Acute appendicitis is the most common cause of the acute abdomen, with an incidence of 1 per 1000 persons per year. It is one of the main differential diagnoses of unclear abdominal conditions. This review is based on pertinent publications that were retrieved by a selective search in the PubMed and Cochrane Library databases. In addition to the medical history, physical examination and laboratory tests, abdominal ultrasonography should be performed to establish the diagnosis (and sometimes computed tomography [CT] or magnetic resonance imaging [MRI], if ultrasonography is insufficient). Before any treatment is provided, appendicitis is classified as either uncomplicated or complicated. In both types of appendicitis, the decision to treat surgically or conservatively must be based on the overall clinical picture and the patient's risk factors. Appendectomy is the treatment of choice for acute appendicitis in all age groups. In Germany, appendectomy is mainly performed laparoscopically in patients with low morbidity. Uncomplicated appendicitis can, alternatively, be treated conservatively under certain circumstances. A meta-analysis of five randomized, controlled trials has revealed that ca. 37% of adult patients treated conservatively undergo appendectomy within one year. Complicated appendicitis is a serious disease; it can also potentially be treated conservatively (with antibiotics, with or without placement of a drain) as an alternative to surgical treatment. Conservative treatment is being performed more frequently, but the current state of the evidence does not justify a change of the standard therapy from surgery to conservative treatment.

Background/Aims: In 2004 P. A. Clavien and D. Dindo published the well-known grading system of postoperative complications. It is established in several surgical disciplines. The aim of this study was to assess its validity in pancreatic surgery. The impact of complication grade on economic resources was investigated as well. Methods: From a prospective database, we retrospectively evaluated all patients who underwent pancreatic resection between January 2009 and December 2014 at our department. 309 patients received pancreatic head resection (pylorus-preserving pancreatoduodenectomy (PPPD) or Kausch-Whipple), total pancreatectomy or left resection. We performed a univariate analysis of the correlation between the Clavien-Dindo classification-grade (CDC-grade) with length of postoperative stay (LOS) and DRG-related (diagnosis related groups) remuneration using Kruskal-Wallis test. Furthermore, we performed a subgroup analysis (chi-square test and Fishers-test) of demographic, clinical, and perioperative data. Results: American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) score (p = 0.0014), operation time (p = 0.0229) and intraoperative blood loss (p = 0.0016) showed significant correlation with CDC-grade. Increasing LOS and DRG-related remuneration correlated significantly with increasing CDC-grade (p < 0.0001). Conclusion: The CDC-grading system shows high correlation to clinical outcome and case-related remuneration in pancreatic surgery. Therefore, it is a valid tool for evaluation and comparison of surgical techniques and surgical centers.

Robotic hepatectomy (RH) has been increasingly adopted for the treatment of liver malignancies despite lacking evidence from randomised trials. We aimed to determine the effect of RH compared to laparoscopic hepatectomy (LH) on quality of life in patients undergoing minimally invasive hepatectomy for liver malignancies. This single-blinded, randomised trial was conducted at a tertiary care academic centre (DRKS00027531). Patients with resectable liver malignancies were assessed for eligibility and randomly assigned to either RH or LH with stratification by type of malignancy and difficulty of resection. Patients were blinded to the treatment allocation. The primary outcome was the mean quality of life within 90 days after surgery, measured with the role functioning scale of the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer QLQ-C30 questionnaire. Secondary outcomes included operating time, morbidity, blood loss, conversion rate, postoperative recovery, and resection margin status. Between February 21, 2022, and Sep 18, 2023, 80 patients (RH: n = 41, LH: n = 39) were included and analysed on an intention-to-treat basis. Role functioning scores did not differ between RH and LH (mean [SD], 74.3 [23.3] versus 79.6 [22.3]; mean difference −5.3, 95% CI −15.6 to 5.1, p = 0.547). The comprehensive complication index was not significantly different between the study groups (8.9 [23.1] versus 15.5 [23.9], p = 0.137). There were no differences in other perioperative outcomes. RH yielded similar outcomes in quality of life and can be considered a safe alternative to LH. None.

Background: Morbid obesity is a risk factor for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). However, the impact of obesity on postoperative outcomes and overall survival in patients with PDAC remains a controversial topic. Methods: Patients who underwent pancreatic surgery for PDAC between 1997 and 2018 were included in this study. Matched pairs (1:1) were generated according to age, gender and American Society of Anesthesiologists status. Obesity was defined according to the WHO definition as BMI ≥ 30 kg/m². The primary endpoint was the difference in overall survival between patients with and without obesity. Results: Out of 553 patients, a total of 76 fully matched pairs were generated. Obese patients had a mean BMI-level of 33 compared to 25 kg/m² in patients without obesity (p = 0.001). The frequency of arterial hypertension (p = 0.002), intraoperative blood loss (p = 0.039), and perineural invasion (p = 0.033) were also higher in obese patients. Clinically relevant postoperative complications (p = 0.163) and overall survival rates (p = 0.885) were comparable in both study groups. Grade II and III obesity resulted in an impaired overall survival, although this was not statistically significant. Subgroup survival analyses revealed no significant differences for completion of adjuvant chemotherapy and curative-intent surgery. Conclusions: Obesity did not affect overall survival and postoperative complications in these patients with PDAC. Therefore, pancreatic surgery should not be withheld from obese patients.

Objective: To compare perioperative outcomes in patients undergoing minimally invasive liver surgery (MILR) with or without central venous pressure (CVP) reduction (≤5 mm Hg). Background: Reduction of CVP during parenchymal transection is widely accepted in open hepatectomy to reduce intraoperative blood loss, as a major predictor of postoperative outcomes. However, the effect of CVP reduction on blood loss in MILR remains unclear. Methods: This study is a randomized controlled, double-blinded trial. Patients undergoing elective MILR between August 2020 and April 2023 were equally randomized to either no CVP reduction (No CVP reduction group) or CVP reduction by anesthesiological interventions (CVP reduction group). The remaining perioperative care was kept identical between groups. The primary endpoint was total intraoperative blood loss. Results: In total, 120 patients were randomized and 112 were analyzed. Baseline characteristics did not differ between groups. Total intraoperative blood loss in MILR was equivalent between groups [No CVP reduction: 280 mL (120–560) vs CVP reduction: 360 mL (150–640); P = 0.30], despite higher CVP values during resection in the No CVP reduction group (9.3 mm Hg ± 4.2 vs 3.2 mm Hg ± 2.2; P < 0.001). Similarly, there was no difference in blood loss during parenchymal transection between the No CVP reduction (220 mL; 80–400) and the CVP reduction group (240 mL; 110–560; P = 0.39). Postoperative 90-day mortality (No CVP reduction: n=3, 5% versus CVP reduction: n=2, 4%; P = 0.68) and total morbidity rates (No CVP reduction: n = 10, 18% vs CVP reduction: n = 11, 20%; P = 0.77) were comparable. Intraoperative hemodynamic instability was less frequent in the No CVP reduction group (n = 7, 12% vs CVP reduction group: n = 16, 30%; P = 0.03). Conclusions: MILR without CVP reduction during liver transection is safe and is not associated with increased intraoperative blood loss. Moreover, a no CVP reduction strategy might prevent potential adverse effects of fluid restriction in MILR, such as hemodynamic instability.