Matthias Yi Quan Liau

Gallbladder cancer (GBC) is the most common biliary tract malignancy and is among the most lethal gastrointestinal cancers. Since its inclusion in cancer staging manuals, the GBC Tumour–Node–Metastasis (TNM) classification has undergone repeated revisions intended to improve anatomical precision and prognostic discrimination. This narrative review traces the evolution of GBC staging across AJCC editions and the 2025 UICC TNM update and critically examines whether these refinements have translated into clinically meaningful risk stratification. In the 2025 UICC TNM 9 grouping, Stage IA corresponds to T1aN0M0 and Stage IB to T1bN0M0, while T2aN0M0 and T2bN0M0 remain Stage IIA and IIB, respectively. Structured literature searches were performed to identify historical staging documents, population-based analyses, validation studies, and prognostic reports relevant to stage migration, survival discrimination, and emerging staging modifiers. Successive changes, including T-category refinement and the transition from nodal location to nodal burden, have improved anatomical resolution. However, available validation studies suggest that gains in overall prognostic performance remain modest, with reported concordance indices often remaining near 0.66. Contemporary evidence increasingly shows that tumour location, adequacy of lymphadenectomy, number of positive lymph nodes, lymph node ratio, log odds of positive lymph nodes, obstructive jaundice, residual disease status, and selected molecular alterations may capture inter-patient heterogeneity beyond anatomy alone. Future staging refinement should therefore preserve TNM as a common anatomical language while developing validated parallel modifiers that support more individualized prognostication and treatment selection.

Background: Enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) pathways are commonly used in various surgical specialties and are increasingly adopted in the field of reconstructive surgery. This systematic review and meta-analysis aim to review current literature on ERAS protocols for both autologous and implant-based breast reconstruction surgery outcomes and summarize key protocol components. Methods: PubMed, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), EMBASE, CINAHL, and Web of Science databases were searched systematically for studies published before 31 March 2023 with data on outcomes after implementation of ERAS protocols in breast reconstruction surgery. Primary outcomes include length of stay (LOS), readmission and reoperation rates, total opioid use, and postoperative complications. Secondary outcomes include postoperative pain scores and cost-savings. Risk of bias assessment and meta-analysis were subsequently performed using a random effects model via the inverse variance and Mantel-Haenszel methods. Results: Initial database search identified 582 studies, out of which 24 original articles were included with a total of 4,377 patients. ERAS protocol implementation significantly reduces LOS [mean difference, −1.06 days; 95% confidence interval (CI): −1.36 to −0.77; P2=94%] and total opioid use [mean difference, −215.36 mg of oral morphine equivalent (OME); 95% CI: −272.48 to −158.24; P2=95%] as compared to traditional recovery pathways. No significant difference was observed in readmission and reoperation rates, and postoperative complication rates. Conclusions: The implementation of ERAS protocols in breast reconstruction surgery significantly reduces LOS in patients undergoing autologous reconstructions without an increase in postoperative complication rates. In addition, ERAS pathways also lead to lower opioid consumption and possible healthcare cost-savings, and hence provide better outcomes as compared to traditional recovery pathways for breast reconstruction patients.

A pancreatic pseudocyst is defined as an encapsulated fluid collection with a well-defined inflammatory wall with minimal or no necrosis. The diagnosis cannot be made prior to 4 wk after the onset of pancreatitis. The clinical presentation is often nonspecific, with abdominal pain being the most common symptom. If a diagnosis is suspected, contrast-enhanced computed tomography and/or magnetic resonance imaging are performed to confirm the diagnosis and assess the characteristics of the pseudocyst. Endoscopic ultrasound with cyst fluid analysis can be performed in cases of diagnostic uncertainty. Pseudocyst of the pancreas can lead to complications such as hemorrhage, infection, and rupture. The management of pancreatic pseudocysts depends on the presence of symptoms and the development of complications, such as biliary or gastric outlet obstruction. Management options include endoscopic or surgical drainage. The aim of this review was to summarize the current literature on pancreatic pseudocysts and discuss the evolution of the definitions, diagnosis, and management of this condition.

Patient activation, broadly defined as the ability of individuals to manage their health and navigate the healthcare system effectively, is crucial for achieving positive health outcomes. The Patient Activation Measure (PAM), a popularly used tool, was developed to assess this vital component of health care. This review is the first to systematically examine the validity of the PAM, as well as study its reliability, factor structure, and validity across various populations. Following the PRISMA and COSMIN guidelines, a search was conducted in MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library, from inception to 1 October 2023, using combinations of keywords related to patient activation and the PAM. The inclusion criteria were original quantitative or mixed methods studies focusing on PAM-13 or its translated versions and containing data on psychometric properties. Out of 3007 abstracts retrieved, 39 studies were included in the final review. The PAM has been extensively studied across diverse populations and geographical regions, including the United States, Europe, Asia, and Australia. Most studies looked at populations with chronic conditions. Only two studies applied the PAM to community-dwelling individuals and found support for its use. Studies predominantly showed a high internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha > 0.80) for the PAM. Most studies supported a unidimensional construct of patient activation, although cultural differences influenced the factor structure in some cases. Construct validity was established through correlations with health behaviors and outcomes. Despite its strengths, there is a need for further research, particularly in exploring content validity and differential item functioning. Expanding the PAM’s application to more diverse demographic groups and community-dwelling individuals could enhance our understanding of patient activation and its impact on health outcomes.

Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) have long been recognized as the gold standard for establishing causal relationships in clinical research. Despite that, various limitations of RCTs prevent its widespread implementation, ranging from the ethicality of withholding potentially-lifesaving treatment from a group to relatively poor external validity due to stringent inclusion criteria, amongst others. However, with the introduction of propensity score matching (PSM) as a retrospective statistical tool, new frontiers in establishing causation in clinical research were opened up. PSM predicts treatment effects using observational data from existing sources such as registries or electronic health records, to create a matched sample of participants who received or did not receive the intervention based on their propensity scores, which takes into account characteristics such as age, gender and comorbidities. Given its retrospective nature and its use of observational data from existing sources, PSM circumvents the aforementioned ethical issues faced by RCTs. Majority of RCTs exclude elderly, pregnant women and young children; thus, evidence of therapy efficacy is rarely proven by robust clinical research for this population. On the other hand, by matching study patient characteristics to that of the population of interest, including the elderly, pregnant women and young children, PSM allows for generalization of results to the wider population and hence greatly increases the external validity. Instead of replacing RCTs with PSM, the synergistic integration of PSM into RCTs stands to provide better research outcomes with both methods complementing each other. For example, in an RCT investigating the impact of mannitol on outcomes among participants of the Intensive Blood Pressure Reduction in Acute Cerebral Hemorrhage Trial, the baseline characteristics of comorbidities and current medications between treatment and control arms were significantly different despite the randomization protocol. Therefore, PSM was incorporated in its analysis to create samples from the treatment and control arms that were matched in terms of these baseline characteristics, thus providing a fairer comparison for the impact of mannitol. This literature review reports the applications, advantages, and considerations of using PSM with RCTs, illustrating its utility in refining randomization, improving external validity, and accounting for non-compliance to protocol. Future research should consider integrating the use of PSM in RCTs to better generalize outcomes to target populations for clinical practice and thereby benefit a wider range of patients, while maintaining the robustness of randomization offered by RCTs.

Purpose: The aim of this systematic review is to evaluate the usefulness of sural nerve ultrasonography in diagnosing diabetes mellitus (DM) and diabetic polyneuropathy (DPN), the latter of which is a common long-term complication for diabetic patients that frequently involves the sural nerve. Methodology: A meta-analysis of the cross-sectional areas (CSAs) of sural nerves in healthy individuals and patients with diabetes mellitus based on a total of 32 ultrasonographic-based studies from 2015 to 2023 was performed. Sub-analyses were performed for factors such as geographical location and measurement site. Results: The meta-analysis showed that the mean CSA of the sural nerve was significantly larger in DM patients with DPN only compared to healthy individuals across all regions and when pooled together. An age-dependent increase in the CSA of healthy sural nerves is apparent when comparing the paediatric population with adults. Conclusion: Sural nerve ultrasonography can distinguish diabetic adults with DPN from healthy adults based on cross-sectional area measurement. Future studies are needed to clarify the relationships between other parameters, such as body metrics and age, with sural nerve CSAs. Cut-offs for DPN likely need to be specific for different geographical regions.

Review Article Prehabilitation programs in liver resection: a narrative review En Qi Toh, Hoi Pong Nicholas Wong, Jia Dong James Wang, Matthias Yi Quan Liau, Yi Fang Tan, Vishalkumar Girishchandra Shelat

Opisthorchiasis due to Opisthorchis viverrini infection continues to be a significant public healthcare concern in various subregions of Southeast Asia, particularly in Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar, and Vietnam. The main mode of transmission is via consumption of raw or undercooked fish, which is deeply embedded in the culture and tradition of the people living near the Mekong River. After ingestion, the flukes migrate to the bile ducts, potentially causing many hepatobiliary complications, including cholangitis, cholecystitis, cholelithiasis, advanced periductal fibrosis and cholangiocarcinoma. Several mechanisms of opisthorchiasis-associated cholangiocarcinogenesis have been proposed and elucidated in the past decade, providing insight and potential drug targets to prevent the development of the sinister complication. The gold standard for diagnosing opisthorchiasis is still via stool microscopy, but the advent of novel serological, antigen, and molecular tests shows promise as more convenient, alternative diagnostic methods. The mainstay of treatment of opisthorchiasis is praziquantel, while treatment of opisthorchiasis-associated cholangiocarcinoma depends on its anatomic subtype and resectability. Thus far, the most successful fluke control programme is the Lawa model based in Thailand, which raised awareness, incorporated education, and frequent surveillance of intermediate hosts to reduce transmission of opisthorchiasis. Development of vaccines using tetraspanins shows promise and is currently ongoing.

Purpose: This study aims to assess the significance of post‐operative change in limb length in medial opening wedge high tibial osteotomy (MOWHTO), and evaluate the correlation between correction angles and changes in limb length. We hypothesize that opening wedge height and correction angles directly correlate to changes in limb length.Methods: The medical records and radiographs of 91 MOWHTO patients were retrospectively evaluated for relevant radiographical parameters both pre‐ and post‐operatively. The exclusion criteria are: (i) concurrent distal femur osteotomy in the same setting, (ii) other previous unilateral lower limb surgeries prior to MOWHTO and (iii) failure to follow‐up with post‐operative radiographs. A linear regression model was performed and a line of best fit, Pearson's correlation coefficient (r) and coefficient of determination (R²) were computed. Chi‐squared test was also performed, and results with P < 0.05 were considered statistically significant.Results: There is a statistically significant increase in post‐MOWHTO limb length (Absolute Δ = 4.3 ± 2.86 mm, % Δ = 0.652% ± 0.434%, p < 0.001). There was no significant difference in the limb length change between patients with larger (> 8 mm) and smaller (< 8 mm) opening widths.There was a weakly positive correlation between limb length change versus actual (R² = 0.140, 95%CI [‐0.068, 0.336]) and planned correction angles (R² = 0.196, 95%CI [‐0.012, 0.387]).Conclusion: In conclusion, post‐MOWHTO change in limb length is statistically significant, but the clinical significance is minimal. Further studies are required to assess other factors. Development of a reliable mathematical model that predicts post‐MOWHTO limb length change would be useful in predicting the anatomical outcomes.Level of evidence: Level III. Retrospective Cohort Study.