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Abstract Background Curative surgery is the most effective treatment for intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC). When an ICC involves the suprahepatic inferior vena cava (IVC), hepatectomy with suprahepatic IVC resection and reconstruction is challenging. For reconstruction of the suprahepatic IVC, total hepatic vascular exclusion (THVE), veno-venous bypass, and/or in situ hypothermic portal perfusion are required, but mortality and morbidity remain high. Case presentation We present a 73-year-old woman with mass-forming ICC which invaded the suprahepatic IVC and middle hepatic vein. Left hepatectomy, suprahepatic IVC resection, and reconstruction with an artificial graft were successfully performed during veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (V-A ECMO) to maintain blood pressure. While clamping the IVC diagonally, the right hepatic vein confluence could be preserved. No congestion in the right liver was seen; therefore, there was no requirement for the Pringle maneuver or THVE during reconstruction. No morbidity or mortality was seen after surgery. Conclusions Hepatectomy with suprahepatic IVC resection and reconstruction under V-A ECMO can be performed safely. When an ICC invades the suprahepatic IVC, V-A ECMO during resection and reconstruction of the suprahepatic IVC with an artificial graft is recommended as one of the options.

Abstract Background Pouch volvulus after proctocolectomy for ulcerative colitis is a very rare postoperative complication. The common site of pouch volvulus has been reported to be the ileal pouch–anal anastomosis and the middle part of the pouch, but no reports on pouch volvulus in the afferent limb of the pouch have been observed. Here, we report the case of a patient with afferent limb volvulus who underwent afferent limbpexy, but required reoperation 7 months later. Case presentation A 38-year-old man with refractory ulcerative colitis had undergone open proctocolectomy 10 years ago at another hospital. He had been aware of lower abdominal pain and bowel movement difficulty for 2 years. After repeated bowel obstruction, he was referred to our hospital for surgery. Based on the radiographic findings, we diagnosed a pouch volvulus and performed an operation. Laparoscopically, counterclockwise rotation of the afferent limb of the pouch was recognized. Moreover, the ileal mesentery was adhered and fixed to the presacral space 20 cm from the oral side of the pouch. The antimesenteric side of the afferent limb was fixed using interrupted stiches on the left peritoneal wall of the pelvis. He was discharged uneventfully 18 days after surgery, and defecation improved immediately. However, he was readmitted 7 months after surgery with the same abdominal pain and defecation difficulty. A similar finding was found and diagnosed as recurrent volvulus. Therefore, we performed a laparoscopic surgery. The same volvulus as in the previous surgery was confirmed. The site fixed during the previous surgery showed scars, but the afferent limb was free. The dilated ileum that contained the volvulus was excised only on the oral side of the pouch and an intraluminal anastomosis was performed on the anterior wall of the pouch. He had a good postoperative course and was discharged. Conclusion Proper diagnosis of volvulus based on the characteristic imaging findings is important. In principle, bilateral row fixation of the rotated ileum is the basic procedure for volvulus. However, fixation with this technique is sometimes difficult. Therefore, this procedure is one of the useful options for the fixation of difficult or recurrent cases.

Abstract Background There are no previous reports of debulking of giant liver hemangioma. This report describes our experience with debulking surgery for a patient with bilateral giant liver hemangiomas with severe symptoms. Case presentation We present a case of symptomatic giant liver hemangioma in a 41-year-old woman. She presented with abdominal pain and fullness at a local hospital and underwent trans-arterial embolization (TAE). TAE was not effective, and she was not able to walk a long distance. Giant liver hemangiomas, 30 cm and 15 cm in diameter, were located in the right liver and in the left lateral section, respectively, and normal liver parenchyma with tiny liver hemangiomas was present in segment 4. The liver function was normal. However, right hemi-hepatectomy with left lateral sectionectomy was considered to be risky according to the 3DCT volumetry. Therefore, we performed right hemi-hepatectomy in order to reduce her symptoms. The postoperative course was uneventful, and she was discharged on the 14th day after surgery. The abdominal fullness and abdominal pain disappeared immediately after surgery. The hemangiomas in the remnant liver, 15 cm in diameter, showed no change, and she is well without symptoms 7 years after surgery. Conclusions Debulking surgery is one of the options for bilateral giant liver hemangiomas with severe symptoms.

Abstract Background Ring calcification in hepatocellular carcinoma is extremely rare. Untreated hepatocellular carcinoma occasionally includes calcified lesions. Here, we report a case of ring-calcified hepatocellular carcinoma. Case presentation A 60-year-old man with a hepatic tumor was referred to Tokyo Women’s Medical University Hospital. He had a history of chronic hepatitis C. Computed tomography showed a liver tumor 20 mm in diameter in segment 6 of the Couinaud classification, with ring calcification. Based on this uncommon imaging presentation and the patient’s past exposure to the definitive hosts of Echinococcus multilocularis, he was preoperatively diagnosed with echinococcosis. Partial hepatectomy was performed as a radical treatment for echinococcosis. A final diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma was confirmed based on pathological findings. The patient was discharged uneventfully. Conclusion The presentation of an extremely rare hepatocellular carcinoma with ring calcification may be disguised as hydatid disease.

Abstract Background The Fontan procedure has been widely accepted for children with single ventricle physiology and guarantees survival rates of approximately 80% at age 20 years. However, there have been cases of Fontan-associated liver disease (FALD) caused due to congestion, along with recent reports of the development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in younger patients with FALD. The literature consists of only five previous case reports of patients who underwent hepatectomy for HCC due to poorer cardiac function and liver cirrhosis caused due to congestion. Case presentation The patient was a 37-year-old woman who presented with epigastralgia. Computed tomography (CT) revealed a liver tumor, 8 cm in diameter, in the caudate lobe. Liver damage was A, with an indocyanine green retention rate of 6% at 15 min. The levels of alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) and protein induced by vitamin K antagonists-II (PIVKA-II) were elevated to 81,663 ng/ml (normal < 10 ng/ml) and 238 mAU/ml (normal < 40 mAU/ml), respectively. Left ventricular ejection fraction was 56%, and central venous pressure (CVP) was 12 mmHg. Left hepatectomy and caudate lobe resection were successfully performed in the reverse Trendelenburg position which reduced the CVP. The total operation duration was 450 min, with a total blood loss of 3200 ml. The patient’s postoperative course was uneventful, and she is still alive 16 months after surgery. Conclusions First left hepatectomy with caudate lobectomy during reverse Trendelenburg position which reduced the CVP was performed in a patient with HCC and FALD.

Abstract Background Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with tumor thrombus (TT) in the right atrium is a critical condition. The general consensus is to perform hepatectomy prior to cavo-atrial thrombectomy because of the risk of uncontrollable bleeding during the liver transection after heparinization. However, sudden cardiac arrest due to the ball-valve effect and pulmonary embolism have been reported in cases of TT. Cavo-atrial thrombectomy prior to hepatectomy for HCC with TT in the right atrium was successfully performed to prevent sudden cardiac arrest and pulmonary embolism. Case presentation Tumor thrombectomy under cardiopulmonary bypass with heparin and electrical ventricular fibrillation prior to hepatectomy was successfully performed to prevent sudden cardiac arrest or pulmonary embolism in a 75-year-old woman with a huge HCC and TT in the right atrium. After the neutralization of heparin, right hepatectomy with tumor thrombectomy in the inferior vena cava was performed. The total operation time was 9 h, and the total blood loss was 8200 mL. The patient’s postoperative course was uneventful, and she was discharged 14 days after surgery. One year after surgery, she is alive with HCC recurrence in the lung. Conclusions Cavo-atrial thrombectomy prior to hepatectomy for HCC with TT in the right atrium can be performed safely to prevent sudden cardiac arrest and pulmonary embolism by collaboration of cardiovascular surgeons and gastroenterological surgeons.

Abstract Background Pneumothorax during surgery under general anesthesia is a life-threatening situation for the patient because it can progress easily to the tension pneumothorax due to positive pressure ventilation unless appropriate treatments such as inserting a drainage tube in the thoracic cavity are initiated. The authors experienced a case of intraoperative pneumothorax and the diffuse dissection of visceral pleura during liver transplantation surgery, and achieved successful repair by a trans-diaphragmatic approach without changing patient’s body position. Case presentation A 66-year-old male with multiple liver and renal cysts caused by autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) was admitted to the authors’ hospital for treating the infection of the liver cysts. The infection was unable to be controlled by conservative treatments. Therefore, the patient was planned to undergo living-donor liver transplantation. Intraoperatively, the liver was found to swell markedly and to firmly adhere to the right diaphragm. After the extraction of the liver, because the right diaphragm swelled markedly, pneumothorax was suspected. Chest tube was inserted immediately, and the small incision was made in the right diaphragm. Thoracoscopic observation revealed that (1) the visceral pleura of the bottom of the right lung widely expanded like a giant cyst due to the dissection from the lung parenchyma and (2) a large air leakage from a pin hole appeared in the dissected pleura. After the completion of the liver transplantation, the thoracoscopic leakage-closing operation was performed through the right diaphragm incision. Because the dissection of visceral pleura was too wide to perform plication or cystectomy by a stapler or sutures, the dissected pleura was opened, and absorbable fibrin sealant patches and fibrin glue were put or injected between the lung parenchyma and the pleura. Although, after being observed postoperatively, prolonged minor air leakage disappeared by a conservative drainage treatment, and the cyst on the bottom of the right lung disappeared on chest computed tomography (CT). Conclusions Although intraoperative pneumothorax and broad dissection of visceral pleura during laparotomy is a complicated situation, the authors successfully repaired air leakage via a trans-diaphragmatic approach without changing the patient’s body position.

Abstract Background Although patients with stage IV gastric cancer who respond well to systemic chemotherapy can be treated with gastrectomy, the prognosis of patients with unresectable gastric cancer with para-aortic lymph node metastasis is poor. We herein report a case of remnant gastric cancer with para-aortic lymph node metastasis that was treated with potentially curative conversion surgery after showing a complete response to chemotherapy with S-1 and oxaliplatin (SOX). Case presentation An 81-year-old man was diagnosed with type 3 remnant gastric cancer with giant para-aortic lymph node metastasis, and he received SOX chemotherapy. After three courses of SOX chemotherapy, the primary tumor and para-aortic lymph node metastases markedly reduced in size, indicating a partial response. Because conversion surgery was possible, the patient underwent total remnant gastrectomy with D2 and para-aortic lymph node dissection. Histological examination revealed no residual cancer cells in the resected stomach and lymph nodes. The patient was diagnosed with a complete pathological response and was discharged on postoperative day 24. Currently, 1 year after surgery, the patient is alive and has not shown any tumor recurrence. Conclusion To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case of advanced remnant gastric cancer with giant para-aortic lymph node metastasis that showed a pathological complete response and favorable outcome after SOX chemotherapy.