Should the extrahepatic bile duct be resected for locally advanced gallbladder cancer?

BACKGROUND: The incidence and mode of spread of carcinoma of the gallbladder into the hepatoduodenal ligament have not been well described pathologically for gallbladder carcinoma extending into the subserosa and beyond. METHODS: Between 1985 and 2002, 50 consecutive patients with gallbladder carcinoma extending into the subserosa or beyond underwent radical surgery, including extrahepatic bile duct resection. Serial sections of specimens of the resected extrahepatic bile ducts were examined to determine the incidence and the pattern of invasion of the hepatoduodenal ligament from the primary cancer. RESULTS: Invasion of the hepatoduodenal ligament was present in 30 of the 50 specimens. Of these, 9 showed direct extramural spread (type I), 4 showed continuous intramural spread (type II), 5 showed distant spread separated from the primary tumor (type III), and 4 showed spread of cancer cells from metastatic lymph nodes (type IV). The remaining 8 patients had more than 1 type: 1 patient had types I + III; 3 had types I + III + IV; and 4 had types III+IV. Invasion of the hepatoduodenal ligament was present in 24 of 44 patients without preoperative obstructive jaundice and in 2 of 13 patients with stage IB disease. Patients with types II, III, and IV spread into the hepatoduodenal ligament had significantly better survival than those with type I spread. CONCLUSIONS: Gallbladder carcinoma extending into the subserosa or beyond invades the hepatoduodenal ligament with relatively high frequency. Preoperative diagnosis of this invasion is difficult; therefore, strong consideration should be given to resection of the extrahepatic bile ducts and lymph nodes.     

Cholecystectomy after endoscopic sphincterotomy for common bile duct stones: is surgery necessary?

It has been more than 30 years since the introduction of endoscopic sphincterotomy for the management of choledocholithiasis. Once introduced, this endoscopic intervention subsequently enabled clinicians to witness the natural history of leaving the gallbladder in situ once the common duct calculi were removed. Because many people were free of symptoms once the common bile duct was cleared of stones, patients and physicians alike soon questioned whether it was necessary to remove the gallbladder at all. Despite more than two decades of clinical research and numerous published reports, the answer to this question remains elusive. Similarly, the management algorithm for choledocholithiasis in patients with an intact gallbladder remains controversial. We review the available key data regarding this question. Importantly, there are only three prospective, randomized trials that have examined the need for cholecystectomy after endoscopic sphincterotomy, with case studies constituting most of the published reports. Consequently, the literature on this topic remains inconclusive, weakened by its retrospective approach, considerable variability between the patients studied, inconsistent inclusion and exclusion criteria, and frequently poor patient follow-up. Nonetheless, the preponderance of data favor removing the gallbladder after endoscopically clearing the common bile duct of gallstones because an estimated 25% of patients will experience recurrent symptoms within a 2-year follow up period. Recognizing the existence of various mitigating clinical factors, we advocate adopting a selective wait-and-see approach for high-risk patients, especially those with a life expectancy of less than 2 years or severely debilitating comorbidities.     

Operations for extrahepatic bile duct cancers: are the results really improving?

OBJECTIVE: To find out if our results for the treatment of extrahepatic bile duct cancer have improved we reviewed our latest patients as a comparison to a previously reported series from this department. DESIGN: Retrospective study. SETTING: Tertiary referral centre, Sweden. SUBJECTS: 102 patients who presented with extrahepatic bile duct cancer 1979-1995. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Morbidity, mortality, and short and long term survival. RESULTS: 16 patients had various types of resection, which were radical in 14 according to the surgeon and in 10 according to the pathologist. One patient (6%) died in hospital, and 1 (44%) developed complications. 13 patients had other operations that did not involve resection, 23 had laparotomy alone, 61 had biliary drainage either by percutaneous transhepatic cholangiography (PTC) or endoscopy, and 10 had no active treatment. One patient of the 16 (6%) who had resections has survived for more than five years and another one is still alive after 40 months. CONCLUSION: Long term survival has not improved for patients with extrahepatic bile duct cancer in our hospital during the last decades.     

Surgical resection of unilateral lung metastases: is bilateral thoracotomy necessary?

urgical resection of lung mestastases is routine procedure for selected patients with pulmonary nodules and solid tumors. In some cases, patients present with unilateral pulmonary metastases amenable to surgical resection. Surgeons are still divided between unilateral approach directed to the radiologically detected nodules, or bilateral exploratory thoracotomy. This study evaluates the need for bilateral thoracotomy in patients diagnosed with unilateral lung metastases. A retrospective evaluation was made of a prospective database from a single institution (1990–1997) of all consecutive patients (n = 267) diagnosed on admission with unilateral (n = 179) or bilateral (n= 88) lung nodules. Ipsilateral thoracotomy was performed on all patients with unilateral disease. Bilateral thoracotomy was performed on all patients with bilateral lung metastases. Histology: adenocarcinoma (25%), osteosarcoma (23%), squamous cell carcinoma (18%), soft-tissue sarcoma (18%), and other (16%). Median follow-up was 17 months. Contralateral disease-free survival and overall survival were determined. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to determine prognostic factors for overall and contralateral disease-free survival. The two groups of patients with confirmed bilateral metastases (synchronous or metachronous) were compared. Actuarial overall 5-year survival was 34.9%. Contralateral recurrence-free 6-month, 12-month, and 5-year survival were 95%, 89%, and 78%, respectively. Patients who experienced recurrence in the contralateral lung within 3, 6, or 12 months had an overall 5-year survival rate of 24%, 30%, and 37%, respectively. When patients with recurrence in the contralateral lung were compared to patients with bilateral metastases on admission, there was no significant difference in overall survival. Only histology and the number of pathologically proven metastases significantly (p <0.05) predicted recurrence in the contralateral lung. Bilateral exploration of unilateral lung metastases is not warranted in all cases. Most patients will have only unilateral disease, and delaying contralateral thoracotomy until disease is detected radiologically does not appear to affect outcome.     

Positive intraoperative cholangiography during laparoscopic cholecystectomy: is laparoscopic common bile duct exploration necessary?

The treatment of choledocholithiasis discovered incidentally during laparoscopic cholecystectomy is not yet standardized. Options include laparoscopic common bile duct exploration (LCBDE), postoperative endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography with endoscopic sphincterotomy (ERCP-ES), and no intervention. We undertook a review of our case series to determine whether LCBDE is obligatory and which LCBDE method is unsuccessful. During the 6-year study period, 91 patients with choledocholithiasis were identified. Fifty-six patients (62%) underwent LCBDE. Thirteen (23%) of these 56 patients subsequently required ERCP. Balloon sweeping of the common bile duct failed in 10 of 21 patients (48% failure) compared to any other combination of techniques with a failure rate of 1/33 (3%; P < 0.001). Two patients did not undergo complete duct exploration because of technical problems. Thirty-five patients (38%) did not undergo LCBDE. Nine of these patients (26%) did not have ERCP-ES. None of the patients who underwent postoperative ERCP-ES required additional procedures or surgery. LCBDE can successfully treat common bile duct stones, with minimal to no morbidity, but is not mandatory for safely treating choledocholithiasis. Additionally, advanced techniques for clearing the common bile duct are more successful. Surgeons should be proficient at performing these techniques.     

T4 colorectal cancer: is laparoscopic resection contraindicated?

Aim T4 colorectal cancer remains a contraindication for laparoscopy. It is argued that the risk of incomplete resection could be higher than in open surgery. Furthermore, difficulty in dissection could lead to a very high rate of conversion. There is little information on this. The study aimed at assessing feasibility and operative and oncologic results of laparoscopic resection for T4 colorectal cancer. Method Between 2006 and 2009, 39 patients with colorectal cancer with suspected involvement of another organ (T4) on computed tomography scanning and/or magnetic resonance imaging were included. The cancers were in the right colon (n = 18), left colon (n = 9) and rectum (n = 12). The distribution of possible organ involvement was abdominal or pelvic side‐wall (n = 21), urinary bladder (n = 4), small bowel or colon (n = 6), vagina and ovary (n = 3), prostate or seminal vesicles (n = 3) and duodenum (n = 2). Results The overall conversion rate was 18%. Postoperative mortality and morbidity were 2.5 and 33%, respectively. Clinical anastomotic leakage rate was 15% (n = 6). Abdominal reoperation was required in three (7%) patients. Pathological invasion to other organs (pT4) was confirmed in 30 (77%) patients. The R1 resection rate was 13% (4 of 30). After a median follow up of 19 months (range 1.5–45 months), the overall survival and disease‐free survival rates were 97 and 89%, respectively. Conclusion This study suggests that laparoscopic surgery is feasible for colorectal T4 cancer resection. Laparoscopy cannot therefore be considered an absolute contraindication for T4 colorectal cancer.     

Informed consent: is it always necessary?

Informed consent plays a pivotal role in human clinical research. It serves as a marker for the subject's comprehension of all the pertinent elements of the study. It is also a pledge by the investigator that during the trial, the rights and safety of the subject will be protected. Informed consent attempts to ensure that ethical behaviour will be upheld throughout the study. However, obtaining informed consent from certain vulnerable populations is a challenge, and thus warrants improvement. While informed consent is mandated for almost all clinical trial involving human subjects, there are situations of emergency research and trials with minimal risk that call for a waiver of the consent.     

The clinical significance of bile duct sludge: is it different from bile duct stones?

Background Some patients with suspected common bile duct (CBD) stones are found to have sludge and no stones. Although sludge in the gallbladder is a precursor of gallbladder stones, the significance of bile duct sludge (BDS) is poorly defined. This study aimed to compare BDS with bile duct stones in terms of frequency, associated risk factors, and clinical outcome after endoscopic therapy. Methods The study enrolled 228 patients who underwent therapeutic endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) for suspected choledocholithiasis. The patients were divided into two groups: patients with BDS but no stones on ERCP and patients with CBD stones. The presence of risk factors for bile duct stones (age, periampullary diverticulum, ductal dilation or angulation, previous open cholecystectomy) were assessed at ERCP. Follow-up data (36 ± 19 months) were obtained from medical records and by patient questioning. Results Bile duct sludge occurred in 14% (31/228) of patients and was more common in females. After endoscopic clearance, CBD stones recurred in 17% (33/197) of the patients with CBD stones, and in 16% (5/31) of the patients with BDS (p = 0.99). Common bile duct dilation was less common in the sludge group. The other known risk factors for recurrent CBD stones (age, previous open cholecystectomy, bile duct angulation, and the presence of a peripampullary diverticulum) were not statistically different between the two groups. Conclusions The findings indicate that the clinical significance of symptomatic BDS is similar to that of CBD stones. Bile duct sludge seems to be an early stage of choledocholithiasis. D. Keizman and M. Ish-Shalom have equally contributed to this study     

Surgical resection for gastric cancer in elderly patients: is there a difference in outcome?

BACKGROUND: Early and long-term outcome of gastrectomy for gastric cancer in elderly adults has been a subject of controversy and debate. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Clinical information was reviewed for patients undergoing gastrectomy for gastric cancer during an 11-year period (1990-2000) at the University of Tennessee Medical Center at Knoxville. Patient demographics, tumor characteristics, operative mortality and morbidity, survival, and length of hospitalization were reviewed. RESULTS: Of 48 patients who underwent gastric resection for gastric adenocarcinoma, 24 were older than 70 and 24 younger than 70. There were no differences between the two groups regarding tumor characteristics, including location, tumor size, grade, gross pathology, lymph node involvement, lymphovascular invasion, and stage. In the elderly group, 75% underwent subtotal gastrectomy and 25% had total gastrectomy with or without resection of adjacent organs. In the younger patients, these numbers were 66.6% and 33.3%, respectively, which was statistically insignificant (P = 0.5). Five-year survival was 16.6% among elderly patients compared to 20.8% in the younger patients (P = 0.45). Half of the elderly patients and 39% of young patients had other comorbidities (P = 0.45). Postoperative mortality and morbidity was 8.33% and 33.3% in elderly patients, compared to 4.2% and 33.3%, respectively, in the younger group. These results were statistically insignificant (P = 0.4). The median postoperative length of stay was 15 days (95 percent confidence interval, 11-19 days) in younger patients compared to 18 days (95 percent confidence interval, 13-22 days) in the elderly group (P = 0.3). CONCLUSION: This study suggests that gastrectomy can be carried out safely in elderly patients. The early and long-term outcomes in elderly patients (over age 70) are comparable to younger patients (under age 70). Age alone should not preclude gastric resection in elderly patients.     

Relatively non-curative resection for lung cancer: is this a complete resection?

A superior outcome is observed for cases of curative resection compared with that of non-curative resection. The Japan Lung Cancer Society revised "General Rule for Clinical and Pathological Record of Lung Cancer" in 1999 and relatively non-curative resection (RNCR) of former rule was categorized as complete resection. The reason and the countermeasure of RNCR for lung cancer were analyzed. During 11 years, 242 patients with primary non-small cell lung cancer were surgically treated in Showa University Hospital. One hundred patients underwent absolutely curative resection (ACR); 64, relatively curative resection (RCR); 55, RNCR; 23, absolutely non-curative resection (ANCR). Three-year survival was 90% for patients with ACR, 48% with RCR, 21% with RNCR, and 13% with ANCR. The cases for RNCR were defined as follows: RNCR-a) incomplete mediastinal lymph node dissection (n = 29), RNCR-b) partial resection of the lung without lymph nodes dissection (n = 5), RNCR-c) N 2 b metastasis (n = 14), RNCR-d) N 3 lymph node dissection with N 3 metastasis (n = 0), RNCR-e) metastasis in other lobes of the ipsilateral thoracic cage (n = 7). RNCR-a) was selected in the poor risk patients who were diagnosed as clinical N 0 or N 1. Only one out of the 29 patients was diagnosed as pathological N 2 after surgery with hilar and mediastinal lymph node sampling. Because of the excellent preoperative staging, only RNCR-a) had three year survivors among RNCR cases and the three year survival rate was 39%. RNCR-b) was selected in the severe risk patients who were diagnosed as clinical N 0. There was no death associated with complication in RNCR-b) group. Some cases of RNCR-c) (pathological N 2 b) were clinical N 0 or N 1 and there was a limitation of the preoperative clinical staging. However, some cases of the clinical N 2 were surgically treated with chemo-radiotherapy and were resulted as RNCR-c). The concepts between curative resectability and complete resectability are different and RNCR-b), c), and e) should not include the curative resection because of the poor prognosis.     

Surgical repair after bile duct and vascular injuries during laparoscopic cholecystectomy: when and how?

Recent collective reviews have outlined when and how surgeons should treat patients with bile duct injuries after laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC). However, little is described about other injuries combined with bile duct injuries, for example, hepatic arterial injury and secondary biliary cirrhosis. Fifteen patients with bile duct injuries following LC were referred and surgically treated from 1990 to 1998 in our institution. We report how patients with hepatic arterial injury combined with bile duct injuries during LC were treated. The present study also reports unusual complicated situations: one patient with biliary cirrhosis referred 4 years after LC, another treated with internal biliary metallic stent referred 2.5 years after LC, and another with isolated right hepatic ductal injury. Short- and long-term surgical outcomes after biliary repair were compared between simply referred patients and those with complicated history. Patients who were referred several years after LC and who were referred after primary hepaticojejunostomy were included with patients with complicated history (n= 4, group B), and the other patients were included with patients with simple history (n= 11, group A). Simultaneous right hepatic arterial occlusion was observed in 3 of these 15 patients, and arterial reconstruction was performed in 2 of the 3 patients in addition to biliary reconstruction. No postoperative complication occurred in these three patients. The patient with isolated injury of the right hepatic duct and the other with biliary cirrhosis were successfully treated with hepaticojejunostomy. The other patient treated with biliary stent underwent hepaticojejunostomy but a second operation was required because of later stenosis. Mean hospital stay was significantly longer in group B (30.3 ± 6.9 days) than in group A (18.5 ± 2.5 days, p< 0.05). Rehospitalization was more frequent in group B than in group A (p < 0.01). However, long-term outcome was successful in both groups. The present results showed that arterial reconstruction should be performed when the distal right hepatic artery can be exposed and reconstructed, and suggested that patients with bile duct injuries during LC should be immediately referred to surgical institutions in which surgeons have adequate experience of bile duct repair and hepatic arterial reconstruction.     

Interlocking nail for femoral shaft fractures: is dynamization always necessary?

A series of 179 closed femoral fractures treated by static interlocking nailing (Grosse-Kempf nail) was reviewed to evaluate the effect of dynamization on the time to bony union. In 75 patients, dynamization was performed whereas in 104 the implant was left static. Union occurred in 178 patients. We observed one infection. Time to union was significantly shorter in the static group (103 days) compared to the dynamized group (126 days).

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Résumé Une série de 179 fractures fémorales fermées traitées par enclouage verrouillé centro-médullaire statique (clou de Grosse-Kempf) a été examinée pour évaluer leffet de la dynamisation sur le temps de consolidation osseuse. Chez 75 malades la dynamisation a été exécuté, alors que pour 104 limplant était laissé statique. La consolidation sest effectuée chez 178 malades. Nous avons observé une infection. Le temps de consolidation était significativement plus court dans le groupe statique (103 jours) comparé au groupe dynamisé (126 jours).