The British journal of surgery
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There are variations in quality of life (QoL) and reported risk of chronic pain after inguinal hernia repair. The aim of this study was to investigate the improvement in pain and QoL after open inguinal hernia repair, and the economic impact. ⋯ QoL improves after open inguinal hernia repair, with a good return on investment independent of symptom severity.
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Fibrin sealants are used in pancreatic surgery to prevent leakage of pancreatic fluid and reduce associated complications. The efficacy of this approach is unclear. ⋯ Proteases in pancreatic juice effectively degrade both liquid and carrier-bound fibrin sealants in vitro. The use of these products in pancreatic surgery with the aim of preventing leakage of pancreatic fluid is not supported by this experimental study.
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The study aimed to explore the impact of surgeon and institution volume on outcome following colorectal surgery in England using multilevel hierarchical analysis. ⋯ Increasing elective colorectal cancer caseload alone may have marginal postoperative benefit.
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An occult cardiac injury may be present in patients with an acute abdomen after penetrating thoracoabdominal trauma. This study assessed the use of a subxiphoid pericardial window (SPW) as a diagnostic manoeuvre in this setting. ⋯ The SPW is a useful technique at laparotomy to identify cardiac injuries in patients with penetrating thoracoabdominal injuries.
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Several studies have examined the clinical significance of metabolic response in primary tumours by [(18) F]fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography ((18) F-FDG-PET) in patients with oesophageal cancer who undergo neoadjuvant therapy. The relevance of the metabolic response in lymph nodes is unclear. ⋯ Identification of PET-positive lymph nodes after completion of chemotherapy is a predictor of poor prognosis of patients with oesophageal cancer scheduled for surgery. FDG-PET lymph node status after neoadjuvant chemotherapy is more important than that before chemotherapy.