Saher-Zahra Khan

Background: Advice regarding application preparation is often anecdotal; there is limited information about how programs evaluate applicants. It is unclear if holistic review is being properly used in an increasingly competitive field. This study aims to describe desirable applicant characteristics and the application review process of CRS programs. Methods: A survey was distributed to all United States CRS Program Directors (PD) during the 2022 application cycle. The survey had questions regarding number of applicants received and the review process including which screening parameters were used and which criteria were valued when evaluating applications. Descriptive statistics are reported. Results: Thirty-six responses from the 67 CRS residency PD (54%) were received. Most (72%) characterized their review process as “holistic.” The majority (58%) of PD classified their hospital setting as academic. The median number of applications reviewed per program was 100, with a median of 26% (IQR 20-31%) of applicants invited to interview. When deciding who to interview, in-training examination (ABSITE) score (92%), letter of recommendation (LOR) content (89%), LOR writer (83%), and research productivity (83%) were the most commonly considered criteria. The “Top 3 Criteria” cited by PD in choosing applicants to interview were LOR, ABSITE and Publications/Research. Discussion: CRS residencies continue to value traditional metrics such as ABSITE scores, publications, and LOR with both the content and identity writer appearing to be important. Despite many PDs claiming they use a holistic review process, our results indicate otherwise. Increased education providing the rationale behind holistic review should be provided.

Background Per oral pyloromyotomy (POP) has been shown to be effective in patients with gastroparesis. The three most common etiologies of gastroparesis are diabetic, postsurgical, and idiopathic. Our aim was to compare outcomes after POP based on the etiology of gastroparesis. Methods This was a retrospective cohort study of all patients that underwent POP between 2018 and 2023 at a single tertiary academic center. Patient factors such as demographics, previous interventions, and preoperative symptoms were compared between patients of diabetic, post-surgical, and idiopathic gastroparesis. Primary outcomes of interest included postoperative symptoms, recurrence, time to recurrence, and reinterventions. Results A total of 46 patients were included in the study of which 12 had diabetic, 23 had post-surgical, and 11 had idiopathic. The overall median age was 56.5 with a female predominance (61%). Twenty patients (43%) had previous endoscopic intervention, 2 (4%) had prior surgical intervention, and 15 (33%) were on medications at the time of referral. Patients had a median of 2 symptoms preoperatively, the most common being nausea (83%) and emesis (76%). There was no difference in demographic and preoperative factors between patients with different etiologies. There was an overall decrease in the number of symptoms for all patients (p < 0.001). There was no difference in postoperative symptoms between cohorts. Fourteen (33%) patients had recurrence of symptoms over a median of 6.5 months with 5 (11%) patients having another endoscopic intervention and 3 (7%) patients having surgical intervention. There were no differences in outcomes between the groups. Conclusions In our limited cohort, there were no differences in preoperative factors or postoperative outcomes for patients undergoing POP for different etiologies of gastroparesis. There was no differences in recurrence rate or in duration until recurrence. Patients with different etiologies of gastroparesis benefit similarly from POP. Graphical abstract

Aim: The heterogeneity in data quality presented in studies regarding Crohn's anal fistula (CAF) limit extrapolation into clinical practice. The ENiGMA collaborators established a core descriptor set to standardize reporting of CAF. The aim of this work was to quantify the use of these descriptors in recent literature. Method: We completed a systematic review of PubMed and the Cochrane Library, extracting publications from the past 10 years specific to the clinical interventions and outcomes of CAF, and reported in line with PRISMA guidance. Each article was assessed for inclusion of ENiGMA descriptors. The median number of descriptors per publication was evaluated along with the overall frequency of each individual descriptor. Use of ENiGMA descriptors was compared between medical and procedural publications. Results: Ninety publications were included. The median number of descriptors was 15 of 37; 16 descriptors were used in over half of the publications while 17 were used in fewer than a third. Descriptors were more frequently used in procedural ( n = 16) than medical publications ( n = 14) ( p = 0.031). In procedural publications, eight descriptors were more frequently used including Faecal incontinence , Number of previous fistula interventions , Presence and severity of anorectal stenosis and Current proctitis . Medical publications were more likely to include Previous response to biological therapy and Duration and type of current course of biological therapy . Conclusion: With many descriptors being used infrequently and variations between medical and procedural literature, the colorectal community should assess the need for all 37 descriptors.

Background: It is unclear how patients with anal fissures are treated in real-world settings, particularly since patients may not see colorectal surgeons. This study describes trends in treatment with medical therapies (calcium-channel blockers [CCBs], nitroglycerin [NTG], and narcotics) and surgical treatments. Methods: Cohorts were created within the TriNetX database platform using codes for anal fissures and surgical interventions. Demographics were compared between patients that received surgical intervention within 1 year of diagnosis, CCB or NTG within 1 year (or preoperatively), or narcotics within 30 days or postoperatively vs those who did not. Results: 121,213 patients were included of which 4.0% had surgical intervention. Factors associated with surgical intervention were male sex (OR 1.40), White race (OR 1.17), and Hispanic ethnicity (OR 1.11). Male patients were more likely to undergo sphincterotomy (OR 1.49). Female (OR 1.27), non-Hispanic (OR 1.34), and White patients (OR 1.41) were more likely to have chemodenervation. Regarding nonoperatively managed patients, non-Hispanic (OR .91) and White patients (OR .89) were less likely to receive CCB/NTG. Male (OR 1.21), non-Hispanic (OR 1.08), and Black patients (OR 1.20) were more likely to receive narcotics. Male patients that required surgery were more likely to be prescribed CCB/NTG preoperatively (OR 1.27). Non-Hispanic surgical patients were more likely to receive narcotics (OR 1.84). Discussion: Male fissure patients were more likely to undergo surgical intervention other than chemodenervation. Differences in the rates of surgery and medical therapy (especially narcotics) between races and ethnicities require exploration to enhance the care of patients with anal fissures.