Use of Pericholedochal Plexus for Portal Flow Reconstruction in Diffuse Portal Vein Thrombosis: Case Report

Portal vein thrombosis (PVT) remains a challenging issue for liver transplantation surgeons. Most patients who have PVT undergo eversion thrombectomy. When thrombectomy is not successful due to diffuse PVT, other modalities are adapted, such as the use of a venous jump graft or portal tributaries. Here, we report our successful experience with reconstruction of portal flow using collateral plexus for a patient with grade 4 PVT. Thrombectomy did not restore portal flow. A pericholedochal plexus was found on the lateral wall of common bile duct. Direct end-to-end anastomosis was performed between the donor's portal vein and patient's choledochal plexus. Postoperative color Doppler ultrasound revealed normal portal flow.     

Single-Center Experience of Living Donor Liver Transplantation for Patients With Secondary Biliary Cirrhosis

BackgroundSecondary biliary cirrhosis (SBC) represents a unique form of cirrhosis that develops in the liver secondary to persistent biliary obstruction. This study aimed to review the living donor liver transplants (LDLTs) performed at our center for patients with SBC and end-stage liver disease and to share the perioperative strategies undertaken to achieve satisfactory outcomes.MethodsThe medical records of 29 patients who underwent LDLT for SBC between December 1994 and July 2018 at the Asan Medical Center (Seoul, South Korea) were retrospectively reviewed. Their clinical data were extracted and statistically analyzed. Survival curves were computed.ResultsThe perioperative and in-hospital morbidity rates were 72.4% and 10.3%, respectively. The overall mean recipient follow-up was 80.0 (SD, 66.4) months (range, 0.8-246.8 months). Patient survival rates after 1, 3, 5, and 10 years after transplant were 82.8%, 79.3%, 79.3%, and 79.3%, respectively. For liver grafts, the survival rates were 82.8%, 75.8%, 75.8%, and 75.8% at 1, 3, 5, and 10 years, respectively.ConclusionsLDLT is potentially a final lifesaving resort for patients with SBC with portal hypertension. However, considering the difficulty of surgery and perioperative management, LDLT should be performed by experienced transplant surgeons in a center where a multidisciplinary approach is possible.     

Role of Preoperative Colonoscopy in Patients with Gastric Cancer: A Case Control Study of the Prevalence of Coexisting Colorectal Neoplasms

Background

We evaluated the prevalence of coexisting asymptomatic colorectal neoplasm (CRN) in patients with gastric cancer (GC).

Methods

Preoperative colonoscopic examinations were performed in 495 patients with GC who underwent gastrectomy between January 2009 and December 2010. To compare the prevalence of CRN in these patients with that in a normal population, we selected 495 sex- and age-matched persons who underwent colonoscopies for health screening. Risk factors for CRN were evaluated by univariate and multivariate analyses.

Results

The overall incidence of CRN was 41.8 % (414/990). The prevalence of overall CRN, high-risk CRN, and colorectal carcinoma (CRC) were significantly higher in the GC group than in the control group (overall CRN: 48.9 % vs. 34.7 %; high-risk CRN: 28.3 % vs. 13.5 %; CRC: 2.6 % vs. 0.2 %; all P < 0.001). The presence of GC [odds ratio (OR), 1.82; 95 % confidence interval (CI), 1.4–2.38; P < 0.001], age ≥50 years (OR, 2.58; 95 % CI, 1.75–3.81; P < 0.001), and male sex (OR, 2.28; 95 % CI, 1.72–3.02; P < 0.001) were risk factors for overall CRN. In patients with GC, age ≥40 years (OR, 3.22; 95 % CI, 1.24–8.37; P = 0.016) and male sex (OR, 3.21; 95 % CI, 2.17–4.76; P < 0.001) were risk factors for overall CRN.

Conclusions

The prevalence of coexisting CRN, including CRC, was higher in patients with GC than in the normal population. Preoperative colonoscopy is strongly indicated in patients with GC who are male and/or ≥40 years of age.     

PAI-1 deficiency attenuates the fibrogenic response to ureteral obstruction

BACKGROUND: Progressive renal disease is characterized by the induction of plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1), suggesting that impaired activity of the renal plasmin cascade may play a role in renal fibrosis. METHODS: To test this hypothesis, the severity of renal fibrosis caused by unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO) was compared in PAI-1 wild-type (+/+) and PAI-1 deficient (-/-) mice. The extent of interstitial inflammation and fibrosis, renal plasminogen activator and plasmin activity, and renal expression of profibrotic genes was evaluated after 3, 7, and 14 days of UUO. RESULTS: Renal PAI-1 mRNA levels increased 8- to 16-fold in the +/+ mice after UUO surgery, and PAI-1 protein was detected in kidney homogenates. Interstitial fibrosis was significantly attenuated in -/- mice compared with +/+ mice at day 7 and day 14, based on the interstitial area stained with picrosirius red and total kidney collagen content. However, neither the mean renal plasminogen activator nor plasmin activities were increased in -/- mice compared with +/+ mice. The number of interstitial macrophages were significantly lower in the -/- mice three and seven days after UUO; interstitial myofibroblasts were significantly fewer at three days. At the same time points, this altered interstitial cellularity was associated with a significant reduction in renal mRNA levels for transforming growth factor-beta and procollagens alpha 1(I) and alpha 1(III). CONCLUSIONS: These studies establish an important fibrogenic role for PAI-1 in the renal fibrogenic response. The results demonstrate that one important fibrosis-promoting function of PAI-1 is its role in the recruitment of fibrosis-inducing cells, including myofibroblasts and macrophages.     

An unusual presentation of synovial chondromatosis of the knee in a 10-year-old girl

Synovial chondromatosis commonly occurs in the anterior compartment of the knee joint, predominantly in middle-aged men. It is relatively unusual in female children and is rarely encountered in the synovium beneath the meniscus. The present report describes a rare case of synovial chondromatosis that developed in the synovium just inferior to both menisci of the right knee in a 10-year-old girl. At this unusual age and location, there is a greater probability of missed diagnosis, due to the lack of definite informative incidence, and difficulty in finding the lesions during arthroscopic examinations. In the present case, multiple loose bodies were hidden by the meniscus, and thus, there were no structural abnormalities in the initial arthroscopic views before probing the meniscus. After careful inspection, we found numerous cartilaginous loose bodies and removed them as much as possible with arthroscopy.     

Changing patterns in the clinical characteristics of Korean patients with breast cancer during the last 15 years

HYPOTHESIS: Breast cancer has become the most common cancer in Korean women in recent years, with continuously increased incidence rates attributed to westernized lifestyles. DESIGN: Retrospective case series evaluating the changing patterns of clinical characteristics in breast cancer during the last 15 years. SETTING: Hospitalized patients with breast cancer in a university medical center. PATIENTS: A total of 5001 breast cancer patients who underwent surgery between July 1989 and March 2004 at the Asan Medical Center. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Clinicopathologic data were collected using the online Korea Breast Cancer Registration Program, including factors such as age, symptoms, stage, surgery, reconstruction, risk factors, and survival. RESULTS: The median age of patients slightly increased from 44 years in 1991 to 46 years in 2003. The most frequent age group was the fifth decade (41.7%) and premenopausal women younger than 50 years (64.9%). The proportion of asymptomatic patients detected by screening mammography increased from 3.8% in 1991 to 21.0% in 2003 (P<.001). The proportion of early breast cancer (stages 0 and I) increased from 34.2% in 1991 to 48.8% in 2003 (P=.013). Breast-conserving surgery has increased continuously from 5.1% in 1991 to 39.1% in 2003 (P<.001). Twelve percent of all patients who underwent mastectomies had immediate reconstruction, and the proportion showed an increasing trend, especially in skin-sparing mastectomy and transverse rectus abdominis myocutaneous flap reconstruction. Five-year observed survival rates were 84.1%. Five-year survival rates according to stages were as follows: (1) 98.5%, stage 0; (2) 95.3%, stage I; (3) 86.0%, stage II; (4) 65.0%, stage III; and (5) 29.3%, stage IV. The number of patients with specific risk factors, such as early menarche and late first delivery, significantly increased. Of 263 high-risk patients examined for the BRCA mutation, mutations were found in 20 patients (7.6%), with 13 cases with BRCA1 and 7 cases with BRCA2. CONCLUSIONS: The present study showed a continuous increase in the number of patients with breast cancer; the proportion of young patients, asymptomatic patients, early breast cancer, breast-conserving surgery, and immediate reconstruction after mastectomy; and the number of patients with risk factors. These results suggest that the clinical characteristics of Korean breast cancer patients reflect the patterns of Western countries.     

Short-term clinical outcome of robot-assisted intersphincteric resection for low rectal cancer: a retrospective comparison with conventional laparoscopy

Background

A robotic system (da Vinci^® Surgical System, Intuitive Surgical Inc., Sunnyvale, CA, USA) has technical advantages over conventional laparoscopic surgery because it increases the precision and accuracy of anatomical dissection. The present study aimed to compare the short-term outcomes between robot-assisted intersphincteric resection (ISR) and laparoscopic ISR for distal rectal cancer.

Methods

Patients who underwent robot- or laparoscopy-assisted ISR for rectal cancer between March 2008 and July 2011 were included in this retrospective comparative study. Perioperative and postoperative data, including complications and early functional outcomes, were analyzed between the two groups. Functional outcomes were evaluated using the Wexner scoring system, the International Prostate Symptom Score, and the 5-item version of the International Index of Erectile Function.

Results

A total of 40 patients underwent robot-assisted and 40 underwent laparoscopic ISR. The mean operative time was significantly longer in the robotic group than in the laparoscopic group (235.5 vs. 185.4 min; p < 0.001). Transabdominal ISR, in which intersphincteric dissection is completed in the pelvic cavity, was performed more with robotic assistance than with laparoscopic surgery (8 vs. 2 cases; p = 0.043). No difference was observed between groups regarding postoperative morbidity and pathological outcomes. The robot-assisted group showed a trend toward less postoperative blood loss and early recovery of functional outcomes.

Conclusion

Robot-assisted surgery was safe and effective for ISR of distal rectal cancer and showed surgical outcomes similar to those of the latest laparoscopic ISR. The favorable results of the robot-assisted ISR included reduced adaptation time, alleviated difficulty of perineal phase, and early recovery of functional outcomes in this analysis of short-term clinical outcomes.