2.The Frozen Elephant Trunk Technique: European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery Position and Bologna Experience.
Luca DI MARCO ; Antonio PANTALEO ; Alessandro LEONE ; Giacomo MURANA ; Roberto DI BARTOLOMEO ; Davide PACINI
The Korean Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery 2017;50(1):1-7
Complex lesions of the thoracic aorta are traditionally treated in 2 surgical steps with the elephant trunk technique. A relatively new approach is the frozen elephant trunk (FET) technique, which potentially allows combined lesions of the thoracic aorta to be treated in a 1-stage procedure combining endovascular treatment with conventional surgery using a hybrid prosthesis. These are very complex and time-consuming operations, and good results can be obtained only if appropriate strategies for myocardial, cerebral, and visceral protection are adopted. However, the FET technique is associated with a non-negligible incidence of spinal cord injury, due to the extensive coverage of the descending aorta with the excessive sacrifice of intercostal arteries. The indications for the FET technique include chronic thoracic aortic dissection, acute or chronic type B dissection when endovascular treatment is contraindicated, chronic aneurysm of the thoracic aorta, and chronic aneurysm of the distal arch. The FET technique is also indicated in acute type A aortic dissection, especially when the tear is localized in the aortic arch; in cases of distal malperfusion; and in young patients. In light of the great interest in the FET technique, the Vascular Domain of the European Association for cardio-thoracic Surgery published a position paper reporting the current knowledge and the state of the art of the FET technique. Herein, we describe the surgical techniques involved in the FET technique and we report our experience with the FET technique for the treatment of complex aortic disease of the thoracic aorta.
Aneurysm
;
Aorta, Thoracic
;
Aortic Diseases
;
Arteries
;
Elephants*
;
Humans
;
Incidence
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Prostheses and Implants
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Spinal Cord Injuries
;
Tears
3.The Value and Limitations of Guidelines, Expert Consensus, and Registries on the Management of Patients with Thoracic Aortic Disease.
Davide PACINI ; Giacomo MURANA ; Alessandro LEONE ; Luca DI MARCO ; Antonio PANTALEO
The Korean Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery 2016;49(6):413-420
Doctors are often faced with difficult decisions and uncertainty when patients need a certain treatment. They routinely rely on the scientific literature, in addition to their knowledge, experience, and patient preferences. Clinical practice guidelines are created with the intention of facilitating decision-making. They may offer concise instructions for the diagnosis, management (medical or surgical treatments), and prevention of specific diseases or conditions. All information included in the final version are the result of a systematic review of scientific articles and an assessment of the benefits and costs of alternative care options. The final document attempts to meet the needs of most patients in most circumstances and clinicians, aware of these recommendations, should always make individualized treatment decisions. In this review, we attempted to define the intent and applicability of clinical practice guidelines, expert consensus documents, and registry studies, focusing on the management of patients with thoracic aortic disease.
Aorta
;
Aortic Diseases*
;
Consensus*
;
Cost-Benefit Analysis
;
Diagnosis
;
Evidence-Based Practice
;
Guidelines as Topic
;
Humans
;
Intention
;
Patient Preference
;
Registries*
;
Uncertainty
4.High Efficacy and Safety of Flat-Dose Ribavirin Plus Sofosbuvir/Daclatasvir in Genotype 3 Cirrhotic Patients
Adriano PELLICELLI ; Vincenzo MESSINA ; Valerio GIANNELLI ; Marco DISTEFANO ; Valeria Pace PALITTI ; Pascal VIGNALLY ; Pierluigi TARQUINI ; Antonio IZZI ; Alessandra MORETTI ; Sergio BABUDIERI ; Serena DELL’ISOLA ; Massimo MARIGNANI ; Gaetano SCIFO ; Vincenzo IOVINELLA ; Giuseppe CARITI ; Maurizio POMPILI ; Francesco Di CANDILO ; Luca FONTANELLA ; Giuseppe M. ETTORRE ; Giovanni VENNARECCI ; Antonio Massimo IPPOLITO ; Giorgio BARBARINI
Gut and Liver 2020;14(3):357-367
Background/Aims:
Patients with genotype 3 hepatitis C virus (G3-HCV) cirrhosis are very difficult to treat compared to patients with other HCV genotypes. The optimal treatment duration and drug regimen associated with ribavirin (RBV) remain unclear. To evaluate the efficacy and safety of daclatasvir (DCV)/sofosbuvir (SOF) plus a flat dose of 800 mg RBV (flat dose) compared to DCV/SOF without RBV or DCV/SOF plus an RBV dose based on body weight (weight-based) in G3-HCV patients with compensated or decompensated cirrhosis.
Methods:
We analyzed data for 233 G3 cirrhotic patients. Of these, 70 (30%), 87(37%) and 76 (33%) received SOF/DCV, SOF/DCV/RBV flat dose, and SOF/DCV/RBV weight-based dose, respectively. Treatment duration was 24 weeks. Sustained virological response (SVR) was evaluated at week 12 posttreatment (SVR12).
Results:
Overall, SVR12 was achieved in 220 out of 233 patients (94.4%). The SVR12 rate was lower in the DCV/SOF group than in the DCV/SOF/RBV flat-dose group and the DCV/SOF/RBV weight-based group (87.1% vs 97.7% and 97.4%, respectively, p=0.007). A higher incidence of anemia occurred in the DCV/SOF/RBV weight-based group compared to those in the other two groups (p<0.007).
Conclusions
We found that the DCV/SOF/RBV flat-dose regimen is an effective treatment in terms of efficacy and safety in patients with G3-HCV compensated or decompensated cirrhosis. Therefore, antiviral regimens without RBV should be restricted only to naïve patients with G3-HCV compensated cirrhosis who have a clear contraindication for RBV.
5.Characteristics and patterns of care of endometrial cancer before and during COVID-19 pandemic
Giorgio BOGANI ; Giovanni SCAMBIA ; Chiara CIMMINO ; Francesco FANFANI ; Barbara COSTANTINI ; Matteo LOVERRO ; Gabriella FERRANDINA ; Fabio LANDONI ; Luca BAZZURINI ; Tommaso GRASSI ; Domenico VITOBELLO ; Gabriele SIESTO ; Anna Myriam PERRONE ; Vanna ZANAGNOLO ; Pierandrea DE IACO ; Francesco MULTINU ; Fabio GHEZZI ; Jvan CASARIN ; Roberto BERRETTA ; Vito A CAPOZZI ; Errico ZUPI ; Gabriele CENTINI ; Antonio PELLEGRINO ; Silvia CORSO ; Guido STEVENAZZI ; Serena MONTOLI ; Anna Chiara BOSCHI ; Giuseppe COMERCI ; Pantaleo GRECO ; Ruby MARTINELLO ; Francesco SOPRACORDEVOLE ; Giorgio GIORDA ; Tommaso SIMONCINI ; Marta CARETTO ; Enrico SARTORI ; Federico FERRARI ; Antonio CIANCI ; Giuseppe SARPIETRO ; Maria Grazia MATARAZZO ; Fulvio ZULLO ; Giuseppe BIFULCO ; Michele MORELLI ; Annamaria FERRERO ; Nicoletta BIGLIA ; Fabio BARRA ; Simone FERRERO ; Umberto Leone Roberti MAGGIORE ; Stefano CIANCI ; Vito CHIANTERA ; Alfredo ERCOLI ; Giulio SOZZI ; Angela MARTOCCIA ; Sergio SCHETTINI ; Teresa ORLANDO ; Francesco G CANNONE ; Giuseppe ETTORE ; Andrea PUPPO ; Martina BORGHESE ; Canio MARTINELLI ; Ludovico MUZII ; Violante Di DONATO ; Lorenza DRIUL ; Stefano RESTAINO ; Alice BERGAMINI ; Giorgio CANDOTTI ; Luca BOCCIOLONE ; Francesco PLOTTI ; Roberto ANGIOLI ; Giulia MANTOVANI ; Marcello CECCARONI ; Chiara CASSANI ; Mattia DOMINONI ; Laura GIAMBANCO ; Silvia AMODEO ; Livio LEO ; Raphael THOMASSET ; Diego RAIMONDO ; Renato SERACCHIOLI ; Mario MALZONI ; Franco GORLERO ; Martina Di LUCA ; Enrico BUSATO ; Sami KILZIE ; Andrea DELL'ACQUA ; Giovanna SCARFONE ; Paolo VERCELLINI ; Marco PETRILLO ; Salvatore DESSOLE ; Giampiero CAPOBIANCO ; Andrea CIAVATTINI ; Giovanni Delli CARPINI
Journal of Gynecologic Oncology 2022;33(1):e10-
Objective:
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak has correlated with the disruption of screening activities and diagnostic assessments. Endometrial cancer (EC) is one of the most common gynecological malignancies and it is often detected at an early stage, because it frequently produces symptoms. Here, we aim to investigate the impact of COVID-19 outbreak on patterns of presentation and treatment of EC patients.
Methods:
This is a retrospective study involving 54 centers in Italy. We evaluated patterns of presentation and treatment of EC patients before (period 1: March 1, 2019 to February 29, 2020) and during (period 2: April 1, 2020 to March 31, 2021) the COVID-19 outbreak.
Results:
Medical records of 5,164 EC patients have been retrieved: 2,718 and 2,446 women treated in period 1 and period 2, respectively. Surgery was the mainstay of treatment in both periods (p=0.356). Nodal assessment was omitted in 689 (27.3%) and 484 (21.2%) patients treated in period 1 and 2, respectively (p<0.001). While, the prevalence of patients undergoing sentinel node mapping (with or without backup lymphadenectomy) has increased during the COVID-19 pandemic (46.7% in period 1 vs. 52.8% in period 2; p<0.001). Overall, 1,280 (50.4%) and 1,021 (44.7%) patients had no adjuvant therapy in period 1 and 2, respectively (p<0.001). Adjuvant therapy use has increased during COVID-19 pandemic (p<0.001).
Conclusion
Our data suggest that the COVID-19 pandemic had a significant impact on the characteristics and patterns of care of EC patients. These findings highlight the need to implement healthcare services during the pandemic.