Successful treatment of ruptured hepatocellular carcinoma with intraperitoneal injection of OK-432

We report a 51-year-old man with a ruptured hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). He was admitted to the hospital with abdominal pain and distension. Imaging studies revealed massive ascites, liver cirrhosis, and a 3-cm tumor at the inferior edge of the medial segment of the liver, with adhesions to the greater omentum. Abdominal paracentesis showed bloody ascites, and the patient was diagnosed with a ruptured HCC. OK-432, an immunomodulatory agent prepared from an attenuated strain of Streptococcus pyogenes, was injected (10KE) into the peritoneal cavity four times within 1 week; the massive ascites disappeared, and the serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) level decreased to within the normal limits. Afterwards, he underwent a curative operation for HCC. His postoperative course was uneventful and he was discharged from the hospital on the twenty-second postoperative day. He had shown no evidence of recurrence or metastases at the time he died of hepatic failure related to alcohol abuse 9 months after the operation.     

Ruptured extrauterine pregnancy

Extrauterine pregnancies contribute substantially to maternal mortality in all parts of the world. The most common cause of these deaths is massive bleeding after rupture of the ectopic pregnancy. The advent of transvaginal ultrasonography in early pregnancy and the use of quantitative measurement of the β-unit of human chorionic gonadotropin have revolutionized the management of this condition. These diagnostic modalities allow its early detection and, in many cases, treatment before rupture occurs. There is an ever increasing body of evidence supporting expectant, medical, and surgical management of ectopic pregnancy according to certain criteria. The indications and criteria for the different management options are described in the literature and in clear guidelines from institutions such as the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists. Methotrexate, in a single dose protocol, is widely used in the medical management of ectopic pregnancy. Surgical therapy can be either laparoscopic or via laparotomy. Be that as it may, ruptured ectopic pregnancy will continue to present as a gynecologic emergency requiring prompt and appropriate care. Resuscitation of these patients should be an organized, systematic, and rapid process with the ultimate goal of getting them to the operating theatre in the best possible hemodynamic status. The aim of surgery should be to stop active bleeding by the most expedient method. The use of autotransfusion is well established in cardiac surgery, vascular surgery, orthopedic surgery, and trauma. Using autologous blood should be considered also in the treatment of ruptured extrauterine pregnancy when faced with massive bleeding and a need for transfusion. Advanced abdominal pregnancy is a rare condition with high perinatal and maternal morbidity and mortality. Placental management at delivery remains a dilemma. The risk of massive bleeding upon removal must be balanced against the risk of infection and other complications during the long time needed for resorption of the placenta if left in situ. Despite a reduction in maternal mortality due to ectopic pregnancy in the developed world during the preceding period, it would appear that no further inroads have been made in the last two decades. In developing countries, the problem is far greater, and problems with resources and infrastructure persist. It remains a challenge to all practitioners caring for women to apply available resources and use the published evidence-based guidelines to manage these women effectively and safely.     

The spontaneous course of small abdominal aortic aneurysms. Aneurysmal growth rates and life expectancy

Summary Since abdominal ultrasonography has become a routine diagnostic procedure, increasing numbers of small asymptomatic abdominal aortic aneurysms are detected incidentally. Of 128 patients (108 male, 20 female) with abdominal aortic aneurysms, 96 patients were observed clinically and by repeated ultrasound studies for an average of 3.47 years, adding up to a total observation period of 333 patient-years. Among these 96 patients, 72 had small aneurysms (averaged diameters less than 5 cm). Three of them were lost to follow up. None of the remaining 69 patients died from rupture, 20 died from other causes and 8 patients were successfully operated. Of the patients with a large aneurysm one was lost to follow up. Five patients of the remaining 23 died as a result of rupture, 7 were successfully operated. The average growth rate of small aneurysms was 0.18 cm/year, whereas the larger aneurysms showed a growth rate of 0.28 cm/year (diameter).The survival rate of patients with small aneurysms was 94% after one year, 80% after 3 years, and 73 % after 5 years, indicating that life expectancy is reduced in patients with an aneurysm of the abdominal aorta, but not because of complications of the aneurysm.     

瓦氏窦瘤破裂及其合并畸形的超声诊断价值

目的：评价彩色多普勒超声心动图在诊断瓦氏窦瘤破裂确定起源与破入心腔以及合并畸形中的价值。方法： 将３９ 例瓦氏窦瘤破裂的超声诊断结果与手术结果进行对比分析。结果：３９例瓦氏窦瘤破裂及其起源的超声诊断与手术完全相符,破入心腔超声与手术基本相符。超声检出１３例中的１０例合并室缺,所测室缺大小明显低于手术所见。结论：彩色多普勒超声心动图对瓦氏窦瘤破裂的确定、起源及破入心腔的定位以及主要合并畸形的诊断具有较大的价值。     

开颅夹闭术治疗老年颅内破裂动脉瘤的近期疗效及其影响因素

目的 探讨开颅夹闭术治疗老年颅内破裂动脉瘤的近期疗效及其影响因素。方法 回顾性分析2014年1月至2017年10月行开颅夹闭术治疗的80例颅内破裂动脉瘤的临床资料。术后6个月采用GOS评分评价近期疗效,采用多因素Logistic回归分析影响近期预后的因素。结果 80例共83个动脉瘤,其中完全夹闭63个（75.90%）。术后发生脑血管痉挛3例、脑梗死3例、脑积水2例。术后6个月无复发,预后良好50例（62.50%,50/80;GOS评分4~5分）。多因素Logistic回归分析显示年龄>65岁、合并高血压、术前Hunt-Hess分级高是近期不良预后的独立危险因素（P<0.05）。结论 早期开颅夹闭术治疗老年颅内破裂动脉瘤近期疗效较好,年龄大、合并高血压及术前Hunt-Hess分级高是影响疗效的独立危险因素。     

Emergency Endovascular Repair for Ruptured Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms: Feasibility and Comparison of Early Results with Conventional Open Repair

PURPOSE: To assess the feasibility of endovascular aortic repair (EVAR) on patients presenting with a ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) in a teaching hospital, and to compare there post-operative outcomes with contemporaneous patients treated with open repair (OR). METHODS: A series of consecutive of patients presenting ruptured AAA with retro/intraperitoneal haematoma were included in the study. EVAR was attempted whenever possible. In all other cases (severe haemodynamic instability, adverse anatomy, device unavailability), ruptured AAA were treated by OR. RESULTS: Thirty-seven patients were enrolled between January 2001 and July 2004. Seventeen (46%) patients were treated using adapted designed aortoiliac endografts (eight bifurcated, eight aorto-uniiliac, one iliac extension). Twenty (54%) patients unfit for EVAR because of severe haemodynamic instability (n=8), adverse anatomical configuration (n=7), or unavailability of an appropriate endograft (n=5) were treated by OR. Twenty-seven (73%) had a retrospective suitable anatomy for EVAR. Three early conversions from EVAR to OR were performed. Blood loss, operating time, and intensive care stay were significantly decreased in EVAR patients (respectively: 156 min+/-60, 1520 ml+/-1175, 3 days for EVAR; vs. 222 min+/-82, 3075 ml+/-1750, 13 days for OS; P<.01). The 30-day mortality rate was 23.5% for EVAR vs. 50% for OR (P=0.09). CONCLUSION: EVAR of ruptured AAA is feasible for selected patients based on haemodynamic and morphologic criteria, and should be associated with improved immediate outcomes as compared with OR. These results should be tempered by the fact that these patients have heavy comorbidities which explains the absence of difference in mid-term mortality rates between the two groups, but should also encourage surgical institutions that are managing such life-threatening emergencies to introduce EVAR as part of their therapeutic arsenal for ruptured AAA.     

The Hospital for the Ruptured and Crippled: Knight to Gibney, 1870–1887

In 1870, R&C moved to its second site on the corner of Lexington Avenue and 42nd Street. A newly constructed building designed by a specialist in ecclesiastical architecture became the home of a 200-bed children's hospital planned entirely by Dr. James Knight, founder of the hospital and its first Surgeon-in-Chief. Expansion of the facilities and of the professional staff, although needed and welcomed, brought new challenges, changes, and conflicts. The root of these was to lie in the complex character of James Knight with his dogmatic approach to patient care vs the open nature of his newly appointed assistant, Virgil Gibney, who was to become his successor and eventually the second Surgeon-in-Chief. How these two personalities worked together for 13 years, abruptly parted, and then after Knight's death, the reappearance of Gibney, is a fascinating story of the early development of the first orthopedic hospital in this country. It was a period after the Civil War described as the “Gilded Age,” where not only the country, but the city, was going through its own challenges, changes and conflicts. Emerging was a new era for R&C introducing surgery, postgraduate medical education, and eventually, clinical and basic research.     

Splenic function following experimental dearterialization injury in the suckling rat

An experimental splenic dearterilization injury was created in 1-wk-old rats to study the effect of vascular trauma on splenic function. Splenic weight significantly decreased 1 wk following injury but returned to control values within a month. Total splenic nuclear activity diminished initially but increased to above control values 1 mo after injury, and finally returned to normal at 2 mo. Survival rate after an intraperitoneal challenge with pneumococcus in groups 1 wk following total splenectomy and partial dearterlization was not significantly different than controls. This study confirmed the clinical impression that vascular injury to the spleen causes only a transient impariment of splenic size and function and provides further incentive to perform splenorrhaphy following splenic trauma.     

Staged resection for a ruptured hepatoblastoma: a 6-year follow-up

Hepatoblastoma (HB) is a rare germ cell tumour of childhood usually presenting with progressive abdominal distention. However, presentation as acute abdomen is a rare occurrence and is secondary to spontaneous rupture. This presentation carries high mortality. To our knowledge, six cases of ruptured hepatoblastoma have previously been reported, although the long-term outcome has not been clear. We report a case of ruptured HB who was managed by initial control of haemorrhage by laparotomy followed by chemotherapy with high-risk hepatoblastoma protocol as per SIOPEL 2 (cisplatin, carboplatin and doxorubicin) and a staged hepatectomy 5 months later. Patient is currently disease free at 6-year follow-up. Staged hepatectomy after initial control of haemorrhage does not preclude a curative resection.     

Intra-Amniotic Infection/Inflammation as a Risk Factor for Subsequent Ruptured Membranes after Clinically Indicated Amniocentesis in Preterm Labor

The aim of this study was to determine whether intra-amniotic infection/inflammation (IAI) was associated with subsequent ruptured membranes in women with preterm labor and intact membranes who had a clinically indicated amniocentesis. This retrospective cohort study included 237 consecutive women with preterm labor (20-34.6 weeks) who underwent amniocentesis. The clinical and laboratory parameters evaluated included demographic variables, gestational age, C-reactive protein (CRP) and amniotic fluid (AF) white blood cell, interleukin-6 (IL-6) and culture results. IAI was defined as a positive AF culture and/or an elevated AF IL-6 level (>2.6 ng/mL). The primary outcome was ruptured membranes in the absence of active labor occurring within 48 hours of amniocentesis. Preterm premature rupture of membranes subsequently developed in 10 (4.2%) women within 48 hr of amniocentesis. Multivariate analysis demonstrated that only IAI was independently associated with the ruptured membranes occurring within 48 hr of amniocentesis. In the predictive model based on variables assessed before amniocentesis, only CRP level was retained. IAI is an independent risk factor for subsequent ruptured membranes after clinically indicated amniocentesis in preterm labor. Prior to amniocentesis, measurement of serum CRP level can provide a risk assessment for the subsequent development of ruptured membranes after the procedure.