Hepaticojejunostomy in benign and malignant high bile duct stricture: approaches to the left hepatic ducts

Biliary-enteric anastomosis for relief of biliary obstruction caused by benign or malignant disease at the confluence of the bile ducts can be difficult. An approach by dissection at the confluence has to be performed directly into an area of scarring or at the site of a neoplastic lesion; exposure of an adequate duct for anastomosis is often difficult and may appear impossible. This paper describes an alternative approach to the hepatic ducts by dissection of the left hepatic ductal system. The method has been used with success in thirty-six patients.     

Unusual causes of benign biliary strictures with cholangiographic features of cholangiocarcinoma

Focal strictures occurring at the hepatic duct confluence, or within the common hepatic duct or common bile duct in patients without a history of prior surgery in that region or stone disease, are usually thought to represent cholangiocarcinoma until proved otherwise. However, not uncommonly, patients undergo surgical exploration for a preoperative diagnosis of cholangiocarcinoma, based on the cholangiographic appearance of the lesion, only to find histologically that the stricture was benign in nature. Despite sophisticated radiographic, endoscopic, and histologic studies, it is often impossible before laparotomy to distinguish malignant from benign strictures when they have the characteristic radiographic appearance of cholangiocarcinoma. Even at the risk of overtreating some benign cases, most agree that aggressive surgical resection is the treatment of choice, given the serious consequences resulting from a failure to diagnose and adequately treat cholangiocarcinoma. Four patients who presented to our institution between February 1991 and June 2000 underwent laparotomy for a preoperative diagnosis of biliary tract malignancy based on clinical presentation and cholangiographic findings. The final pathology report in all patients showed marked fibrosis and inflammation of the biliary duct without evidence of malignancy. A review of the patient data and the relevant literature identified benign causes of focal extrahepatic biliary strictures associated with concomitant disease processes in two of the four patients. We present these cases and discuss the benign etiologies with emphasis on the role of surgery in both diagnosis and treatment.     

Management of cavernous hemangioma of the liver

Cavernous hemangioma of the liver was diagnosed in 12 of 60 patients (20 percent) evaluated for surgery of neoplastic liver disease. All were female, from 29 to 77 years old. Six patients presented with abdominal pain and seven had taken estrogens. Indications for surgery included uncertain diagnosis, symptoms, large lesion greater than or equal to 6 cm, and hypoproliferative anemia. Three right lobectomies, one left lateral segmentectomy, one open biopsy, and one right trisegmentectomy were performed. There were no deaths, one subphrenic abscess, and one bile leak. The remaining seven patients were observed and at 2 to 6 years post operatively had followed a benign course. Resectional therapy may be considered for superficial large or symptomatic lesions in the appropriate patient, but most hepatic hemangiomas follow a benign course.     

Haemorrhage from smooth muscle tumours of the upper gastro-intestinal tract

Eight patients with haemorrhage from smooth muscle tumours of the upper gastro-intestinal tract were treated during a 10 year period from 1973 to 1982. Seven of the tumours were benign and one a malignant leiomyoblastoma. Seven tumours were sited in the stomach and there was one duodenal lesion. Endoscopy was performed in all eight cases and made the diagnosis definitively in four. In two cases the diagnosis was confirmed on barium meal and in the other two, diagnosis was eventually made at laparotomy. Two patients were shocked on admission and required emergency surgery. In one case a diameter greater than 10 cm suggested malignant potential and wide local resection was performed. In one other case with a tumour in the antrum, a distal partial gastrectomy was performed, and in the case with leiomyoblastoma a proximal gastrectomy was performed. One case was lost to follow-up. The mean follow-up in six cases free of disease with benign tumour was 2.6 years. The patient with a tumour of greater than 10 cm in diameter remains well at 18 months follow-up and the patient with a malignant leiomyoblastoma died 2 years after surgery.     

脾脏占位病变的诊断与治疗(附19例报告)

脾脏占位病变少见，本文报告１９例脾脏占位病变，其中良性病变１５例（脾囊肿３例、良性肿瘤５例、结核３例、脓肿４例），恶性肿瘤４例，均经手术及病理证实。因其临床表现无特异性，易漏诊、误诊，本组１９例仅５例术前获得确诊。治疗以手术为主，并配合相应的全身治疗。文内还就脾脏占位病变的病理类型及临床特点加以讨论。     

Colonic polypoid disease: need for total colonoscopy.

Colonoscopic examination of the entire colon was performed on 146 patients for radiographically suspected benign polypoid disease. Of thirty-six patients who did not have a neoplastic lesion at the suspected site, seven (19 per cent) had unsuspected small benign polypoid adenomas elsewhere in the colon. Of the remaining 110 patients who had a neoplastic lesion at the radiographically suspected site, 17 lesions (15 per cent) were either adenocarcinomas or neoplastic polyps with invasive carcinoma. One hundred twenty-eight additional unsuspected neoplastic polyps were found in 62 of the 110 patients (56 per cent). Six of the additional neoplastic lesions were either adenocarcinomas or polyps with invasive carcinoma. Four of these malignant lesions were in patients who had a benign polyp at the radiographically suspected site. Suspected colonic polypoid disease should be evaluated colonoscopically despite radiographic evidence of benignity. Colonoscopic evaluation in colonic polypoid disease should include examination of the entire colon with pathologic documentation of all polypoid lesions encountered.     

Benign fibrosing disease at the hepatic confluence mimicking Klatskin tumors.

BACKGROUND. Hilar obstructions remain a challenge with regard to diagnosis and treatment. METHODS. In the period from 1984 to 1990, 82 patients underwent resective surgery under the presumptive diagnosis of hilar cholangiocarcinoma (Klatskin tumor). The diagnosis was based on the combined appearances on direct cholangiography and ultrasonography in all cases, with the use of various other imaging modalities in some cases. RESULTS. The perioperative findings from an experienced surgical team were usually thought to be compatible with bile duct carcinoma. However, histologic examination of the resected specimens revealed benign fibrosing or localized sclerosing lesions in 11 patients (13.4%). CONCLUSIONS. The current state of diagnostic imaging fails as yet to discriminate reliably between benign and malignant hilar lesions. Whereas the immediate therapeutic consequences may be equal (resection followed by hepaticojejunostomy), the late consequences differ in a major way because benign disease has a much better prognosis. In the presence of suspicious hilar obstruction, operable lesions should not be treated by "palliative" intubational techniques and radiation therapy without a firm diagnosis of malignancy. However, overtreatment (extended liver resection, vascular reconstruction, and liver transplantation) should be avoided as well when a benign lesion has not been ruled out.     

Mucin secreting cystic lesions of the pancreas: treatment by enucleation

Ninety per cent of pancreatic cysts are inflammatory pseudocysts. The other 10 per cent are congenital or neoplastic and include congenital true cysts, retention cysts, lymphoepithelial cysts, the mucinous cystadenoma, mucinous cystadenocarcinoma, and serous microcystic cystadenomas and the more recently described intraductal papillary mucin-secreting neoplasms. The advent of computerized tomographic scanning, endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP), and endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS) has brought many of these lesions to light when they are minimally symptomatic or are incidentally found while investigating unrelated problems. If there is any suspicion of actual or potentially malignant disease, then total excision of the lesion with part of or the entire pancreas is indicated to achieve a likely cure, as survival is better than for the more common ductal adenocarcinomas. There are few reliable preoperative studies to distinguish accurately the etiology and prognosis of this spectrum of cystic lesions, and usually the actual diagnosis is made only at the time of operation or histopathologic examination after the cystic lesion has been biopsied or excised. If a cyst is confirmed to be totally benign, as in the congenital true cyst, lymphoepithelial cyst, or a benign mucinous cyst, they may lend themselves to nonoperative observation or excision without sacrifice of pancreatic parenchyma. However, many mucin-producing cystic lesions may evolve into a dysplastic or invasive malignant lesion requiring more aggressive resective treatment, and it is important not to miss that diagnosis early when cure is still possible. This report presents four benign mucin-secreting cysts treated by local excision. All four were in the head of the pancreas and communicated with the main pancreatic duct and lacked ovarian-type stroma, thus categorizing them as side-branch intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms. These lesions were able to be easily dissected out of the pancreas with only one patient developing a transient pancreatic fistula. Intraoperative and final histopathology confirmed the benign status, and these patients have remained disease free 3 to 5 years postoperatively. A review of benign tumors reported to have been treated by cyst enucleation in the literature confirms the rationale of this approach in highly selected lesions.     

电子纤维食管镜在食管良性疾病电视胸腔镜手术中的作用

目的：探讨电子纤维食管镜在电视胸腔镜手术治疗食管良性疾病操作中的作用。方法：对38例食管良性疾病患者行电视胸腔镜手术,术中使用电子纤维食管镜协助,进行病变定位、肿物剥离、病变切除及保护食管粘膜等操作。结果：36例患者手术经过顺利,术后恢复平稳,无食管胸膜瘘等严重手术并发及手术死亡病例;2例患者因病情需要中转开胸。结论：在采用电视胸腔镜手术治疗食管良性疾病过程中,合理应用电子纤维食管镜可使手术操作更加准确、安全、可靠、便捷。     

Tumors of the ribs: experience with 47 cases.

OBJECTIVES: To emphasise the existing difficulties in differentiating benign from malignant rib tumours, and especially the problems that a clinical doctor encounters when dealing with a hyperplastic rib. METHODS: Forty-seven patients with rib tumour underwent surgery in a period of 12 years (1984-1996). In 40 cases (85%), the lesion was benign and in seven (15%) was malignant. Twenty-one benign tumours originated from cartilage and bone, seven were inflammatory, six originated from the bone marrow, and minor percentages (2.5-5%) had vascular, neurogenous, degenerative or miscellaneous origin. Three of the malignant tumours were primary chondrosarcomas and two were metastatic from kidney. The rest were metastatic from stomach (adeno-Ca), and skin (melanoma). The mean age in the benign group was 25.2 years and in the primary malignant group was 20.7 years. Related symptoms were pain (47%) and swelling (42.5%). One-third (32%) of the patients were asymptomatic and the lesion was accidentally found during routine chest radiography. All patients were treated surgically with wide excision of the tumour and the diagnosis was established histologically. RESULTS: Resection was complete and curative in all cases without recurrence. CONCLUSIONS: Since the likelihood of malignancy cannot be excluded, all rib tumours should be considered malignant until proven otherwise. Therefore, prompt intervention is necessary and wide and radical initial excision of the involved rib is advocated.     

Focal Osseous Dysplasia

Focal osseous dysplasia (FOD) is one of the benign fibro-osseous lesions of the jaw bones and the most commonly occuring benign fibro-osseous lesion. This entity occurs more commonly in females and has a predilection for African Americans. Radiographically, the lesion has a variable appearance depending on the duration but may appear as a radiolucent to radiopaque lesion that can be well to poorly defined. Hisotologically, when biopsied, there are fragments of bony trabeculae intermixed with fibrous stroma with incomplete stromal vasculature. The main differential diagnosis is with ossifying fibroma, which is neoplastic while FOD is considered a reactive process. Most patients with FOD may be followed clinically without surgical intervention.     

Idiopathic massive osteolysis of skull bone: a case report

A rare case of idiopathic massive osteolysis of the skull is reported. A 49 year-old male was admitted with a diagnosis of a skull tumor. The skull film taken for evaluation of the headache, showed a large lytic lesion with irregular margin in the left parietal area. CT showed that some of the bone had been destroyed, but the underlying brain was normal. Technetium 99m-MDP bone scan showed high activity around the margin of the lytic lesion. During surgery for this bone lesion no neoplastic or inflammatory changes were revealed. However, destruction of the bone without new bone formation could be seen. Idiopathic massive osteolysis of skull bone is extremely rare and the authors could find only 6 reported cases in the literature. It is characterized by the spontaneous onset of bone resorption without known causative factors. This destructive process continues for years until eventually it ceases spontaneously. In the case of skull lesion, there seems to be no need for surgery unless both the inner and outer tables are involved. This disease must be included in the differential diagnosis of lytic skull lesion.     

乳管内乳头状病变的临床分析：附1?211例报告

目的：探讨乳管内乳头状病变的临床病理特征及诊断方法。 方法：采用回顾性方法,对1?211例不同类型乳管内乳头状病变的年龄分布、乳头溢液与乳房肿块情况、病理及影像学检查结果进行分析。 结果：1?211例患者中,乳头状瘤874例,乳头状瘤病231例,乳头状癌106例;恶性病变患者平均年龄大于良性病变患者（P<0.01）,31~50岁为乳头状瘤及乳头状瘤病的高发年龄;16.0%患者有乳腺疾病手术史,乳头状瘤病患者中先后多次手术及同时双侧手术者明显多于乳头状瘤与乳头状癌患者（P<0.05）;67.8%患者有不同性质的乳头溢液,乳头状癌患者中溢液病例少于良性病变患者,但血性溢液明显多于良性病变患者（P<0.05）;约80%的良性病变术中可见肿块,恶性者术中均可见肿块,乳头状瘤病患者中伴有中-重不典型增生者明显多于乳头状瘤（P<0.05）,肿块>1.0 cm时常伴有中-重不典型增生,乳头状癌患者肿块平均最大径（1.93±0.78）cm;导管造影及导管镜检查对良性病变诊断的准确率高于彩色B超和钼靶（P<0.05）。 结论：不同类型乳管内乳头状病变有一些共同表现,也有各自特征,掌握这些特征有利于临床正确诊断及合理的治疗。     

Differential diagnosis of occult primary malignant melanoma]

Controversy exists in literature about therapy and prognosis of malignant melanoma of unknown primary site. We investigated frequency, differential diagnosis and follow-up of patients with occult primary malignant melanoma treated at the University of Leipzig in 1996. Among 135 patients with malignant melanoma (MM) seven were found without known primary. In two of seven cases the medical history pointed to regression of primary lesion of skin. In another two cases the diagnosis "melanoma" was changed to "lung cancer" after autopsy and in one case there was a relationship to a naevus blue resected nine months before. Recurrences or metastases occurred within six months after therapy. Two patients are still alive free of disease after a follow up of 33 and 24 months. Five patients died from tumor progression between 2 to 14 months postoperatively. Pitfalls in differential diagnosis and ways to find out the primary are discussed. Patients with unknown primary malignant melanoma should be treated similar to those with known primary. Radical surgery is indicated because it's impossible to determine the prognosis of patients with unknown primary malignant melanoma.     

放大肠镜在结直肠肿瘤样病变诊断治疗中的应用价值

目的 探讨应用放大肠镜诊断结直肠肿瘤样病变及指导治疗的价值。方法 用放大肠镜对61例结直肠肿瘤患者的78个病灶进行了染色后的放大观察，按工藤分型进行了腺管开口类型诊断；同步进行镜下摘除或手术切除后，将放大肠镜诊断结果与组织病理诊断结果相比较，分析其一致性。结果（1）依据放大肠镜所见，诊断腺瘤等肿瘤性病变，总体符合率为96.2％，敏感性98.4％，特异性85.7％；（2）依据放大肠镜的诊断，对70个（89.7％）良性病变进行了同步微创治疗；（3）结合放大观察的肠镜检查，为决定其他8个病灶的治疗方案提供了重要依据。结论 放大电子肠镜诊断结直肠肿瘤样病变及时、准确，利用它可以同步完成病变的微创治疗。     

Primary cancers of the gallbladder. Apropos of a homogeneous series of 75 cases

Seventy-five cases of primary carcinoma of the gallbladder are reviewed retrospectively under observation of a fifteen year period, representing 2.4 per cent of the number of biliary tract surgery performed during the same period. The majority of the patients presented with advanced disease with extension and metastases to the liver (56%) and to the adjacent organs (53.3%) and to the lymph nodes along the common bile duct (21.3%). Eleven patients had localized disease at the time of the operation; they were treated with cholecystectomy. Eight patients had clinically inapparent carcinoma at the time of the cholecystectomy; the diagnosis being established post-operatively by histologic examination of the excised gallbladder. There were no five years survivors in this second group of patients, but five of them are one year survival (62.5%) and one is still alive three years and six months after surgery. The remaining patients with inapparent carcinoma died within three years of the time of the operation. The present report emphasize the poor prognosis associated with carcinoma of the gallbladder and the presence of gallstones. Carcinoma of the gallbladder in our experience has proved curable only when accidentally discovered at cholecystectomy for presumed benign biliary tract disease. This fact plus the frequent and serious non neoplastic complications of neglected gallstones are strong indications for early elective cholecystectomy and extended resection may improve the survival rate.     

Surgical management of symptomatic simple hepatic cysts

The authors present three cases of symptomatic, large, benign, nonparasitic hepatic cysts. The diagnosis was determined by US and CT scan, the latter enabling differential diagnosis with neoplastic or hydatid cysts. All patients were treated with open hepatic resection. In 2 cases, laparoscopy was performed to enable complete diagnosis. The authors used LigaSure? (Covidien, USA) instrument, avoiding bleeding complications and reducing surgery time. Histological examination confirmed the diagnosis of benign cysts. CT follow-up at 6 months and 1 year demonstrated the efficacy of the surgery, with no recurrences.     

Surgical treatment of adrenal metastasis from renal cell carcinoma: a single-centre experience of 45 patients

OBJECTIVE: To report, in a retrospective study, the diagnostic problems and oncological results of surgery in patients with either synchronous or metachronous adrenal metastasis, which are uncommon in renal cancer, at 2-10% of patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Of 1179 patients treated for renal cancer between 1987 and 2003, 914 had renal surgery with concomitant ipsilateral adrenalectomy (routinely in 875 and for abnormal findings on computed tomography, CT, in 39) and 15 contralateral adrenalectomy (all after suspicious findings on CT). During the follow-up after renal surgery, another 14 patients had adrenalectomy for CT evidence of an abnormal adrenal gland, contralateral to the previous renal tumour in 12 and bilaterally in two. RESULTS: Of 914 ipsilateral adrenal glands removed during renal surgery, 854 (93.5%) were normal on pathological examination, 28 (3%) had a benign pathology, six (0.8%) were directly infiltrated by the tumour and 26 (2.7%) were metastatic. For both benign and metastatic ipsilateral adrenal pathology, CT had sensitivity, specificity and positive/negative predictive values of 47%, 99%, 73% and 96%, respectively. Of 29 contralateral glands removed because of suspicious CT findings (15 at diagnosis of renal cancer, 14 during the follow-up) there was no abnormality in one (3.4%), a benign pathology in seven (24%) and a metastasis in 21 (72%). Thus there were 32 synchronous (incidence 2.7%; ipsilateral to the renal tumour in 24, contralateral in six and bilateral in two), and 13 metachronous adrenal metastases (incidence 1.0%; contralateral in 11 and bilateral in two). The metachronous metastases were diagnosed at a mean (range) interval of 30.6 (8-73) months after renal surgery. No ipsilateral adrenal metastases were discovered at diagnosis or during the follow-up in the 382 patients with an organ-confined renal tumour of <4 cm in diameter. Twenty-seven patients with an isolated adrenal metastasis (synchronous in 14, metachronous in 13) had statistically significantly (P < 0.001) better survival than the 18 (all synchronous) with multiple sites of metastatic disease. In particular, there was long-term survival (mean 83 months) in 10 patients with an isolated adrenal metastasis. CONCLUSION: Sparing the ipsilateral adrenal is advisable only for organ-confined renal tumours of <4 cm in diameter; clinical local staging of renal cancer is the best predictor of the risk of adrenal metastasis. Conversely, CT had good diagnostic ability for the contralateral adrenal gland, especially during the follow-up. Some patients with isolated adrenal metastasis could be treated by metastasectomy, with long-term survival free of disease and confirming that, even if in a few and unselectable patients, removing all the neoplastic bulk can be curative. Nevertheless, the high rate of relapse underlines the need for an effective systemic therapy, and more so for widespread metastatic disease that currently cannot be cured.     

Dissecting leiomyomas of the uterus other than cotyledonoid dissecting leiomyomas: a report of eight cases.

We report eight cases of benign uterine smooth muscle neoplasms with unusual growth patterns and intramural dissection. All the patients in our series were of reproductive age or perimenopausal (range, 36-51 years) and had an enlarged uterus or a pelvic mass, with the exception of one lesion that was found incidentally in a patient treated for uterine prolapse. Three also had abnormal uterine bleeding. On gross examination, the lesions had an unusual appearance and were often lobulated and irregular with indistinct margins. On microscopic examination of all the lesions in this study, a dominant benign smooth muscle tumor was associated with intramural dissection of the myometrium by fascicles of neoplastic smooth muscle. Of the eight cases showing intramural dissection, four were intramural dissecting leiomyomas; three were examples of intravenous leiomyomatosis; and one was a multinodular leiomyoma with hydropic degeneration. We excluded cotyledonoid dissecting leiomyomas from the study. In two of the three cases of intravenous leiomyomatosis, extrauterine extensions in continuity with the intramural components were noted at surgery and on gross examination. Intramural dissection of the myometrium by a benign smooth muscle tumor is one additional possibility to be considered in the differential diagnosis of leiomyosarcoma and low-grade stromal sarcoma.     

Benign fibrous histiocytoma of bone

The cases of seven patients who had a lytic lesion that was histologically similar to a metaphyseal fibrous defect (non-ossifying fibroma) of bone were studied. The patients all were adults and had pain without a fracture. These features were considered distinctive for the lesion, which has the same histological appearance as benign fibrous histiocytoma of soft tissue. The lesion is a benign tumor with fibroblastic and histiocytic differentiation. This picture may be seen in foci in other lesions of bone (aneurysmal bone cyst, fibrous dysplasia, and giant-cell tumor). Ten cases of giant-cell tumor of bone that had a large component of the same foci were also reviewed. It should be emphasized that these areas are secondary reactive tissue rather than the true neoplastic tissue of benign fibrous histiocytoma.