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Liver resection is a widely preferred treatment modality for hepatocellular carcinomas (HCCs). This study aimed to compare the survival impact of anatomical resection with that of limited resection, in patients with single HCCs no larger than 5 cm in diameter.A cohort study was carried out on 209 consecutive patients who underwent hepatic resection for a single HCC no larger than 5 cm in diameter between January 1994 and March 2007 at Osaka City General Hospital.The cumulative 5-year overall survival and disease-free survival rates in the anatomical resection group (n = 111) were 71 and 40%, respectively, both of which were significantly better than the 48 and 25% seen in the limited resection group (n = 98) (P = 0.0043 and P = 0.0232, respectively). Better effects of the anatomical resection on both overall and disease-free survival were seen in patients having HCC larger than 2 cm in diameter and in patients with moderately or poorly differentiated HCC. But no significant difference in either overall or disease-free survival was seen between the groups in patients with a HCC 2 cm or less in diameter or in the patients with well-differentiated HCC. Using Cox's regression model, anatomical resection was confirmed to be an independent favorable factor for both overall and disease-free survival.Anatomical resection is therefore recommended for histologically advanced single HCCs ranging from 2 to 5 cm in diameter.

A spontaneous regression of hepatocellular carcinoma is an extremely rare phenomenon. A 69-year-old Japanese man with hepatitis C virus-related chronic hepatitis presented with a liver tumor. We diagnosed the tumor to be hepatocellular carcinoma in the course of spontaneous regression, by imaging studies and changes in the tumor markers. Because the possible presence of viable cancer cells could not be ruled out, we recommended surgery. He refused all treatments at first, but finally agreed to undergo surgery about 10 months after presentation. A hepatectomy was performed. Histologically, no viable tumor cells were found. In our case, the vascularity of the tumor according to the imaging findings was followed up during the clinical course. The patient is now doing well and without any evidence of recurrence at 37 months after surgery.

Whether a laparoscopic approach is more effective for acute appendicitis than standard open appendectomy remains controversial.Clinical records of the 95 consecutive patients who underwent appendectomy for acute appendicitis between April 2002 and December 2005 were reviewed retrospectively. Laparoscopic appendectomy was performed for 62 patients (LA group), while 33 underwent open appendectomy (OA group). At our institution, LA is a standard operative procedure for acute appendicitis, and OA underwent because of social reasons. Characteristics, operative factors, and postoperative course were compared between groups.Age, gender, past appendicitis attacks managed conservatively, and preoperative white blood cell counts did not differ significantly. Pathologic severity of appendicitis was more advanced in the OA than LA group (gangrenous in 52% vs 21% respectively, p=0.009). Mean operative time was significantly longer in the LA than OA group (80 min vs 63 min respectively, p=0.012). Pre- and postoperative white blood cell counts did not differ between groups, but recovery from postoperative pain and fever was significantly earlier in the LA than OA group (p=0.0007 and 0.013, respectively). Postoperative wound infection was significantly less frequent in the LA (6%) than OA group (27%, p=0.01), while incidence of postoperative intraabdominal infection did not differ significantly. Two patients in the LA group had serious complications that required reoperation; postoperative bleeding from the coagulated mesoappendix in one, and perforation of the jejunum caused by electrocautery during trocar insertion in the other. Mean postoperative hospital stay was significantly shorter in the LA than OA group (6.7 and 14.4 days respectively, p=0.04). According to severity of appendicitis, LA had no advantages over OA for gangrenous appendicitis.Laparoscopic appendectomy has some disadvantages, such as long operative time and possible of serious complications, but generally accelerates postoperative early recovery to shorten hospitalization.

Background Small bowel obstruction (SBO) after abdominal surgery is usually treated successfully with intestinal decompression using a long nasointestinal tube (LT), but some cases fail to respond. Methods Clinical background and laboratory data on admission were evaluated retrospectively for 53 patients with adhesive SBO to determine predictive factors for failure of LT decompression, and the appropriate timing of laparotomy was investigated. Results Complete SBO (no evidence of air within the large bowel) and increased serum creatine phosphokinase (≥130 IU/L) were independent predictive factors for LT decompression failure. Laparotomy was indicated in 14 patients (9 and 5 with complete and partial SBO, respectively), whereas successful LT decompression occurred in 39 patients (9 and 30, respectively). Resolution of SBO took significantly longer for complete SBO (6.3 days) than for partial SBO (2.6 days). Conclusions Patients with complete SBO or high serum creatine phosphokinase (CPK) may not respond to LT decompression. Laparotomy is appropriate after non-response for 7 and 3 days for complete and partial SBO, respectively.

Acute cholecystitis associated with gallbladder carcinoma is very rare in young patients (younger than 30 years of age). Moreover, a definitive preoperative diagnosis is difficult. A 26-year-old man was referred to our hospital with a 5-day history of right upper quadrant pain. Computed tomography and ultrasonography demonstrated an enlarged gallbladder with a diffuse thick wall and a 2-cm gallstone obstructing the cystic duct. Magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography showed no evidence of an anomalous pancreaticobiliary junction. The patient showed an elevation in the white blood cell count, serum C-reactive protein, and alkaline phosphate; however, total bilirubin, alanine aminotransferase, and tumor markers including carcinoembryonic antigen and carbohydrate antigen 19-9 were all within the normal ranges. The preoperative diagnosis of gallstone-induced acute cholecystitis was made and an open cholecystectomy was thus performed 2 days after admission. The macroscopic findings showed a necrotic enlarged gallbladder with a thick wall and a gallstone, but no intraluminal nodular lesion. Histologic examinations revealed well-differentiated focal adenocarcinoma in the gallbladder mucosa, but no venous, lymphatic, or perineural invasion. The postoperative course has been uneventful with no recurrence 18 months postoperatively.

The patient was a 16-year-old boy who had turned to the right rapidly as he fielded a baseball that had come to him quickly. Two days after this event, which occurred in July 2004, he was admitted to hospital with repeated vomiting and increasing right hypochondralgia. Laboratory examination on admission showed elevation of the white blood count and of serum C-reactive protein and total bilirubin. Computed tomography on admission demonstrated an enlarged gallbladder and a thickened wall without gallstones, and magnetic resonance imaging performed 1 day later showed air within the gallbladder wall. His symptoms worsened, with a positive Murphy's sign, and emergency laparotomy was performed, with a diagnosis of emphysematous cholecystitis. Intraoperatively, the gallbladder was dark red, necrotic, distended, and enlarged. The cystic duct was attached only to the mesentery, and the gallbladder was floating freely, with the neck of the gallbladder having rotated 180 degrees counterclockwise, leading to a definitive diagnosis of gallbladder torsion with emphysematous cholecystitis. Cholecystectomy was performed, and analysis of bile showed Escherichia coli to be the causative organism. Histopathologic examination revealed necrotized cholecystitis. The patient is doing well 25 months after surgery, with an uneventful postoperative course.

Despite progress in therapy for hepatocellular carcinoma, management of extrahepatic metastatic lesions remains problematic. A 73-year-old man who underwent transcatheter arterial embolization for hepatocellular carcinoma presented bilateral adrenal metastases. Ten months after transcatheter arterial embolization, computed tomography detected huge tumors in both adrenal glands. Simultaneous resection of both adrenal lesions was performed under hydrocortisone replacement therapy. These tumors were confirmed histopathologically to represent adrenal metastatic lesions of hepatocellular carcinoma. The patient died of respiratory failure due to lung metastasis 9 months after adrenalectomy, although intrahepatic tumor was controlled by transcatheter arterial embolization. It is necessary to clarify the therapeutic effectiveness and the indication of adrenalectomy for patients with adrenal metastasis.

A 75-year-old man underwent distal gastrectomy for advanced gastric cancer with liver and lymph node metastases and synchronous hepatocellular carcinoma in April 2004. HAI with low-dose CDDP/TS-1 combination therapy was initiated after gastrectomy. Liver and lymph node metastases decreased significantly, with achievement of a partial response (PR) and a complete response (CR), respectively, and the hepatocellular carcinoma was reduced to 54.1% of its initial size after 3 sessions of this chemotherapy. These results suggested that combined chemotherapy with TS-1 and HAI with low-dose CDDP was not only useful for liver and lymph node metastases from gastric cancer, but for hepatocellular carcinoma as well.

We examineded the clinical effects of serum hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) positivity on clinicopathologic findings and prognosis after liver resection for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in patients with chronic hepatitis B. A series of 56 patients who underwent curative resection were divided into two groups: 25 HBeAg-positive patients (group 1) and 31 HBeAg-negative patients (group 2). The mean age was significantly lower in group 1 than in group 2 (p = 0.0021), and the proportion of patients with symptoms was significantly higher in group 1 than in group 2 (p = 0.037). There were no significant differences in other clinical findings between the two groups, including laboratory test results, coexisting medical conditions, and operative methods. Although tumor size, degree of differentiation of the main tumor, and the prevalence of vascular invasion did not differ between the groups, the prevalence of intrahepatic metastasis and the proportion of patients with active hepatitis were significantly higher in group 1 than in group 2 (p = 0.009 and p = 0.043, respectively). Tumor-free and cumulative survival rates were significantly lower in group 1 than in group 2 (p = 0.022 and p = 0.0001, respectively). Multivariate analysis of various possible risk factors demonstrated serum HBeAg positivity to be an independent risk factor for recurrence [risk ratio (RR) 2.49; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.12-5.49; p = 0.032] and an independent unfavorable factor for the survival time (RR 7.58; 95% CI 2.10-27.8; p = 0.0020). We concluded that the prognosis after liver resection for HCC is worse for HBeAg-positive patients than for HBeAg-negative patients.

A case of erythrocytosis caused by a hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) that produced erythropoietin (Epo) is described. A 64-year-old man, with a huge HCC tumor in the right lobe of the liver, showed a high concentration of hemoglobin and increased levels of serum Epo, alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), and protein induced by vitamin K absence II (PIVKA-II). Right lobectomy of the liver was performed. Histological findings of the specimen showed a moderately differentiated HCC. The existence of Epo was confirmed immunohistochemically only in the tumor tissue and not in the normal liver tissue. Erythrocytosis disappeared and the serum levels of Epo, AFP, and PIVKA-II returned to the normal range after the operation. Within 2 months after the operation, recurrent tumors appeared in the remnant liver, and the patient died 13 months after the operation.

We describe herein the case of a hepatic abscess that developed secondary to fish bone penetration which was successfully treated without laparotomy. A 61-year-old man was admitted to our hospital with a high fever that had persisted for 2 weeks in spite of medication. Abdominal ultrasonography (AUS) and computed tomography (CT) of the abdomen revealed a hepatic abscess with a linear calcified foreign body and gas. Percutaneous abscess drainage was performed under ultrasonographic guidance. After drainage, the patient became afebrile, and AUS and CT findings demonstrated that the abscess cavity had decreased in size, but still contained the foreign body. Under ultrasonographic guidance and fluoroscopy, we inserted endoscopic forceps into the sinus tract and succeeded in removing the foreign body from the liver. It was found to be a fish bone that was 2.8 cm long and 0.3 cm wide.