Background: Anastomotic leakage (AL) remains a burdensome complication following colorectal surgery, with increased morbidity, oncological compromise, and mortality. AL may impose a substantial financial burden on hospitals and society due to extensive resource utilization. Estimated costs associated with AL are important when exploring preventive measures and treatment strategies. The purpose of this study was to systematically review the existing literature on (socio)economic costs associated with AL after colorectal surgery, appraise their quality, compare reported outcomes, and identify knowledge gaps. Methods: Health economic evaluations reporting costs related to AL after colorectal surgery were identified through searching multiple online databases until June 2023. Pairs of reviewers independently evaluated the quality using an adapted version of the Consensus on Health Economic Criteria list. Extracted costs were converted to 2022 euros (€) and also adjusted for purchasing power disparities among countries. Results: From 1980 unique abstracts, 59 full-text publications were assessed for eligibility, and 17 studies were included in the review. The incremental costs of AL after correcting for purchasing power disparity ranged from €2250 (+39.9%, Romania) to €83,633 (+ 513.1%, Brazil). Incremental costs were mainly driven by hospital (re)admission, intensive care stay, and reinterventions. Only one study estimated the economic societal burden of AL between €1.9 and €6.1 million. Conclusions: AL imposes a significant financial burden on hospitals and social care systems. The magnitude of costs varies greatly across countries and data on the societal burden and non-medical costs are scarce. Adherence to international reporting standards is essential to understand international disparities and to externally validate reported cost estimates.

Purpose: Accurate differentiation between simple and complex appendicitis is important since differences in treatment exist. This study aimed to assess the accuracy of ultrasonography in differentiating between simple and complex appendicitis. Methods: Data from children aged < 18 years who underwent appendectomy between the 1st of January 2013 and the 1st of January 2018 were analyzed retrospectively. Ultrasonography reports of eligible children were divided into simple (test negative) and complex appendicitis (test positive) based on predefined criteria and compared to a gold standard (a combination of predefined perioperative and histopathological criteria). Sensitivity, specificity, negative predictive value (NPV) and positive predictive value (PPV) were calculated to measure ultrasonographic accuracy in differentiating between simple and complex appendicitis. Results: 176 children were eligible for inclusion. The mean age at the time of operation was 10.1 ± SD 4.6 years. 84 (47.7%) children had simple appendicitis and 92 (52.3%) had complex appendicitis. The use of ultrasonography yielded a sensitivity: 46%, specificity: 90%, PPV: 84%, and NPV: 60%. Conclusion: Ultrasonography as standalone modality is not suitable for differentiating between simple and complex appendicitis in children. To improve preoperative differentiation, other variables such as clinical signs and laboratory data are necessary in conjunction with ultrasonography findings.

Surgical site infections (SSI) are a frequent and significant problem understudied in infants operated for abdominal birth defects. Different forms of SSIs exist, namely wound infection, wound dehiscence, anastomotic leakage, post-operative peritonitis and fistula development. These complications can extend hospital stay, surge medical costs and increase mortality. If the incidence was known, it would provide context for clinical decision making and aid future research. Therefore, this review aims to aggregate the available literature on the incidence of different SSIs forms in infants who needed surgery for abdominal birth defects. The electronic databases Pubmed, EMBASE, and Cochrane library were searched in February 2020. Studies describing infectious complications in infants (under three years of age) were considered eligible. Primary outcome was the incidence of SSIs in infants. SSIs were categorized in wound infection, wound dehiscence, anastomotic leakage, postoperative peritonitis, and fistula development. Secondary outcome was the incidence of different forms of SSIs depending on the type of birth defect. Meta-analysis was performed pooling reported incidences in total and per birth defect separately. 154 studies, representing 11,786 patients were included. The overall pooled percentage of wound infections after abdominal birth defect surgery was 6% (95%-CI:0.05-0.07) ranging from 1% (95% CI:0.00-0.05) for choledochal cyst surgery to 10% (95%-CI:0.06-0.15) after gastroschisis surgery. Wound dehiscence occurred in 4% (95%-CI:0.03-0.07) of the infants, ranging from 1% (95%-CI:0.00-0.03) after surgery for duodenal obstruction to 6% (95%-CI:0.04-0.08) after surgery for gastroschisis. Anastomotic leakage had an overall pooled percentage of 3% (95%-CI:0.02-0.05), ranging from 1% (95%-CI:0.00-0.04) after surgery for duodenal obstruction to 14% (95% CI:0.06-0.27) after colon atresia surgery. Postoperative peritonitis and fistula development could not be specified per birth defect and had an overall pooled percentage of 3% (95%-CI:0.01-0.09) and 2% (95%-CI:0.01-0.04). This review has systematically shown that SSIs are common after correction for abdominal birth defects and that the distribution of SSI differs between birth defects.

Background: Indocyanine green fluorescence angiography (ICG-FA) may reduce perfusion-related complications of gastrointestinal anastomosis. Software implementations for quantifying ICG-FA are emerging to overcome a subjective interpretation of the technology. Comparison between quantification algorithms is needed to judge its external validity. This study aimed to measure the agreement for visceral perfusion assessment between two independently developed quantification software implementations. Methods: This retrospective cohort analysis included standardized ICG-FA video recordings of patients who underwent esophagectomy with gastric conduit reconstruction between August 2020 until February 2022. Recordings were analyzed by two quantification software implementations: AMS and CPH. The quantitative parameter used to measure visceral perfusion was the normalized maximum slope derived from fluorescence time curves. The agreement between AMS and CPH was evaluated in a Bland–Altman analysis. The relation between the intraoperative measurement of perfusion and the incidence of anastomotic leakage was determined for both software implementations. Results: Seventy pre-anastomosis ICG-FA recordings were included in the study. The Bland–Altman analysis indicated a mean relative difference of + 58.2% in the measurement of the normalized maximum slope when comparing the AMS software to CPH. The agreement between AMS and CPH deteriorated as the magnitude of the measured values increased, revealing a proportional (linear) bias (R² = 0.512, p < 0.001). Neither the AMS nor the CPH measurements of the normalized maximum slope held a significant relationship with the occurrence of anastomotic leakage (median of 0.081 versus 0.074, p = 0.32 and 0.041 vs 0.042, p = 0.51, respectively). Conclusion: This is the first study to demonstrate technical differences in software implementations that can lead to discrepancies in ICG-FA quantification in human clinical cases. The possible variation among software-based quantification methods should be considered when interpreting studies that report quantitative ICG-FA parameters and derived thresholds, as there may be a limited external validity.

Background/Objectives: The effect of thoracic duct (TD) management—resection, ligation, or preservation—during esophagectomy for cancer remains controversial. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to assess the impact of TD management strategies on oncological outcomes and surgical morbidity. Methods: A systematic review and meta-analysis were performed following PRISMA reporting guidelines. Searches of OVID, Embase, and Web of Science identified studies comparing thoracic duct resection or TD ligation with TD preservation in esophagectomy for cancer. Outcomes included 5-year overall survival (OS), postoperative morbidity, postoperative chyle leakage, lymph node yield, and length of stay. Random-effects meta-analyses using the Hartung-Knapp-Sidik-Jonkman variance correction were conducted. Results: A total of 17 studies involving 4200 patients were included. TD resection was associated with a significantly higher lymph node yield (mean difference [MD]: 4, 95% CI: 0 to 8, p = 0.043), but also increased risk of chyle leakage (odds ratio [OR]: 2.41, 95% CI: 1.04–5.61, p = 0.044). There was no significant improvement in 5-year OS with TD resection compared to TD preservation (hazard ratio [HR]: 0.94, 95% CI: 0.76–1.17, p = 0.48). TD ligation showed no significant differences in 5-year OS (HR: 1.15, 95% CI: 0.81–1.63, p = 0.33) or morbidity compared to TD preservation. Certainty of evidence was low across outcomes. Conclusions: TD resection increases lymph node yield but is associated with higher rates of chyle leakage, without a significantly improved overall survival. TD ligation does not significantly affect oncological or surgical outcomes compared to TD preservation. A higher grade of evidence is needed to determine the definitive oncological and surgical impact of TD management strategies.

Aim: Anastomotic leakage following rectal cancer surgery remains a challenging complication, with a nonhealing rate of approximately 50% at 1 year. Pelvic sepsis may require tertiary treatment that encompasses additional admissions, extensive surgery and other types of interventions. The aim of this study is to analyse the financial burden of pelvic sepsis in a tertiary hospital.Method: From 2010 until 2020, all patients referred to a tertiary centre for pelvic sepsis after low anterior resection for rectal cancer were prospectively registered and retrospectively reviewed. The cost analysis adhered to Dutch National Healthcare Institute guidelines and covered hospital‐imposed medical costs from salvage surgery to the last registered intervention, adjusted for inflation and priced in euros.Results: This analysis included 126 patients, with an average total cost per patient of €31 131. Salvage surgery accounted for €21 326, with an additional €9805 for reinterventions and readmissions. Salvage surgery comprised nonrestorative surgery in 48% and restorative salvage surgery in the remaining cases. Length of hospital stay averaged 9.6 days on the general ward and 0.8 days in the intensive care unit. Common reinterventions included endoscopic vacuum sponge changes (n = 153), stoma closures (n = 59) and radiological abscess drainages (n = 51). Total costs did not differ significantly between nonrestorative surgery and restorative surgery (mean = €31 950 vs. €30 362, respectively; p = 0.893).Conclusion: Treating pelvic sepsis after rectal cancer resection in a tertiary hospital carries a substantial economic burden, averaging €31 131 per patient, and this work helps to quantify the potential economic impact of innovative care to reduce anastomotic leakage.