Solitary extrahepatic intraabdominal metastasis from hepatocellular carcinoma after liver transplantation

A liver transplantation is a treatment option in selected patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Despite the adequate selection of candidates, recurrences of HCC may still develop. Solitary extrahepatic metastasis from HCC after a liver transplantation is rare. Here we report two cases of HCC demonstrated extrahepatic recurrence to the adrenal gland and spleen, respectively, within one year after a liver transplantation. Since the treatment of solitary extrahepatic metastasis from HCC after a liver transplantation is not standardized, surgical resection was performed. In the case of HCC adrenal metastasis, innumerable intrahepatic metastases were found two months after the adrenalectomy. And 16 months after adrenalectomy, the patient expired due to tumor progression and hepatic failure. In the case of HCC splenic metastasis, postoperative radiation therapy was performed. However, two recurrent HCC nodules were found 15 months after the splenectomy and received transarterial chemoembolization (TACE). And 29 month after the splenectomy, the patient also expired as same causes of former patient.     

Changes in ketone body ratio and levels of pyruvate and lactate in arterial blood of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma after transcatheter arterial embolization

The ketone body ratio (acetoacetate/3-hydroxybutyrate:KBR) and levels of pyruvate and lactate in arterial blood of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) were examined. KBRs and levels of pyruvate and lactate in patients with HCC were similar to those in patients without liver diseases (1.57 +/- 0.88, 0.84 +/- 0.32, 11.4 +/- 4.5 vs 1.80 +/- 0.9, 0.89 +/- 0.48, 10.8 +/- 6.2). However, pyruvate to lactate ratios were significantly lower in HCC patients (7.45 +/- 1.57 vs 8.62 +/- 2.15, p less than 0.05). Among the HCC patients the levels of pyruvate and lactate were significantly higher in patients with liver cirrhosis (LC) than those in patients without LC. The sequential changes of KBRs and levels of pyruvate and lactate were examined before and after transcatheter arterial embolization (TAE). Although KBRs were transiently decreased immediately after TAE, they were at higher levels from the 3rd to 21st day in comparison with those before TAE. The levels of pyruvate and lactate showed no significant changes immediately after TAE. However, they followed a course similar to that of KBRs after TAE. Lower KBRs and higher levels of pyruvate and lactate tended to be observed in HCC patients with LC after TAE than in those without LC. This suggests a decrease of intrahepatic blood flow probably due to histological reconstruction. These results suggest that the presence of LC is one of the most important factors influencing the functional reserve of liver in HCC patients. In HCC patients without LC, the recovery from the overload of TAE may operate at mitochondrial levels at least the 3rd day after TAE.     

Papillary muscle rupture after myocardial infarction during left ventricular assist device support

We report a rare case of papillary muscle rupture due to myocardial infarction during left ventricular assist device support. A 69-year-old woman with cardiogenic shock due to acute myocardial infarction requiring venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation support was transferred for further surgical intervention. Six days after the event, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation was decannulated, and an extracorporeal left ventricular assist device was implanted. On postoperative day 11, she suffered from sudden onset hypoxia due to pulmonary edema. Transesophageal echocardiography showed new onset severe mitral regurgitation. No further surgical intervention was performed according to the family’s wishes, and she passed away on the 22nd postoperative day. Autopsy findings revealed papillary muscle rupture. Although the left ventricle is unloaded by the left ventricular assist device, papillary muscle rupture should be recognized as a possible complication after myocardial infarction.     

Sorafenib, risk of bleeding and spontaneous rupture of hepatocellular carcinoma. A clinical case

Spontaneous rupture is a rare and dramatic complication ofhepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), burdened by a high mortality. Here we describe a case of a 73-year-old man, who arrived at the ER because of syncope, and acute epigastric and right upper quadrant abdominal pain. He had a history of hepatitis C-related liver cirrhosis and HCC in treatment with sorafenib. The physical examination showed a state of hemorrhagic anemia with the presence of blood in the peritoneal cavity. The patient underwent an urgent liver resection. Thirty days after surgery, he was in good general condition. Sorafenib is a multikinase inhibitor recently introduced in the therapy of patients with advanced HCC. Among the various side effects reported in patients treated with sorafenib, there is a higher risk of bleeding. In conclusion, sorafenib may increase the risk of bleeding and rupture of HCC in susceptible individuals.     

肝癌破裂出血围手术期死亡危险因素分析

目的　探讨原发性肝细胞肝癌破裂出血急诊治疗的策略及其预后。 方法　回顾分析60例肝癌破裂出血急诊治疗经验。治疗方法包括手术切除肿瘤,经肝动脉介入栓塞(TAE)和非手术治疗。单因素和多因素分析研究影响本组患者30 d死亡率的风险因素。 结果　全组患者30 d死亡率为28.3%（n=17）,单因素分析显示Child C级肝功,休克,大量输血及肿瘤体积巨大是影响患者30 d死亡率的风险因素。多因素分析显示休克和大量输血是影响手术切除患者30 d死亡率的独立危险因素。对于TAE患者,较大的肿瘤体积是影响预后的危险因素。 结论　肿瘤破裂出血是原发性肝癌的严重并发症,肝功能较差,病期较晚以及出血的严重程度是影响预后的关键因素。根治性切除以及TAE治疗在严格选择的病例中可获得较好的效果。     

An autopsy case of misdiagnosis based on postmortem computed tomography findings

A middle-aged man was found lying beside his bicycle on an early winter morning. The cause of death was diagnosed by clinicians as traumatic intracerebral hemorrhage and cerebral contusion with frontal bone fracture based on the findings of Computed Tomography (CT) of the head. However, forensic autopsy revealed that there were no evidences of intracerebral hemorrhage and left frontal bone fracture but the defect of golf ball size on the frontal lobe which was considered to be a complication from the old cerebral contusion and old bone fracture. The bleeding and pooling blood from subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) to the frontal lobe defect had the appearance of an intracerebral hemorrhage. Disruption of left renal artery was found and the cause of death was diagnosed as massive hemorrhage due to this rupture. Although postmortem CT is a useful tool for obtaining information on the body prior to conducting an autopsy, it should be used with extreme caution.     

Reconstruction of ruptured patellar tendon after total knee arthroplasty: a case report and a description of an alternative fixation method

Patellar tendon rupture after total knee arthroplasty is a rare, but often catastrophic complication. Many different reconstruction techniques of patellar tendon rupture have been described with variable and often discouraging results. A case report with patellar tendon rupture after a total knee arthroplasty is presented. Also, an alternative surgical technique of reconstruction of the patellar tendon using a semitendinosus-gracilis (STG) graft with an interference screw and a staple fixation enabling an immediate mobilization is described.     

A case of hemocholecyst associated with hemobilia following radiofrequency ablation therapy for hepatocellular carcinoma

Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) is performed as an alternative to surgical resection for primary or secondary liver malignancies. Although RFA can be performed safely in most patients, early and late complications related to mechanical or thermal damage occur in 8-9.5% cases. Hemocholecyst, which refers to hemorrhage of the gallbladder, has been reported with primary gallbladder disease or as a secondary event associated with hemobilia. Hemobilia, defined as hemorrhage in the biliary tract and most commonly associated with accidental or iatrogenic trauma, is a rare complication of RFA. Here we report a case of hemocholecyst associated with hemobilia after RFA for hepatocellular carcinoma that was successfully managed by laparoscopic cholecystectomy.     

Hepatoid adenocarcinoma of the stomach: an unusual case of elevated alpha-fetoprotein with prior treatment for hepatocellular carcinoma

Hepatoid adenocarcinoma (HAC) is a rare type of extrahepatic carcinoma whose morphology is similar to that of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Metachronous HCC and HAC in the same patient is extremely rare. The case of a 68-year-old man with chronic hepatitis B infection who had both HCC and HAC of the stomach is reported herein. Nine years previously this patient had been diagnosed with HCC and received a right lobectomy. HCC that recurred at the caudate lobe at 6 months after the operation was successfully treated with transarterial chemoembolization. The patient was followed up regularly thereafter without evidence of tumor recurrence for 9 years. In July 2010 his serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) level elevated from 6.5 ng/mL to 625.4 ng/mL, and he developed a probable single metastatic lymph node around the hepatic artery without intrahepatic lesions. Subsequent evaluation with upper endoscopy revealed a 4-cm ulcerative lesion on the antrum of the stomach. Subtotal gastrectomy was performed with lymph-node dissection. Histologic examination revealed a special type of extrahepatic AFP-producing adenocarcinoma-HAC with lymph-node metastasis-which indicates that HAC can be a cause of elevated AFP even in patients with HCC. HAC should be considered if a patient with stable HCC exhibits unusual elevation of AFP.     

Low-dose steroid-induced tumor lysis syndrome in a hepatocellular carcinoma patient

Tumor lysis syndrome is rare in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), but it has been reported more frequently recently in response to treatments such as transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE), radiofrequency thermal ablation (RFTA), and sorafenib. Tumor lysis syndrome induced by low-dose steroid appears to be very unusual in HCC. We report a patient with hepatitis-C-related liver cirrhosis and HCC in whom tumor lysis syndrome occurred due to low-dose steroid (10 mg of prednisolone). The patient was a 90-year-old male who presented at the emergency room of our hospital with general weakness and poor oral intake. He had started to take prednisolone to treat adrenal insufficiency 2 days previously. Laboratory results revealed hyperuricemia, hyperphosphatemia, and increased creatinine. These abnormalities fulfilled the criteria in the Cairo-Bishop definition of tumor lysis syndrome. Although the patient received adequate hydration, severe metabolic acidosis and acute kidney injury progressed unabated. He finally developed multiple organ failure, and died 3 days after admission. This was a case of tumor lysis syndrome caused by administration of low-dose steroid in a patient with HCC.     

Diffuse Alveolar Hemorrhage as an Initial Presentation of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

Diffuse alveolar hemorrhage is a rare but fatal complication in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus. It has rarely been reported to occur as the initial presentation in lupus patients. We report a 55-year-old female Jehovah’s witness who presented with diffuse alveolar hemorrhage as the initial manifestation of systemic lupus erythematosus. She responded favorably to early intravenous pulse methylpredniso-lone and cyclophosphamide along with hemotherapy she accepted once over the course of her hospital stay. Initially, there was clinical improvement, but relapsing of her alveolar hemorrhage 15 days later. It is important to keep in mind that lupus patients can present initially with this lethal pulmonary complication. Early identification and initiation of therapy are crucial in order to affect survival of these patients.     

Combined therapy of transcatheter hepatic arterial embolization with intratumoral dendritic cell infusion for hepatocellular carcinoma: clinical safety

The curative treatments for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), including surgical resection and radiofrequency ablation (RFA), do not prevent tumour recurrence effectively. Dendritic cell (DC)-based immunotherapies are believed to contribute to the eradication of the residual and recurrent tumour cells. The current study was designed to assess the safety and bioactivity of DC infusion into tumour tissues following transcatheter hepatic arterial embolization (TAE) for patients with cirrhosis and HCC. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were differentiated into phenotypically confirmed DCs. Ten patients were administered autologous DCs through an arterial catheter during TAE treatment. Shortly thereafter, some HCC nodules were treated additionally to achieve the curative local therapeutic effects. There was no clinical or serological evidence of adverse events, including hepatic failure or autoimmune responses in any patients, in addition to those due to TAE. Following the infusion of (111)Indium-labelled DCs, DCs were detectable inside and around the HCC nodules for up to 17 days, and were associated with lymphocyte and monocyte infiltration. Interestingly, T lymphocyte responses were induced against peptides derived from the tumour antigens, Her-2/neu, MRP3, hTERT and AFP, 4 weeks after the infusion in some patients. The cumulative survival rates were not significantly changed by this strategy. These results demonstrate that transcatheter arterial DC infusion into tumour tissues following TAE treatment is feasible and safe for patients with cirrhosis and HCC. Furthermore, the antigen-non-specific, immature DC infusion may induce immune responses to unprimed tumour antigens, providing a plausible strategy to enhance tumour immunity.     

Non-surgical management of a ruptured posttraumatic pancreatic pseudocyst in a child

Generally speaking, isolated pancreatic injuries are rare after abdominal blunt trauma. However, the incidence of pancreatic injuries in children has risen in recent decades. Pancreatic pseudocyst represents a typical complication after acute pancreatitis due to blunt abdominal trauma. Spontaneous rupture of pseudocysts leading to acute abdominal pain has been described, however, it rarely occurs, especially in pediatric patients. We report the successful non-surgical management of a ruptured pancreatic pseudocyst in a 5-year-old girl which occurred 27 days after trauma. The traumatic acute pancreatitis was due to a handlebar injury.     

Hepatocellular carcinoma with extension to the diaphragm, falciform ligament, rectus abdominis and paraumbilical vein

Hepatocellular carcinoma is the most common primary tumour of the liver. The most common extrahepatic metastatic sites are the lung, lymph nodes, bones and adrenal glands. All forms of HCC demonstrate a tendency for vascular invasion, producing extensive intrahepatic metastases and, occasionally, portal vein or inferior vena cava extension with spread into the right atrium in extreme cases. Tumour spread of abdominal diseases via hepatic ligaments has also been previously reported. We report a rare case of hepatocellular carcinoma with extension into the falciform ligament, overlying rectus sheath and adjacent diaphragm with concomitant infiltration into the recanalised paraumbilical vein.     

Fatal splenic rupture in a pregnant woman with hemoglobin C/beta-thalassemia and myeloid metaplasia

Splenic rupture with intraperitoneal hemorrhage is a fatal condition that is rarely encountered during the third trimester of pregnancy; its pathogenetic mechanisms and causes are largely unknown. We report a case of splenic rupture in a pregnant woman that caused the death of the mother and child. The patient was a carrier of double heterozygosis for hemoglobin C/beta-thalassemia. Spleen and liver enlargement due to extramedullary hematopoiesis was found at autopsy. Our data suggest that rare and hidden hematologic disorders should be considered as possible causes of splenic enlargement and rupture during pregnancy.     

Hepatic and splenic rupture associated with severe preeclampsia: a case report

The splenic rupture is a rare complication of pregnancy and of the postpartum period. On the contrary, hepatic hemorrhage is a relatively common complication of pregnancy and it is usually associated with preeclampsia. In this work we report the case of a 37 year-old patient with a noncontrolled 35 week-pregnancy of simple, with severe preeclampsia. She presented abdominal pain, headache, hypertension and accented cutaneous-mucous paleness at the moment of admission to the hospital. During physical evaluation at admittance, the patient suddenly suffered a severe circulatory collapse and it was decided a surgical intervention. A segmental caesarean section was practiced, and during the abdominal exploration it was observed hemoperitoneous, a splenic rupture degree III and a hematoma in the anterolateral liver's wall. Total splenectomy and evacuation of the hepatic hematoma was performed. The splenic rupture and the hepatic subcapsular hematoma should be considered as a part of the differential diagnoses when a hemodynamic collapse occurs during labor in patients with severe preeclampsia. This work constitutes the first report in the Venezuelan literature of the association of splenic rupture, hepatic subcapsular hematoma and severe preeclampsia. An appropriate prenatal control, the knowledge of this association and an immediate therapeutic intervention are essential to assure the maternal-fetal survival.     

Metastatic hepatocellular carcinoma presenting as facial nerve palsy and facial pain

Facial nerve palsy due to temporal bone metastasis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has rarely been reported. We experienced a rare case of temporal bone metastasis of HCC that initially presented as facial nerve palsy and was diagnosed by surgical biopsy. This patient also discovered for the first time that he had chronic hepatitis B and C infections due to this facial nerve palsy. Radiation therapy greatly relieved the facial pain and facial nerve palsy. This report suggests that hepatologists should consider metastatic HCC as a rare but possible cause of new-onset cranial neuropathy in patients with chronic viral hepatitis.     

Sorafenib Induces Delayed-Onset Cutaneous Hypersensitivity: A Case Series

Sorafenib is an oral multikinase inhibitor with clinical activity against hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and renal cell carcinoma. Administration of sorafenib carries a variety of adverse cutaneous reactions. Common adverse effects induced by sorafenib include hand-foot skin reactions, facial erythema, splinter subungual hemorrhage, and alopecia. Although erythema multiforme (EM) related to sorafenib has been reported, delayed-type cutaneous hypersensitivity reactions are rare in patients treated with sorafenib and there has been no case of Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS) reported so far. We recently experienced 3 cases of delayed-type cutaneous hypersensitivity related to administration of sorafenib. The first case was a 47-year female had targetoid erythematous rashes on her arms 12 days after starting sorafenib for HCC. The rashes spread from the arms to the trunk rapidly except for the hands and feet, and erosive lesions developed in the oral mucosa and lips. She was diagnosed as SJS. The second case was an 81-year-old male had maculopapular eruptions with multiple targetoid lesions on the trunk, arms, and legs 10 days after starting sorafenib for his HCC. There was no evidence of mucosal involvement. He was diagnosed with EM. The last one was a 20-year-old female developed generalized maculopapular eruptions in the whole body 10 days after starting sorafenib for the treatment of HCC. All 3 patients completely recovered after discontinuation of sorafenib.     

Extensive endobronchial growth of metastatic hepatocellular carcinoma resulting in respiratory failure: A case report

Intrabronchial involvement by metastatic tumors from extrapulmonary primary sites is referred to as “endobronchial metastasis”, which is an uncommon mode of metastasis. Although various primary sites (for example, breast, colon, and kidney) have been reported previously, endobronchial metastasis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is rare. Here, we report a case of a 71-year-old woman with hepatitis C-related HCC, in whom respiratory failure due to bilateral endobronchial metastasis occurred. Notably, long tree-like tumor shadows reminiscent of the structure of the bronchial tree were observed in the bilateral lungs on computed tomography scan, and postmortem analysis clearly revealed metastatic HCC growing and spreading extensively in the lumina of the bronchi. This growth pattern is in sharp contrast to the ordinary endobronchial metastasis, which involves a relatively short segment of the unilateral bronchus. This is the first case report of bilateral and extensive spreading of endobronchial metastatic HCC, and this phenomenon should be considered as a cause of dyspnea in advanced HCC patients.     

An autopsy case of methanol induced intracranial hemorrhage

The major component of car washer fluid is a methanol. Intracranial hemorrhage is a rare but lethal complication in methanol poisoning. We report a case of massive bilateral basal ganglia hematoma in a 32-year-old man with methanol poisoning. He drank car washer solution twice time (about 500 ml), and was admitted to a territorial hospital 10 hours post-ingestion for depressed mental status, lower blood pressure, and high anion gap metabolic acidosis. Computed tomographic (CT) scan showed lesions in both putamen and cerebral deep white matter. Twenty-one days after methanol exposure, he suddenly developed cardiorespiratory arrest. In autopsy, external examination revealed moderate cerebral edema, but no evidence of herniation. Coronal sections of the brain showed softening and about 34 g hematoma in the bilateral putamen and 3rd ventricles. The toxic effect of methanol on the visual system has been noted in the absence of neurologic manifestations; however, there have also been a report of concomitant brain in Korea.