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Abstract: Purpose: To assess clinical outcomes of metal stent insertion in patients with bilobar bile duct obstruction by malignant tumors. Materials and Methods: Records of 120 consecutive patients who underwent placement of metallic stents for palliation of malignant bilobar biliary obstruction between 1995 and 2010 were retrospectively reviewed. Single-duct stent insertion was performed in 44 patients with one liver lobe that accounted for more than 70% of total liver volume or only one patent lobar portal vein (group 1). Bilobar stent insertion was performed in 60 patients with approximately equal lobe sizes, patent lobar portal veins, or cholangitis at presentation (group 2). In 16 patients with discontiguous right anterior and posterior segmental ducts (group 3), three stents were deployed in the left lobar and right anterior and posterior segmental ducts. Overall survival, primary patency, and patient morbidity rates following stent insertion were assessed. Results: No significant differences in mean overall survival (group 1, 7.3 mo; group 2, 10.3 mo; group 3, 6.5 mo; P = .21) or mean primary stent patency (group 1, 4.2 mo; group 2, 5.9 mo; group 3, 3.5 mo; P = .17) were demonstrated. However, patients in group 3 were significantly more likely to require hospitalizations for cholangitis and additional invasive procedures for recurrent biliary obstruction than patients in groups 1 and 2. Conclusions: Unilobar and bilobar metal stent insertion led to similar outcomes when treatment decision was based on relative liver lobe volumes, lobar portal vein patency, and presence of cholangitis on presentation. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Tumors presenting in the inguinal hernia sac are considered to be extremely rare, with the more common neoplasms metastasizing from the gastrointestinal tract, ovary and prostate. We report the case of Mantle cell lymphoma identified in the inguinal hernia sac following hernia repair. While the hernia sac appeared normal to the surgeon, evaluation by the pathologist showed subtle gross irregularities, with subsequent histologic and immunochemical diagnosis of Mantle cell lymphoma. Twelve previous cases of a lymphoma diagnosed during hernia repair have been described in the English literature. This is the first report of Mantle cell lymphoma found in the hernia sac. This case illustrates the value of routine microscopic evaluation of hernia sacs found from inguinal/femoral herniorrhaphies, as it may be the primary presentation of an asymptomatic metastatic lymphoma. Additionally, it underscores the importance of the surgeon's role in screening hernia sacs if the practice of submitting only macroscopically abnormal specimens for microscopic evaluation is adopted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]