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Abstract Background Postoperative pneumothorax is a well-known but relatively rare complication after laparoscopic surgery. There has been no report describing pneumothorax that persisted for a week or more after laparoscopic surgery. Herein, we report a case of bilateral pneumothorax after laparoscopic surgery, which appears to have occurred by a different mechanism than previously described. Case presentation A 65-year-old male, with a past history of esophagectomy and retrosternal gastric tube reconstruction 4 months earlier, underwent a robotic-assisted inguinal hernia repair. Postoperative chest x-rays revealed the development of bilateral pneumothorax, which became worse on postoperative day (POD) 1 and took more than 9 days to resolve spontaneously. We assumed that intra-abdominal gas replaced by the air after pneumoperitoneum might have migrated into thoracic cavities through an opened esophageal hiatus or along the retrosternal route. Conclusions Laparoscopic surgery after radical esophagectomy may be associated with an increased risk of postoperative pneumothorax.

Abstract Background Advanced gastric cancer has an unfavorable prognosis and poor curability. Immune checkpoint inhibitors, such as nivolumab, have recently emerged as a potential solution for this aggressive disease. However, there is a lack of established evidence on the clinical efficacy of these agents, particularly in the perioperative period for advanced gastric cancer patients who are unresectable, recurrent, or preoperative. Despite the limited data available, there have been rare cases of dramatic therapeutic effects. In this study, we present a successful case of nivolumab treatment along with surgery. Case presentation A 69-year-old female presented with pericardial discomfort and was diagnosed with advanced gastric cancer following upper gastrointestinal endoscopy. Laparoscopic distal gastrectomy with D2 lymph node dissection was performed, resulting in a final pathological diagnosis of Stage IIIA. The patient received postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy with oral S-1 therapy, but was found to have multiple liver metastases at 8 months postsurgery. Weekly paclitaxel and ramucirumab therapy was initiated, but the patient experienced adverse side effects, leading to the discontinuation of treatment. Nivolumab monotherapy was then administered for 18 cycles, resulting in a partial therapeutic response and PET–CT revealed a complete metabolic response. However, the patient developed a Grade 3 pemphigoid as an immune-related adverse event, leading to the cessation of nivolumab. The patient underwent laparoscopic partial hepatectomy. Postoperative pathology showed no residual tumor cells, indicating a complete response. At present, 25 months after surgery, the patient was alive without recurrence. Conclusion In this report, we present a case of gastric cancer with liver metastatic recurrence, in which a complete pathological response was achieved with nivolumab treatment. Although determining whether surgical intervention is necessary following successful drug treatment can be challenging, PET–CT imaging may be useful in decision-making regarding surgical treatment.

Abstract Background Local resection is the standard treatment for gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs). Laparoscopic and endoscopic cooperative surgery (LECS) is a minimally invasive surgery used to resect GISTs. Herein, we report an extremely rare case of a gastric GIST that grossly vanished during LECS. Case presentation A 50-year-old Japanese female was referred to our hospital after an abnormality was detected during an esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) at her annual health checkup. Based on EGD, endoscopic ultrasound (EUS), and computer tomography (CT) findings, the patient was diagnosed with a 50-mm submucosal tumor (SMT) with intraluminal growth on the anterior wall of the lesser curvature of the upper body of the stomach. We routinely use LECS to treat the intraluminal growth type of GISTs. During the intraoperative endoscopy, the intraluminal submucosal tumor, which was detected preoperatively, had vanished. A red-white scar was observed in the regressed tumor region. LECS was performed by resecting at a distance away from the scar tissue and closing the gastric wall with intracavitary sutures. In the evaluation from the tumor section view of the original resected specimen, a 22 × 14 × 8 mm lobular neoplasm was observed that was predominantly located in the gastric submucosa to the muscularis propia. Pathological findings confirmed the diagnosis of GIST with intermediate risk indicated by the Fletcher classification. The patient continued postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy with imatinib and no recurrence was detected over 12 months after surgery. Conclusion LECS was performed on the vanished gastric GIST, providing the best surgical treatment and leading to an accurate diagnosis and optimal postoperative care.

Abstract Background Levodopa–carbidopa intestinal gel (LCIG) treatment, a unique drug delivery system for patients with advanced Parkinson’s disease (PD), is covered by health insurance in Japan since September 2016. Various LCIG procedure/device-associated adverse events (AEs) have been reported; however, reports on their treatment have been limited. This is the first multicenter study to clarify the frequency and timing of device-related AEs. Methods Between September 2016 and December 2018, 104 patients introduced to the LCIG treatment for advanced PD in 11 hospitals were included. The patients’ characteristics, AEs incidence, AEs time, and tube exchange time were investigated. Results The median follow-up period was 21.5 months. Minor AE cases were 29.4%, whereas major AE cases were 43.1%. Majority of major AEs (n = 55, 94.8%) were managed with endoscopic treatment, such as tube exchange. Few severe AEs required surgical treatment (n =3, 5.2%). The mean (range) exposure to percutaneous endoscopic gastrojejunostomy (PEG-J) was 14.7 (0–33) months. One year after the LCIG treatment introduction, 55 patients (54.0%) retained the original PEG-J tube. The mean PEG-J tube exchange time was 10.8 ± 7.0 months in all patients, 11.6 ± 4.7 and 10.5 ± 7.7 months in patients with scheduled exchange and who underwent exchange due to AEs, respectively. Conclusions Some device-related AEs occurred during the LCIG treatment; however, only few were serious, most of which could be treated with simple procedures or tube replacement with endoscopy. Therefore, the LCIG treatment is feasible and safe and is a unique treatment option for PD, requiring endoscopists’ understanding and cooperation.

Summary: Background: Billroth Ⅰ (BⅠ) reconstruction and Roux-en-Y (RY) reconstruction are both commonly performed after distal gastrectomy (DG). We conducted a retrospective study to evaluate which is the better option. Methods: Included in our study were 162 patients who, between April 2011 and October 2015, underwent DG followed by BⅠ reconstruction (n = 93) or RY reconstruction (n = 69). All patients were followed up for at least 1 year. We compared perioperative outcomes, postoperative complications, gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms, endoscopic findings, and nutritional status between the 2 groups of patients. Results: Patient characteristics did not differ between the 2 groups, with the exception of the incidence of gastric body tumors, which was significantly higher in the RY group (73.9% vs. 19.4%; p