Gabapentin for pain management following major surgery: a placebo controlled, double blind, randomized clinical trial (The GAP Study).

Background: Gabapentin is an anticonvulsant medication with approval for use in neuropathic pain and epileptic disorders. It is frequently added to multimodal analgesic regimens during and after surgery to reduce opioid use while controlling pain effectively. There is little evidence to show its effectiveness in major surgery.

Simple biliary cysts of the liver can be lined by mucinous epithelium.

Aims & Methods: Simple biliary cysts of the liver are described to be lined by biliary epithelium and may be managed nonsurgically or by deroofing only. By contrast, its important differential diagnosis-mucinous cystic neoplasm (MCN)-is at least focally lined by mucinous epithelium, has malignant potential, and therefore should be resected. Following anecdotal observations in routine diagnostic practice, the following case series was assembled to confirm whether simple biliary cysts of the liver can be lined by mucinous epithelium.

Effectiveness, cost-effectiveness and safety of gabapentin versus placebo as an adjunct to multimodal pain regimens in surgical patients: protocol of a placebo controlled randomised controlled trial with blinding (GAP study).

Introduction: Gabapentin is an antiepileptic drug currently licensed to treat epilepsy and neuropathic pain but has been used off-label to treat acute postoperative pain. The GAP study will compare the effectiveness, cost-effectiveness and safety of gabapentin as an adjunct to standard multimodal analgesia versus placebo for the management of pain after major surgery.

Methods And Analysis: The GAP study is a multicentre, double-blind, randomised controlled trial in patients aged 18 years and over, undergoing different types of major surgery (cardiac, thoracic or abdominal).

Microscopic resection margins adversely influence survival rates after surgery for colorectal liver metastases: An open ambidirectional Cohort Study.

Background: Liver resection is the most effective treatment for patients with colorectal liver metastases (CRLMs). Patients with tumour at the resection margin (R1) are reported to have worse survival compared to those with an uninvolved resection margin (R0). Recent data has questioned this finding.

A Systematic Review of Minimally Invasive Trans-thoracic Liver Resection to Examine Intervention Description, Governance, and Outcome Reporting of an Innovative Technique.

Introduction: The number of laparoscopic liver resections undertaken has increased. However, lesions located postero-superiorly are difficult to access. This may be overcome by the novel use of trans-thoracic port(s).

Outcomes following liver trauma in equestrian accidents.

Background: Equestrian sports are common outdoor activities that may carry a risk of liver injury. Due to the relative infrequency of equestrian accidents the injury patterns and outcomes associated with liver trauma in these patients have not been well characterized.

Methods: We examined our experience of the management of equestrian liver trauma in our regional hepatopancreaticobiliary unit at a tertiary referral center.

Improved long-term survival after resection of colorectal liver metastases following staging with FDG positron emission tomography.

Background And Objectives: Actual long-term survival of patients with colorectal liver metastases staged by PET CT has not been reported. Objectives were to investigate whether PET CT staging results in actual improved long-term survival, to examine outcome in patients with 'equivocal' PET CT scans, and those excluded from hepatectomy by PET CT.

Methods: A retrospective analysis of patients undergoing hepatectomy for colorectal liver metastases between March 1998 and September 2008.

The influence of folate supplementation on global gene expression in normal colonic mucosa of subjects with colorectal adenoma.

Scope: We determined whether short-term supplementation with a physiological dose of folate alters global gene expression in the normal colonic mucosa of subjects with colorectal adenoma.

Methods And Results: Fourteen subjects with adenoma, randomised to receive folic acid (400μg/day, n = 6) or placebo (n = 8) for 10 weeks, had blood samples and colonic tissue biopsies collected before and after the intervention. RNA extracted from colonic tissue samples was used to determine global gene expression in the colon using Affymetrix® Microarray GeneChips and real-time RT-PCR.