Search

Various approaches to hepatectomy have been proposed for cT2 gallbladder cancers (GBC), but the optimal management strategy remains unclear. The aim of this study is to assess the effectiveness of using an indocyanine green (ICG)-based intraoperative navigation system during hepatic resection for cT2 GBC. From September 2007 to December 2017, 24 consecutive patients diagnosed with cT2 GBC underwent hepatic resection using ICG navigation. After cannulation of the cholecystic artery, ICG diluted with dissolution liquid was injected and ICG fluorescence illumination was visualized with the HyperEye Medical System. And additional histopathological examination was performed on the most recent 15 of the 24 patients for detection of microscopic liver metastasis. For all patients, the disease-free survival rate was 59.1% at 5 years and overall survival rate was 86.2% at 5 years. Microscopic liver metastasis was detected in the resected liver in 3 (20%) of 15 patients, whose site of liver was S6, S5, and S5, respectively. The weight of the liver resected using ICG navigation was significantly smaller than that of S4a/S5 segmentectomy (P

Few studies have reported the incidence and clinical outcomes of gallstone disease after extended (D2) lymph node dissection for gastric cancer. The present study was designed to retrospectively compare limited (D1) and D2 dissections in terms of gallstone formation, presentation of gallstones, and surgery for gallstone disease. A total of 805 Japanese gastric cancer patients (595 male, 210 female) who underwent curative resection with D1 (n = 490) or D2 (n = 315) dissection were retrospectively reviewed. Of those subjects followed for 70.5 +/- 44.3 months (range: 2-196 months), 102 (12.7%) developed gallstones. The incidence of gallstone formation was higher in the D2 group than in the D1 group (17.8% vs. 9.4%, p = 0.001). The interval between gastrectomy and detection of gallstones was shorter in the D2 group than in the Dl group (18.8 +/- 11.4 months vs. 29.4 +/- 18.3 months, p = 0.002). Of those with gallstones followed for 48.0 +/- 28.6 months (range: 1-158 months), 74 (72.5%) remained asymptomatic, and 15 (14.7%) experienced mild biliary pain. Thirteen patients (12.7%) developed recurrent biliary pain (n = 3) or biliary complications (n = 10; 6 acute cholecystitis, 3 obstructive jaundice, and 1 cholangitis), and required surgical treatment. Surgery was more frequently sought in the D2 group than in the D1 group (19.5% vs. 4.3%, p = 0.033). In conclusion, patients with D2 dissection developed gallstones more frequently and earlier than patients with D1 dissection. Of those with gallstones, patients with D2 dissection required surgery more often than patients with D1 dissection. A closer follow-up should be mandatory for gallstone disease after D2 dissection, but further studies are needed before generalizations can be made.

Living donor liver transplantation (LDLT) has developed on the basis of increased safety of conventional liver surgery and the need for expanding donor sources, especially in children. Indications for LDLT were soon extended to adult patients in Japan, where cadaveric donation was limited. The right liver is now routinely transplanted to adults to avoid small-for-size graft syndrome, even though the right liver graft has the disadvantages of less remaining donor liver and the question of donor safety. Assessing the suitable size or quality of the graft, as well as of the remnant donor liver, is one of the most important problems in adult LDLT. Although several tactics have been proposed to manage the small-for-size syndrome, their efficacy remains a question. We suggest that small-for-size syndrome is preventable by engaging in careful donor selection or using effective agents for hepatic microcirculatory disturbance control. Sometimes for LDLT only ABO-incompatible grafts are available from relatives, but they must be transplanted despite the expected poor outcome in adults and older children. To overcome the problems in this situation, we developed a novel protocol including intraportal infusion therapy with methylprednisolone, prostaglandin E1, and gabexate mesylate. Two adult patients undergoing ABO- incompatible LDLT have now survived 53 and 35 months after transplantation with good liver function. However, the other two patients suffered thrombotic microangiopathy postoperatively and died owing to cerebral hemorrhage or multiple organ failure, respectively. Further investigation is needed to improve the outcome of liver transplantation across the ABO blood group barrier.

Little evidence is available regarding long-term survival of patients with gallbladder cancer that is discovered at the time of laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC). Therefore the present study was performed to evaluate long-term outcomes of this disease. Of 1546 patients who underwent LC for benign gallbladder disease between January 1992 and January 2002, 8 patients (0.5%) had cancers that were found during or after LC. The median follow-up period was 55 months (range: 36–142 months). The gallbladder was resected without perforation in all cases. During surgery there was a suspicion of malignancy in 6 of 8 cases. Frozen section analysis showed that 2 had TNM stage Tis tumors, 2 had T1a tumors, and 2 had T2 tumors. Two patients with T2 tumors were immediately converted to extended cholecystectomy. The final pathology revealed another 2 tumors, and demonstrated that 3 patients had Tis tumors, 3 had T1a tumors, and 2 had T2N0M0 tumors. None of the patients underwent additional surgery. All patients survived with no evidence of recurrence during the median follow-up of 55 months. In conclusion, before and during LC, we have not overlooked T2 or more advanced tumor, which requires additional procedures for curative resection. This might result in good survival. We consider that an intensive preoperative work-up and meticulous inspection of the opened gallbladder should be mandatory to detect gallbladder cancer in patients who undergo LC. At present, this is not routinely practiced.

Restenosis occurs in approximately one-third of patients with coronary or peripheral vascular disease who undergo balloon angioplasty or a surgical bypass procedure primarily because of the development of pseudointimal hyperplasia (PIH). Corticosteroids were effective in suppressing PIH in several experimental studies, but no clinical studies have been reported. To resolve this discrepancy, we studied the effects of preinjury administration of several doses of methylprednisolone (MP) at targeted times in a rat model of balloon aortic injury. Rats were given either no treatment or an intravenous injection of MP (0.5, 5.0, 50, or 500 mg/kg) 2 hours before aortic injury. Four hours later interleukin-6 (IL-6), IL-10, and macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) concentrations in serum and tissue of injured aortas were assessed. Two weeks after injury, damaged aortas were harvested and studied histopathologically. Compared with results in controls, MP at a dose of 5 mg/kg significantly inhibited increases in plasma and tissue levels of IL-6 and significantly reduced the pseudointimal area, pseudointimal/medial area ratio, and proliferating cell nuclear antigen index in injured vessels. Administration of MP had no significant effect on the IL-10 or MIF level. Thus in a rat model of balloon aortic injury, preinjury administration of MP 5 mg/kg mitigated the development of PIH and cell proliferation and suppressed the postinjury increase in serum and tissue IL-6 concentrations. These results suggest that there is an appropriate dosage as well as appropriate timing for MP administration to suppress PIH.