Stepladder dorsal metacarpal flaps for dorsal finger and hand reconstruction.

The authors demonstrate successful cases of stepladder dorsal metacarpal V-Y advancement and rotation-advancement flaps for reconstructing defects on the dorsum of the finger and hand. One side of the flap is designed in a multilobed shape, and each lobed flap is designed on the dorsum of adjacent fingers. These flaps are supplied by dorsal metacarpal vessels. Consequently, this method has the elements of the stepped incision technique, in combination with the V-Y and rotation-advancement principle. All flaps survived completely. This technique may be a useful option for reconstruction of defects of the dorsum of the finger and hand.     

Unit approach for vermilion repair in unilateral cleft surgery

In conventional unilateral cleft lip surgery the suture line proceeds from the philtral ridge to the vermilion in succession. However, when observed carefully, in a noncleft upper lip the existence of a whitish vertical line in the midline of the vermilion can be seen. Therefore we consider that the vermilion can be separated by the midline into two subunits. On the basis of this unit principle we placed the suture line in the vermilion at the midline in the repair of the unilateral cleft lip. This method has been performed in 14 cases of unilateral cleft lip since February 1994. The postoperative follow-up period ranges from 4 months to 7 years and 2 months. The suture line appears to almost correspond to the vertical line at the midline of the noncleft vermilion, thus resulting in a natural contour. Although the number of cases is still small, and the follow-up period is not long enough to draw positive conclusions, unilateral cleft lip surgery according to the unit principle is considered useful in making the scarring less conspicuous.     

Diverticulitis Causing a High Serum Level of Carbohydrate Antigen 19-9: Report of a Case

We report herein a rare case of diverticulitis causing a high serum level of carbohydrate antigen (CA) 19-9. A 52-year-old man was admitted to our hospital with lower abdominal pain. Laboratory data showed evidence of inflammation and a high serum level of CA 19-9 (370 U/ml). Computed tomography demonstrated thickening of the wall of the sigmoid colon. He was diagnosed as having diverticulitis of the sigmoid colon and was treated with antibiotics. Although his symptoms improved, the presence of a malignancy such as colorectal cancer could not be completely ruled out because of the persistently high serum level of CA19-9. A laparotomy was performed and the sigmoid colon was found to be adherent to the bladder. Under a diagnosis of diverticulitis, a sigmoidectomy was performed. Pathological examination revealed diverticulitis of the sigmoid colon, but there was no evidence of malignancy in the resected specimen. The serum CA19-9 level decreased to normal postoperatively and immunohistochemical staining revealed CA19-9 antigen in the cytoplasm of the diverticular epithelium. Therefore, a possible explanation for the high level of this tumor marker was diverticulitis of the sigmoid colon. Received: June 6, 2001 / Accepted: September 11, 2001     

Endoscopic submucosal dissection and preoperative assessment with endoscopic ultrasonography for the treatment of rectal carcinoid tumors

Background

Rectal carcinoid tumors 10 mm in diameter or smaller located within the submucosal layer can be cured by local excision including endoscopic treatment. But complete resection of these tumors with endoscopic polypectomy is difficult. This study aimed to evaluate the usefulness of endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) and endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS) for the treatment of rectal carcinoid tumors.

Methods

In this study, 22 rectal carcinoid tumors in 21 patients were evaluated with EUS and treated using ESD from January 2004 to December 2008.

Results

The mean size of the resected tumors was 6.1 mm (range, 2.0–10 mm) on histopathologic evaluations. When the sizes of the tumors shown by EUS and histopathologic evaluation were compared, the mean values were not significantly different. All the tumors were located within the submucosal layer, and the accuracy of the preoperative depth determination with EUS was 100% (22/22). The mean duration of the ESD procedure was 37 min (range, 20–71 min). The overall rate of en bloc resection with ESD was 100% (22/22). Although postoperative bleeding occurred in two cases (9%), both cases were successfully managed by endoscopic hemostasis. No perforation or recurrence was observed during the mean follow-up period of 30 months (range, 7–66 months).

Conclusions

Endoscopic submucosal dissection and preoperative assessment with EUS are effective for treating rectal carcinoid tumors and enabling en bloc resection.     

THE LATEST PROGRESS OF GASTRIC CANCER SURGERY IN JAPAN

Mortality rate of gastric cancer in Japan had been the highest in the world. Development of early detection and effective treatment was the most impor-tant social demand. For the early detection, Japan de-veloped “double contrast X-ray”, “endoscopy and en-doscopic biopsy”, and “mass screening system”. The Japanese nationwide registry collected data of 273,142 gastric cancer patients in the last 30 years. By the ef-forts of early detection, proportion of Stage I cancer increased from 22.5% to 58.1% in the registry. Cu-mulative 5 year survival rate of resected cases was improved from 37.5% （1962） to 68.8% （1991）. Im-provement was remarkable for Stage-II; from 47.7% to 70.3%, and for Stage-III, from 26.4% to 45.0%.     

Repair of an Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm with a Remarkably Dilated Meandering Artery: Report of a Case

A 73-year-old man on dialysis for chronic renal dysfunction was referred to our hospital for surgical treatment of an abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA). Preoperative angiography showed a remarkably developed meandering artery branching from the inferior mesenteric artery (IMA). The superior mesenteric and celiac arteries were occluded at the origin, and all blood flow to the abdominal organs was apparently supplied by collateral circulation from the IMA. Considering the risk of mesenteric ischemia after aortic clamping in conjunction during surgery, we used a perfusion catheter with a 12-F balloon to create a shunt to the IMA from the subclavian artery. The operation was successful and the patient recovered uneventfully. We describe this surgical procedure for its effectiveness in preventing postoperative mesenteric ischemia in a rare case of an AAA with complex branching lesions.     

Identification and haplotype analysis of LRRK2 G2019S in Japanese patients with Parkinson disease

LRRK2 G2019S is the most common known cause of Parkinson disease (PD) in patients of European origin, but little is known about its distribution in other populations. The authors identified two of 586 Japanese patients with PD heterozygous for the mutation who shared a haplotype distinct from that observed in Europeans. This suggests that G2019S originated from separate founders in Europe and Japan and is more widely dispersed than previously recognized.     

Two cases of preceded aortic valve replacement for severe aortic stenosis before the cancer operations

We report two cases of aortic valve replacement (AVR) for severe aortic stenosis (AS) before the cancer operations. Severe AS poses a great risk for noncardiac surgery. In the ACC/AHA 2007 Guideline on Perioperative Cardiovascular Evaluation and Care for Noncardiac Surgery, if the AS is symptomatic, elective noncardiac surgery should generally be postponed or canceled. Such patients require AVR before elective noncardiac surgery. On the other hand, in patients with severe AS who refuse cardiac surgery, noncardiac surgery can be performed with a mortality risk of approximately 10%. In our cases, severe AS was found in the preoperative examination. We informed them about necessary AVR before noncardiac surgery, and patients consented to our suggestion. AVR was performed around 7 days after this consent, and cancer operation was performed around 30 days after the AVR. However, there are no clear guidelines for this interval between AVR and cancer operation. In our cases the patients underwent the cardiac surgery and noncardiac surgery in a short period without serious complication in the perioperative management. It is very important to discuss among surgeon, cardiovascular surgeon, cardiologist and anesthesiologist. Especially anesthesiologist should take an important role in organizing these departments for such patients.     

Long-term results of tension-band laminoplasty for cervical stenotic myelopathy: a ten-year follow-up

We reviewed 75 patients (57 men and 18 women), who had undergone tension-band laminoplasty for cervical spondylotic myelopathy (42 patients) or compression myelopathy due to ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament (33 patients) and had been followed for more than ten years. Clinical and functional results were estimated using the Japanese Orthopaedic Association score. The rate of recovery and the level of postoperative axial neck pain were also recorded. The pre- and post-operative alignment of the cervical spine (Ishihara curve index indicating lordosis of the cervical spine) and the range of movement (ROM) of the cervical spine were also measured. The mean rate of recovery of the Japanese Orthopaedic Association score at final follow-up was 52.1% (SD 24.6) and significant axial pain was reported by 19 patients (25.3%). Axial pain was reported more frequently in patients with ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament than in those with cervical spondylotic myelopathy (p = 0.027). A kyphotic deformity was not seen post-operatively in any patient. The mean ROM decreased post-operatively from 32.8° (SD 12.3) to 16.2° (SD 12.3) (p < 0.001). The mean ROM ratio was 46.9% (SD 28.1) for all the patients. The mean ROM ratio was lower in patients with ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament than in those with cervical spondylotic myelopathy (p < 0.001). Compared to those with cervical spondylotic myelopathy, patients with ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament had less ROM and more post-operative axial neck pain.     

Markedly high signal intensity lesions in the uterine cervix on T2-weighted imaging: differentiation between mucin-producing carcinomas and nabothian cysts.

PURPOSE: Both mucin-producing carcinomas and nabothian cysts in the cervix show very high signal intensity on T2-weighted images (WI). The purpose of this study was to evaluate the potential of MR imaging in differentiating mucin-producing carcinomas from nabothian cysts. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Forty-six patients who underwent hysterectomy and had very high signal intensity lesions in the uterine cervix on T2-WI were included in this study. The pathological diagnoses were mucin-producing carcinoma in 13 patients, non-mucin-producing carcinoma accompanied with nabothian cyst in four patients, and nabothian cyst in 29 patients. T1-WI, T2-WI, and Gd-T1-WI were obtained in all patients. Malignancies were diagnosed on Gd-T1-WI as follows: (1) an enhanced lesion, (2) an irregular margin, (3) iso-intensity on T1-WI. In contrast, high signal intensity on T1-WI was considered benign. RESULTS: Thirteen of 17 malignant lesions and three of 29 benign lesions were enhanced. Irregular margins were observed in 12 of 17 malignant lesions and four of 29 benign lesions. Nineteen benign lesions and seven malignant lesions demonstrated high signal intensity on supplemental T1-WI. Combining the lesion criteria of enhancement, irregular lesion margin, and iso-intensity on T1-WI, the overall accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity rates of diagnosing malignancy were 89%, 88%, and 90%, respectively (p < 0.01). CONCLUSION: MR imaging accurately differentiated mucin-producing carcinomas from nabothian cysts that showed high signal intensity on T2-WI in the cervical stroma. For diagnosing mucin-producing carcinomas and nabothian cysts when signal intensity was remarkably high on T2-WI, Gd-T1-WI findings provided key information for differentiation, and T1-WI was useful for improving specificity.