8 al. in Surg Endosc

© 2025. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.

read the whole article in Surg Endosc

open it in PubMed

Improved Prognostic Tools for Gastric Cancer After Surgery

Linking new lymph node staging methods to better survival outcomes in gastric cancer enhances surgical decision-making.

  • The lymph node ratio (lnr) and log odds of positive nodes (lodds) significantly predict survival alongside traditional pN staging (p=0.002 and p=0.036).
  • In cases with fewer than 15 lymph nodes dissected, only lnr remains prognostic (p=0.037).

Using lnr and lodds can refine patient selection and staging, especially for those with inadequate lymph node dissection.

Journal Article by Van KQ and Thanh TNT in Int J Surg Case Rep

Copyright © 2025 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

read the whole article in Int J Surg Case Rep

open it in PubMed

Novel Strategy Reshapes Tumor Environment in Cholangiocarcinoma

Laser-activated nanoparticles can enhance immune response by transforming the tumor microenvironment in cholangiocarcinoma.

  • Combining photothermal therapy with PD-1 blockade significantly reduced extracellular matrix stiffness and improved T-cell infiltration.
  • This dual approach shifted tumors from immune-cold to immune-hot states, enhancing anti-tumor responses and reducing immunosuppressive signals.

Surgeons should consider these findings to inform patient selection and optimize immunotherapy in fibrotic tumors.

Journal Article by Minini M, Avveduto G (…) Fouassier L et 17 al. in Hepatology

Copyright © 2025 American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases.

read the whole article in Hepatology

open it in PubMed

EUS-Guided Drainage Bleeding Managed with New Gel

A new peptide haemostatic gel shows promise for controlling bleeding during EUS-guided drainage and direct endoscopic necrosectomy of pancreatic fluid collections.

  • In a study of 27 patients, purastat was applied with 100% success in controlling bleeding episodes.
  • Haemostasis was achieved in 96.5% of cases, addressing a critical surgical complication.

This gel offers a reliable option for surgeons to enhance patient safety during these procedures.

  • Most bleeding events were oozing (36 out of 38 episodes), emphasizing the gel’s efficacy for common bleeding types.

Journal Article by de Nucci G, Colace V (…) Manes G et 6 al. in Gastrointest Endosc

Copyright © 2025 American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

read the whole article in Gastrointest Endosc

open it in PubMed

Effective Surgery for GERD-Related Chronic Cough

A study confirms transoral endoscopic fundoplication (TIF) is effective in treating GERD patients with chronic cough.

  • 177 patients showed a significant reduction in cough severity: median reflux symptom index (RSI) score dropped from 18 to 5 (p < 0.0001).
  • 83% of patients normalized their cough scores, and 83% successfully reduced or stopped proton pump inhibitors.

Surgeons can consider TIF for cough-predominant GERD patients to enhance outcomes.

  • Satisfaction rates increased from 5.6% to 68.8% post-procedure.

Journal Article by Swei E, Almario JA (…) Canto MI et 15 al. in Surg Endosc

© 2025. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.

read the whole article in Surg Endosc

open it in PubMed